How did this journey start? It's crazy to think that I only learned about MPC a few weeks ago and already it's changing my life!
I started watching Outlander on Amazon Prime which is a great series so I started googling to see if there was another series and what else the actors had done. From actor Sam Heughan's Twitter feed I noticed he was promoting a charity fitness programme, My Peak Challenge. It looked like a good way to keep fit, and raise money for a worthy cause at the same time, so I signed up.
As part of the programme you get a nutrition guide and workout programme - both are excellent. There are meals plans and guidance for healthy eating a balanced and low carb diet. The workout is progressive based on 2 x monthly plans, the second building on the first with more reps and intensity. Within each month each week also builds up to increase your fitness and stamina. By the end of the two months, you are supposed to be ready for a challenge, ideally to be done in May. I've decided that my main challenge is going to be a climb up Helvellyn, camping at the tarn and walking to the top for sunrise. I've now committed to this by involving my husband and advertising the fact on Facebook. The second person to comment on my post was Sam Heughan himself so there's definitely no turning back now!
I started two weeks ago and the first week was excellent - the exercises were fairly easy to follow (though I started at the lowest level) but I felt energised for doing them. There are videos for each day that show the correct technique. I bought a fit ball to help with the squats, and felt muscle tired in a nice way the day after. Each exercise day is followed by an active recovery day where you do light cardio but no weights, with rest day on day 7. This was all going great until day 7 when I was unloading wood from the car and pulled a muscle in my back by lifting and twisting.
Luckily I had an osteopath appointment the next day. She checked it was just pulled and not torn, and gave me acupuncture and some gentle manipulation that made it feel a bit easier. It has been fairly uncomfortable since though. Heat has helped, so I've had a hot water bottle on it much of the time. Needless to say my new exercise regime is on hold until it feels better, which will be a few days yet. It is still uncomfortable sitting or moving, and I don't want to overdo it and make it worse. Today i managed a brisk 20 minute walk in the rain, then set up the old Wii and did 16 minutes step aerobics.
I've still stuck to the diet though. Using the 'My Fitness Pal' app you can scan barcodes and really easily keep count of your calories and macro balance. I had a bit of a lapse today and caved in and had a chunky kitkat but still came in close to my 2000 calories. So far I've lost 3 pounds in about 10 days :)
I aim to keep an update of the ups, downs and successes of my journey.
No comments:
Post a Comment