Keeping it simple

Day 26 & 27

2009-05-13T07:26:00.000+10:00

I have struggled through the last two days both with the exercises and my energy levels so have decided to go back to level 1 for my final 3 days. I just dont think I am quite at level 3 capabilities and I would rather skip back to level 1 and get the benefits.

Day 25

2009-05-11T08:35:00.002+10:00

I took yesterday off.. it was Mothers Day afterall!

I am finding level 3 tough and dreaming of going back to level 1! The upper body work is the hardest for me. I do not have a strong upper body and I really struggle with those. I DO NOT do the jumping jacks with my hand weights, I just cannot manage it by that stage lol. The other problem I am having is that during some of the moves (jumping lunges etc) I can feel my shin twinging, I may have to switch to the modified version.

Weight wise I am holding steady.. Diet wise.. needs more work, the weekends undo me!

Days 21, 22, 23 & 24!

2009-05-09T09:54:00.001+10:00

No I havent given up, I have just been a neglectful blogger. I've hit level 3.. and its alot harder. Some of the moves I am doing are the beginner version and I really feel it. I am very happy with myself for sticking to this.. I must admit I thought I might not but I have.

The effects are noticeable.. the biggest, most noticeable and most important change I have noticed is the constant back pain I have lived with since my last child, has significantly reduced. I know this is because my core strength has improved. My abs and back are stronger which is what I set out to achieve. Job done!

Day 19 & 20

2009-05-05T09:02:00.000+10:00

Well level 2 is finished and tommorrow I will attempt level 3. I'm not sure I am ready for it, I still struggle to get through level 2 in some parts but will see how I go. If I find it too much a struggle I am going to slip back to level 2 for another week. My shins are feeling better so I am planning to hit the treadmill again as well.. alternating with short burst of jogging and walking.

Weightloss is holding steady at 2.7kg. I tend to undo a bit diet wise on the weekends so my goal is to watch that. I would really like to loose another 1kg by the end of May.

Day 17 & 18

2009-05-02T09:55:00.003+10:00

Day 17 was completed in the morning and followed by a brisk 25 min walk in to the city as I had a course to attend. I walked home again later that afternoon and could tell I had struck a problem.

My shins were sore.

Thankfully this is not a problem that has been caused by the 30 day shred workout but rather from my attempt to get up to running 5km. Its a previous problem that has resurfaced and I have decided that I need to accept the fact that I am just not a distance runner.. well my shins arent! I'm not going to move further on in my couch to 5km program. I seem to be able to comfortably manage a few minutes of jogging and walking and that will have to do. I'm disappointed but thanks the the shred workout I can see there are plenty of other ways to get fit and stong.

So because of the shins.. I took my first day off from the shred workout to give them a rest but was back to it this morning and completed day 18!

If you are looking for more inspiration to get moving visit my friend Mel's blog and follow her fitness journey too.

Day 16

2009-04-29T22:09:00.005+10:00

Complete. I've had to modify the pendulum lunges as they weren't doing my knees any good. I've swapped them for squats or static lunges instead. Less stops today which is good. I've notice some weight loss in my face and on my hips and tummy (YAY) as well as feeling like my ab muscles are getting stronger.. (Big YAY).

Mel asked how the couch to 5K is going.. well its still going. I've only hit the treadmill once this week so far. I will need to make some time up in the next few days. Having had big problems with shin splints in the past.. its not something I want to push too fast. (Thats my excuse anyway!)

Day 14 & 15

2009-04-28T09:15:00.002+10:00

No I didn't miss a day.. just forgot to blog it!

5 days into level 2 and I still find it hard to get through the whole routine without stopping for 5 secs here and there, but I am improving. I'm not totally doing the beginner version of everything so I am forgiving myself those 5 seconds her and there. My aim is to get through the whole thing without a pause by day 20. I think if I can't I might have to stick at level 2 an extra week.. we'll see!

Day 13

2009-04-26T23:44:00.001+10:00

I wasn't going to shred today but I am getting so use to it being part of
my morning I just got up and did it anyway. I feel less tired during the days now
which I put down to starting the day with exercise. Good thing!

Day 12

2009-04-25T11:39:00.000+10:00

Completed. I have a new set of sore muscles too!! I'm enjoying level 2 more than 1 I think.
I also jumped on the treadmill, which is probably a goodthing as we are planning homemade
Pizza for dinner tonight!

