Overcoming Post-Holiday Blues

Victoria Falls- Zimbabwe

I absolutely love going on holiday, taking time away from reality and indulging in decadent treats and having absolutely nothing you HAVE to do. I mean, who doesn’t? Holidays are GREAT! It is really important to take time for yourself, to de-stress and be with the people you love without any distractions. However, holidays do have the ability to set you back in your health and fitness journey.

When I go on a vacation, I try to keep my eating habits similar to my norm and attempt to do a short, high intensity workout once a day. But of course, its a HOLIDAY! I do end up eating foods I generally avoid, and indulging in those delicious cocktails… sometimes my workout is completely forgotten, but that’s OK! Most ‘normal’ people (I am apparently not very normal according to my boyfriend) completely scrap their usual eating and exercise habits and take their holiday as an excuse to consume anything they want, binge drink and avoid all forms of exercise. Now, this too is also OK, because, while one week of unhealthy living can set you back a bit, it’s not the end of the world. The problem comes when the holiday is over and it is time to get back into the swing of things.

It is said that it takes 2 weeks to turn something into a habit or even break a habit. This applies to exercise. Once that habit of waking up every morning to hit the gym is broken… well, a great amount of effort and dedication is needed to return to that habit. This is why it is so hard for most people to actually get into the routine of working out or eating healthy, because it takes so much commitment. The same goes for after a holiday. I live in a predominantly student town, therefore it is very seasonal, and I see this so often after the mid-term/semester holidays. People want to get back into their routine, yet they really struggle to make it happen. So how do you avoid that post-holiday struggle?

1. The most obvious way is to never stray from your routine completely in the first place. When you go away for vacation, have a game plan! You don’t have to be obsessive about it and you can still indulge a bit. Just try to keep to whole, natural, sugar-free foods 80% of the time and plan a workout every second day. Even if it is a 20 minute workout, it still keeps you in that zone (the healthy one)
2. Make a deal with yourself. If you do plan on completely ditching your routine, make a deal with yourself that the first morning you’re back you start fresh. This will allow you to do what you need to do on holiday, but know that as soon as it’s done, it’s back to reality.
3. Take it slow. A lot of people think that after a week or two off they can pick up right where they left off… WRONG! your body will weaken a bit and your fitness levels will drop, so be kind to your body and take it easy for the first week. This will help you avoid extreme DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) and help your body adjust back into it.
4. Cut the crap. Yup, I’m sure you have been eating a lot of it on that super awesome holiday, but that needs to stop. give it a week of clean eating before the cravings for sugar and simple carbohydrates start to fade. Eat plenty fresh fruit and vegetables, lean protein and complex carbohydrates, and ensure you eat every 3-4 hours to avoid a decrease in insulin levels.

At the end of the day, the best way (and, I’m sorry to say, the only way) to completely avoid post-holiday blues is to treat your health and fitness as a lifestyle rather then a boring routine. It should go with you wherever you go, because at the end of the day, no matter where you are or what you are doing, your body is going to be the most important thing you have, so treat it with respect. Love it. Be kind to it.

What’s Stopping You?

There are many people who want to be able to do a specific skill such as a pull up or handstand push up, but they are not willing to put in the work. They come up with numerous excuses such as age, weight, and ‘just wanting to maintain their fitness’. It is a fantastic feeling once you achieve a specific goal and you know that all that hard work has paid off. So what stops people from pushing themselves to reach those goals? I will tell you exactly what it is- Fear. Your mind fills you with thoughts of failure, and nobody really wants to fail. So instead of even trying, we make excuses. I know I do the exact same thing when it comes to lifting heavier weights. My excuses:

“I’m so small, there’s no way I can lift that”

“I don’t want to squish my intervertebral discs” (yes, i studied the spine this year)

“I don’t want to lift that heavy” (actually I REALLY do!)

