Sunday, April 28, 2013

CROSSFIT, NEW JOURNEY, SACRIFICE, RESTRICTION.......

Firstly, - I attended my first two Crossfit beginners classes last week.  The instructor is awesome, it is a style of training I want to keep up, - and improve DRAMATICALLY with.  Through my own doings, (overeating) I am ashamed of my current fitness level all round, and feel very annoyed with myself, as much as I've tried the positive self talk and all! When I was asked if I'd ever done resistance training, - I replied, not recently so she didn't expect too much!  At the last session, after a warm up and stretches we had a skill session where we learnt push presses, (basic level bar) and deadlifts and I mastered these easily at the time. The push presses used a different technique than I'd ever used before, - a little dip, then having to pull head through the bar during the 'push' phase. I have been doing Body pump classes off and on since I was 18.

After practise of the 'skill' moves, we went on to do an 8 minute workout which involved completing a 200m run, 7 push presses and 7 deadlifts as many times as possible.  Once I got to the push presses first time, I felt I wasn't doing them right, was trying to copy the others and hoped no-one was trying to copy me!  But I was purposefully at the back of the pack, so soon everyone was onto deadlifts.  During the second sequence near the end, the instructor spotted me and tried to give me pointers so I listened and did more repetitions this round.  I have found in classes such as pump, I could just follow the moves of the instructors up the front, - here I am going to need to learn all the moves!  I can feel myself over-trying and getting frustrated if I don't learn or pick up new moves as quickly as I want but REALLY want to keep doing this.  I arrived to class early, saw an experienced class during the second part of their workout and they looked amazing!  I want to perform like the fit chicks in that class!!! 

Another thing, - in regard to binge eating I haven't really kicked it to the kerb at all, - I don't want to go near the scales but all my largest clothes are almost bursting at the seams.  I have XL semi fitted icebreaker tops I was wearing without too many rolls showing through and no jumpers when dipping below 80kg. Now the rolls have resurfaced and breasts have enlarged again.  My larger shaped jackets are now overstrained if done up, - best bet is a baggy thick jumper. Guessing I've hit the mid 80s like at the beginning of the year.  Plus stomach is big in relation to hips, not good for the tops of trousers as the friction turns the tops of waistband over, - up to a couple of times.  I had made good ground, with a bit of an improvement in fitness levels this year so am gutted to have lost that.

I had been trying a version of intuitive eating, - no restricting.  However I still don't like that.  If 'in the zone' I stick to habits I'm happy with, - with sugar I genuinely don't want confectionary food for example.  For a few months I can eat no sugary confectionary, (excepting social occasions where I feel rude if I don't in a moderate quantity) and not feel deprived at all, infact invincible and no desire for it..  Then for some reason I get an urge for something like a serve of lemony pudding, - then decide to allow what I consider a reasonable quantity, and then have it without guilt.  That is fine, - however often the next day I get a really strong urge for say caramello chocolate, then decide on a portion, eat it without the guilt.  Then the next day something else.........the point I am making is that eventually leads to full blown bingeing, where my sabotaging brain wants 'everything' - even if a week down the track, - a belief that needs changed.  I guess this philosophy is similar for smokers if they re-start after quitting.
 
Next it occured to me: generally to get where we most desire or want in life, we need to restrict or sacrifice in other areas of our life, that applies for most things.

I received what I thought was a nice comment this week.  A new friend who lives near me, (but not from here), said I seem 'different' than others in her circle who are 'from' here.  I asked 'how', - she said more open to new ideas, open minded, can talk travel, accepting of most type of people, can talk about a life of a radius of more than 200k from me lol!  I thought that was nice.

I am still scheming my next travel plans: - am thinking of a trip mid next year to somewhere for a couple of weeks.  Not sure if it will be a week long cycling tour in Hawaii, or a trip to Canada and a hiking/biking trip at the Rockies along with a stay in Vancouver, or a biking/hiking tour somewhere in Europe or something totally different from that.  I really enjoyed my G-Adventures trip to Thailand as it got off the beaten tourist track and we did/saw lots of much stuff!  Have cracked down with expenses to a pleasing degree.

But to make these travel plans happen, (a trip somewhere every second year) I have decided I need to:
* Stop the habit of a facial every 2 months and the expensive serums and skincare routine I started.  Back to a supermarket cleanser, combined moisturisor/sunscreen.
* Have substituted expensive Salon shampoo for Tressemae!
* Stick to my rules about the amount I spend on alcohol, and consume.
* Stick to a budget in regard to food, also everything else.
* Full time study next year to extend on from my online course this year won't be an option, - need income.
* My scheming ideas of starting a new business, - (I have visualised already how this imaginary business will function/operate).......need to be put on hold.

For me I reckon it's the same with food.  Black and white.  Eg, confectionary food not for me (unless for the social occasions talked above as I'm realistic) if I want to be functionally fit and lean and stay that way.  Deep fried food, (such as battered fresh fish and wedges) don't need to be completely off limits but really should form no more than a small part of our diet.  Thing is again, I can go months without such food easily, - then may get an 'urge' and give in to what I consider a reasonable portion without guilt.  Then the next day, want a various pizza, eventually seems to lead to out of control bingeing to some degree.  Maybe I can opt for something like a free meal per week, (where I can have a savoury indulgence in what I deem a 'reasonable' quantity) if I desire it, - but that's it, till the next week, and I can't save these meals up for a 'binge'.  If unused, - it's unused.

I have read further blogs and articles about people with a history of wildly yo-yoing weights who end up out of shape and want to rectify this for good.  Seriously my 'on track' choices seem to amount to 1200-1500 cals daily, - which some argue is low while others, (Michelle Bridges is an example of someone who I read says she eats 1200-1300 cals daily and she is active!)  When I eat say that 1200-1500 cals, I think it's quite a bit of food, biggish portions and never feel over hungry or deprived, - probably due to the types of foods I choose, - and if I compare it to what I see others eat, I feel it's plentiful.  But I'm not a fruit juice or soft drink haver, so my food portions are bigger than someone who would need to account for my food here but seem to eat next to nothing.  And have never followed a 'specific' diet.  Some sites say women need at least 2000 cals very minimum a day, - if I had that amount while training I would balloon further and feel a bit over-full to train.  And I have read those depressing articles (such as one in readers digest) saying that someone that has maintained a particular weight, requires more food than someone who has reduced,(even worse yoyo reduced) to get to that particular weight to maintain.

Congrats to anyone who has gotten to the end of this novel.  No, - I don't think you can outweigh science and eat more calories than you burn and still lose fat.  Nor do I think you have to cut out any food groups, - but for health most of it obviously needs to be the nutritious stuff.  And yes, while I don't like the terms 'sacrifice' and 'restriction' sometimes I think for me is needed for longer term gain!  I totally appreciate how different things also work for different people in all aspects of life.

I have a couple of goals for this week coming.








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