The Only Way is Up!

Alrighty! Only a FIVE days to go until the start of the 12 Week Body Transformation!! I'm getting pretty pumped and have already made quite a few changes to my lifestyle.

With hubby's support, we are going alcohol free (eeek!) until Christmas. We just don't seem to be able to "just have one glass". Ever. And this is frequently nearly every night of the week. That's like a billion extra calories that this old bod just doesn't need. Plus we have a lot to do, and hangovers do not make work easy. So. Forget Oct-sober, we are just doin' it.

I've been running consistently and am up to Week 4, Day 2 of Ease into 10K. Now up to 4 x 8 minutes of running, with 1 minute walk breaks. Over the 5km mark for each workout too! Woot!

Been eating cleaner too - oats and berries for breakky, salads for lunch, protein/salad for dinner. Except for last night where we had the "Last Supper" of Cheaper Tuesday Dominoes. Confession: I really enjoyed it! But we do have the Thin and Crispy crust...does that make it a bit better?

OK. So this morning was the "Before" Fitness Test. I thought I could do under 8 minutes for a 1km run - I just had to follow my LuluLemon socks advice:

I was pretty sure my abs are crap, ditto push-ups, thought my legs may be OK for a squat test and I know my flexibility is pretty good in the stretch and reach. So here are my starting, benchmark figures:

I was very happy with the 7:13 for the 1km! Goal is now to get under 7 minutes and into the sixes! Anyway, that puts me into the "Intermediate" category for cardio-vascular fitness - woot!

24 lady push-ups. I did about 27, but the last couple were so pathetic I didn't count them. Surprisingly this also puts me in the "intermediate" category for upper-body strength and endurance. Who knew? My goal is to get to 30 in a minute.

No great surprise to know that my abdominal strength needs work. This is what I could barely do without lifting my feet off the ground:

I thought I'd do OK on the wall sit after all the running and I have good leg strength (compared to my arms or abs). But apparently 59 seconds or less is "Beginner" status and I managed a measly 42 seconds. I'm sure I can do better (and it sure felt like longer!).

I got 10cm past my toes in the sit and reach test - apparently this is +10cm (not -10cm, I've changed that now). I know from past (way past) fitness tests I can get to nearly 20cm! Anyway, this is more than +6cm past my toes, so I'm Advanced for flexibility, baby!

We get to revisit this every 4 weeks, so it will be interesting to see how things progress (well, for me, anyway).

The only way is up, baby!

For you and me now...