Jessica Van Den

Runners – help! How do I prevent a stitch?

Jess — Fri, 17 May 2013 07:19:12 +0000

So, I have this problem.

It doesn’t happen when I swim, or when I cycle – only when I run.

I’ll be doing fine, running along at an easy pace. My breath will be through my nose, both in and out. I’ll be breathing around 3-4 step pace.

And then. Around the second km… I get a stitch. Almost without fail.

And it’s driving me insane!

It’s really impacting my ability to run constantly for a decent distance (think 5k) and also my ability to speed up. I’ve been running regularly for about a year now, and it’s a problem that doesn’t seem to be going away.

In short – it’s the one thing holding me back from improving my running.

So, I’m putting out a plea – do you know how to prevent a stitch?

I have tried the following, with varied levels of success:

Diet – not eating for a good few hours before running, as well as WHAT I eat. I seem to get less stitches when I’m eating a strictly paleo diet.
Breathing – making sure to fully exhale, and exhaling when landing on my left foot, as I always get my stitch on my right side/shoulder.
Posture – tightening my lower abdomen, and also my middle/upper abdomen as I run. This gets pretty exhausting over longdistances.

However, the only thing that actually gets rid of it once a full-blown stitch has set in is to slow to a walk or stop, press on the spot, and/or bend over for a moment.

I read this interesting article from the AIS, in which they explain the current thinking on the causes of a stitch.

Current theory seems to suggest that it’s caused by organs pulling on ligaments, or an irritation of the parietal peritoneum – two layers of membrane that have a fluid layer between them in your abdomen.

I’ve often suspected that my bra has something to do with it. Ladies, can you confirm/deny this for me? I always seem to get the worst pain just under my breast – where my bra strap goes around my torso – and the shoulder pain is where the shoulder strap runs, too. Could the extra pressure from the garment be exacerbating the problem, I wonder?

Long story short – I’d love to hear what’s worked for you if you’ve managed to overcome this problem. Is it something that gets better the fitter you get?

There’s gotta be a solution – I don’t imagine all runners/athletes just push through the pain… or maybe they do?

{image from SeriousRunning}

Experiment #4 – The Fast Diet. {5:2 Diet/Intermittent Fasting}

Jess — Mon, 06 May 2013 11:12:29 +0000

So, Dr Michael Mosley’s Horizon documentary – Eat, Fast, and Live Longer – was on here in Australia the other week.

Nick and I watched it – and so did my parents.

Independently of each other (even though we live next door!) my parents and Nick and I decided to give it a try.

My parents, as they are both currently living with weight gain that’s been brought on by illness/medication over the last year or two, are keen to try it out to primarily lose that extra weight, but also (as my Dad had cancer last year) to reap the other potential health benefits of the diet.

Nick and I are both at pretty healthy weights, though I would like to lower my body fat percentage – I’d like to get down to an athletic level of body fat prior to next the next Triathlon season, which starts in September for me here in Australia.

So – what is the Fast Diet?

Basically, it’s a form of intermittent fasting.

You eat normally 5 days a week – yep, whatever you want! (Though Nick and I still eat primarily Paleo.) On the 2 ‘fast’ days, you eat 1/4 of your normal calorie/kilojoule intake, which equates to around 600 calories for men and 500 calories for women).

That’s it!! Super-simple.

What does it do for you?

Obviously, eating only a 1/4 of your normal intake of food twice a week is going to help you to lose weight if you need to.

However, the weight loss potential is not why I’m so eager to give this program a try. I am more interested in the potential long-term health benefits to my brain and cardiovascular system, as well as the potential to avoid diabetes and cancer in the long-term. Not that staying slim is a bad by-product, I’ve struggled with my weight like most women!

I took a snap from a page of The Fast Diet book that gives a summary of the potential benefits:

The science behind the benefits of intermittent fasting is very promising, and I’m going to be keeping an eye on human trials as they happen in future.

It also makes logical sense – after all, throughout most of human history, we did not eat constantly, all day/every day, without experiencing hunger.

Not surprisingly, intermittent fasting in some form is already popular amongst those in the Paleo community, as it does reflect how our ancestors would have eaten more accurately than our 3-6 meal a day Western model.

However! I’ve been hesitant to explore it as an option, because a lot of the anecdotal evidence I’ve read in the Paleo/Primal community has seemed to reflect the fact that it works really well for men, but not so well for women.

After seeing the Horizon documentary, however, the possible benefits indicated by scientific trials were too intriguing to pass up.

You can hear from the man himself in this short radio interview:

And so, here we are – one month for starters, to see how this particular form of intermittent fasting affects me, personally.

{Wonder what these Experiments are about? Read: Experiments Explained}

Aim

To eat according to the Fast Diet – the 5:2 Diet – a form of intermittent fasting – for one month.

Hypothesis

I hypothesise that this will be a relatively easy eating routine to stick to, and that I will see a drop in overall body fat AND therefore in my body fat percentage (I will be exercising as normal during this time). I hypothesise that I will find it so useful and positive that I will decide to continue eating this way once my month-long experiment is concluded.

Materials

The internet. Seriously, if you’ve seen the documentary, you don’t really need the book, though it does re-hash the scientific info nicely. I didn’t plan on buying it, but my Mum did, so I stole it and read it
If you want it, get the book – The Fast Diet
Pin board – collecting 500 calorie meals from around th web.

