It’s been a crazy few weeks, work is really busy at the moment (I keep getting given more work but the hours in the day remain the same) and I ran in probably the dullest race I have ever done (there’ll be a separate post on that). Â I have been trying to keep on top of the gym, run training and this 40 days of fitness but the blogging had to be put on hold. Â So here we go!
Friday 27th February – Plank
It’s Friday, so it’s time to plank. Look at your time to beat and see how much your fitness has increased in the space of a week!
Time to beat: I can’t remember, I did it but I can’t find what I did
Time held: 75 seconds
Saturday 28th February – 3 minute #SaturdayChallenge
It’s that time again! Time yourself doing the Saturday challenge and see if you can beat last week’s scores.
How many of each exercise can you do for 1 minute each?
Jump squats: Â 25 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Last week: Â Â Â Â Â 21 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Difference:Â 4
Sit ups: Â Â Â Â 25 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Last week: Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 25 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Difference:Â 0
Star jumps: 20 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Last week: Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 16 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Difference:Â 4
Sunday 1st March – Rest day I did actually rest! go me!  I didn’t do the yoga but I did nap lots
Take it easy today and do some gentle stretches. Try a few at home, or visit a yoga class for some real relaxation.
Monday 2nd March – 3 sets of each exercise
Lee: According to our survey, only 1 in 5 women manage to stick to their fitness resolutions. Falling off the wagon is fine, as long as you can jump straight back on!
http://www.dwfitnessclubs.com/blog/2014/infographic-can-stick-2015-fitness-plan/
               Beginner               – 10 chair squats (sit and stand up with arms raised at a 90degree angle)
                                               – 10 modified press ups (use your knees)
                                               – 15 step ups (Can use your stairs or sturdy box)
Intermediate        – 20 chair squats
– 10 press ups
– 30 step ups (can use stairs or sturdy box)
               Expert                   – 30 chair squats
                                               – 20 press ups
                                               – 30 jump ups (jump on and off the box/step)
Tuesday 3rd March – Ingredient of the week: Sweet Potato
Get creative this week with Sweet Potato. If you’re stuck for ideas, we’d suggest you wash them, slice into wedges, sprinkle with salt and paprika and roast in the over for around 40 minutes, or until crisp outside and soft inside. Alternatively, you could use Courtney’s recipe for Sweet Potato Pancakes!
One sweet potato cooked and mashedÂ
2 eggs
One tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp baking soda
One tbsp flour your choice. Almond coconut rice or whole wheat flours work well
Any spice of your choice. If you’d like a sweet pancake, add in cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and one tbsp sugar. You can also use coconut, dates, or brown sugar.Â
Salty or savoury pancakes make a great choice for either lunch or dinner. Add in onion and garlic powder, and season with salt and pepper.
Mix all your ingredients together and drop the batter into a hot pan, lightly sprayed with cooking oil.
Given that I am in a hotel with no chance of cooking anything I didn’t make the pancakes, coincidentally though the work canteen had a sweet potato salad on the menu so I had that instead
Wednesday 4th March – Intervals, continue for 20 minutes
Interval training helps to challenge your body and increase overall endurance.
               Beginner               – 2 minute walk, 1 minute jog
               Intermediate        – 2 minute jog, 1 minute run
               Expert                   – 2 minute run, 1 minute sprint
Today was the assessment day for TrainAsONE – warm up and then flat out for 6 minutes. Â It was my fastest assessment yet so my base training pace is now set to 6:37/km
Thursday 5th March – 3 sets of press ups with 60 second rest in between
               Beginner               – 10 modified press ups (use your knees)
               Intermediate        – 15 modified press ups – I did these
               Expert                   – 20 full press ups
Friday 6th March – Plank
Lee: Ignore what it says on the scale. Focus on how your body is changing, and recognise the small victories. You’re more capable now than you were when you started!
Check your results from last week and try beat them this week.
Time to beat: 75
Time held: 80 – woohoo!
Saturday 7th March – 1 minute #SaturdayChallenge
Lee: Slow progress is still progress. If you’ve only managed two more jump squats than you did last week, it’s better than not improving at all!
Jump squats, star jumps and sit ups, beat last week’s reps and see how well you’re doing!
I didn’t do these, Saturday was parkrunday, then I was supposed to do a 7km night run with a 20 miler on Sunday. Â So I didn’t need the extra leg/cardio work. Â In the end we ditched the night run to be sensible ahead of Sunday’s race.
Sunday 8th March – Rest day – ran about 30km
Lee: It supposedly takes around 4 weeks of consistent training for you to notice results, 8 weeks for your family and friends, and 12 weeks for everybody else to notice your progress. Keep on moving when you feel like you’re not getting anywhere.
Monday 9th March – Stairs only!
Take the stairs today instead of the lift or escalator. If you don’t encounter any stairs today, find some! Or use the stairs in your home. An average flight of stairs is roughly 12 steps, if you choose to complete this challenge on a step machine.
Beginner               – 5 flights of stairs
Intermediate        – 10 flights of stairs – done
Expert                   – 15 flights of stairs
Tuesday 10th March – Ingredient of the week: Quinoa
Courtney: Quinoa is a seed from a plant originally grown in South America. We think of it like a grain because it looks like cous cous. Quinoa is gluten free and has a large amount of protein of per gram and is low in carbohydrates.
Quinoa does not exist in Basel, I did have a Pret Quinoa & Mango pot for breakfast at the airport on Monday though!
Wednesday 11th March – Intervals, continue for 30 minutes
Lee: Did you know that high intensity interval training can help to speed up your metabolic rate? You don’t even need any gym equipment to get involved, just increase the intensity of your workout in 30-second bursts.
               Beginner               – 2 minute walk, 1 minute jog
               Intermediate        – 2 minute jog, 1 minute run
               Expert                   – 2 minute run, 1 minute sprint
I ran 10km instead, this is a post 20 miler easy week for my running, but I’ll be back on the intervals soon.
So there we have it, exercise is on-going and I am pretty much sticking with the challenge.
Hang in there Kat! Developing long runs takes time and every now and then you get a really boring run which overwhelms you. You’ve got a great attitude and you’ll rebound just fine! #KeepRunning
Cheers Bob! I think because it was a spur of the moment entry I wasn’t that bothered about it. The benefit of stopping outweighed carrying on as I have a trail half marathon next weekend & I want to focus on beating last year’s performance 🙂