WEEK 1 FOOD & FITNESS CHALLENGE…I GOT THIS!

So it’s one week down! Yes, I’ve now got 77  days to go of my 84 day ‘food and fitness’ challenge. I’m so freakin proud of myself, and my body and can’t believe what I’ve achieved in just one week.

I wanted to challenge my body, give it a nudge and see how it reacted. (read more HERE). Well my trainer Damian gave me more than a nudge and I’m proud to say I did it ALL. Sure he modified push ups for me and went a little lighter on some of the weights but I did it! I completed five classes, at 9:30 every morning I rocked up, gritted my teeth and like NIKE I just did it!

I’m not gonna lie, it’s hard. After Monday’s ‘legs ‘class I was in a world of pain, I walked home with wobbly legs and could have passed for one of the ‘Thunderbird puppets’. I picked up this “Oh my Quad’ tank from Target for just $12…totally fitting considering the legs class I had done the day before. I also learned that a smoothie was not a good weekday breakfast choice, by the end of class I wanted to hurl, I didn’t, but I wasn’t feeling great so it’s toast based breakfast options for me.

Tuesday was ‘chest’ day, a high intensity cross core workout that had me praying I wouldn’t pop a boob! Who am I kidding, all the workouts are high intensity. I also went to my yoga class which was wonderful as always and really helped my fatigued muscles. Speaking of boobs this wire free Action Sports bra from ‘Miss Scarlett Did It’ is getting a super workout of it’s own and I am loving it’s support power. It’s available up to size G. No jiggle here sista.

Wednesday was ‘Tabata’, every morning I rock up to class with no idea of what lies ahead. I didn’t read the class descriptions, I just showed up. Oh man, Tabata is cruel, it’s full on and fast but at the end of the class my chest was puffed out with pride.

Thursday was ‘backs’, this was my big test. After all the surgeries I’ve had including having my lats removed and repositioned on my chest I was worried. Turns out my body totally had this, it blitzed through the class and I gotta say this is one if my favourite classes. Thankyou body you’re doing great!

Friday was kickboxing. My partner had a tricep full of stitches as she’d had a mole removed, melanoma awareness right there….so we were on the big boxing bag together. High intensity and fast paced kicking and lots of it! Man, the burn was bad, the legs were weak by the end of class but I got through. I also skipped with a skipping rope, I’m sure I gave a few people a laugh but to be fair it’s been more than 30 years since I used a skipping rope.

I jogged, jumped, skipped, kicked, lifted, pulled, pushed and more, not an easy feat when you’re over 100kg and had your body carved up eight times in the last three years. You know what? I got this. One week done, I’m sure that by the end of this I’ll be jumping higher, lifting more, puffing less, ohhhh yes, there’s lots of puffing and sucking of air at the moment and beetroot face!

I discovered that Epsom salts and a long bath are totally necessary, and magnesium powder is essential for muscle recovery. I also found that focus, being organised and prioritising yourself are essential.

In class I get in my own little head space and smash out what I need to, I’m focused and when I feel weak I just remember chemo and that first reconstruction surgery. I remember the real pain I was in, the twelve hours on an operating table and  awful bone crunching pain from chemo. I’ve been through tough shit, way worse than an exercise class can ever deliver.

Being organised is necessary, if you’re prepared when it comes to food then the eating is a breeze. I’m stocked up with quality ingredients and working my way through the eating program, I gotta say I’m not hungry…yet.

Prioritising myself is important, workouts come before clients, blogging and everything else. It’s a foreign thing to me but it’s what I need to do to make sure I see this out. A few months of pulling back from my everyday life and channeling energy into my health and wellness will pay off long term. I don’t feel bad about it, I won’t apologise for it…it just is!

One week down, I’ll let you know next Monday how the second week goes. I think I’m going to treat myself to some new tights from Shop Elsa, which ones do you think I should get?

Til next time,

Jen x

If you’re local to Adelaide you can check out my gym 4D Fitness HERE