Tag: fit

Monday Motivation

Monday Motivation

by TartanJogger ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Did you enjoy the mild weather last week? I certainly did. I made the most of it while it was mild and dry – it was perfect running weather.

We had no classes last week as Jacqui was recovering from a nasty virus, so I pulled on my running shoes and got outside. All in all, I ran five times! I didn’t want to overdo it and cause any injuries so I tried to keep my runs structured and sensible. I also ate well and fuelled properly for a change instead of leaving my diet to chance. I also made sure that I stayed properly hydrated.

Here’s how my week went –

Monday: I planned to run 4 miles, but after my first kilometre I realised that I was running quite quickly (for me) so I changed my plan, deciding to do 5K, increasing my tempo as I ran. I did it, and really enjoyed it- and I was really pleased to see my time at the end of the run. It was a great start to the week!

Tuesday: my legs were feeling tired after Monday and probably after a busy weekend catching up on me so I took a rest day.

Wednesday: Jog Scotland run- we did hills in Tarbert which is something I struggle to do on my own. I really enjoyed it, though it was tough. It’s exactly the type of training session I needed.

Thursday: a slow recovery run. The Welsh Wookie headed out with me at the start of my run and did the first couple of miles before breaking off to do the remainder of his run at his own pace. I had wanted to do the 4 miles I had planned earlier in the week, but I forgot to change my watch from kilometres to miles so I ran 7K instead and enjoyed it.

Friday: our weekly lunchtime trail run was arranged for Friday and it was such a mild day! I reached a real milestone- I was able to run all of the way to the top of the hill without stopping. Woo hoo! I was so pleased, and very grateful to Alison and Morag for keeping me going!

Saturday: we had a busy day, helping out at Fèis and Tairbeirt. When we were finished I was keen to get out for another run. I didn’t want to push myself too far or too fast, I just wanted to go out and enjoy my run, which is exactly what I did. I kept my pace steady but slow and ran an easy 5 miles. I also wore capris for the first time this year!

Sunday: another rest day. As much as I could have run, I chose not to. I have a busy week ahead and wanted to be prepared and ready for it. I also did my food prep for the week so that I can keep on track as much as I can.

This sums up the past week for me, and I’m very grateful to have made the most of it:

Monday Motivation

Monday Motivation

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How on earth did we reach the middle of February already? 2019, please slow down!

I’ve had a good week again, staying on track up to the weekend. Here’s a quick rundown of my activity for last week:

Monday: walk. I had a meeting in Glasgow and so I knew that I wasn’t going to make it to class. Instead, I was sure to get enough steps in for the day.

Tuesday: a triple activity day which made up for the day before – Alison and I had another lunchtime trail run. It was sunny and mild, and I made progress, running slightly farther up the hill than before.

In the evening I enjoyed Sculpt- I upped my resistance bands for every exercise and Jacqui upped some of the reps, so it was a real challenge. After, we had Trigger Point Pilates, working into shoulders in particular.

Wednesday: back to Jog Scotland- and we did lamp post sprints this week. 10 mins warm up jog, 10 mins sprints, 10 mins cool down. Loved it!

Thursday: it was Valentine’s Day but we still had class to go to! Jacqui ran a special PiYo Candlelight Flow class which was beautiful. And she had a rose for each of us to take home at the end, it was lovely! 🌹

Friday: It was an early start and a full on day in Edinburgh to see Les Miserables. I kept my eating on track but didn’t do much by way of exercise.

Saturday: we spent the day in Edinburgh, and while there we walked. A lot. One example – We walked through Prince St Gardens, then up the zig-zagging hill to Edinburgh Castle, then we walked the length of the Royal Mile to Holyrood Palace. And lots more besides!

Sunday: rest. Travelling home and getting organised for the week was my priority.

I was this pic on Reece Witherspoon’s Instagram during the week, and I really need to share it as today’s motivation:

Have a wonderful week!

Monday Motivation

Monday Motivation

by TartanJogger ♥ 2 Comments

After another fab week, our January reset has drawn to a close, but Jacqui has kicked off another month of accountability so I’m looking for even more consistency in February.

Here’s my summary of last week:

Monday – Core Conditioning and Veraflow. While core conditioning is hard work I did feel some improvement on previous weeks, perhaps I’m building some strength! My side plank dips form still needs work but I felt that I was getting there!

Tuesday: the snow made an unwelcome return, so unfortunately Sculpt and Trigger Point Pilates was cancelled. I walked instead, making sure I got in over 12,500 steps.

Wednesday: again, Jog Scotland was rightly cancelled due to the conditions underfoot but it didn’t stop some of us heading out anyway. Running in snow is hard work!

Thursday: a snowy, icy lunchtime run. Alison and I headed out into the trails at lunch, and she showed me the way up to the viewpoint, which now has no view due to there trees being in the way! It was cold, but great to be outdoors. I’ve been feeling much more productive in the afternoon after a run!

Friday: I had a day off, so I headed out in the morning to get a slightly longer run in. Again, it was cold at -3, and some of the roads were really icy but I thoroughly enjoyed my run. I thought I was slow but the hill work is paying off as my pace was much quicker than I expected it to be!

