#maxineschallenge14

Saturday 11th October ~ awesome day today. 5km parkrun at Blackbutt on the hills and trails and then hit the gym early this evening for Chest and Triceps. Disappointed my abs, butt and upper legs didn't tone up as much as I hoped throughout the challenge but this is a lifelong change, not a twelve week one. Will still be training in the gym and attempting to improve my running times long after the challenge is done and dusted. xo

Friday October 10th ~ woohoo it's Friday and better yet, there is only one more Friday to go! Feeling really tired today even after a good night's sleep, think I am still getting over the virus I had. I went back to bed after dropping my partner at work and got up when the youngest daughter left for high school with her friend. Ate a late breakfast (well late for me) and an hour later went to the gym to train back. Missed fasted cardio due to my unplanned sleep in so I shortened the rest periods between exercises to keep my heart rate up. Absolutely took everything out of me today with not a single rep left in the gym. After lunch I had another sleep for an hour before picking my partner up from work. Went for a walk by the lake late this afternoon for some active recovery and felt a lot better afterward. Must have been the fresh air and sunshine. Nutrition was really good today and even though my weight on the scales doesn't change I feel a lot leaner through my stomach, butt and thighs. Looking forward to a cracker weekend of training xo

Thursday 2 October - I am so glad I went to the gym before work today. Massive day at work today with a ten hour day and I was absolutely flat out from start to finish. I am on leave next week and madly trying to finalise all of the urgent stuff with deadlines due before I get back! Working out before work helped me to keep calm even though I was so busy. On a normal day I probably would have been so stressed that I would have reached for crap instead of staying on track. My shoulder and bicep workout has been rescheduled for the morning before work as I am too tired to concentrate and can't afford to injure myself. Off to bed for some much needed rest xo

Tuesday 30th September ~ absolute cracker back session this morning. Only one of the regulars was there and I think all the new spring chickens slept in! Whoop whoop. Hope it stays this quiet until the challenge ends at least! Legs are a little stiff after PureRun last night so I trained back this morning. Back workout today included; Wide Overhand Grip Lat Pull Downs, Low Cable Rows, Hyperextensions using bodyweight and plates, Assisted Chin Ups using underhand Close Grip, One Arm Bent Over Dumbbell Rows, High Cable Machine Rows Superset with Cable Rope Face Pulls, Bent Over Barbell Row using normal grip. Hoping these little legs are good to go for training tomorrow xo

Monday 29th September ~ I want my abs back! I can feel them but They still have very little definition under the protective layer. Getting frustrated how long it is taking to shed the body fat. Only have three short weeks left so I am tweaking the carb intake so I am having a high carb day when training the bigger muscle groups or longer runs and lowering the carbs on the other days. Hoping this brings me the results I am after. Cardio is more fun with friends. Went to the launch of PureRun at Warners Bay organised by Pure Performance Sports this evening. It was so great to run of an evening after dark when it cooled down and not have to worry about my safety. Daylight savings kicks in next weekend and it's my favourite time of the year as I love to workout outdoors of an evening. I love to run in the mornings too but it's not light enough, early enough until mid to late November. I like to start work early so I can escape early for outdoor workouts. Looking forward to hitting the gym tomorrow for back or legs. Not sure which yet it depends on how the legs feel in the morning and which machines are the busiest at the gym. xo

Sunday 28th September ~ only three short weeks left and to be honest I am freaking out a little. This body fat is taking forever to shift! I need about an extra eight hours in my days for the next few weeks. Cracker session at the gym this morning with a 45min treadmill incline walk followed by chest and triceps. My arms and chest were literally shaking squeezing out those last reps today and I left the gym with nothing in the tank. I was planning to go for a run this afternoon but had so much washing and other housework to catch up on I didn't get a chance to go. A little bit disappointed as the weather was absolutely stunning. Will be ramping up the cardio in addition to the weights to see if that will help shift the extra body fat my body is reluctant to let go of. I am following the nutrition plan as best I can. I swap out the tuna for beef or chicken and supplement with krill oil capsules for the omega 3 etc however I am thinking I need to swap out the brown rice for sweet potato for the majority of my meals due to the high calories of the rice (not to mention the sore tummy more often than I'd like!). Some days I can tolerate the rice, but others my tummy swells and looks like I am about seven months pregnant, not a desired look at all. Off to bed soon to rest and recharge ready for another cracker week of training. xo

Saturday 27th September ~ awesome day at parkrun this morning, paced my friend to a new PB at @lakemacparkrun and she finished ready to vomit. Job well done! Seriously though I am so proud of her. She wanted to give up many times, she told me 'I can't!', I told her to never say it again because the moment the mind gives up so does the body. Just keep your chin up, shoulders back and concentrate on breathing steadily and pumping those arms. It sounds so crazy to those who don't run, but if you keep swinging your arms (and swing them harder and faster when you want to speed up) your legs will follow. Don't believe me? Try standing still and pumping your arms as fast as a sprinter does, can you stand still properly without wanting to move your feet? It works for me every time when nearing the finish line of a race. I focus on the flags at the finish line for parkrun (or pick a point at the finish for general runs) and focus my eyes and mind on that one thing. As I focus on that thing I keep my breathing steady and pump my arms as hard and fast as I can to finish strong. I may never ever be the winner but I give it everything I have got and no matter where I finish I never finish with regret. xo

Friday 26th September ~ Woohoo it's Friday and I am so tired I can barely keep my eyes open! Did a 20km stationary bike ride for fasted cardio followed by abs this morning after sleeping in, oops. I was late to work but luckily we have flexible working hours. Most people have a cruisy Friday at work but I am usually flat out trying to get everything finalised for the new week. I have found it's less stressful on Monday's that way. Looking forward to another cracker weekend of training. Work hard, stay consistent and never take your eyes off your goal xo