Method

Fast days on Tuesday and Thursday, were I eat 500 calories split between 2 meals at around 11am and 7pm.
Days are flexible – can be moved if there is an event on, but must be at least 2 days per week, non-consecutive.
Drink as much black coffee, herbal/green tea, and water as I like throughout the day.
Follow this plan for one month. Easy!

Lab Notes

My initial measurements are:

Weight – 71.8kg. (I am 176cm tall – 5’9 – pretty tall for a lady!)

Waist – 75cm.

BMI – 23.2 (I’m not too fussed on this, as I’ve got pretty good muscle mass for a gal)

First 2 fast days were very easy. I felt a few hunger pangs, but nothing major. I felt no lack of energy or focus (though on Thursday, I was VERY sick with a cold and had what amounted to a 16-hour work day. And I coped). Boy did I enjoy my food, though! Eating very little in a day helps you to savour your food much more. I also drank copious cups of water, black coffee and green tea.

STILL TO COME:

Results

Discussion

Conclusion

References

The Fast Diet

12 Days of Christmas Workout – My 20 Minute Full Body Workout

Jess — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 06:46:31 +0000

I was introduced to the 12 Days of Christmas type of workout in Booty Camp.

I love it because it’s a quick (this one took me 20 minutes), full-body workout, and it’s easy. Easy in that it’s just 12 exercises that you repeat over and over, so you don’t have to remember a complex sequence.

It’s also flexible – you can pretty much put any 12 exercises you like in there – you can do a full-body workout, or focus on legs or arms… so the basic format is useful over and over again.

So, what is it? Well, it’s a ladder-sequence modelled on the old 12 Days of Christmas song. You know – ‘on the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…’ then each day the recipient gets something new, plus each of the presents from the day before.

So, you choose 12 exercises, then work your way down and back up the ladder.

For example, here was the workout I did today:

It’s deceptively effective. When you start out, it feels really easy… but by the time you do that last lot of exercises you’ll be sweating like crazy, and feel pretty worn out!

This took me about 20 minutes to do, and I didn’t race through them. I’ll definitely be adding this in to my regular repertoire – I’ll probably come up with a few more full-body versions, then a couple of upper-body/core/lower-body versions, too.

I find that when I do a strength training workout like this, it really helps me to have it all planned out beforehand, so I don’t have to think while training – just follow what I’ve gotten written down. It means I can be a bit tougher on myself while I’m feeling nice and rested – if I go into a strength session and fly by the seat of my pants, I find I give up too quickly

I’d love to know if you’ve given this type of exercise a try – please share if you’ve got your own version of this or seen a good one somewhere!

Reflections on my First Booty Camp

Jess — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 04:06:25 +0000

Last week, I finished my first ever boot camp. Actually, it was a little different to a standard boot camp – it was, in fact, Booty Camp.

Booty Camp is an Australia-wide organisation offering the boot-camp experience in an all-female environment.

Why did I choose Booty Camp over a traditional boot camp?

Well, the all-female element was the real kicker – I enjoyed the thought of training exclusively with women, taking out the self-conscious element that training with guys can often engender, as well as the fact that – as women – we were more likely to all be on a similar level of fitness (in fact, there ended up being quite a wide range of fitness in the group, but we all kept up with each other). Also, no offence guys, but some of you REALLY need to learn what deodorant is…

So, I signed up and started Booty Camp on the 7th of January. Perfect time of year to kick off a new training programme!

I turned up not having any idea what to expect (though dreading the idea of those crazy tires-on-rope that I’ve seen other boot camp peeps using). Thankfully, our trainer Rosie owns a Vespa, so no tires for us! There was, however, a LOT of skipping and boxing, which I really enjoyed.

Each and every one of the 12 workouts over the 6-week training period were different, though they all incorporated core exercises like pushups, squats, crunches, etc.

So – what sort of results did I see?

Well, during the time I did BC, I was also doing triathlon training – though in a quite haphazard fashion, which usually consisted of swimming a kilometre 2-3 times a week, as well as running and cycling sometimes… plus a little yoga. However, BC was definitely the core of my fitness programme during this time, and I saw some fantastic results – most noticeably in my upper-body strength (the swimming no doubt contributed to this too).

One of the great things about BC is that you do a fitness assessment at the beginning and the end, so you can see just how far you’ve come.

Here are my results:

When I started, I could barely do one proper pushup (on my toes). I was a wuss and always did them on my knees, as I was trained when I was a teenager, because I was a girl, and that’s what girls did.

Pshaw, I say to that now! By the time I finished 6 weeks of BC, I could do at least 20 full pushups + more on my knees. I think I did 20 full ones and 16 knee ones within the 1-minute assessment period. That, my friends, is some awesome progress.

You can see that I improved across the board, though my upper-body and core strength improved the most, as they were my most-neglected areas up to this point. All the running I’ve done over the last year had already made my lower body reasonably strong, but I’ve still got plenty of room to improve in that area, too.

Overall, I really enjoyed the camaraderie of BC, I enjoyed being pushed and not having to think about what I was doing, just following orders, so to speak.

It also taught me that I’m capable of a lot more than I thought I was, and I’m now much more confident to go ahead and continue my own strength/callisthenics work independently.

Would I do it again? For sure.

It’s the sort of thing that would be useful once or twice a year to push you out of your rut, get you working out with others (I don’t use a gym, so don’t do this any other time) and to get a kick in the butt, too.

Getting Serious About Triathlon Training – Prepping for my first Sprint Tri!