Saturday: we had Clarsach Class in the morning then headed off to Glasgow to the Fun Lovin Criminals gig. It was brilliant! Plenty of walking all day.

Sunday: lots of walking yet again but nothing meaningful to speak of. Shopping and yet more shopping!

Today has started well, so here’s to another positive week. I’m really enjoying mixing up my running training and feeling the benefits of trails and hills. I’m going to keep my running mojo for as long as I can!

Have a great week!

Wednesday Wisdom

Wednesday Wisdom

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Monday Motivation

Monday Motivation

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How on earth did we get to the end of January? As usual, this month has felt endless- but at the same time I can’t believe I’m already a month into my challenge to get back on track. I’ve had another fantastic week, both my fitness and my eating has been on track so I’m pleased. There’s been no secret to this- it has been down to preparation and making sure I stick to the plan. So far, so good! Here’s how my week turned out:

Monday: I did two classes. First up was Core Conditioning. It’s tough, it I had definitely made progress compared to the previous week’s class. And the DOMS I had in Tuesday and Wednesday were a real testament to that. We then had Veraflow which was great for stretching and for balance, and ends with a much welcomed mindfulness session.

Tuesday: we had snow, and the roads were a bit tricky so classes weren’t on. However at lunchtime I headed out with Alison for a snowy run, to christen my new trail shoes. It was beautiful!

Wednesday: the previous days snow had frozen so JogScotland was cancelled, but I wanted to give my new trail shoes a go on ice, so I met up with Alison and Lesley for a short run. We did lamppost sprints, which I’d never do in my own.

Thursday: the weather had improved and Class was back on so it was back to PiYo, which I had missed the previous week. It was one of those nights when everything clicked and it was great!

Friday: I had a rest day after four solid days of activity.

Saturday: the weather was wild with winds and driving, icy rain but I was determined to get out and test my new trail shoes on a muddy trail. I reckon that it’s very likely the weather won’t cooperate on the day of the Kintyre Way Relay so I might as well train and get ready for that. I did just short of 3.5 miles doing the short Castle loop three times. I focused on building confidence running downhill in the slippy mud and I think I did that. I did walk at times, and stopped to take plenty of pictures – I loved it. I had planned to do 4 miles but I’m happy enough with how my run went.

Sunday: a rest day. I’m heading into another busy week and in the past my enthusiasm has overruled my sense and I’ve pushed too hard, too soon resulting in injury. I’m going to take my time to build up slowly in the coming weeks, balancing distance with hills and cross training to hopefully achieve the best results.

I’ve also done more mindfulness this week, I’m sure that’s not done any harm whatsoever!

Here’s some motivation that has worked for me, if you’re flagging as we head into the last few days of this month:

Have a great week!

Monday Motivation

Monday Motivation

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It’s another new week, yay! How was the last week for you? Mine was ace! I stuck to our New Year Reset all week with little temptation. I kept up my exercise and my healthy eating and I’m definitely feeling the benefits. We also had a lovely, relaxing weekend which is why I needed, too.

Here’s how my week went in terms of exercise:

Monday: I headed out at lunchtime with Alison and Morag for a trail run. We did the same route as the previous Friday and we were slightly quicker. I also made it a little further up the big hill which was great!

I then went to the first Core Conditioning Class- it was tough and really challenging. I reckon I have pretty good core strength but this really pushed me and I have a long way to go to get the variation form. Lots to do!

Next up was Veraflow which was a lovely end to the day, with some great routines and movement ending with a much needed mindfulness section. A triple threat day!

Tuesday: or rather #TwosdayTuesday. It was our first sculpt class since before Christmas and it too was tough to get back into! Next I enjoyed Trigger Point Pilates, eh oh I needed to work out the muscles after a couple of weeks back in my exercise routine.

Wednesday: week two of our Jog Scotland block, our group did hill repeats which is a drill I struggle to do on my own. I’m really pleased we’re being challenged with different drills every week!

Thursday: I managed to fit in a walk and rounded the off on 12,500 steps

Friday: a cold, wintry walk along the harbour

Saturday: I had planned a run but my calf felt a little tight so we went for another harbour walk instead

Sunday: rest

All in all, I thought my week was good, all be it a little too front loaded. I’m not complaining though!

My new trail shoes arrived on Saturday so I’m planning on christening them with a lunchtime trail run tomorrow. Can’t wait!

I think this will be my mantra: have a great week!

Monday Motivation

Monday Motivation

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It’s Monday, and for us it’s a bank holiday. Yay! I love an extra Monday off, with nothing much planned 🙂

How was your week? Mine was very mixed: a week where the best laid plans went awry. I started off last Monday with a brilliant Circuits class. I’m finding that my fitness is recovering and every week I am making progress. It’s such a great way to start off the week, revving up with both strength and cardio. I tried out my new leggings from OgiYogi and they were amazing!