“I don’t want to get big” (I actually don’t care, i just want to be able to lift heavier)

There is no doubt in my mind that I want to lift heavier and improve my Olympic lifts as well as every other component of Crossfit, BUT there is a doubt in my mind about whether I can actually do it. This thought is the primary thing stopping me from actually achieving my goals. I know there are many other people out there with these thoughts prohibiting them from taking something a step further, whether it be in fitness, business, a relationship, or any other aspect of life.

The most successful people in the world have failed countless times. I remember reading a book, “Screw it, Just do It!” about Richard Branson (the guy that started all things Virgin-active, airways, etc) and being completely shocked at how many times he failed, but just kept picking himself up and perusing another dream. This book tough me that no matter what dream you have, you have the capacity to pursue it, whether or not you accomplish it is another story, but at least give it a try.

“The Fear of Failure Leads to Failure”

Travel WOD’s

Wet and tired after my Birthday WOD… ready for champagne!

Myself and Mitch have just returned from a two week holiday where we went to Zambia to visit my parents. From there, we all road-tripped to Livingston which is where Victoria Falls is located. We stayed there for a couple of nights then crossed over to Zimbabwe and made our way to Botswana where we spent the last two nights of our trip. It was an amazing couple of days spent viewing the falls, going on safari and river cruises and of course, eating and drinking way too much!

Cruise in the Chobe River

My terrible attempt at a pistol squat- yes I suck at them!

I made my parents WOD too…#fitfam

We had a couple of drinks and ate out almost every night and of course there was my Birthday which was celebrated with a bit too much champagne and the most amazing Dark Chocolate Amarula Cheese Cake. But I made up for it with my epic birthday WOD (scroll down for that). For me to be able to enjoy a trip like that I need to continue to exercise and eat relatively healthy. This allows me to let myself indulge a little without the guilt and without returning 5kg heavier! Here are some of the travel WOD’s I did while road tripping around Africa:

P.S. I usually carry my bare essential equipment with me: Skipping rope, roll out, resistance band

1. 5 RFT (rounds for time)

8 Handstand Push ups

16 Over head lunges

24 Bicycle crunches

32 Double unders

2. Annie (benchmark WOD): 50-40-30-20-10 Double unders and sit ups

–> I managed to do it in 7:57 while trying to skip on a dodgy mat

3. 4 RFT (20 min cut off)

10 squats

10 roll outs

10 Handstand push ups

10 wide squats

10 V-ups

10 wide push ups

10 walking lunges

–> I did it in 14:30

4. 2 RFT

50 jumping jacks

20 push ups

20 narrow push ups

20 wide push ups

20 band walks (use a resistance band, walk sideways)

20 clams each side (use resistance band)

20 roll outs

20 reverse crunches

20 bicycle crunches

5. TABATA (20 secs work, 10 secs rest x 8 per exercise)

TRX push ups

TRX Jump squat

TRX Y-row

TRX crunches

6. *BIRTHDAY WOD CHIPPER*

23 v-ups

23 burpees

23 Handstand push ups

23 lunges (each leg)

23 double unders

23 pull ups

23 push ups

23 dumbbell thrusters

23 sit ups

10 laps of the pool

Give them a go!

What are you training for? LIFE!

I have come across many people who ask me why I train so hard. My number one answer is that I am training for life. Of course I have many other reasons, such as aesthetics, strength, to one day compete and to achieve the best, healthiest, strongest version of myself. But ultimately, all the time and effort I have put into my training has translated into many aspects of life. Being strong allows you to do many things some people can’t, such as lift a heavy box or simply move a couch… even jump over a wall if need be. I may not be ‘skinny’ but I can damn sure lift some heavy shit and do a whole lot of other things most girls can’t. Physical strength is not the only aspect that training improves; mental and emotional strength comes hand in hand. Being able to finish an extremely hard WOD or get that personal best (PB) weight requires a whole lot of determination, confidence and belief in yourself.

Working out is not just about creating a beautiful body, it also involves training your body to do things it was never capable of doing before. The human body is the most complex machine you will find on earth. Yes, more complex than your Apple computer and even more so than an airplane. There are so many systems that are involved in getting your body to do the various things it is capable of, but unfortunately, due to the growing increase of technology and just plain old laziness, most people have no idea what their bodies can do… and most of them will never be able to experience it either. Personally, I am extremely proud of what my body has managed to do in the last 23 years… and I am extremely excited to find out what else it has in store for me.

