My bum (Part II) and the Michelle Bridges 12WBT

I wrote a little while ago about my bum growing keen attitude to exercise. In the last few weeks as my dodgy ankle came to the fore I fell off the wagon a little bit. Three to four gym visits a week had become one to two and combined with overly enthusiastic tasting of the goodies I baked for the kinder fete....well you get where this is going and what it means for my bum.

It is time to take things up a notch and while my ankle won't allow me to do the boot camp I was planning, I have found a substitute which I think may be even better. The Michelle Bridges 12 Week Body Transformation (12WBT) is an online program where everything you need to get off your butt and achieve your goals is provided - eating plans, exercise programs, motivation tapes, forums to get support from others - all of it and run by Michelle Bridges of Biggest Loser kudos.

So I have signed up.

I'm a little bit scared.
I'm a lot excited, particularly about achieving my goals.

I plan to work hard.
I am committed to losing another 7 - 10 kilograms by the end of this year.
I am going to be tough on myself about following the program and the rules.

And I won't be on my own. Loads of other mums have signed up for a 12WBT being run by Michelle via the Huggies website - a mum specific program designed to support mums with all the distractions of kids to achieve their fitness and health goals. There is also at least one other person I know who is going on the ride too. The very gorgeous Sarah from Ah, the possibilities is doing it too. Good luck Sarah, and hey, at least we know we can kick each other's backsides via the blogosphere should it become motivationally necessary!

I am going to blog updates on my progress along the way and would love your support and if necessary, a virtual kick up the butt to keep me going.

Wish me luck! We start on September 26.

This is not my bum (Disclaimer)

Disclaimer: This is not my bum

I’m not quite sure how it has happened.


I have managed to get myself a little bit addicted to exercise.

For at least three times a week over the last few months I have trudged down to the gym to do a gym circuit class while the Batsman does a therapy session and the Bowler cools his happy heels in the leisure centre’s occasional child care. The circuit classes are a mix of cardio and strength work and that has been a happy combination for me that has not only seen me lose over nine kilograms but also achieve gains in strength, flexibility of my weary old bones and muscles and overall fitness. The others in the class are primarily women my age and older so it’s a comfortable place to be and I know that if I turn up, do what the instructor says and work hard that I have done well.

But the biggest gain in all of the exercise for me has been its impact on my mental health. The mornings I exercise are the days I cope the best with the demands of two small children, the running of the house and the Batsman’s hectic therapy schedule. The post exercise endorphins last all day. It is amazing. I am happier, more energetic, less anxious and am beginning to feel so much better about myself, my appearance and buying clothes that are a couple of sizes smaller.

It wasn’t easy at the start. Convincing myself to get to the gym on days when I just wanted to curl up on the couch with tea and chocolate biscuits was hard work but the perseverance has been worth it. Step by step by step. It’s all any of us can do.

And now I have enrolled to do a fitness challenge camp aka boot camp for six weeks. Six weeks of three mornings a week at 6am for 1 hour, most of it outdoors. Utterly terrifying. But I feel like, all things considered, I am ready to take the next step. I want to push my fitness to the next level and drop some more weight. I have about six or seven kilos still to lose to reach my goal weight. Go, me!

What do you do to push yourself to exercise? Have you ever become addicted to something that is good for you?


Postscript: Since I wrote this post, my ankle has decided to take on a distinct level of dodginess (technical term, you understand) and it is looking like I may have to postpone the boot camp for a few months. I am hereby promising, where you can all read it, to continue the fitness work, albeit in a slightly lower impact, less ankle injuring fashion.


Image via We Heart It

Where I blog - today at least

I don't really have a set space for blogging. We have a study but it is a pigsty less than inviting. I tend to move around the house with laptop or netbook depending on what is happening in the day...sometimes it's the kitchen bench so I can look at a recipe or two as I go. Late night blogging happens on the couch, where the later it gets the further I sink into the cushions, whoops, fallen asleep. When I really want to stay awake concentrate, I sit at the kitchen table. I guess you could say I am a bit of an itinerant blogger, but I'm sure there's lots of us like that. With the Batsman's autism early intervention/therapy program based at home, sometimes it's best if I can get myself out of the house. He (and the therapists) can get on with their work and play and I can stop that nagging little feeling of guilt discomfort that I have that it should be me doing all more of the work with him. Besides, it's lovely to be out in the world with some good coffee, some fruit salad (thanks Lucy for the inspiration this morning) and the buzz of the traffic and trains past the window. So today I blog here and it's gorgeous.