8 WEEK CHALLENGE
It's a daily challenge for me to get my bum into gear and go to the gym at all, so I can't quite understand why I decided to commit myself to an 8 week fitness challenge. I can feel my face slowly morph into that unimpressed emoji. 56 straight days of training, hard training, to increase my lean muscle mass. I'm on day 11 and let me tell you, I feel it. I woke up tighter than Pamela Anderson's sports bra this morning. Not ideal, but neither is being an out of shape, unfit, unmotivated 26 year old woman. As Ye would say "beggar's can't be choosers, b*tch this ain't Chipotle" so for now I'm stuck with the tightness.
I thought I'd give a little update on the kinds of things I'm required to do during the next few weeks in regards to workouts and dieting, as well as how I am feeling mentally and physically, and I'll let you in on any tips or tricks I may pick up.
The challenge cost $190 dollars, plus you were required to pay for a swipe card to access the gym and 2 months membership; bringing the total cost to $290 roughly. For that you receive two InBody Scans which assess your body composition, muscle mass, body fat and upper & lower balance at the beginning and end of the challenge. You are given a weekly workout plan consisting of specific daily routines, as well as receiving one personal training session, and one bootcamp a week. It doesn't stop there - we were also given a free consult at a local Chiropractor valued at $190 along with nutritional advice catered to our goals. In addition to ALL of this, the winner of the challenge receives a $500 prize and if you beat the owner of the gym you receive a month free membership. Surely I don't have to point out what an amazing deal this was? I could actually profit off this challenge.
On Monday 27 February I made my way to Snap Fitness in Chermside to complete a fitness test which would determine the baseline of my fitness before beginning the challenge. I also participated in my first InBody Scan and continued to take initial photos which will be used to track progress. We were given out first week's workout plan, which looked like this:
I got my body scan results, and although I don't quite understand any of it I was told my results were good. The results showed a few main focuses, the first being I need to increase my lean muscle mass and second being my upper/lower balance. I was told if I increased my muscle mass that section would begin to balance out. Only one way to find out.
Week one went well considering I've never done weight lifting before. I actually quite enjoy it, but I really need to work on my technique. I'll have to come back an edit this post to include my starting weights.
I've been really active in ensuring I eat correctly. I am reverse dieting at the moment which basically means I'm increasing my food and calorie intake. I've identified my Macro targets and am working hard to maintain them. It is surprisingly difficult. I eat very little, so having to increase my food is quite tough for me; I'm simply not hungry and have to force myself. My partner helped me with that side of things, lucky me. He organised specific protein shakes for me to have which is a lot easier to consume than a chewable meal. It never gets easier having to eat rabbit food while your company tucks into delicious fried chicken burgers and chip, though.
We smashed our first bootcamp at Kangaroo Point, and I have my first PT session tomorrow morning. I already feel stronger and my appetite is growing so I can definitely say I'm seeing minor progress after only 11 days. I can't wait to see what happens. It's all exciting! Anyway, I'll continue to meal prep and hit all my workouts with 100% effort and dedication. Goodbye to the constant comments of how small I am, condescending questions about my diet, backhanded compliments and excuses to not fear me. I'm committed and ready to gain weight, become strong and prove to myself and everyone else just how dedicated and hard working I am.