So here is my advice to you: If you aren’t currently training or your training has plateaued, PLEASE get off your butt and go find some form of training that you enjoy and test your limits. It could be anything from a social sport, cycling, swimming, group fitness or CROSSFIT (probably your best option ;))… it does not matter what you are doing, as long as your are doing something. If you are already training hard and pushing your body to its limits… then PLEASE continue and set yourself some goals. Get those PB’s and set some records. Your body is only as strong as your mind allows it to be.

So get out of that comfort zone.

Set them GOALS!

My vision board

I know i haven’t posted in a while, but in my defense, I have been writing exams and I am slightly stressed. But, here I am, taking some time to write about wonderful things called goals. No, I’m not talking about scoring a goal in soccer, I am talking about real life goals, things you want to achieve by a certain time… those aspirations you have in your mind that you tuck away because you are too scared that you are going to fail at achieving them. Those kind of goals.

Now, most people say they want to do something, they have all these ideas and thoughts, but they seldom put them into action or take steps to achieve them. This is a great way to stay in your comfort zone and never really achieve something amazing… but if you EVER want to make something happen, you need to set goals. These can be daily, weekly, monthly or even annual goals. I am a firm believer in visualizing what you want. The universe works in very mysterious ways, and if you want something, and i mean REALLY want something, you WILL get it. But you can’t just sit there and do nothing about it. Take action! Write down what you want, make a vision board, tell people… do whatever you have to do to achieve those goals.

I am living proof that visualizing and writing down what you want works. Last year (my first year at university), I told myself that I was going to make the first team in Netball, get a personal training job at the gym and do well in my studies. I managed to do all of this. I then went on to believe that Mitch (who at that stage was my long-distance man) would quit the army and come back to live with me. And what happened? Exactly that! This year, I started Crossfit. Six months ago I told myself that I am going to get good at this, I am going to be able to do kipping pull ups, muscle ups, double unders, handstand push ups and lift heavy weights. And now, I am well on my way to being a great Crossfitter.

So lovely people, do yourselves a favour, if there is anything you want to achieve, and I mean ANYTHING from quitting smoking, eating healthy, writing a book, opening a business or becoming a star athlete… set goals and MAKE them happen… no one is going to do it for you.

A Game Changer

By now you should all know that I am a full on Crossfit addict. I have come quite a long way since I started five months ago. I have managed to increase my max deadlift from 80kg to 100kg and just yesterday I got a personal record of 55kg for a clean. That is pretty much my body weight by the way! Pretty damn hardcore hey!But of course, I want to get stronger… MUCH stronger. I have become pretty good with the gymnastics part of Crossfit (obviously have a LOOOOONG way to go with that) and I now want to be able to lift heavier. Unfortunately (or fortunately?) the only way for me to do that is to add a little bit of muscle mass to my little body in order to increase my stability and, obviously, my strength. It is almost impossible for me to keep increasing my weights without actually increasing my weight (body weight that is!). For me, this is a particularly scary thought as I don’t want to get ‘big’ or ‘stocky’. But hey, have you seen those elite Crossfit women???

Julie Foucher

Christmass Abbot

Danielle Sidell

These women have amazing bodies and are probably stronger then most men! So what am I afraid of then? Change I guess. It is scary going into the unknown. I have been training myself for the past 5 years and have kept my body reasonably consistent apart from a slight increase in muscle mass and strength. But now, I need to get my body functioning at a much higher level that requires MUCH bigger muscles. This is both scary and exciting! But… the gains are coming…

After a week and a bit on this diet I have been following, I have noticed a slight decrease in my strength and a loss of tone on my body. I suspect it has to do with the lower carbohydrate intake , so I have taken it upon myself to increase it slightly… and boy oh boy can I feel a difference. I haven’t changed much, just added another bowl of oats to my day and slightly more sweet potato and (much to my excitement) some pancakes!