Jess — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 05:17:24 +0000

{an inexplicably fuzzy photo of me after my 2nd ever tri}

So yeah, I’ve totally been bitten by the Triathlon bug.

I just did my 3rd tri yesterday (funnily enough, the shortest one so far – 250/6/2 in 31.13 min) and I’ve already booked 2 more this summer, with the longer view to completing one or two full tri series next summer!

Up to this point, my training has been pretty haphazard – swimming 2-3 times a week with no real structure, running and cycling once a week (if that!) plus for the last 5 weeks I’ve been doing a boot camp 2 hours per week. Throw in a little bit of yoga and that’s pretty much what I’ve been doing. Also – been eating WHATEVER I want, and that is starting to show. Whoops.

So, I’ve done a little mind voodoo on myself and signed up for my first ever full sprint distance tri on April 7. That gives me exactly 2 months to get serious with my training in preparation!

I’m going to be honest here and say I am kinda terrified by the thought of doing a full sprint tri – most especially the swim (my weakest sport). I know I can swim 750m – I swim 1k a few times a week – but I want to be able to do it 1)all freestyle and 2)in a decent time! So that is my focus. That, and I want to increase my running pace, because it is woefully slow. Not sure if I need to look at my gait (I don’t get much knee lift – my Dad was watching my tri yesterday and he compared my run to a powerwalk!) so not quite sure how to go about that.

I’m also getting serious about keeping records – weekly weight and measurements, as well as keeping track of what I eat – thinking about going back and using My Fitness Pal again for this. Nick and I are doing another 30 Days of Paleo in March, so that will be really helpful to drop a few extra kilos of fat. I’ll have to make sure to eat a LOT of sweet potato for energy, though!

I found this awesome site today – Beginner Triathlete. They have heaps of fab info – especially helpful are the training programmes. I’m starting on Month 3 of the Sprint Tri 2x Balanced plan as of tomorrow.

Doing that + 2-3 strength training sessions per week will be just what I need to whip myself into shape for that April sprint tri. I’ve got 2 months to prepare. Wish me luck, people!

Challenge: Six Sun Salutations Before Work

Jess — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 10:43:07 +0000

{image from Geeta Yoga}

My Challenge for February rose out of my long-held desire to have a regular yoga practice. I love yoga, but I currently only do it intermittently.

I love the idea of a daily practice, but I’m daunted and somewhat overwhelmed by all the options out there – choice paralysis as to the routines I might do – plus all the other exercise I’m doing means I don’t currently want to devote heaps of time to daily yoga.

I decided that the best way to overcome this was to commit to something super-short and easy – I can do a sun salutation without any conscious thought, and I can get six rounds done in the time it takes my morning pot of coffee to percolate.

I decided on six, also, because I’m a word nerd and the alliteration flips my switch

Why ‘before work’ rather than ‘when I wake up’?

First – I don’t wake up the same time every day. A few days a week I get up super-early to go swimming, and there is NO way I’m dragging myself out of bed even earlier to do anything else beforehand. I literally wake up, haul my togs on in a daze, and head out the door. Also, some days I like to linger in bed with coffee and the news on my phone, and I didn’t want to give that up completely.

However – by doing this before I start work, it gives my body a chance to get properly woken up; my mind a chance to centre and focus before I get caught up in the stresses and chattering thoughts of my work day; and my soul a moment of quiet before I jump into the fray. I toyed with the idea of tacking 5-10 minutes of meditation onto the end in Savasana, however I squashed that – I want to keep this as simple as possible. Days I feel like doing that, I will, days I don’t I won’t and won’t therefore feel like I’m cheating on my challenge.

The sun salutation is a gorgeous set of movements that I’ve always enjoyed. It has the added benefit of including the back-bend that I need to do daily to keep my twitchy lower back behaving itself. A win all-round, really.

So far, I’ve done this for the first two days of the month, so I’ll stick with it and report back on my progress.

If you have a daily yoga practice, I’d love to hear how it evolved, and how you structure/manage it.

7 Lessons from my First Triathlon

Jess — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 00:36:14 +0000

{looking rather relaxed before the fact…}

Yesterday, I completed my first ever triathlon.

I was at rather less than full fitness, having been laid up for most of the last 3 weeks with a back injury, but on the day I felt great, and wasn’t going to let my lack of training over the last few weeks get me down.

It was Race 3 in the Gatorade Queensland Tri Series held here in South-East Queensland – this race was down at Raby Bay. I did the ‘Enticer’ distance – a 300m swim, 10k cycle and 2.5k run.

I was excited, and just a tiny bit nervous. Mostly because I didn’t know how it all worked, so was hoping I didn’t go the wrong way, or do the wrong thing at any stage. Thankfully, the event was beautifully managed so there was no way I could manage to stuff up where I was going. Hurrah!

When I booked in for this race, I also booked myself in to a second tri in the series – Race 5 at Caloundra in Feb. This was really a bit of a ‘tester’ to get the lay of the land and figure out how it all worked – and I definitely achieved that. I also learnt some important lessons, which I thought I’d share – both for myself as a reminder, and for anyone else who is thinking of doing their first triathlon.

1. You’re only racing yourself

I knew this one going in, but it’s an important point to remember. Especially in your first tri, when you really have no idea how it all works, or how you’re going to go, it’s really vital to forget about everyone else and just do what you can do.

