OK – so it’s been a long time between drinks (or words anyway).
I have been a bit all over the place these past couple of months. There’s been so much happening – I have hurt my knee (badly), my youngest daughter appears to have some sort of auto immune disorder and my weight has started to creep back on. Add to this Christmas, a birthday, New Year and another birthday looming! It’s just been crazy.
Now I thought about just giving up, I really did. But to tell you the truth I have chosen not to because a) I would be very embarrassed to fail in front of everyone! And b) I don’t want to. That was a bit of a revelation that one was – I don’t want to. When on earth did I ever become so determined? Since when has cutting a new path around a brick wall appealed to me? Sheesh, there really has been some changes going on in my head and I didn’t even notice!
So this brick wall; what is it and how do I get around it? It is the weight I have gained and the injury to my knee. To get around it is going to be tough. However, I have been doing my research and have found something that may help. My physio thinks the using an exercise bike would help. Now we all know how much I love bikes (….NOT!!) and exercise bikes aren’t much different. Sitting riding one for hours on end does not thrill me at all. Getting my knee better does. Losing weight does. Getting fit does. The ‘does’ beat the ‘does not’. So how do I make this work……
First of all I need a bike. Our budget is tight and is extra tight right now thanks to Christmas and 2 little girls having birthdays. So I have 2 options. I hire one or look for a second hand one. Hiring is cheap initially but expensive in the longer term. So I have been looking for a second hand one. No luck yet but will keep searching. Once I have said bike, then what? Do I just sit and ride to nowhere? No, this is where I think a certain thing called the Tabata Protocol comes in.
What is the Tabata Protocol I hear you ask. It is an exercise protocol that only takes 4 minutes and uses ‘High Intensity Interval Training’. Tabata was founded in Japan by Izumi Tabata. He conducted tests on two groups of athletes. He compared moderate high intensity training with high intensity interval training. The results were that the athletes training in high intensity interval training improved their aerobic systems as well as their anaerobic system. The athletes who did the moderate high intensity training only improved their aerobic system and had little to no increase in their anaerobic system.
Apparently it is great for kicking weight loss off and the bonus is that it only takes a few minutes. Less than 5 actually. I guess you need to add a warm up and down to that time but even so, it is very quick, very high intensity stuff. I believe I can do it and would be able to maintain doing it, especially if I saw the results it claims I will.
This is something that is used in gym classes around the world. It is often incorporated in the higher intensity classes. But for me, for now, I want to just do it quietly, at home, by myself. And until I can track down a bike I am running on my little rebounder. It’s not too bad – I think I would work harder on a bike though. When I’m running all I can think about is my knee and how I can protect it. I’m sure this means I am not giving 100% to the run….
Oh and the other big news from me – I am ditching Weight Watchers. I still believe it is a great system and I will continue to use my cookbooks and live by the basic premise of the programme. But for the really big people, who have a lot of weight to lose and a lot of emotional baggage with it, it isn’t the best programme for us. It’s too easy to slip up and to justify it. You have extra points to cover you. And making fruit and veg ‘free’ doesn’t always work either. I may revisit it later when I have lost a bit, especially when I am near goal as I do believe it is a great ‘life’ system.
So where to from here for my food? It’s calorieking.com.au
This site is so much like Weight Watchers it’s incredible. I understand the basic premise and I have had no trouble adjusting to the site and how to navigate it or anything. What I have been is shocked! I put in my food for today and came in over my calorie allowance. In Weight Watchers I was under my points total. So when you have a lot to lose and major changes to make it helps to see just where the majority of your calorie intake lies and where you can cut back.
Hopefully between Tabata and Calorie King I will see some losses really soon!