So what is my conclusion?

I need to bulk! Clean bulk that is. That is a pretty scary word for most women because the first thing that comes to mind is FAT! it does require increasing calorie intake because muscles NEED food in order to grow. This does not mean eating 5 cheese burgers a day… no no, CLEAN bulking is the way forward. It requires a lot of lean protein (chicken breasts, eggs, lean steak and mince), a lot of complex carbohydrates (sweet potato, brown rice, oats, etc) and a good portion of healthy fats (avocado, nuts, nut butter, olive oil, etc). So what I am going to do is keep to the previous plan I made, but increase the volume of food and throw in an extra bowl of oats before a second workout.

Eeek…

Here’s to bigger and stronger muscles

and a whole lot of sexiness!

Hard work and dedication

Benchmarks WODs (workout of the day) are ways to measure performance and improvements in the 10 physiological components of crossfit: strength, flexibility, agility, balance, power, cardiovascular endurance, stamina, speed, accuracy and coordination. When performing the WODs, the idea is to do them as fast as possible while maintaining proper form. At our box, we have recently started doing a benchmark every week. This week we did Karen. It was the most horrendous workout I have done for a while… and that is not an overstatement. Karen is 150 wall balls for time, with a weight of 10kg for men and 7.5kg for women. Yes, that is heavy! especially if you only weigh 56kg!

Karen involved an incredible amount of cardiovascular endurance as well as strength, stamina, speed, accuracy and flexibility. When doing wall balls, there is a specific spot on the wall that men and women have to throw to otherwise it is a no-rep. Obviously it is slightly higher for men and being taller is definitely an advantage. strength comes in when you have to basically do 150 squats (below 90 degrees might I add flexibility!) as well as 150 over-head presses (throwing that ball up). You need to do this at a pretty decent speed as you obviously want to try beat the person next to you and get the best possible time for yourself. All of this ends up being a couple of minutes of complete torture. BUT, the best kind of torture you could ask for because afterwards you feel incredibly proud of yourself for being able to complete 150 wall balls.

Mitch was definitely much better at this than me. He was able to maintain a great rhythm by splitting the reps. Me on the other hand, once I got to 30 I just wanted to stop. I could not comprehend how I was going to finish. But I pushed on and eventually made it to that last wall ball. My problem was my cardiovascular endurance. It definitely hindered my performance, but at least I know what I need to work on.

Our Times:

Mitch: 8:38

Emma: 9:55

If you are keen to try it or have already done it, please post your times and how you felt about dear Karen.

WOD (Karen): 150 wall balls for time

Week 1- and cheat meals!

It has been a really long and tough week for us since. It was my  last week of lectures and I wrote a test and practical exam. I definitely push myself too hard sometimes and expect A LOT, which places me under unnecessary stress (trying to work on this slight problem). However, I still managed to follow my eating plan and worked out every day at very high intensities. I really love the food we have been eating because it is clean and light and leaves me feeling fresh and full of energy. Mitch on the other hand, finds it very bland and plain and sometimes struggles to stomach it. But, he has still managed to stick to the plan really well and I am very proud of him! Mitch even went out for dinner with friends for international burger day and had a healthy bun-less burger! He does claim that he feels healthier and leaner but because he doesn’t enjoy the food that much he is not eating enough of it to fuel his Crossfit workouts.

It is safe to say that we are both looking forward to our cheat meal today which WILL definitely be Pizza for me and a little dessert which i have not chosen yet. Mitch is very excited to devour a pizza AND two-minute noodles and most likely some dessert.Since Mitch is such a big guy and works out at such a high intensity, we are considering two cheat meals for him. After a week of eating very clean food, a cheat meal can do your body a great deal of good. After consuming less calories then you burn, a cheat meal can rev up your metabolism and increase fat burning as well as fuel your workout for the following day. But, make sure you plan your cheat so that you don’t overindulge. Keep to foods that have a balance of macro nutrients such as burgers, pizza, stir fries, curry’s and maybe a little cake. Try to stay away from excessively sugary foods that provide no nutritional content. Your body still needs the vital nutrients, sugar and other excessively processed foods could actually be a detriment to your body.