I can’t tell you how often I was overtaken – in all 3 sports! It was a LOT. But it didn’t matter to me, because my only goal was to finish without wimping out. That is, without stopping during the swim or cycle (even when I got a lungful of water or hit a hill), or walking any of the run. And I did that.

Though I did spend a lot of the swim breaststroking, which is something I’ve put at the top of my list to work on before my next tri in Feb. Freestyle and me WILL become friends.

{I’m the one in the big goggles just coming around the corner, looking very intent…}

2. Swim on the edge

I knew I wasn’t going to be one of the strong swimmers, so I started at the back of the pack. Problem with that? You’ve got a whole lot of kicking legs in front of you.

Next time I’ll be going out to the side of the pack so I’m not blocking anyone, but so I still have a clear run in front of me. I don’t know that all tris start like this one (in the water, spread out between buoys) but when they do, that’s what I’ll be doing.

Getting kicked in the face isn’t fun for anyone.

{Mounting up…}

3. Don’t faff in transition

After the race, when I looked at my times, I was momentarily perplexed by my cycle time, which was at least a full 5 minutes longer than I knew it takes me to cycle 10k. Then I realised – they count the time you spend in transition. I obviously faffed in transition, as I wasn’t quite sure what I was doing ;D

I had to put on a shirt, shoes and socks, helmet, race belt… etc. Which brings me to my next 3 lessons:

4. Put talcum powder in your socks

The lady next to me during the first transition told me this gem while we were both struggling to put socks onto wet feet. Well, I was struggling, she was doing much better because she’d been given that tip in a past race. So, I’m passing on the wisdom. I haven’t tried it yet, but I will in my next tri. I will also put a small towel in transition. I didn’t take one this time because I figured I’d be cycling and running, and that would dry me off, but I could have done with a towel for my feet.

5. Invest in a tri suit

Some of that extra time in transition would be eliminated if I had a tri suit – no need to drag a shirt on over a wet sports bra. Also, you would dry out much more quickly. Wearing a t-shirt and my long exercise pants, I was still pretty wet by the end of the race. Ick.

{Finishing the cycle leg. Looking rather happy.}

6. Put a water bottle on your bike/in transition

Thank goodness for another lovely lady who was near me in transition, who let me have a squeeze from her water bottle. Because man, my mouth was SALTY.

Didn’t even think of that before the race, but after a 300m swim in salt water, you’re going to want something to wash your mouth out before the cycle and run legs. There was a water station, but not till half-way through the run, so it was a long time between the swim and that.

{I was making kissy faces at Nick while I ran across the finish line. And jazz hands.}

7. Even if you’ve come last, you’ve won

My final results? I did the 300m swim/10k cycle/2.5k run in 1:01:43. I came 202nd out of a total of 210 women doing that distance. I came 36th out of 38 women in my age category. In short, while I didn’t come last, I was pretty darn close!

And so we come full circle. I was only racing myself, so when I ran over that finish line, I felt pretty darn awesome, and didn’t even consider where I came compared to anyone else!

Because hey, how many people can say they’ve completed a triathlon, right?

For my next triathlon, I’m doing a longer distance, and this time, I’m actually going to be in with the ‘proper’ triathletes – i.e. I’m doing the longer distance, rather than the shorter ‘enticer’ distance I did this time. My only goal for that one? Not come last ;D

But, even if I do, I will still have won, and I won’t regret a thing.

Now, to start training all over again…

{Photos by Nick}

USA + Canada 2013 ~ The Beginnings of a Plan

Jess — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 06:19:03 +0000

{photo by Littlest_Bird}

So, a few weeks ago I was pretty damn excited to secure myself a ticket to the World Domination Summit (WDS) in Portland in 2013.

When I first heard about WDS, I knew I was going to go one day, and for some reason I just decided a few months back that 2013 was going to be the year I’d make it happen. Even better, Nick and I have decided to combine the trip with a visit to his brother in Vancouver, Canada – and we’ve convinced his folks to come over from England so we can have a family holiday/reunion of sorts. The last time we were all together was for our wedding here in Australia in 2009.

I have a special attachment to Oregon – my mum grew up there, in a little Portland suburb called Multnomah. My grandfather was born in Silverton, and lived the first half of his life in Oregon. When he came to Brisbane as part of General McArthur’s staff during WWII, he met a young Australian woman named Joan, and they were married while he was stationed here. He then took her back to the US, where they started their family before moving back to Brisbane in the 60s.

I was lucky enough to go over to Oregon with my mum and my grandparents in 1998, and we travelled around together for a few weeks, visiting all the places important to my family.

Now that my grandparents are gone, I treasure those memories – and I’m looking forward to visiting some of those places again next year.

During that trip in 1998, I was lucky enough to be granted at US citizenship, so before we can make the journey to the US, I have to make a bit of a mini-pilgrimage to Sydney in order to get my very first US passport. See, the American’s have this law – if you’re a US citizen, you’re not allowed to enter the country on any other passport. So, despite the fact I am a US citizen, I can’t currently legally enter my own country, because I only have an Australian passport. Crazy, hey?

So, we’ve got all that to organise, but in the meantime, it’s time to start dreaming and planning just what we want to do, and where we want to go during this trip. The plan so far is to visit:

Vancouver, Canada and surrounds
Washington State
Oregon
New York City
The Grand Canyon via Las Vegas
Los Angeles… maybe {we have to fly through there but aren’t sure if we’ll spend any time there – I’ve been before and it doesn’t really appeal to me}

The plans are all quite vague and tentative at the moment – which is why I’m writing this post. I’m hoping I can get some advice for must-see and must-visit places in these areas! I’m also hoping to knock a few things off of my Life List – and I might add a few extras on there, too!

