Health & Fitness Update: September

I'm finally back with another update!

So, these past couple of months have been all over the place for me, and towards the end of August was especially tricky. There were a few changes at my gym (I talk about that below) and I fell ill a few times, one of which landed me in an after-hours medical centre on a Saturday morning. But hey! There are always going to be challenges on your fitness journey and it's nothing I can't handle. The weather is beginning to warm up for Spring now, which should make for awesome running conditions. I also have some new goals in mind for the rest of the year to keep me motivated. Let's get to it!

Training with no trainer 

You'll probably remember me raving about my awesome gym trainer in numerous posts. He left on an epic adventure through Europe with some friends at the end of July and won't be back until late October. Of course I am so happy for him, and if anyone deserves a break it's him. But I found out very quickly how hard it can be when someone who has supported you for so long leaves. I found myself struggling for motivation, and I haven't had my weekly boxing to look forward to. Not gonna lie, it's been really sucky without my partner in crime to laugh with and talk about super heroes to. I don't have as good a relationship with the other trainers, so I've been stuck for questions sometimes too. It's been my biggest challenge lately and it's a big test of the knowledge he's instilled in me. But I'm sure he will be back in no time and we can have a massive catch up while we lift weights!

Staying healthy & training on holiday 

 So, this didn't really go to plan! But it all worked out in the end. On our recent trip to the states I ended up treating myself to quite a bit of fries, pizza slices and ice cream at the end of a busy day exploring. I wasn't bad the whole time and I still ate porridge for breakfast almost everyday. After being so strict with myself on eating habits, I just wanted to relax on vacation and enjoy not thinking about calories for once. I also made a point of hydrating properly everyday, so at least there's balance, right? 

In terms of exercise, it was a little tricky for us to find running routes where we were staying. There were some cool trails in LA (Griffth Park & Runyon Canyon) but other than that we didn't run much. Seattle was awesome because our apartment had a gym that was pretty well stocked with machines, so we all spent an hour in there everyday. Hawaii had a really lovely park to run around, although it wasn't a long distance. But there was lots of beach swimming to burn of some of that pizza I was eating too. Next time I'm definitely going to book in at a nearby gym in each location, so that I am guaranteed to keep up a fitness routine. 

Getting back in the gym

 Walking back into my local gym was actually a bit of a relief. I was reunited with my squat rack and I could finally get back into my programs. The hardest part was actually letting my body get used to the work I was doing before I left. These first couple of weeks back have left me aching everywhere. I certainly don't have the energy that I used to and I've been struggling to finish even an hour workout. On my third week, I've felt almost back to normal and I can extend my workouts longer. I know it's going to take some time for my body to adjust and get some strength back, so I just have to stick with it until then. 

Good nutrition always helps

To go with my struggle of regular workouts again, I have also been trying to get back into focusing on putting good foods into my body. I definitely developed a craving for carbs and sugary treats while we were on holiday, and it's been so hard to resist! I'm slowly getting better and I'm back into the swing of meal prepping. But I definitely think my low energy is also tied to my holiday nutrition and I need to get lots of goodness in me again! No more pizza :(


Spartan Training Begins! 

Yup, I am less than a year away from competing in my first Spartan Race. Now that I am back from my holiday, I can focus my gym work on training for the occasion. It's a 13km obstacle course that will require a lot of endurance and physical strength to complete it. I'm going to really work on my upper-body strength, continue running regularly (plus improve my overall fitness) and really push myself mentally. Once my trainer is back we can work on a proper game plan together, but for now it's just me and a couple of crossfit workouts added to my daily routine. It's a dream of mine to complete this race, so training hard will only make it more meaningful.


October Goals: 
Work on a new crossfit workout every week and master all of them
Get to ten body weight pull-ups 
Squat 60kgs by the end of the month
 

Hopefully next month I will be feeling a lot more energetic and my body will be back to normal. You always need goals and challenges in fitness, so it's only making me more determined to work hard.

How's your fitness journey going? I'd love to know!
Steph x.