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?

Day 22!

18k steps, one GFWR, and one yoga. @illiterato i don’t move any furniture. Some of the more dance-y steps need more room than I have but I just sub in something else there - he always goes on about just keeping your feet moving if you can’t get a step right, so I figure it’s effectively the same thing.

Another rest day chez Bogroll... so that's 20,000 steps done as I've been getting around by bus and the bus stop is a mile away so I've covered 5 miles of gentle, functional walking between one thing and another. I also did some gardening so that's bumped it up too.

Body's been gently functional today rather than total rest mode. I still need to go easy for a few days though.

Nice to hear the running is getting easier and just feels more natural (I get this) @illiterato that's what I'm aiming for & getting there.

Very gentle 5km today after a heavy legs session yesterday - tight glut and tender thighs . Early start tomorrow so just doing the 15 minutes Morning Stretch with YWA.

My eating doesn't seem to have improved (blaming HRT) so might put myself on some sort of pre Xmas regime next week or I'll run out of clothes that fit (plus running when overweight is sooooo much harder )

Gym for weights this morning- machines and accessory work as its Wednesday (free weights Monday and Fridays). Listened to the latest "The Rest is Politics" which I'd saved for the occasion so it went very quickly. I keep thinking about attempting a bar dip but don't want to be disappointed if I cant do one.

Slow day here but yoga, workout, and 10k steps ✅

@lechatnoir The thing that has made a massive difference for me in terms of peri-menopausal weight gain has been cutting out alcohol - not completely, but eliminating my two glass a night wine habit. I now only drink if I go out and if I'm not out at all in a week then I have a glass on a Friday/Sat night. I find it helps both in terms of forgoing the wine calories and reducing the urge to pick at snacky stuff all evening. Also makes me far less likely to bin off my run/gym session.

Quick 5k around the park this morning before dropping the car to the garage- pray for me! Water leaking into passenger footwell so hoping it's not too major.

@londonmummy1966 I tried a 3.5K run today doing 2 mins:30 secs and came in nearly 25 seconds per mile quicker than my last run! I was definitely conscious of running faster than I normally would in the knowledge that I could have a quick break relatively soon, and I'm not sure how well I could keep it up over a longer distance, but will give those interval settings another go on Saturday when I do another 5K 😀

My gentle week continues with swimming and my fitness class at low intensity. I'm surprised how much the race has taken out of me as I'd got to that distance on that strategy twice in training. I'm wondering if the cold and hormones are taking it out of me a bit more than average too.

At least I've been out and doing every day.

@SydneyCarton - wow - great pace! I find that being able to do the run bits faster also improves my mood. I didn't manage a run last night as had to take DD back to hospital as there were problems with both her dressings - poor thing is really going through the mill. I will try to either run or swim today as I'm out for cocktails later.

I managed to get a 12k run in this afternoon - a change of location as I was meeting a friend for drinks so I hit the Royal Parks. A nice change of scene but I hadn't really clocked how much time is wasted trying to cross the roads at Hyde Park Corner and The Mall.

Day 24 of healthy for 30 here. 14k steps (people here are running 12k, so shame on me, I know!), a 54 minute GFWR, and a 10 minute yoga. (I can hold a plank for a minute now, DP timed me.)

@Judystilldreamsofhorses - I can't do a plank so ignore the 12k.. Nor could I touch my toes when I tried to stretch post run - I probably need more yoga and less running.

@londonmummy1966 i did C25K earlier in the year and was running (very slowly) 5K regularly. Then I developed bloody plantar fasciitis which has required very expensive treatment and still isn’t great, so I am jealous of all you runners!

Really did not want to go to the gym today. Just so much else to do- going to a friend's party tomorrow night which is a 3-4 hour drive and DD has two parties over the weekend as well and they both have friends sleeping over tonight.

But I did make myself go and it was ok when I got there. My back squat and strict press felt really good but my bench press was crappy- not sure why. That used to be my pièce de résistance. Likely to be a pretty slack weekend due to the above. Christmas stuff has started to creep onto my calendar and I'm really not ready for it.

Well done @illiterato - consistency etc etc!

I have eaten a load of utter shit today - a chocolate croissant, a Pret Christmas sandwich, then halvers on a huge Pret cookie with my colleague - but 17k steps, a GFWR workout, and yoga, so balance, ish.

Day 26 ✅. 15k steps, one GFWR, plus yoga. Hope everyone is having lovely Saturdays!

Did my Saturday morning 5K Jeff using 2 minutes and 30 seconds intervals and blow me down if I didn’t run my third fastest 5K ever and knock another 8 seconds per mile off my pace from Thursday! Thanks for the advice @londonmummy1966 i am definitely sticking with this!

@SydneyCarton that's amazing - so glad that works for you!

My not so "D" H decided to stay out later than expected for a boozy lunch on Friday so I missed my chance to swim. I managed to squeeze a km in the pool in yesterday and am hoping to get a 13 mile long run dispatched this afternoon

13 mile Jeff done this afternoon - a ploddy pace and low intervals but it gets me round. Now my calves are killing me. Afterwards DD and I hobbled round her little walk that she tries to do a couple of times a day as she recovers from surgery - I'm not sure who was twinging the most....

Day 27 of healthy for 30 was a bit lame - I’ve not been out of the house but have done two GFWR, yoga, and loads of cleaning, so sitting on 12k steps now.

@londonmummy1966 what did your dd have? Sounds major! Well done on the Jeff. You are inspiring me to lengthen my runs but hasn't quite happened yet! How long does 13 miles take?

@Judystilldreamsofhorses do you have shares in Pret? My DH absolutely loves their Christmas sandwich. He eagerly awaits its appearance from about September.

Terrible weekend of too much wine and driving around the country (not at the same time obvs!) which knocked into a sludgy Monday. Got back on track this morning with my usual 5k around the park. Pleased with my time as got round in 29 minutes despite having to walk for a bit to speak to DH on the phone about something he should have known already! Definitely need to find my running gloves. Freezing mist coming off the sea.

I forgot to check in yesterday - 13k steps, GFWR and yoga, day 28, done!

@illiterato I LOVE Pret's Christmas sandwich! I am in work three days a week now and my colleague and I always go there on a Friday - that was one of those weird things I really missed during Covid and WFH, that wee treat at the end of the week.

Just caught up on thread I hadn't checked in the past week. Still on track working with weights 3 days per week, trying to walk and keep the steps up to 10k and weekly yoga class. Also have cut alcohol the past month and it has helped. I worked night shifts and meal planning is v important to stop me over eating chocolate etc. Great to read all the progess from you all ..let's keep it going!!

@illiterato - DD had spinal fusion (and retrieval of bits of fracured vertebra). Its a long haul now before she's back to normal and as she is usually sporty and active its very frustrating for her. Well done on your 5k it is a while since I managed a sub 30 even without a phone call. My long Jeff on Sunday took 2 hours 20 mins so I was happy with that. I'm trying to build slowly to 20 miles by the end of January. Still concerned about being able to run the marathon in April though.

Managed to squeeze in a km swim this morning but it had to be indoors - I'm really missing the cold water now.

@illiterato My goal is a sub-30 5K, haven't managed it yet! My best effort is a frustrating 30 mins 22 seconds but maybe Jeffing can help me crack it. Having said that I didn't go for my run yesterday - I prefer going first thing but had a 9.30 meeting which scuppered that, and then I just didn't get my head together to do it. Tuesday and Wednesday are out as I'm in the office, so won't get the chance again till Thursday, but should get plenty of steps in on the school run and commute.