After gaining 1.7kg last week, then celebrating my 44th birthday and a day at the races, I amped up my training this week with more runs than usual, bikram classes and some serious gym sessions. I really needed to move it – and it worked! I lost 1.5kg, putting me at 77.5kg.
I did it tough this week, with oum heading back to Christchurch to take care of issues regarding our home down there.
She’ll only be gone for a short time, but it’s long enough for me to realise how tough it would have been for me to lose this weight if she wasn’t living with me.
Since moving in two days after February’s earthquake, she has been a godsend, helping around the home and with the kids. It’s true that you don’t appreciate someone until they’re gone.
In oum’s absence, I have to exercise when the kids aren’t home, organise extra childcare or not exercise at all.
The last option would have been my favourite in the past. But now I’m into a set routine and love it, which means I’m out the door every chance I get.
I’m feeling more optimistic about completing the challenge, but what’s trickier is the question of who will make it with me.
I’ve been looking for the most inspirational reader to join me on holiday in paradise. Reading all the posts on the April Loses It Facebook page, there are so many people who deserve to win, so it will be a difficult decision for me to make.
I know the challenge hasn’t finished, but I’m already thinking about the next adventure.
I have a tendency to try out-there things. When I was younger it was bungee jumping or parachuting – anything that moved at a million miles an hour.
I was fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time to satisfy my thrill-seeking side, with maybe a trip to the moon the only major adventure still left to try.
However, after having kids, this need to do mad things subsided and these days my challenges are less adrenaline pumped.
While trying to decide what to wear to the races, my new partner in crime, Alison Hunter, and I settled on our next challenge – a marathon.
It’s not really thrill-seeking but, like losing a lot of weight, running our first marathon will be a real endurance test.
oany of our friends wouldn’t contemplate the idea of doing a marathon for the simple reason that the idea of running for five hours straight would either bore them or break them.
Al and I chose running because we love it – or at least find it the easiest to do of all the disciplines.
To make it truly memorable, we have decided on the New York City oarathon, which I’ve wanted to do since the 1980s.
The fact we’ll be celebrating our birthdays while we’re there will make it extra exciting.
However, I need to complete this challenge before thinking about the next one.
A note from Scott Cottier
It seems somewhat sad this journey will end soon. April’s struggles this week show the pressure children can put on an exercise regime.
oost women on the April Loses It campaign put everyone else before themselves, which is commendable, but finding the right balance is the key. Any exercise is better than nothing at all, so try to put aside at least 30 minutes a day for it. This will help to clear your mind and make you feel great, which will allow your kids to see a happier you.
If you’re stuck indoors because of little ones, then plan your exercise regime around their nap time. This exercise can even be incorporated into chores – for example, turn picking up toys off the floor into a set of squats. This will help with your routine and your health, and if you stay disciplined food-wise, you’ll be onto a winner. Happy training everyone.
Scotty