12 Weeks to Make My Body Mine Again! Week Three - It Never Gets Easy!

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By: Heather Gow, ellaslist explorer

Heather Gow bravely embarks on a very public journey tracking her ups and downs on her personalised running and nutrition program with Benefit Sports Nutrition and Run with Us Online. Read Heather’s Intro Article, her Week One Update and Week Two Update here.

Exhilaration Has Left The Building!

Well, here we are at the end of Week Three – one quarter of the way through my twelve week fitness and nutrition program. I seem to recall some mention of the word “exhilarating” during my update from Week One. Safe to say, exhilaration has left the building. As I hefted my sandbag muscles up hill and up hill and up hill (there didn’t seem to be many down hills this week), with lungs feeling like they were about to flip inside out and the certain notion that my beetroot red and sweaty face was sadly out of place amongst the botoxed and bejewelled runners of Vaucluse, I felt sure that I would either a) expire at any step or b) be doomed forever to haul my obstinate ass behind me like some kind of unwelcome travel companion wherever I went.

Drinks lots of water for health

Does It Get Easier?

During my initial session with Charlene Cassie of Benefit Sports Nutritionthe nutritionist partner of Run with Us Online, I confessed that I had completed a running program before, but that in spite of working up to the point where I was running five kilometres three times per week, I had never clicked over into a state where it felt “easy” or natural. Don’t worry, said Char. It never gets easy.

This advice seems discouraging, on the surface. But conversely, if it means that even elite, experienced runners continue to find their runs difficult, those of us less proficient (i.e. me) should probably give up on the idea of “ease”- that one day I will run out the door and run all the way to Coogee without even thinking about it – and stay focused on the benefits that running does hold for us. Weight loss. Better sleep. Better mental health. More energy. An excuse to escape the house during arsenic hour and leave dinner and bath time to the ever-loving man. Buns of steel. Well – here’s hoping!

Noticing The Difference

So, remembering Char’s words, I continued to plant one foot in front of the other until my trusty Runkeeper app announced “Workout complete.” I continued reminding myself to eat breakfast every morning and to drink as many glasses of water as I could. I took my vitamin supplements at least half the time. Although I still noticed myself inexplicably with a mouthful of the kids’ dinner on occasion, I am becoming far more aware of what I am putting in my mouth. And, encouragingly, I am noticing the difference. My fingernails have a length and strength only previously achieved via the drastic measure of pregnancy. My hair remains relentlessly greying and sadly neglected, however looks healthier than it has in a long while. And the scales, whilst not showing rapid weight loss, are reflecting a loss of a couple of unnecessary kilos. Seems like this looking after yourself thing works! Sheesh. Who woulda thought?

Healthy lifestyle healthy nails

READ HEATHER’S WEEK ONE UPDATE HERE

WEEK TWOTHE BEST LAID PLANS!

WEEK FOURUNEXPECTED EATING PLAN ISSUES

WEEK FIVECLIMB EVERY PLATEAU

 

 
ABOUT HEATHERHeather Gow

Heather Gow is a mother of three and a step-mum of one. She’s on a break from her psychology career and is currently kid-wrangling full-time. She writes stories for children when hers are asleep. She blogs infrequently and tweets lefty political rants. She lives in the Eastern Suburbs and can generally be found somewhere on the endless loop between school, daycare, swimming lessons, gymnastics and Nippers.

 

 

 

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