A few ideas so far:

take the ferry from Vancouver to Seattle
hire a camper van to explore the national parks in Washington and Oregon
take a helicopter flight in the Grand Canyon
take Nick up the top of the Space Needle (I’ve been before, loved it!)
visit the American Museum of Natural History, MoMa and the Guggenheim in NYC
visit the High Line in NYC
the Griffith Observatory at night in LA (been there before, my best memory of LA)

If you’re a local, or you’ve spent time travelling in these regions, please leave a comment with your suggestions – I will be ever-so-grateful!

Why We Fear Death. And Why We Should.

Jess — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 09:51:05 +0000

My grandfather died today. He was almost 94 years old, and had been slowly slipping away from us for years – dementia was taking its toll. He had a good life – the sort of life any human being would be content with and proud of. He helped America win WWII. He taught typing. He taught at and helped run a school for disabled kids (he was so proud of me when I became a teacher). He ran his own business. He raised 3 kids who raised 5 kids who are raising 7 kids (and counting). He had a loving marriage of almost 70 years. Wouldn’t you know, he was a heavy smoker for the whole of it, too? Go figure.

In short – he lived a good life. But now – no matter how long and happy it was – it’s over. Done. Gone. All that he was has disappeared into history, only to live on in our memories and the collective memory of the human race.

He is gone. One day, I too will be gone.

And so will you.

Can you comprehend that? I mean, REALLY comprehend that? The fact that – one day – you will not exist?

Doesn’t it scare the shit out of you? It scares the shit out of me.

Every time in my life that I have truly, deeply sat with the realisation that I am going to die, I feel an overwhelming, heart-wrenching, gut-clenching terror.

I don’t think there is anything that compares to that feeling.

I remember – back in my late teens, when I was studying various religions as part of one of my undergraduate degrees (I was doing 2 simultaneously, Arts and Science) – I did a Buddhist death meditation. If you ever want to really exist with the realisation of your death, give that a go. It’s pretty brutal, but breathtaking all at once. Why is it so powerful?

Contemplation and meditation on death and impermanence are regarded as very important in Buddhism for two reasons : (1) it is only by recognising how precious and how short life is that we are most likely to make it meaningful and to live it fully and (2) by understanding the death process and familiarizing ourself with it, we can remove fear at the time of death and ensure a good rebirth. Buddhanet.

Now, I don’t hold to the second part of that statement – but oh, oh, the first part is what we should take away with us in the depths of our heart. We should nurture that realisation like the most precious of delicate flowers.

I think perhaps you’ve gathered by now that I am not a religious person. I do not believe in any sort of afterlife, god, goddess, divine spirit, etc. I believe that when we die, our body shuts down, our mind along with it, and we break down and our atoms once again become one with the Universe. Everything we were, thought, dreamed, believed, loved, hated, and did ends when we do. All that continues on is the work we leave behind and the lives we touched.

Some people recoil at that notion. As we should – it’s horrifying. However, just because it’s horrifying doesn’t mean we should shy away from it. Quite the opposite.

Heaven is a beautiful fallacy - one we dreamed up in time immemorial because we simply could not comprehend that we will end.

I know people say ‘well, think about a time before you were born, when you didn’t exist. You aren’t upset about not being alive then – being dead will be no different.’ And – to a point – I agree with this logic. Truthfully, once I’m dead, I won’t care, because there won’t be a me TO care.

The failure in this logic is that before I was born I wasn’t around to KNOW it, so of course it didn’t bother me not to exist. However, now that I am a breathing, eating, computer-using, car-driving, thinking member of the human race, the thought of not being bothers me very, very much. I really dig life, you know? I’d like to hang out here for as long as I can.

In truth – it was only when I concluded the religious and spiritual exploration of my 20s (this happened in 2007) – when I came full-circle back to the way I grew up – without religion – that I truly started to live.

Why?

Because it was at that point that I really, truly knew that this life was the only chance I was going to get.

There is no do-over. No second chance. No eternal heaven of peace and happiness (which, when you really think about it, sounds kinda crazy-making, doesn’t it? I mean, what would you DO all day/night…whatever? Is there even day and night in heaven? But I digress…).

I only have so many years, months, weeks, days, hours, minutes and seconds. Every moment I get older. Every moment brings me closer to my death – to the end of my existence.

So why ON EARTH would I waste any of it?

Why stay in a job I hated, that stressed me out?

Why stay in a relationship that was fraught with friction?

Why hold on things, thoughts, and ways of being that didn’t fulfil me and make me happy?

Why indeed?

That moment – that realisation – was what truly started me on this path I find myself walking today.

The fear of death is a powerful motivator.

It wakes us up. It makes us realise that every day we sleepwalk through is another day lost. A day we will never get back.

That’s why I believe we SHOULD fear death. We should spend some time sitting with the fact that we will die. It is inevitable. Nothing you can do will ever change that fact. Nothing.

However – you DO have the power to make that realisation count for something. To use it to wake yourself out of your habitual slumber. To motivate you to get shit done RIGHT NOW. Because every day you delay is another day of your life that is gone forever.

And you’ll never get a second chance.