So cheat, but cheat wisely!

Also… cheat MEAL… NOT cheat DAY!

Achieveing the impossible

In my opinion, Life is all about pushing yourself to your limits to find out what really makes your life worth living. It’s one giant treasure hunt for that perfect fit that takes you on hundreds of different adventures and fills you with a hundred more amazing memories. Actually, at the end of the day, that’s all life is… adventure after adventure, many years of experiences, and simply just making the most of every minute of every day. However, many people don’t view it this way. Hell, sometimes I don’t even see it like that. Life can definitely get the better of you from time to time, but you just have to suck it up and keep moving.

I know I have been preaching about Crossfit, but it has had such a huge impact on my life so why not preach? I have been able to conquer things in the last five months that I never thought I could. Crossfit has allowed me to push myself physically beyond any limit I ever thought I had. I am a full time student, part time Coach and trying to start my own business…Inevitably life sometimes sucks. But, I have learnt that if you drop the bar, you just need to pick it back up and keep trying and keep practicing that skill until you have it just right. This is what I have learnt from Crossfit, and it applies to life in such a big way. No matter how tough life may get, all that extra energy and time spent will be worth it in the end. Nothing is done for nothing.

There have been so many skills that I have managed to accomplish in the last five months, but nothing compares to the moment I managed to get a muscle up after months of trying and failing consistently. It is one of the hardest gymnastic skills to achieve in Crossfit, and I finally got one. It just proves how persistence and consistency pays off. Mental toughness also plays a huge role as it is quite demoralizing to constantly peruse something and fail at it every time. But, as soon as that failure turns to success, you know it has all been worth it.

So, whatever it is you are trying to succeed at, keep doing it until you get it. Don’t stop. Don’t give up. You want it, so get it!

The 6 week plan

Photo by: Sophie Foster

Here is what Mitch and I will be eating for the next six weeks, with ONE cheat meal every weekend. Bear in mind we are super active and are trying to lean down and build muscle. If you are keen to try the transformation with us, then please don’t hesitate. If you feel like this is a bit too hectic for you to follow, I will post a plan that is more lenient but will achieve similar results (may take a bit longer, 8-10 weeks). Mitch and I have different plans, obviously because I am a girl and much smaller then him but also because he like different food to me. So here it is:

Mitch

Breakfast:

2 eggs, 3 egg white scramble

2 slices brown toast

4 rashes bacon

1 banana

OR

1 cup oats

1 banana

1 tsp honey

Snack 1:

1 apple + 2tbsp Peanut Butter

1 protein shake

1 boiled egg

OR

1 mince patty and ½ sweet potato

Lunch:

2 Chicken breasts

1 cup green veggies

1 cup brown rice/ sweet potato

Snack 2:

1 protein shake

½ can tuna/ 1 chicken breast + ½ cup brown rice

OR:

4 tuna and sweet potato cakes

1 Protein shake

OR

1 Mince patty and ½ cup brown rice

Dinner:

2 chicken breasts/ steak

1 cup green veggies

½ cup brown rice/ ½ sweet potato

Snack:

1 Protein shake and cocoa

 

Emma

Breakfast:

½ cup oats, 1 egg, 1 banana, 1tsp honey

Snack:

1 apple and 1 tbsp peanut butter

1 boiled egg

Lunch:

1 can tuna/ 1 chicken breast

1 sweet potato

1 cup green veggies

Snack:

½ can tuna

½ sweet potato

1 boiled egg

OR:

3 tuna and sweet potato cakes

OR

3 Mince/chicken meatballs

Dinner:

1 chicken breast/ steak

1 cup green veggies

½ gem squash

 General:

Coffee: 3 cups a day, no sugar or milk

Green Tea: as many cups as you want

Water: 2+ litres per day

Supplements: Multi vit, BCAAs, Protein shake (optional)