Day 11

2009-04-24T08:08:00.002+10:00

Level 2 is done.. and wow, it really wasn't that hard. Yes I sweated and puffed more but it wasn't the struggle that the beginning of level 1 was. I have to admit I am glad Jillian only uses jumping jacks in the warm up because I hate those things..lol

It was nice to change to a different workout.. too long on level one and I would get bored.

Day 10

2009-04-23T16:38:00.002+10:00

Level 1 complete. Wow I stuck at it for 10 days straight.. go me! Level 2 starts tommorrow. Kind of looking forward to it even though I KNOW its going to hurt. But I know that each day I will get stronger and fitter and its worth it.

I've been eating well. I guess I am lucky that I have never found eating sensibly and issue. I stick to good carbs, try to avoid white carbs. I dont like soft drinks, I prefer to drink water. Chips and biscuits are something I eat occasionally. Chocolate is my biggest weakness and I have curbed that. If anything the past few days I find I am craving savoury foods.

The weight loss is noticeable. My trousers are looser.. always a good sign!

Day 9

2009-04-22T18:14:00.002+10:00

The results keep coming. Not only did my shred workout this morning but hopped on the treadmill in the afternoon and moved onto the next level of my Couch to 5km program. The biggest thing I noticed was that I got tired before my legs did.. usually its the other way round! I did 3km in 25 minutes alternating jogging/walking.

Last day on level 1 tommorrow. Feeling confident about being able to move on to level 2.

Day 8

2009-04-21T10:25:00.002+10:00

Is done.

I am still feeling enthused by yesterdays weigh in results. One of the problems I have with exercising is wanting to see results.. NOW.. Not realistic, I know, but after 7 days I feel like this workout is giving me those NOW results.

After 7 days I feel stronger, fitter and I am seeing results on the scales. Hey .. works for me! 2 more days till I attempt level 2. I took a peek.. its looks ok. I can see its going to be harder though.

I think I am up for it.

I hope!

Day 7

2009-04-20T08:16:00.002+10:00

Feeling very pleased with myself this morning. I not only completed my Shred workout but also did 20 mins on the treadmill doing my Couch to 5km program

I also dropped 1.3kg (2.8lbs for my american friends). I'm feeling good :) :) :)

Day 6

2009-04-19T09:47:00.002+10:00

Jillian tells me I should seeing a difference in my endurance since day 1 and I am. Today was easier. I can still feel the muscles working but its not that "I'm gonna die if I dont stop" feeling now... YAY!

Day 5

2009-04-18T09:14:00.003+10:00

Complete! I am really noticing that I am getting stronger in my legs. Not that that is making the workout any easier because now I can squat lower and quick higher so I am working out just as hard. Now I just have to resist the sound of chocolate calling my name..lol

Day 4

2009-04-17T09:20:00.002+10:00

Day 4 is done! I'm noticing that I am waking up and wanting to get up and do the workout. It's still hurting but I can feel my leg muscles getting stronger and I can do higher but kicks LOL

Mell

Day 3

2009-04-16T10:56:00.002+10:00

Well today was a little bit hard because I am working with sore stiff muscles BUT I got through it. I took a peek at level too and level 1 looks EASY compared to level 2.. yikes!

I also picked up my new glasses yesterday. For a few years I have been saying I needed to get my eyes tested and I finally did. I have regular astigmatism which basically means my eyes dont focus well. Which explains why everthing always looks like it has a film over it and just that little bit fuzzy. So now I have glasses and I am seeing clearer!

Day 2

2009-04-15T08:58:00.003+10:00

Got through another workout. I "think" the cardio was a little easier today. My arms felt the heavier weights (1.5kg) I bought yesterday though. My muscles are sore.. ALL OVER.. which is a good thing.. I guess.. :S Jillian is very motivating though and pushes you on. Now sometime today I have to get on that treadmill and do my couch to 5km run.

I hope I can walk tommorrow!

30 days - day 1

2009-04-14T08:55:00.005+10:00

I've just complete day 1 of level 1 of the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred dvd. I survived.. I wanted to quit during the cardio but I kept at it. My legs feel like jelly and I KNOW they are going to be sore tommorrow but I feel pleased with myself to have gotten through it. I am determined to hit 40 later this year, fit and fabulous.. oh and 6-8 kg lighter would be nice too!

