And just like that, we’re done with the first quarter of the year! It always feels like January is extra long, and then suddenly it’s April — February and March always go by in a blur.
With the conclusion of the Takbo.PH Women’s Stride Virtual Run (and yes, I did complete 50 kilometers!), it’s time to make an honest assessment of my year’s fitness journey, and set new short-term goals. I managed to do at least 4 or 5 workout sessions weekly for the most part, but when I started ramping up the amount and intensity of running I did to make things interesting during Virtual Run month, I felt fatigued and my sleep quality declined. Meanwhile, my weight went on an uptick and I gained three pounds, most of it in body fat (or so my Zenith smart scale tells me). Conclusion: my body was overly stressed and I was overcompensating with food.
So, if my body won’t let me exercise too long and burn fat off that way, I need to find a way to create a calorie deficit through building muscle to raise my basal metabolic rate so I can burn more calories at rest. I’ve let my resistance training slack and become “skinny fat” and flabby; yesterday when I did a benchmark fitness session, I found I could barely get through 45 baby push-ups, when at some point last year I could do 15 full push-ups. So, I’m putting myself on the six-week Nike+ Training Club Lean Fit program, which has worked well for me in the past being challenging enough to get my body moving, but easygoing enough that I don’t overtire myself.
Of course, they always say “abs are made in the kitchen”, so I’m tidying up what I eat as well. I found I was just consuming too much again in the form of junk food and snacks, all while using the excuse that I needed plenty of carbs to get through my runs. Last week on relatively low refined carbs I felt great, lost some weight in body fat, and built some muscle. This kind of eating regimen has worked well for me in the past and helped curb food cravings, hunger pangs, and sugar addiction (translation: it helped me eat less), so I’m willing to try it again and will keep you posted on developments. After all, that’s what this Fitness Diary is for. 😉
