Monday lunch

So apparently you can sign up to the challenge weeks and weeks before it starts.  Then each week in the lead up to the event, a new task is released to get you in the right frame of mind and all sorted out so that you give yourself the best opportunity to succeed.

Unfortunately I’m a bit of a spur of the moment, last minute kinda gal, so I only signed up last week!  There’s a group of new mums I’m friends with online and several of them had signed up to get themselves into gear post-baby and in the end I decided, what the hell, this is the motivation and support I need to get my eating and exercise back on track.  I had just started to get the exercise together a year ago, but once I was pregnant that all went out the window as I found myself too exhausted to do anything other than lay on the lounge and eat, just going to work was a major struggle.  So needless to say, there are a few extra kilos there that I can’t just blame on baby weight!

So, I got myself all signed up and plowed through the pre-season tasks.  I thought the videos would be a bit hokey, but this program is nothing of the sort.  I’m impressed right from the start, which is definitely making it easier to get motivated.  I have to admit I did skip through some of the pre-season activities I was supposed to do - I’m not emptying the cupboard of all its goodies, but I’m also very, very rarely tempted to help myself to things I shouldn’t have.  If it becomes a problem, then I will deal with it then.

The interesting part for me was the fitness test – oh boy!  I was definitely scared here – 12 months since I’d done pretty much anything…  I’m happy to say though, that I was pleasantly surprised with my results.  Technically, I should probably put myself in Intermediate (what the?), however I’m starting off firmly in the beginner camp.  My abs are shot - pregnancy and a c-section will do that to you.  And with ligaments still a bit lax from pregnancy, I want to really ease into the jogging/running side of things.  My results put me as 100% beginner for the abs – no surprises there.  I was 1 second off being intermediate on the walk/jog and would have made it if I had any idea of what my time was.  My husband was timing me and since I thought I had no chance of making it I didn’t push quite as hard as I could have in the final stretch.  Was still knackered at the end of it though!  All my other results put me in Intermediate, but, as I said, I’m happy starting in beginner and easing into things a little more than I am guessing the higher level would let me.  I can always swap up in a few weeks if everything starts getting stronger.

The other side of things – food!  Once the meal plan was released to us, I did a HUGE shop on the weekend – I’ve never bought so many veges.  There are a lot of salads in this plan, which I’m generally not a fan of, but you know what, I’m going to give it a go.  If I really don’t like something, then I won’t have it again, but these meals look really, really tasty and if I want to make a change, this is a damn good place to start.

Oh, and my quads nearly died on the fitness test.  They’re still giving me grief 3 days later…