Healthy Food Guide staffer and mother of two, Kirsty Donovan shares her story about taking steps towards a healthier body and mind.
Nine weeks down, three weeks to go: after one six-week Boot Camp with Fitness Evolved, Kirsty joins in a second Boot Camp, and with the end in sight, her mental and physical being continue to be sorely tested.
Week four
Running teamed with lower body exercises makes for even tougher sessions but I still feel positive and motivated. Adopting a positive frame of mind seems to make sessions feel easier. It’s my birthday week so I have a major food blowout… but I know there’s no need to beat myself up over it.
Week five
Because I miss the first session, I call a fellow Boot Camper and ask for a pep talk – I need someone to remind me how far I have come and how I don’t want to lose any gains. It helps. I pin a motivating statement to my fridge: ‘Every positive step I take gets me closer to my goal.’
Week six
More hill running! It’s tough but I make it at my own pace. I’m thrilled when we have an exercise variety session – I enjoy the chopping and changing. If feels good to have an all-over body workout. When the last session ever comes up, I am determined to complete the run within the 15 minute time zone and increase my exercise reps. I feel ill on completion but I do it! All my other exercise counts are up, too. What an accomplishment! Despite the emotional ups and downs, I am reminded by my improvements that Boot Camp has been worth it.
What now?
Going it alone on the exercise front is hard without being accountable to other people. A one-hour solo exercise session feels like a long time alone – I hope it gets easier. I do other group fitness classes which are fun but they lack that Boot Camp ‘intensity’. Swimming, even, seems too ‘gentle’. I realise going it alone isn’t working for me so I take up a friend’s personal training offer two mornings a week. I feel completely re-energised and enthusiastic! What a difference to 14 weeks ago when exercise was a non-event in my life. My goals now are simple ones: to keep exercising without excuses and to keep going during the cold, wet winter months. Wish me luck!
Kirsty
This blog is the opinion and experiences of its author and should not be taken as medical or dietetic advice. Healthy Food Guide has not verified the content and cannot endorse any advice given. Healthy Food Guide recommends seeking professional health advice for specific complaints or symptoms.
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