12WBT Long overdue update – where in the world is Kath?

No, I haven’t completely deserted this blog – just a bit of hiatus while life got in the way!

The last time I updated properly was back in Week 3 of the 12WBT – and it’s now the end of Week 7!

So a basic breakdown on the last few weeks:

Week 3 & 4:

After having tonsillitis, was finally starting to feel human in Week 3, so the end of week 3 and start of week 4 were going well. 

Week 4 was mini-milestone week.  You take your measurements, re-do your fitness test, and tackle a mini-milestone – maybe a challenging workout, reaching a fitness goal etc. 

If you look back at my post “Pre-Season Task 7 – Organise and Diarise“ – my mini milestones were as follows:

·         Jog 1 km without stopping – I actually achieved this is Week 3.

·         Take a roller skating class – I had planned to do this at the end of Week 4, but work got a bit crazy, so I did this in Week 5.

The end of Week 4 was insane work wise, I generally have a 9-5 Mon-Fri job, and the weekend at the end of week 4, I worked 31 hours over 2 days!

Week 5:

Week 5 continued to be incredibly busy at work.  I exercised when I could, ended up doing less days but more hours when I did get there.  

Saturday at the end of Week 5 I went indoor rock climbing with some of 12WBT members, which I really enjoyed.   One thing I’m appreciating about the 12WBT is realising that exercise can be fun!  It doesn’t necessarily have to be stuck in a gym on a treadmill.

Sunday at the end of Week 5 I took my roller skating class – now, I should say I’m not the most co-ordinated person in the world, and within 10 minutes of my lesson (it was a 2 hour class), I had fallen backwards onto concrete.  And a helmet, knee pads, wrist pads and elbow pads don’t protect your back! I continued with the class but as the day went on the pain in my back became worse. 

Week 6:

So, week 6 didn’t start well, with my injured back making any form of movement fairly difficult (if not impossible). Walking hurt but was bearable, bending over, squats, lunges etc and out of the question.  I went to the doctor a few days after I fell and she thinks it is just muscular, and told me to avoid strenuous exercise until it felt better and come back in a few weeks if it was still sore.

One thing that the 12WBT has done is certainly change my mindset.  The most frustrating thing about my injury is not being able le to exercise – something I certainly wouldn’t have cared about in the past!  So I literally did no exercise in week 6 – and although I hadn’t been doing the 6 days of exercise I should have been doing every week since the program started, I was always doing something!

The end of week 6 represented one of my major red flags – a 2 week trip to Europe.  I had planned well – ordered low calorie meals for my flights (all 6 of them!) and all but one of my hotels (staying in 4 different ones) have gyms.  My back put a spanner in the works, at least in terms of the exercise.

Week 7:

I really thought after a week my back would be better, but sitting in economy class for close to 24 hours of flying tends to not help matters!

I don’t know my weight as I haven’t brought scales with me, but so far have resisted jam filled doughnuts in Finland and chocolate croissants in Vienna! 

I’ll post more about my trip shortly.

Choosing a gym

I said in my last post that I mainly plan on training at a gym.

Over the years, I have been a member at a number of different gyms, and there are a number of things you should consider before signing up.

1. WILL YOU USE IT?

This is the first, and I think one of the most important points.  There is no point joining a gym if you aren't going to go.  The amount wasted each year on gym memberships is staggering.  (An article in 2005 had the cost of wasted memberships in America as $12 billion dollars - and I don't think it would have gone down since then!) 

2. LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION

Where is the gym located?  The further away it is from you, the less likely you will be to go.  Ideally, it would be close to your home or work.  What is transport like?  When I joined my gym I didn’t have a car.  I won’t have one until June, so I always need to consider how easy the gym is to get to.  The gym I have just joined is accessible by multiple buses, or is a half hour walk away if I want to add to my workout a bit.

3. OPENING HOURS

Like location, how suitable are the gym's opening hours for you?  Most gyms are open long hours during the week, but times on weekends can be quite limited.  If the weekend is going to be big workout days for you, you want to make sure your gym is open! 

4. PRICE

How much is it costing?  A lot of times it may be cheaper to pay for a membership up front rather than on a fortnightly or monthly basis.  But for a lot of people, this may not be realistic.  Look around for deals, most gyms generally have a "sign-up" fee, but in my experience they will always be willing to waive this.  There is a lot of competition for your membership, so don't be afraid to negotiate with the gym.  This also links back to point 1 - how much will you use it?  What will the cost per use be? 

5. TYPE OF MEMBERSHIP

When considering price, think about different types of membership.  If you aren't 100% sure the gym is right for you, maybe you can get a casual pass.  I know some gyms offer 10-visit passes.  The gym I used to belong to had a fitness studio for classes; a cardio/weights area; and a pool.  You could sign up for just one of these if you wanted, rather than having a membership to all three that you may not use.

6. CLASSES

I like doing group exercise classes.  I find they are more fun than normal cardio, and I'm unlikely to leave half way through!  Most gyms offer lots of classes for varying levels of fitness.  Like with opening hours, the times these are offered need to suit you. 

7. FACILITIES AND SERVICES

What is offered in terms of personal training?  (If this is something you are interested in).  What facilities are available in terms of showers / changing areas etc. etc.  I don't think this is as important, but certainly something to consider, particularly if you are going straight from the gym to work.  Do you want the gym to have a swimming pool / sauna etc. etc?

8. READ THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Last, but certainly not least, read the terms of and conditions before you sign up.  Make sure you understand how much it is costing, how long you are signed up for, how easy it is to leave.  (Ideally, you won't want to leave, but still make sure you know you can!)

And on that note, this is a clip I love from Friends which shows the trouble Chandler had in trying to quit a gym membership: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oh8PFs0LTKc

12WBT - Pre-Season Task 4 - Gear Up

Where are you going to train?  What equipment do you need?

Equipment wise I am all good - I have a decent pair of running shoes and a heart rate monitor.  These are certainly worth the investment.  A few years ago I was finding I was getting terrible leg pains when walking on the treadmill - even if it was only for 5 minutes at not a particular fast speed.  I was wearing very cheap sneakers with no real support.  As soon as I went and bought decent shoes, the pain went away.  And, they have lasted incredibly well (I only tend to wear them to the gym).  I am thinking of buying some cross-trainers soon as I have been doing a lot of classes lately.  I think this will be a treat to myself if I'm going well about halfway through the program.

A heart rate monitor - these range in price, I bought a Polar one (can't remember the specs at the moment) - it was at the lower end of the Polar range, but does what I want it to do - heart rate and calories.  It really gives you a boost to see how many calorie you are burning each time you exercise.

As for where I am training, I will mainly be using a gym.  However, I do plan to start doing some outdoor running, so equipment wise I am on the lookout for a decent backpack for running.