Week 1 of Round 2 of 12WBT

Well, this week has a been a bit of a write-off. I came down with a bug on Mother's Day on Sunday which I tried to ignore until I couldn't any more. Now have a nasty cough and still have a headache and a bit of a temperature. And no exercise since Sunday. I probably shouldn't have gone to the pool on Sunday when I wasn't feeling "quite right" but I was worried about using it as an excuse and I followed the mantra of JFDI.

This is the first time I have been sick since I started on my exercise regime and started eating more healthily. And you know what, after nearly 8 months I thought I was immune. Wrong, wrong, wrong. But it has given me cause to think about why I got sick now (and not doing any exercise for 5 days gives you time for that!).

I think it was more related to stress than anything else. The physical stress of my mega swim together with my mum who has been a bit of hard work this past week, and getting organised for an overseas holiday, combined with knowing I needed to have a scan for a lump in my breast has taken its toll (scan yesterday, have lump, not a cyst or anything worse - still waiting on the formal report but appears to be okay).

I KNOW that stress is a problem with me.
I KNOW I get anxious.
I KNOW that if I get anxious I get sick.
But I still repeat it over and over and over.

And ever so closely related to that is that I don't sleep well at the best of times. And when I am stressed I sleep even more badly. Quite simply, for the past few weeks I have not been getting any where near enough sleep.

My old habit of going to bed really late - really, really late - has crept back in. And I need to fight that. I know what I need to do - I need to put my iPad away by a reasonable hour (which as I write I am trying to work out what that would be - but I am going to say 8pm) and then relax and go to be BEFORE MIDNIGHT. Prefereably well before midnight. Then I won't wake up in a fog - but more importantly, I won't get sick. Sounds so easy ...

One week until the start of Round 2 of 12WBT

Round 2 of the 12WBT starts next Monday. I have been thinking about a few things, particularly what goals I need to set for the next 12 weeks and also how I am going to handle weeks 2 to 4 when I am in Singapore and Thailand.
I have put in my diary all the necessary reminders and I will take a print-out of the exercise plan and do some of those exercises every day in my room as well as planks and push-ups.

I have also made sure that each hotel has a swimming pool. The only problem with that is hotel pools are usually quite short which makes it practically impossible to do any good distance. I am thinking that the way to get around that is to do butterfly which is more intense that freestyle. That should scare the neighbours and clear the pool pretty quickly. And I will try water running.

Each hotel also has gym equipment but they are usually pretty ordinary and I really don't want to be locked away in one. The hotel in Chiang Mai also says it has free bicycles for guests to use. Given that I have only ridden a stationary one that might be an interesting experience. And of course there is also walking - not my favourite exercise but tolerable when combined with shopping! I am just going to have to mix it up.

It won't be as easy as it is now when I just go to my gym class or swim squad and an hour or so later it is done and dusted. I also need to try and eat clean and healthy as much as possible and that is going to be a big challenge as when I travel I go into mad holiday mode and eat pretty much everything!

I am also have to hunt down scales each Wednesday. I hope each hotel will have some I can borrow. And I hope that they will let me take them to my room. I am not sure that nude and after a wee would be appropriate viewing in a hotel foyer!

New dress

I have just purchased this Trent Nathan dress (Speckled Ponti in Emerald and Black) for when I hit my goal weight.

Will take while which is why it is a winter dress - planning on fitting into it in winter 2014!

Slow and steady ...

I love science

It is just over seven months since I started exercising again and trying to make sure I ate more healthily. Since 17 September 2012, I have lost 20.5 kgs. This means I have been losing around 2.5 kilos a month. Slow and steady. And it really hasn't been that hard.

When my friend Peter left Canberra I knew I needed to get help to keep me on track so I signed up for Round 1 of the 12WBT. I finish it this week, around 10 kilos lighter than when I started on it and a lot fitter. My core is so much stronger too which can only help with my back pain. I can now do planks and push-ups (both on my toes) as well as sit-ups, with relative ease.

To mark the end of Round 1 I decided to treat myself to a Dexa Scan. I thought it would be a good way to benchmark where I am at. And being more accurate (it is supposed to be 98% accurate) than the cheaper scan I had a few weeks ago at the University of Canberra I thought it would help me revise my health and fitness goals.

There were no surprises except that this one came complete with two pictures of me that were pretty challenging. And it does make me wish that I had done this right at the start so I would be able to compare them and see the improvement. Because even though I know I am fitter and tauter than I was, I still see a big fat lump. And that is precisely why I am now looking at the science and the facts - because I need to take the emotion right out of it!

Above: The DEXA Scans of me taken 28 April 2013

Today's scan shows that I have good muscle mass and good strong bones. I need 1,925 calories a day to keep me going. I am 41% fat and carrying too much of it in my trunk. I need to lose between 25.1 and 28.8 kilos to get to a healthy weight.
 
The scan also confirmed that my desirable weight is much higher than the 59-65 kilos that Weight Watchers told me all those years ago that I should be. At the time (1985) I got down to 69 kilos, but I could not sustain it. No wonder! It is 12 kilos less than the lowest weight the Dexa scan said I should be based on my body composition - yes, I can truthfully say l have strong bones and good muscle mass. I have been mad at myself all these years for not being able to achieve the unattainable. So now I can stop feeling guilty about not being able to do the impossible. This is possibly the biggest lesson I have learned - stop being emotional about all this and base decisions on facts. It is quite simple, really. Measure my progress based on evidence.

