A bad week

I had such good intentions. But this week didn’t go so well. This is mainly due to having a friend/colleague visit from another country. I’ve been on tour-guide duty, making sure she met the right people, saw the sites and ate at the right places.

It started well. I did a good swim on Sunday and I did fit in a Freeletics workout on Wednesday morning. But the rest of the week has been pretty lazy. And I’ve been eating out and drinking alcohol.

I’m trying to save money at the moment, so both of those things aren’t supposed to be on the agenda.

But I guess I’m going to cut myself some slack. It was important to be there for my guest. And I’ve had a really nice week.

Today is Friday, and I’m working from home. I’m going to get a good few hours work under my belt and then do a workout later on. And I have to get up super early on Saturday to go to London for work so it’s no drinking and an early night tonight. Lots of water.

You can always reset and start again. And next week is all fresh and new.

Making progress…

This week I’ve being reflecting a bit on how far I’ve come since starting Freeletics nearly two years ago. Sometimes when you’re faced with Aphrodite again, it’s hard to step back. When I started I could barely get through the warm-up without getting sweaty.

Here are the things I’ve noticed this week

1. When I’m cycling now I notice I have more power in my legs. I can go faster for longer and I find hills much easier
2. I feel more flexible
3. I actually look forward to working out most days
4. I drink more water
5. I eat better – less sugar, more vegetables, less saturated fats and processed food
6. My body shape is more in proportion. I feel more attractive.
7. I have stronger arms and can carry heavier weights
8. I can almost 
9. I have more defined abs and pecs
10. I have more energy
11. I am able to apply the stamina developed through Freeletics workouts to other parts of my life

And here’s a progress photo to show how I’m doing…

Sunday Swimming

Image from unsplash.com (Artem Verbo)

Had a big night out last night with some friends. Cutting back on drinking is often hard on the weekends when you want to socialise, and when the social norm is to get absolutely shitfaced.

But what’s been really helping me cut back isn’t so much the obvious health benefits, but the thought of having a nice Sunday with a clear head.

So last night I had friends over to my place for pizza and pre-drinks, and then we headed out. I had a few glasses of white wine at home but then once we were out I just stopped drinking. It helped that the club was the packed and only seemed to serve Red Stripe in cans and tiny G&Ts in flimsy plastic cups.

I hung out for a bit and watched some of the live performances that were on, chatted to some friends and then headed home about 2am. By that time the effects of the wine were wearing off, and I slept soundly for a full eight hours. Bliss.

And then today has been about good food, relaxing, doing washing and my weekly swim. 

I’ve blogged about this before, but I find swimming a real head clearer, and it uses my body in a very different way to Freeletics. I’m not a very strong swimmer so a quick 20 lengths is about all I do, and then I go to my new favourite coffee shop and watch the world go by. So much better than lying on the sofa nursing a hangover and eating junk food.

Check out these articles:

Being teetotal is intoxicating
8 reasons you should be in the pool

Also, I’ve recently discovered The Greatist, which has really good articles on health, fitness and nutrition.