Ameliorating... training journal.

[Glasvegan]

Before and current pictures at last. I've been clawing my way back to my before University weight - but with muscle as well, which I've never had. From what I can remember, I think I started University (2010) at about 135/140lbs, although with no muscle so I didn't look that great. I gained weight very, very fast and by June 2011 was avoiding the scales - I think I had hit about 165, maybe even more. Thanks to a stomach bug in South America I lost it pretty fast and at the end of three months was back to 150... although of course as soon as I started eating again, 155. I stuck around 155/160 for the next year and a half till I started going to the gym at the beginning of this year - started 155, now down to 143. I'm 173cm/5'8''.

Cringing slightly (a lot) at the pictures that I took 2 days ago, but then I really regret not having taken any in January so I'm now forcing myself to do progress shots.

So...

[Glasvegan]

And... taken 2 days ago. Somehow the whole body one has disappeared. I cringe when I see these, they're definitely not flattering. Especially as I'm very pale, which of course always makes the flabby bits show up even more. Sad thing is I know I've already come a long way from where I started, and have no equivalent of these as proof. I'm really looking forwards to being able to look back on these a year later and see a difference. Of all the pictures, it probably shows most in the legs at this stage.

[Mini Forklift Ⓥ]

W O W

That photo of you standing on the wall with the city below you is such an amazing shot! And you don't look bad at all, quite the opposite. Keep up the stellar work with your training, FWIW I don't think anybody is ever really happy with how they look in photos!

[Glasvegan]

Thanks

I love that picture, even though it was taken two years ago it's still one of my favourites. It's in Bogota, Colombia

That was my first time taking progress pictures... at least that weren't instantly deleted. The camera really isn't flattering! Especially to pale skin. I'm looking forwards to having them to compare pictures with this time next year though.

Still continuing with Insanity, struggling quite a bit as I have a cold at the moment and feel drained and exhausted from it. I might give up late nights and drinking for a while. Not usually a problem for me, but life never seems to stop in Berlin.

[maybenot]

Nice pale skin! Good pics, looking forward to see your evolution =)

[Glasvegan]

Nice pale skin! Good pics, looking forward to see your evolution =)

Thanks

I just don't tan! Even though I'm out in the sun every day at the moment. My legs are slowly changing colour though as the bruises and bug bites join up...

Week 2 of Insanity nearly done. Came down with a cold which set me back a tiny bit. Very tired still but getting back on form. Also I'm now cycling every day to my language course and back, and usually more as well so about 6-10km a day. First time ever I've used a bike regularly.

Off to the Turkish market to stock up on ripe mangoes

[Mini Forklift Ⓥ]

I'm sure you will notice the benefits you get from cycling, 6-10km is a good amount of daily riding.

You should post up some pics from the Turkish market, sounds cool!

[Glasvegan]

Certainly my cardio's much, much better since starting regular cycling and insanity - I no longer feel like my lungs are only working on part capacity. I thought my legs were doing ok, then I did 20km one day and since then my legs have been feeling it.

I have a new camera charger for my dslr in the post, when that arrives I'm definitely getting back to photography lots of food/market photos will start appearing...

Finished week 2 of Insanity - pure cardio and cardio abs. Arg. Looking forwards to the rest day tomorrow. Might have a cheat day too and go for a burger... hmm... or pizza... so much choice here.

[Glasvegan]

Thanks Pictures! I need to start posting more pictures so might as well start today. Especially as I've got a pale skin update... cycled about 16km today, in the blazing sun. Now I have this curious pattern of tan, pale and burn happening. My arms tan quite well (that is they go a normal colour) and I keep operating under this blissful illusion that the rest of me will start tanning like that too if I get enough sun. This is the result of being a silly Brit:

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In other silly Brit news, I did my fit test today for Insanity and have subsequently managed to delete them from my laptop before I had time to actually get them up. mostly my scores went up, but anything that needed any power from my legs went down. Cardio wise I found it much easier and didn't get out of breath at all. Between Insanity and cycling so much for the first time ever I think I'm slowly killing my legs for any sort of serious exercise. I'm hoping it's something I'll pass through and emerge out the other side gloriously strong. If I could get over this cold that would help too... it's hitting 30 degrees most days, I see no reason why I should be ill.

I'm planning on spending the rest of my evening like this getting some work done:

[AndiMorris]

Jealous! That looks like a nice office!

[Glasvegan]

Jealous! That looks like a nice office!