I knew I wouldn’t make it to Sculpt or TPP on Tuesday as I was on my way to stay at my parents for early meetings in Glasgow on Wednesday. I did manage a short walk, though. The plan for Wednesday to Friday was to be in London for work, so I planned lots of walking a s packed my resistance bands, but Storm Ali put paid to my plans, and London wasn’t meant to be this time. I did walk around 15k steps on Wednesday and one positive was I made it back for PiYo on Thursday. This new round is ace, and as we have lots of beginners it’s been a chance to really focus on technique and getting each move right.

I had a day off on Friday, and so I decided to head out for a 5k run. It was amazing! The first self motivated run in a while, and I loved it.

We had visitors all weekend, but on Sunday we did go out for a walk in the rain, and this morning, @TheWelshWookie and I got another 5k in. It’s the first 5k that he has done in a long, long time: as he said, it’s wasn’t fast and it wasn’t pretty- but he smashed it!

I may well have rediscovered my running mojo, just in time for the autumn! Have a wonderful week ☺️

Monday Motivation

Monday Motivation

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Well, after last week’s admission, I’m pleased to report that last week showed real improvement. Or, at least it did until the weekend when I was at a harp residential and I firmly fell of the healthy eating bandwagon! There were so many fantastic treats that I just couldn’t help myself! 🙂 We had a brilliant time practising and learning som emew pieces and techniques, and I really turned a corner in terms of how I think about playing. It was such a worthwhile – and fun – weekend away!

So while learning the clarsach is helping me in so many ways, I also need to eat well and exercise – everything in balance! My activity last week was –

Monday – Circuits. It felt great to be back, and I worked hard. I’ve definitely lost some conditioning over the summer, but I’ll be looking to exceed where I was before. We worked in pairs, which was a shake up from before, and Jacqui mixed in some new (and old) techniques including partners wall sits, made more difficult by holding back your partner using a resistence band while they did squat jumps. Loved it!

Tuesday – a double header of Sculpt and TPP. Sculpt was up first – we used resistence loop bands to work on a variety of exercises for legs, glutes, arms, core, etc. It’s a tough workout, but I find that the class absolutely flies in! Then, after the DOMS have kicked in from Monday, and the tiredness from Sculpt, it’s time for Trigger Point Pilates which has really helped with recovery.

I didn’t manage along to JogScotland on Wednesday night as I had an appointment, and I knew I’d need to pack for my weekend away. I won’t manage this week either – so my plan is to get back to JogScotland next Wednesday instead.

Thursday – we did Round 57 of PiYo for the last time! I’ve really enjoyed this round, as it really mixed things up a bit. We even did the Bonus Flow track as well as the usual Flow track, eek! The bonus round had lots of core work, so it was tough, but great – right up my street.

I was then away Friday – Sunday, so didn’t get much chance to do anything much. Back to it today, though, with another full week of activity and healthy eating planned.

Here’s today’s motivation:

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Have a great week!

Monday Motivation

Monday Motivation

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I’ll say it: for the past couple of weeks I’ve been off track in terms of food, and exercise. It happens to us all, and I know from bitter experience that once you start to slide it’s easy to just continue.

Not this time 😉 I’m checking myself, and getting back on track. The heatlyh eating starts right now, and the fitness regime gets back on track tonight. It’s been easy to make excuses during the holidays with so much else happening, and exercise classes not being on. But I know that’s what they are – excuses.

One of my New Year resolutions, though, was to stop beating myself up if I don’t keep on track, and that has been a challenge itself but one that I’m really working on. I just need to pause, refocus and get right back into the game.

I’m back at circuits tonight – and a good, cardio/strength class is just what I need on a Monday to frame my week and get me off to a positive start. I know that well! So that’s where I’ll be this evening if you’re looking for me; I’ll be making friends with planks, squats, v sits and lots of other old friends again tonight 🙂  I came across this quote, and it sums up what I’ve been thinking today: stay honest!

Motivational-Fitness-Pictures

 

Monday Motivation

Monday Motivation

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Hands up – who found their plans scuppered last week due to the ‘Beast fae the East’? Not just me then? While we weren’t as badly affected in Tarbert as many places, we did have some snow which affected JogScotland, which was unfortunately cancelled two weeks in a row. Classes were affected to some degree, too, but we did have an awesome double header on Tuesday, when we had a Sculpt class, followed by Trigger Point Pilates. And we worked HARD at sculpt, I still had DOMS on Friday!

I’m finding that TPP is just what my body needs after a week of workouts, and it’s making a real difference.

Now that the weather is improving as we move into this week, I’m hoping for a full week of activity: tonight I have a douple class: Glo followed by Sculpt, and I have TPP on Tuesday. I’m hoping to get a short run in befroe that, too. Wednesday should ber a welcome return to JogScotland, and I’m really looking forward to PiYo and VeraFlow on Thursday.

I’ve eaten well this week, with most meals cooked from scratch (not by me, but by Tony of course), and I’ve mostly had healthy snacks. All in all I’m happy with that.

Here’s my weekly dose of Monday Motivation:

fitness-motivation-quotes

Have a good week – and let’s get back on it!