My total body composition scan results summary is:

• Total body bone mineral density: 1.230 g.cm-2 (normal).
• Total percent body fat: 41.0 % (recommended limits1 23% – 34%)
• Central abdominal fat (sub-region R1): 1.927 kg – High risk
• Resting Metabolic Rate: 1925 kcal/day
• In reviewing your current body composition your ideal weight is between 81.0 kg to 84.7 kg
• To achieve this you need to lose 25.1 kg to 28.8kg of fat
• Suggested calorie intake to attain ideal weight based on RMR
  
• Minimum Structured Exercise Energy Expenditure Target 1800 Kcal/week.

I have signed up for Round 2 even though I will be overseas for the first couple of weeks. I am not a perfect 12WBT'er but I try. I find that it helps my head to stay in the right place. And that is where most of the battles in this quest to get fit and healthy take place - in my head!

I won't be at the Round 1 12WBT Final as I will be in the pool - I have just signed up for the MS 24 Hour Mega Swim!

I can't believe that I am going to do this, but I have just signed up for the 2013 Canberra 24 Hour Mega Swim to raise funds for people affected by multiple sclerosis. Yes, you read it correctly - a 24 hour mega swim! It's not quite as bad as it sounds as I am part of a team of 10 people called the Molonglo Masters Apprentices. Ten people into 24 hours still means a LOT of swimming!

At the start of 12WBT I would never have believed I would have ever contemplated this. But that is the power of Mish!

Why am I doing this? Well, this week my son told me a young man he knows has just been diagnosed with MS. That news, combined with the passing of Chrissy Amphlett, tipped the scales for me and I decided to jump into the pool and do something that would fittingly mark the finish of my first round of the 12WBT 2013 but also give something back.

MS Australia has created my own personal web page to help me fundraise, so it is really easy for you to sponsor me. Just click on the link below! Any amount will help.

http://events.megaswim.com/?DeborahJohns

Things I have tried on Round 1 of 12WBT 2013

It is hard to try new things. It is confronting. It is embarrassing. It doesn't matter if you are an introvert or an extrovert - it is pure, unadulterated, nerve wracking torture. But you know what? It does get easier the more you confront it and keep on plugging away. So, this is what I have "given a go".

• I got back into BodyPump after 13-year break. I do it regularly now.
• I tried Seniors Gym, a circuit class. I do it regularly now.
• I did my first Masters Swimming Endurance swim session. I found it very challenging to be timed by others. I haven't done another one but I will.
• I tried Body Balance class. Tried it a couple of times, actually. Nah, not for me.
• Volunteered to be a pupil for trainee swimming coaches to practice on.
• Did a swimming skills class to improve my tumble turns.
• I tried Cardio Sculpt class. I thought I was going to vomit. Found out I can't use a skipping rope anymore - will have to work on that. Tried my first Burpees. Hopeless. Will have to work on those too. Tried my first Russian Twists - my abs better than I thought. Did my first pushups on toes in about 13 years as well. Managed a full Plank too - and felt strong! I even did a version of a jog - bit like that old ultra marathon dude looked but I was sans gumboots. My knee would not cope with full-on jogging, but it was good to find out I can move a bit faster on land than I thought I could. I have added this class it to my list of activities too. It's a killer but I felt great afterwards.
• Got a Polar Hear Rate monitor. Still have to work out how to fully use it.
• Got a swish new set of Tanita scales. Have worked out how to weigh myself, but the other settings are beyond me. May have to call on my son to help sort it out.
• Bought a small food processor to help with all the chopping jobs. Had to recruit my patient son to help me work out how to set it up. It flummoxed him too, but we got it sorted in the end. A wonderful device and even better, it is bright red.
• Had a Body scan and found out my bones are strong, my hydration is good, and my muscle strength is good too. And ... I am 49.2% fat. But better news was that my goal weight should be 79.8kgs, not the 69kgs I have believed all these years was supposed to be my "ideal" weight. Yay!
• Started a Blog!!!

What I have learned

You are worth it. Yes you are. Remind yourself of that every day.
Eat breakfast - it sets you up for the day.
Sleep more - it helps you lose weight and you will feel better for it.

You don't have to be perfect. Get off the emotional rollercoaster and be kind to yourself.
Organise. Set yourself up for success - plan your exercise, plan your shopping, plan your meals.
Understand food labels. Low-fat doesn't mean low-cal. Watch out for hidden sugar.

Consistent effort is the key to success. It won't happen overnight but it will happen. Be patient.
Acronyms abound - SSS, TUT, JFDI, TTOM ...
No excuses - JFDI! Take responsiblitity. Be accountable.

Diary - get one and write it all down - state your goals, plan your weekly food and exercise, record your progress.
Once a week for weigh-in is enough. Same day, in the morning, nude and after a wee.

It is a lifestyle, not a diet. You are in this to be the best version of yourself.
Try new things. Mix it up.  Challenge yourself.

Yes, You Can Do It!