It really is... I wish I could take it with me when I leave, I only took this room for July. The downside (that makes it affordable) is I have a roommate and the rest of the flat is a little scummy... Then August I'm back to sleeping on a couch in a hallway. Joys

..........

Must get diet back in order. Read through some of the journals and threads and realised how off I am at the moment and why I'm feeling bloated and ick. I'm transitioning more towards raw because of the heat. Of course the combination of not having a proper home till mid-september and relationship troubles (could really do with chocolate/crisps right now) aren't helping. I miss my kitchen and kitchen cupboards in Glasgow. AND I discovered that the rogue first sub-tenant/ex-friend who left after 3 weeks has cleared out my fridge in a vengeful attack of spite - liquid smoke, tahini, miso etc. so I've got some restocking to do. Grrr. I'm hoping that writing my intentions on here will give me the accountability I need to actually get my diet back in order. Especially now I have progress pictures up. Yikes. Insanity felt good today though. Getting easier... slowly... my flatmates think I'm mad though.

Back to work. Another area of life I really need to get in order.

[Glasvegan]

Once of the reasons why it's much easier to be a fit vegan in Glasgow - Berlin has incredible vegan convenience food, including an all vegan pizzeria that I visited with my Italian friend last night. It got her seal of approval as cultural expert. I've made my own before, but it didn't have a patch on this:

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Rustica - artichokes, mushrooms, salami, cheese. Massive. Very filling.

So, yesterday did insanity and tagged on a fitness blender abs workout, I'm finding great motivation at the moment is that it's so hot I'm having to work out in very little clothing (praying my roommate doesn't come in) which means I can see everything jiggling merrily in the mirror, and the muscles lurking far beneath. In a bit of a body self-loathing phase at the moment, this could be why. Two more days of week three to go. My shin splints are beginning to really play up, so back to icing.

My relationship is officially crumbling round my ears and I'm throwing in the towel, soon to be back in the singles club, woo! Trying hard to resist just curling up under the duvet with a tub of ice cream and some re-runs of crap tv. Having a roommate is useful at this point, I think he'd look at me like "what the hell?" although I've seen him chugging bottles of coke through his own crises. My last significant break up, I became vegan the same day (nearly a year ago) on a snap decision. I need something to channel this one into. Probably just fitness and my writing as I'm ticking away at my second novel, but it's going nowhere near as quickly as it should be. Get the feeling this break up's going to be long, drawn out, messy and emotional though, so really trying to get into good fitness habits now. Ho hum.

[Glasvegan]

Hey? Are you living in Berlin now? [Scatch that, I just read through your entire journal. I know the answer now ]

Are you in a relationship with a carnivore? That's the one crumbling?

If you say yes to both then we have so much in common.

Yes and... yes, well, crumbled. Officially single again. Lasted 5 months, was crumbling for over half that time. Sigh. I'm sure there are conscious carnivores out there, but I do think his carnivorism was symptomatic of the main problem which was the he had very little emotional consciousness or any desire to look at problems to make positive changes to his life. The same communication problems have now caused 3 of his relationships to end, but he still refuses to address them. Frustrating. You have a similar thing going on? Sorry to hear that, crumbling relationships are unbelievably physically and emotionally draining.

And yep, in Berlin till September, and then possibly moving back next year after my final year of uni except the BVG terrify me and possibly have me on their watch list through a silly mistake I made. Oops... now I'm biking everywhere, except everyone really hates people on bikes so that's starting to get me down.

[Glasvegan]

Forgive me Shaun T for I have sinned... I missed 2 days of the Insanity. All the stress brought on a massive headache that lasted 4 days, so only finished week 3 today (2 days late). And I struggled with it too, for some reason my big toe was hurting... weird and wussy thing to grumble about but it hurt like hell every time I landed. And yesterday my head was still bad. But I did them, and I still felt some sort of a burn so it wasn't totally wasted time.

Went to Acroyoga last night, which is amazing ab and flexibility work. I'm a little sore today. Hopefully pictures will appear at some point that I can put up. We played like children in with the massive padded blocks afterwards, throwing each other off (6ft drops, thank goodness for padded floors). There were massages going too, so I feel happy and relatively stress free today, it was exactly what I needed. And slightly ludicrous amounts of human contact to boot. Woke up smiling and bounced out of bed for the first time in a week Gearing up to more progress shots, I even have a bikini now, but my dodgy and irregular eating hours (I've not been eating enough either...) has brought on a bloat. Urg. Still, life is good

[Glasvegan]

Pictures have surfaced from last night, and there's one that I love... I'm actually happy with how my body looks in it.

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