It’s time to wake up. Before the day comes that you never wake up again.

{Note on comments: I realise that many of you who do believe in some sort of afterlife will disagree with me, and that’s cool. I only ask that 1) you don’t leave a comment trying to convert or pity me and 2) that any comment you leave is constructive. Thanks in advance for being awesome.}

Experiment #3: 30 Days of Bodyweight Strength Training

Jess — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 05:55:20 +0000

{Experiment 3 – Nov 2012 {Experiment:Life – JessVanDen.com} from Jessica Van Den on Vimeo.}

So, I’m currently in training for my first every triathlon! Okay, okay, so it’s just a starter tri – 300m swim, 10k ride and 2.5k run. I can easily do any of those distances individually (well, the swimming’s still coming along, I can breaststroke for hours, but freestyle and me are not friends).

Still, it’s going to be a challenge. I’m going just fine with my actual swimming, running and cycling… but the fact that I don’t have a regular strength training routine has been bugging me lately. I KNOW it will make a big difference – I’ve read all the research.

Fact of the matter is, I run, swim and cycle because I’m lazy. Yep, you heard right! I don’t have to think about what I’m doing, plan out a routine… I just put on my togs/shoes/helmet and go.

Strength training, however, takes planning. I have to actually work out routines (urgh). Not only that, but it’s hard! To make it worthwhile you really have to push yourself, whereas with my cardio I do have the habit of taking it a bit too easy.

So, I decided I needed to make a commitment to doing a concerted routine for just one month. That way, if I loathe it, I can stop – however, of course, I’m hoping I’ll end up instilling a habit.

The only rule for this month’s Experiment is that I have to do 30 minutes of strength training every second day throughout November. I’m also limiting this to bodyweight exercises, so I have NO excuse not to do it, no matter where I might be. This is also why I’m not joining a gym or doing personal training – I’m stubborn, and I like to think I can do this on my own… we shall see how right (or wrong) I am about that!

I’ll be keeping everything else pretty much the same. Sticking to my 95% paleo diet, which as worked amazingly for me. I will be upping the cardio though, which could conflate things a bit (aiming for 6x per week – 2 each of swimming, running and cycling).

I’m aiming to do a mix of self-planned routines and youtube workouts – I’ve found a few great channels over the last year (listed below) – including one yoga channel. {I love Sadie’s approach to yoga, and she’s got some awesome high-intensity workouts. Anyone who thinks yoga is easy needs to do a few of her workouts, whew!}

If you’ve gone through a similar journey, and have some advice to share, please leave a comment! I’d also love to hear if you can recommend some other youtube channels, or perhaps even a good Android app if you know of one?

Of course – I’d also love it if you’d like to join me in this Experiment – just link back to this post on your own blog so I can check out your journey throughout the month! Use the hashtag #ExperimentLife on twitter and youtube to share thoughts and pics. Oh, and use #Experiment3 to refer to this particular Experiment

{What’s this all about? Experiments Explained}

{Me at The Stampede about a month and a half ago. Still have plenty of work to do!}

Aim

To stick to a bodyweight strength training routine for 30 days – a workout every 2nd day – and analyse how it alters my body composition.

Hypothesis

I believe that adding the strength training on top of my regular cardio will result in more fat loss and muscle definition by the end of the month. {Hoping a secondary benefit is that it also increases my stamina during cardio sessions.} Let’s go crazy and hypothesise that I’ll drop a whole pant size! {Oh, to fit into my fave pair of jeans from my uni days again…}

Materials

Me, myself and I.
Oh, and a computer + youtube as my only workout aid. Channels I will be stalking include Zuzuka Light, Tiffany Rothe Workouts, Livestrong, and Sadie Nardini.
{Would also be open to trying out an app if anyone knows of a good one on Android?}

Method

Commit to doing 30 minutes of bodyweight strength training every second day throughout November.
Bring together a core group of exercises to fall back on in combination if I cannot use a youtube video or other instructional aid.

These exercises are:

Full Body

1. Burpees
2. Mountain Climbers
3. Bear Crawl
4. Tuck Jump
5. Spinal Balance
6. Sun Salutation

Legs & Butt

1. Box jumps
2. Squats (including pistol, maybe!)
3. Walking lunge
4. Single leg deadlift
5. Side leg lifts (laying and standing)
6. Hip extensions
7. Bridge

Chest & Back

1. Pushups
2. Superman – lie face down with arms and legs extended, then raise your arms and legs to form a slight curve. Hold for as long as you can!

Arms & Shoulders

1. Tricep Dips
2. Chin Ups {only if there’s something to hang off}
3. Diamond Pushups (make a diamond with your thumb and forefingers, so your hands are close together – works triceps)

Core

1. Crunch
2. Side Plank
3. Russian Twist
4. Plank

{Big thanks to my tweep Andrew of Entreprenerds.com.au for advice on this!}

Lab Notes

Day 1

Okay, let’s kick off with some measurements, shall we?

Starting Weight: 71.4kg, taken first thing in the morning, as were the measurements below.

Starting Measurements (in cm):

Arm (L) – 30

Bust – 87

Waist – 74

Hip – 94

Butt – 102

Thigh (L) – 66

Did my first 30 minutes today – FAR OUT! Totally knackered by the end of it. I did this workout by Kyla Gagnon of Body Ripped, and it was a killer! I feel like I could melt on to the floor in a puddle of sweaty exhaustion. I also feel a bit ill, so that’s a good indication of how hard I pushed myself. Proud of how much I managed to do – the plank is a total nemisis for me.

