I’m over half way now, and I’ve started to fall in love with this transformation a little bit.
The bad days are few and far between and the good days just get better. It might have something to do with a generous refeed this weekend and feeling great in my new (smaller!) clothes, but I really don’t want this to end.
The week started well with some dark chocolate dipped strawberries.
A treat for reaching halfway and because it coincided with Valentine’s Day. Three squares of 90% dark chocolate and some fruit is my idea of heaven, and so I nibbled away after preparing a healthy venison steak dinner with sweet potato and vegetables.
There was absolutely no reason to feel like I was ‘missing out’ and since when did these ‘holidays’ become so based on boxes of chocolates and spending a fortune anyway? Whether it’s Easter, Christmas, birthdays or Valentine’s, you don’t have to over-indulge in junk and alcohol to have a good time and celebrate what really matters. Give me a good cuddle and a bowl full of mango any day (ha!)
I think I may be having a strange love affair with vegetables. Every week the number of vegetables I manage to eat seems to increase quite dramatically – potentially I am to blame for the recent shortage of spinach and courgette.
When trying to establish the reason behind the lack of all things green upon the shelves, the supermarkets mistakenly put it down to bad weather. Nope, just little old me scoffing a bag of spinach a day on my transformation!
Needless to say, I am enjoying my food so much at the moment. This transformation means that I have to dedicate my time to preparing my meals, and what was originally a bit of a chore I now really look forward to.
I can’t imagine a reason for wanting to deviate from my meals, everything is seriously delicious, and I still manage to create new and exciting meals without falling off the waggon. In fact, I would go so far as to say that my bum is well and truly glued to the waggon for the foreseeable future.
Speaking of my bum, or my glutes to be more specific, there is some considerable shape-changing going on back there. In fact, my whole body has changed shape so much that I’m on to a new set of clothes at the moment; my leggings have become a little loose around the legs and hips, and my skinny jeans aren’t so skinny anymore. My new favourite jumper is a skinny-Minnie size, and I am not ashamed to admit that I love the way it hugs my new muscles.
The last week I’ve struggled with tight hip-flexors that have brought on a little bit of lower back soreness. With the guidance of my trainer, we not only altered my programme to suit, but I’ve been performing a warm-up routine to help reduce the problem.
By the end of this week, my back feels great, and I went for a nice 1000m swim at the weekend to get in some low-impact active recovery time. (Who knew swimming was such a good workout – I was absolutely worn out afterwards!)
The same day that I went swimming, I had another little refeed. I love how my trainer constantly tweaks my programme and diet based on the progress I’m making. This week I dropped another 0.5% body fat, and so we increased my carbs again to test it out. It seems to be doing the trick – my energy levels are so much better than they were a few weeks ago, and the mood swings are (for now) a thing of the past.
I met up with an old friend from school this week, who is similarly in the process of busting her butt in the gym to transform herself into a strong and confident new woman. We co-cooked (new favourite thing – more co-cooking please!) a delicious meal of curried cod, sweet potato wedges and all of the veg. What a treat to share a meal with somebody and not have to worry about what I can have – surround yourself with like-minded people, and you will succeed.
When it comes to embarking on a challenge or body transformation, tell everybody what you hope to achieve – hold yourself accountable.
Writing this blog every week is a fantastic tool for keeping me focused on why I’m doing this transformation. Tell everyone – even your friends and family who aren’t on the same path as you. You will be surprised by how much support and encouragement you receive, and you might just inspire others too.
I’m not entirely sure what I’m going to do after this transformation, but I mustn’t focus on the finish line. I must keep my head in the ‘now’ and ensure I do everything I possibly can, 24 hours a day, to ensure I can achieve my full potential. I’m so committed to this programme and why wouldn’t I be? The results are speaking for themselves, and the support that I’ve received is just incredible.
No more counting down now, just a concentrated focus on the present – because every day brings with it a new opportunity for progress
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