Catch up with all of April Ieremia’s diary entries and accompanying exercise regimes
It’s been gruelling, but my tour of Alaska and Canada is over – and I’m now overweight.
Three weeks away from home without the support of my trainer or the comfort and routine of home has been memorable, but it’s a setback I will pay for.
The majestic Rockies, celestial glaciers and picturesque waterfalls have been exquisite. Taking in the mountains on the back of a Harley-Davidson was breathtaking, and the carnival fever of the Calgary Stampede is unparalleled. But was it worth it?
I’m sitting at the airport in Los Angeles wondering if all the good work I did before I went away has gone down the drain.
The commitment I showed then was commendable. Some mornings I needed to be at work by 6am, so I headed out for my run at 4am. on other days, time to train was scarce so I packed consecutive days with runs in the morning and 90 minutes of Bikram yoga at night. I was motivated.
ootivation is key. I read recently that until we understand our motivations, it can be impossible to change behaviour patterns that may be holding us back. And whether we are conscious of them or not, we always have underlying intentions or motivations for every action we take or every word we speak.
The key to understanding our motivation is honesty. The ability to bare our souls is very scary, but when we look closely, our motivations nearly always come from a place of love or fear.
For example, a desire to help a friend or a desire propelled by insecurity. Honesty is the key to understanding motivations.
I want to lose weight because I am vain and I have a strong desire to look great. I am sick of feeling physically uncomfortable and unable. When I don’t exercise, it’s because I am lazy and I don’t think I am important enough to devote any time to ensuring that I operate at an optimum level.
It’s time to ask yourself what motivates you to eat this and not that, why you exercise, why you don’t, why you like your friends, and why you really want to lose weight.
I have been very wary of bathroom scales while on tour, because each time I jumped on them, they put me back to square one. Before checking out of the hotel, one of our tour party jumped on the scales in the lobby.
She had gained 20kg. Clearly they were wrong. Not even I could do that much damage in three weeks, however looking down at my tummy now, I’m not convinced.
This tour has been worth it, because it has made me realise what is truly important and what I really want. I want to be thin.
**A note from Scott Cottier
**April returns from her holiday this week and I have my Toolbox of Toughness on hand, ready to push her back down that path of discipline and determination. This would’ve been a great learning curve for her self-development – to understand that no matter what temptations are placed in front of you, you are the master of your choices.
As the Specforce psychologist explains in her article Taming the oonster of Slack-ness (ali.specforce.co.nz), “Your most wonderful achievements and experiences often come through adversity.” If you are looking for a healthy lifestyle, then you have to push your body through some fitness hardships and nutritional restraints to allow for this to happen.
Next week is the toughest of this six-week block. The training consists of five cardio sessions, alternating between one minute of walking and seven minutes of running for 55 minutes. Exercises in total for the week are: 200 step-ups, 200 lunges, 200 bent-over rows and 400 trunk twists with feet off the ground.
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