This was a circuit-style workout – there were three different sets – two reps of each. A good mix of upper and lower body work, too. I’ll definitely do it again… maybe at the end of the 30 days so I can see how far I’ve come?

Starting off on the right foot though!

Day 2

Can anyone say OWWWW? Man, was I sore today! And it got worse as the day progressed. Arms, shoulders, back, obliques, thighs – definitely letting me know they’d been worked out good. I went for a 1/2 walk in the morning, and even that hurt ;D

Was planning to go for a run in the evening, but noticed during my walk that a niggling pain in my left calf that I’ve had since my barefoot beach run last week is still there, so decided to leave it for today – don’t want to aggravate it if it is an injury. Was also hungrier than usual today, obviously my body was looking for repair fuel.

Day 3

Today started off with a swim. I got up and went straight to the pool – even before my first cup of coffee! Managed 16 laps – 5 of which were freestyle (hurrah). It’s a refreshing way to start the day, and a great way to stretch out and move my whole body, which was definitely still sore. It felt better after the swim for the rest of the day. My calf seems okay today too, which is great.

I decided to do a yoga session tonight, so I completed this video by Sadie Nardini. It was challenging – I certainly built up quite a sweat and couldn’t hold/do all of the poses. However, I stuck with it as well as I could. I finished with a few minutes of Savasana {corpse pose} – which I both needed, and is ironic tonight.

See, my Gramps – who’s almost 94 – was admitted to hospital yesterday, and has slipped into a coma, caused by temperature and mild seizures. My mum and aunt are up there with him, and he’s not expected to pull through. It’s bittersweet, because he’s been in a home and suffering from dementia since last year – and since Granny passed away last year, he’s never really been the same. We all feel it’s his time to go, but it’s still hard to let go of someone who’s been such a part of your life for, well, forever.

So, laying in Savasana, breathing deeply and connecting with my body – with being ALIVE – was a profound moment tonight.

That feeling of really being present in your body – awake to the feelings within it and your connection to the world around you – is something that I love about exercise. I’m so often living in my head that it really brings about a different way of being. We’ve only one life – so many days, so many hours, so many minutes. I want to nurture and cultivate my body – I want to be a strong and vibrant old woman some day! And, of course, a strong and vibrant young woman, too.

Day 4

Woke up feeling a bit sore – definitely noticed it in my upper back and triceps particularly as the day went on. Went for a 4k run – felt a twinge in my left calf a few times so took it relatively easy. Though, when I got home I got the uncontrollable urge to do handstands and cartwheels in the back paddock. It has been so many years since I last did either I was kinda nervous as to whether I’d actually be able to! Happy to report I was Weighed myself this morning and I was bang on 71kg – and that’s with a little over-indulgence in the form of chocolate and wine on the weekend!

Day 5

Did this workout by Zuzana Light today. I think I have to lay still for a while now.

Okay, okay, I didn’t lay down for long… I wandered around outside for a few minutes to cool down in the breeze, collapsed on the grass for a bit, then did another 10 or so minutes of yoga and stretching, as the video workout was only 20 minutes long. That’s definitely going to be a fave when I want to push myself!

I’m existing in that weird masochistic place that I hate the workouts while I’m doing them, but kinda also enjoy the pain in a strange way. I guess it’s because I know I’m actually working hard and pushing myself, and that it will result in a change… at least, I hope it will!

Day 6

Today was a ‘rest’ day – which just meant I pushed myself harder at my cardio I went for a 12k ride, which should have been a 10k ride. I was trying to beat my best 10k time, but 3.9k in, Runkeeper stopped measuring my distance, and only kept measuring the time. That’s the second time this has happened when I’ve been riding – what, am I going too fast for you to keep up, Runkeeper? Why do you drop the GPS??

So, I just guesstimated, and worked out my distance using Google Maps when I got home! Was a good hard ride, my legs were pretty bushed.

Day 7

Woke up insanely early (4:30am) to the phonecall from my mum to let me know that Gramps passed away peacefully at around 3:30am. Understandably couldn’t get back to sleep, so I read for a while then got up to do some work. Was going to go for a swim this morning but frankly, I couldn’t be bothered. I also got Nick to bring me home some comfort food when he went out to his doc appt – a piece of mud cake and a few croissants, brie and ham. I shall indulge myself today, and get back to healthy eating tomorrow. I know the grain-based food is going to make me feel a bit ill (it already has, actually) but hey – sometimes it’s okay to feed your soul instead of feeding your body.

Went for a 1/2 hour walk this evening, followed by this upper body workout and the first 3 sets of this ab workout. Wimped out of finishing it. It’s my first time trying Fitness Blender workouts, and I liked them. They’re quite calm – sedate even – but they make a nice change from the more frantic style of video. I know I’m going to feel the upper body workout tomorrow, even though I probably should have used heavier weights (which I don’t have – I only have 2kg dumbbells).

Going to try to get to bed early tonight and catch up on last night’s missed sleep. Maybe.

Day 8

Felt sore and pretty wiped today, so I decided to take a full rest day.

Day 9

Today should have been a workout day, but since I’m doing the Warrior Dash tomorrow, I decided to swap today and tomorrow around, because that will certainly be a combo of strength and cardio, if it’s anything like the Stampede that I did a month back. I’ll get back to normal schedule as of Sunday.