An update on the girls

2008-11-07T13:40:00.004+11:00

I was out feeding the girls a couple of days ago and just happened to have my phone in my pocket so thought I would get a couple of pictures to show you all how much the new girls have improved and settled into there new home. Their new feathers have grown in, they have plumped up and are now accepted by the other hens. They no longer look at green leafy food as if its something foreign and race to the door when they hear me coming along with the others. At the moment we are averaging 6 eggs a day from 8 girls.. pretty impressive I think!

Look at her fluffy butt.. and yes.. no tail feathers.. they didn't come back after being pecked out!

Adopted (or rescued?)

2008-08-24T18:40:00.002+10:00

Got these three new girls from a nearby poultry farm. they are 12 months old. They were in sheds with a large flock of other chooks and there is obviously quite a bit of hen pecking going on because most of them only had half their feathers.

While the conditions weren't as "bad" as caged chooks, its certainly not ideal when you see the condition that these girls are in.

They are still settling in with my girls and are quite wary of me but at least two laid eggs today. They have no idea about eating anything other than pellets! They looked at the vegie scraps and the delicious protein mash I made them like it was something foreign, while my girls couldnt eat it fast enough!!

Hopefully in a couple of months we can restore their condition and turn them into healthy looking birds.

My girls in comparison.

In my garden today..

2008-06-16T16:42:00.002+10:00

Some herbs that I transplanted into pots because the dogs kept digging up the bed. I think I will put some nice pricly roses in there to deter them ;) and keep the herbs in pots for a while. I love picking fresh herbs for cooking with.
Mint. I have always grown this in a pot because its very invasive and it will come up EVERYWHERE in the garden and is next to impossible to get rid of! I make homemade mint sauce out of this..yum..

Some curly leaf parsley and you can just see some sprigs of oregano coming up from where I dug it out of the garden.

I'm trying to grow ginger without much success. I need to research it a bit more.. it may just be too cold here for it.
My spring bulbs are sprouting.. looking forward to lots of spring flower colour in the garden!

My girls...

2008-06-14T21:53:00.003+10:00

I have always wanted to keep chickens. Just never had the time or space or... whatever reason was about at the time. Until last year.

I have no idea on breeds.. except for the one at front, Dame Edna.. (yes they all have names!) who apparently is the product of a polish bantam and a rooster .. of some description LOL. Her and the three to the left at the back are my original girls that we started out with last year. They had a little A frame house that we threw together one weekend but now have a 7m x 1m run behind the shed. We were given four more chooks earlier this year. We lost one to unknown causes and two were ROOSTERS. Living in town the roosters unfortunately had to go. We're hoping to add some new young ladies to the coup in the near future.

Eggs.. we we were getting an average of 3 eggs a day when we had the four. At the moment I am getting 1 egg a day, which I beleive is from my trusty Dame Edna (she's my favourite.. dont tell the others). Hoping they will start producing again when the days start getting longer.

My dream would be to let them totally free range but atm we have two problems.. the dogs would try to eat them and I really do love my gardens too much to let them pick them to bits! I am looking into a portable pen that I could keep them contained in and let them pick at certain area or the yard while keeping a barrier between them and the dogs. Also hoping to enlarge their run some. All in good time.

Winter planting

2008-06-14T20:53:00.001+10:00

I have never really bothered with a winter garden. Usually I hibernate inside during winter but decided it was silly letting the ground go to waste over winter. So have planted some broccoli, cauliflower, red onions and ... 25 silver beet seedling (some for us.. some for the chooks!).

You can see my strawberries down the end and off to the side out of view are my raspberry canes.

Yeah I know...snail pellets aren't exactly organic but it was all I had on hand and wanted them to make it through the night..lol I have since started using a mixture of 1 part strong expresso coffee to 10 parts water.. so far so good!

I have tried broccoli and cauli's before but never had much success. On consulting with a friend in the know I have discovered that they were lacking fertiliser .. I use to fertilise them for a while after they were first planted and then stopped.. DUH. So I am working on a lovely brew of chook poo and water to feed them with.

2008-06-09T11:43:00.001+10:00

A blog about learning to garden more organically and make a change to the environment, even if it is in a small and gradual way. I think sometimes we think changing our environment for the better is too much effort so we don't bother, but really we don't have to go totally green all at once. Every little change we make is a change for the better. So hopefully I can make my own little impact in my own little way.. simply and slowly.