If you've lost your exercise/running mojo, come on in for a Christmas countdown .....

[lechatnoir]

I've not done any significant exercise for the past 9 months, have put on 1.5 stone, taken up smoking again after years away and feel like shit as a result plus add peri-menopausal symptoms Working from home , lack of money and general feeling of negativity everywhere hasn't helped and I'm sure I'm not alone.

In a fit of madness I signed up for a HM for next March but need a kick up the arse and a serious overhaul before I can even start to think about following a running plan. Ive got 7 weeks before I start training but think 8 weeks is more realistic and will also tie in nicely with the festive season (right now I just want to hibernate not party).

So aims are:
Get basic fitness levels up and gently resume running
Build some strength and flexibility
Stop smoking (day 3 and counting)
Include some proper self-care - early nights, hair colouring more regularly, just a bit of pampering occasionally.

Get back in the habit of regular exercise with some sort of weekly timetable.

Anyone want to join me and post for support, encouragement, ideas and give each other a proverbial kick up the arse along way?

TOday has been a write off - originally planned to swim and that didn't happen and then thought I'd do a 5k Jeff but DC1 popped home from uni. However I got a 12k Jeff in yesterday. Interestingly for those trying to increase their Jeffing intervals my 12k at 90:30 was SLOWER than my 12k 2 weeks ago at 60:30. There is some weird magic about Jeffing that I haven't yet got my head around. Have rehearsals and a concert tomorrow pm so need to get my butt out for a run in the morning.

Got out to run this morning but 2.5km in got really bad stomach cramps and had to walk home again - at least I tried!

17k steps including a GFWR workout, plus ten minutes of yoga. I am free styling this now and given up on YWA, but it still counts, right?

Yep! It all counts!

Gym for me this morning. Upped the weights a bit. Also had to get a 65 inch tv off the wall and into the car so that’s gotta be a bit of extra muscle 🤣

Two swims over the last two days, almost 6k in total. Plus 10K steps each day.

Managed a gentle 5km this morning but took a much needed rest day yesterday. Just started hrt and feeling a bit lethargic and out of sorts so trying to keep going but listen to my body. Hoping to do a weights workout tomorrow but I'll decide in the morning.

15k steps today, including a GFWR workout, plus ten minutes of yoga. Bit worried about my PF so need to take it easy over the weekend.

Saturday 5K Jeff during DC’s football club. Faster than Thursday although kept the same intervals, although I did do a back to back fast for 5:2 on Tuesday and Wednesday so was almost literally running on empty Thursday morning!

Just under 16k steps today, which included a 30 minute fast GFWR workout. My knees hurt! I did my yoga straight after, and then went out for Thai food. Balance. Hope everyone is having a lovely weekend.

The week didn’t quite work out as planned 😊

• Missed 1st run with club so ran following evening in torrential rain - only 5km.

• Ran 8.2km following evening with club which was enjoyable.

• Parkrun today!

• Tomorrow morning - thinking minimum 10k, max 13km.

2 wks to 10km race!

Need to go to bed as feeling hungry from watching Bake-off final.
Happy running for anyone running tomorrow and week ahead. Trying to run consistently is making me feel better. Hoping I can keep it going through December.

I did NMTZ (still heavily modified but both rounds of all the circuits) yesterday and my legs seem ok today - pretty bad DOMS this week but that’s to be expected isn’t it!

Has anyone ever tried doing NMTZ or other Jillian Michaels things four or five days a week? I started out thinking 1 hour 3 times a week would be good but I’m wondering if I can squeeze it in more often and get stronger faster….

3.1km swim this morning 🏊🏊💪

and a lovely stretchy YWA this evening.

Today has been a bit of a struggle here - I feel like I am getting a cold maybe. Did a GFWR, steps just sneaking in at 10k at 10pm, and yoga stretches done.

After a couple of days of next to nothing I managed a 10k event in lots of mud at Hampton Court this morning followed by a lunchtime Jeff down the towpath from Hampton Court to Teddington lock so about 11 miles run whihc was this weeks long run target so I'm feeling a bit back on track.

well done @londonmummy1966 . I need to be better at just getting out on Sunday afternoons as kids usually just want to veg after rugby in the morning. I totally could have gone yesterday- my kids are old enough to leave by themselves, but I talked myself out of it- bit cold. So a poor weekend for me unless you count a 4k beach stroll with a coffee in my hand on Saturday pm (that's probably stretching it isn't it?). Back in the gym this morning and got the weights up on the deadlift and the back squat (my nemesis) so happy with that.

Another 5K ticked off - upped my running interval to 5 mins with 55 secs walking and came in at 5 seconds per mile slower than 4.30 and 55 on Saturday . You're right @londonmummy1966 longer running intervals doesn't always equal faster times, although I suppose different routes, different days etc etc.

Joining in, I have completely lost my mojo and want to get a head start on the usual NYE resolutions for 2023.

I went for 7am swim this morning and I am looking for spring half-marathon right now; training to start in earnest in January. I plan to get back into the 5k weeks by then.

@SydneyCarton - yes the intervals can be baffling. The best PB improvement I got was cutting my 10k interval in half so from 3 mins:1 min to 90:30 sec. I shaved off 8 minutes... I think it is that the running interval is so much shorter I can run a lot faster. You might find it fun to try 2 minutes:30 sec on a 5K and see what happens.

@londonmummy1966 Interesting! My next running day is Thursday, but I have an annoying recurring 10 am meeting which makes it tricky to fit in a 5K after doing the school run. Might experiment with a 3K though - it feels odd to expect a faster time with less running, but I know what you mean about being able to power through two mins of fast running knowing you've got a rest period to recover.

@SydneyCarton - yes - might work even better on a 3k when you know you don't have so far to run!

I feel like I am phoning it in amongst the runners here, but day 21 of healthy for 30 = done. 13k steps and a load of Get Fit With Rick. I love him - today I did short workouts to Wham, Madonna, 80s rock, and 80s classics, so about an hour in total. (I’m just on YT, not paying for anything and absolutely no affiliation to Rick!). Did 10 mins of YWA with the cat really endangering herself because she likes to sit underneath me during planks.

I was WFH today and wore some size 10 jeans I last put on a few months ago - they were uncomfortable after I had the Mirena fitted and ballooned up so I put them to the back of the wardrobe. Now they feel great! I know that is mainly my hormones settling, but thanks Rick too, and thanks OP for this thread!

I had a rest day yesterday which meant some short and a gentle flat walk to ease some post-race aches from Sunday.

It definitely felt better doing something than nothing at all.

@Judystilldreamsofhorses Just looked up Rick on YT - looks fun. Is it something you can do in quite a small space? Or do you need to sort of clear your sitting room furniture to the side?

I just did my usual 5k run today but for the first time in forever felt like I properly got into my stride and felt comfortable/ natural. Came in under 30 mins at what felt like a relaxed pace so happy with that. Gym tomorrow.

Rest day yesterday and I got a 1km swim in today although it had to be indoors as I had to take DD to a hospital appointment when I'd normally hit the outdoor pool. (The only thing that gets me in the freezing water is the peer pressure of going with friends) Sadly, I'm clearly eating too much as the 2 kilos I lost last month have reappeared.

well done on the running, Ricking, jeffing (had to Google that one!) swimming and everything else! I did nmtz this morning, one round of each circuit (rather than 2) and think I’ll try and do this every day this week. 30 minutes is just so much more achievable than an hour.