Day 10

Warrior Dash! Yep, that was a challenge, for sure. Lots of very, very steep hills, climbing under things, climbing over things, and getting wet and muddy. Phew. ‘Twas fun, will definitely do it again next year – though, honestly, I enjoyed the obstacles at the Stampede more! Nick came with me this time, which was simultaneously awesome and depressing. The man never exercises, yet he didn’t get anywhere near as puffed as me going up the steep hills. I can only hope this is because he’s barely got a spare kg of fat on him, whereas I have a good 10kg I could spare ;D Dammit!

Oh yeah, we also got these fluffy horned hats, a super-comfy tee, and a medal. And a free beer. I actually drank my can of XXXX… because I was feeling tough and invincible. As you would have to in order to actually drink a can of XXXX.

Day 11

Yeah, so that workout didn’t happen. I was super-sore in strange places, and Nick told me to take it easy so I didn’t ‘break’ myself. I listened to him. Slacker.

Day 12

Did one of Zuzana’s ZWOW’s – just 12 minutes but it was a killer! Followed that with another 20 minutes doing my own thing – a little dumbbell work, a little yoga, a little dance, a little bit of core work. Followed it up with a 1/2 hour walk. Feel awesome!

{will update 13-16 shortly…}

Day 17

Holy Hellballs. I did HALF of this workout from Fitnessblender and I was SHATTERED. It’s called the Spartan 500 – 10 rounds of 5 exercises (10 reps of each). I had to literally lie down a few times during it because I felt like my heart was going to explode from my chest. I have obviously got a way to go before I can handle the full 500! It shall be a goal to reach.

Once I had come down a little from that, I did another 20-30 minutes of yoga, various other exercises (crunches, leg lifts etc) plus some dancing. Felt awesome at the end!

I think I *may* become addicted to this form of exercise. I can already see and feel the changes in my body after just 2 and a bit weeks.

Day 18

No proper exercise today, because we were off to the Harvest Music Festival!! Booyah! So, lots of walking and shuffling through crowds. I saw Ben Fold’s Five (yes, they sang Brick, sigh), Cake, The Dandy Warhols, and Beck. Awesome day… apart from the 20-minute hailstorm in the middle. C’est la vie!

Day 19

Today I did the Pilates Butt and Thigh Workout from Fitness Blender, and half of the 10 Minute Ab Workout before I was called to dinner. Lame, I know, so I’m going to do another workout day tomorrow to make up for it.

Day 20

Did this baby by Fitness Blender today – the 100 Rep Workout. More of a cardio workout, but it was nice and challenging at times – I couldn’t manage 25 reps of a few of the exercises in the second round. Only did the 1/2 hour version. Really liking Fitness Blender’s stuff – amazing variety and quality of videos! Thanks team!

Day 21

20 minute run (3k) this arvo in my NEW SHOES! And new sports bra/top… and I also got new goggles and a swim cap, and some 5k dumbbells! Sports equipment shopping spree… check it out…

Those Nikes are THE most comfy running shoes I’ve ever had. They’re super-light and thin, so there’s no weight drag when I’m running like with my older trainers. And the goggles!! I got the tri design – SO much more comfortable than those hideous tiny old-school type of goggles. Can’t wait to try them out tomorrow morning.

Oh, I also did some arm work with my new 5k dbs tonight – just to see how much I could handle. 10 reps of bicep curls, above-head lifts, ‘pull-ups’ – but side-fly was too hard. Also did 15 deadlifts with them. So excited to have some heavier weights to use!

Day 22

Kicked today off with a swim. Dragged myself out of bed around 7:15, bleary-eyed after staying up too late finishing a book (nothing unusual) and went straight to the pool. My saving grace is getting all my pool stuff sorted the night before so I don’t have to think about it in the morning. Broke in my new goggles and cap – LOVE!

Did a work-out this evening, too. I did this horrible kick off – a ladder workout of burpees (ick) and windmill sumo squats. Then did the 10 minute ab workout I started the other day and didn’t finish – really great workout! I finished off with some work with my 5k dumbbells, and a little yoga and stretching.

I am DEFINITELY seeing and feeling a difference in my body. I can see the muscles in my thighs taking on more definition, my butt is lifting and becoming rounder. My stomach and sides are slooooowly reducing, as is the chub on my triceps. I’ve seen more drastic change over the last 22 days than over the last 6 months.

I can also feel the difference. Everyday activities are getting easier. Squatting down to pick something out is pretty effortless, and lifting things is getting easier. Amazing.

Day 23 – 25

Okay, so did a few good things in these few days. Swum a bit, climbed a mountain (Mt Coolum) faffed around in the surf. And it was all going so well until…

Day 26 onwards…

Okay, so it all went to hell as of today because I threw my damn back out! Sneezing, would you believe. *shakes head* I think I might have wrenched it a bit during the aforementioned surf frolicking yesterday, and the sneeze was just the final straw.

So, that stopped me from finishing my whole 30 days, and I was in so much agony for the following week I didn’t take my measurements, either. Damn. Will have to re-do this experiment right to the end next year some time – probably in Feb or March.

__________________________________
STILL TO COME:

Results

Discussion

Conclusion

References

Top Bodyweight Exercises on BodyRipped

Eckhart Yoga

Sadie Nardini

Fitness Blender

Over to You…

Have you successfully added bodyweight training into your fitness routine? What difference did it make? What worked/didn’t work for you?