Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness

Hello all.

I'm so pleased to see something like this exists:)-People who are compassionate about the planet and its other inhabitants and passionate about their own health.

A little about me:

I'm 23. Have been vegetarian almost a year, after watching some fairly traumatising footage of animal treatment/slaughtering. I decided to do a vegan 1 month challenge at the start of this year to see how I would go. But then I actually watched more footage of how dairy cows and their babies are treated and decided to give up milk, along with any eggs outside from my own home (we have some pet chickens and ducks and occasionally I will eat one of their eggs -please dont hate me).
After about 8 months of really just focussing on my diet and trying to be a careful vegan, I kind of neglected exercise. Actually thats a lie...My bf and another coupled entered the Oxfam 100km walk that took place in June. So we spent the first half of the year walking a LOT and eating a LOT of crap food to compensate our energy loss.

So basically now i want to lose a little weight (about 5kg in total) and get quite muscular.

I've had a few people criticise my new lifestyle and suggest that you can't be healthy/fit/strong whilst being a vegan. So I'm not only motivated by own vanity, but also to stick it to those sceptics that what they believe, is in fact, quite the opposite.

At the moment I am pretty much easing into my exercise routine. I am training for my first 10km fun run, with my goal as to be able to just run the whole thing (i've never been a runner). I've also downloaded the Nike Training Club app on my phone and have been doing some of those workouts daily. I'm really focussed on trying to lose the weight first before I concentrate on muscle building.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

The way I see it Determination+practice these are the first things you need all the rest will flow.
Being a runner myself, my first advice is to do your running plan Gradually. For a novice runner it takes time till your legs get used to the pressure running puts on them.
Welcome and good luck on your path.

Thanks.

I've been using a running app on my phone, called Ease Into Couch to 10Km. I've basically built up from running 3 minute bursts to 9 minute bursts and am feeling pretty good. I was having ankle trouble with intense pain. So I've been taking some glucosamine as well as I had a weeks rest, and now I'm feeling good and ready again.

Hey emma1488 and welcome to the forum! Happy to hear of your running efforts and compassion towards animals

I like to track my running progress by using the 'runkeeper' app not or coaching sessions though only progress.

that walk sounded like so much fun! You should start a journal to motivate others as well! See ya on the threads

That 100km walk? It wasn't...I totally wasn't prepared. My ankles gave out and i had to retire after 40km.......this was the trail if you were interested: http://trailwalker.oxfam.org.au/brisbane/trail_b/. Oxfam does these walks all over the world, so you might be able to find one near you!

I did my furthest run last night which consists of 5min walking warm up, 9 mins run, 1 min walk (repeat 4 times in total), then cool down with 5 mins of walking again. I've come soooo far with my cardio fitness. When i started years ago (with the encouragement of my bf), i could barely run from one power pole to the next...Reeaaaal pathetic...But now im running up hills. And my recovery is really quick.

While I want to keep up with my running, I really want to become muscular and strong.