Gorgeous day again - I woke up bursting with energy - though I could feel a little tiredness in my upper glute muscles.

Brekky: 1 mango and blueberries
Swim 100 in record time - 49 minutes!

Lunch: 1 sweet potato; watercress, 1 red pepper, Mexican bean salad (tin of Suma mixed beans* mixed with yeast spread B12*, Suma tomato puree* and Mexican spice mix) 2 apples

Gym 2 hours - Upper Body Workout
5 mins warm-up + 2 x (3 mins level 7; 2 mins level 6) Xtrainer
3 x (10 pull-ups; 10 dips) (-10kg)
3 x 20 Lateral pull-downs (25kg)
3 x 10 chest press (25kg)
3 x (10 bicep curls (15kg) ; 10 vertical row (25kg))
3 x (10 tricep extensions; 10 tricep overhead) (4kg)
3 x 10 pushups
10 mins Arm Bike
3 x 10 shoulder press (15kg - at last I think I will be able to increase the load)
3 x 10 pec flye machine (20kg - again increase due though I have often worked at 25 as well...)
3 x (10 upright row; 10 lateral raises; 10 shoulder press) (2kg dumbbell each hand)
3 x upright row (15kg)
Ab workout: 3 x [20 Back extensions; 20 obliques each side(first time with legs to one side; 2nd time with one foot on my knee; 3rd time alternated 40); 20 curls; 60s bridge; 60s oblique bridge each side)
10 mins Row

Supper: Avocado* and sauce* (see prev days); Steamed broccoli and lemon juice with a large salad [raw broccoli, raw spring greens, sprouted mung beans* tomato and carrot* with Thai dressing] and 2 Taifun Tofu cutlets*

Predict 1 mug of So Good Soy milk before bed...

Awesome .

With that upper body routine, I can't wait to see what sort of weight you will be pushing and pulling around once you hit the freeweight area! I'm excited to hear how the induction goes (when you get it. . .) .

At the latest, the induction should be the first week of October but I expect they will have one during Fresher's week the 27th Spetember to the 3rd October.

I agree with Crystal. You are really going to surprise yourself with how strong you are, and how quickly you make gains. I am really looking forward to seeing you come on! Go Fruitbat!

Gee thanx

I had slightly sore triceps today so I guess that is an area I should work on - I neglect them far too often - I could feel them swimming today!!!

Thurdsay (I hate Thursdays)

Run 32 mins (including running up half the hill I did on Monday)
Bum and Tum 2
Brekky: 4 kiwis and raspberries

Pre-swim: 2 bananas
Swim 60 (30 mins)
Lunch: Salad of: Spring greens, cabbage, carrot*, red peppper, sprouted mung beans* and lentils* mixed with B12 yeast spread* with 7 Dove rye crackers* and 1 apple

Pre-gym: 1 apple + 6 each of cashews*, almonds* and walnuts*
Gym 1h40: Upper Body
30 mins constant level 6 Xtrainer
7 mins cycle
3 x 20 (80kg) leg press (need to increase as no effort needed)
3 x 20 (30kg) leg curls (increase maybe by 2.5kg ??)
3 x 20 (20kg) each of abductor and adductor machine
3 x 20 squats (2 x 2kg dumbbells)
3 x 20 each leg power lunges (2 x 2)
7 mins row
Ab sequence:
(1) For crunches, oblique crunches each side; reverse curls - 20, then 8 (2 tempo up, 2 tempo down); 8 (3 up 1 down) then 8
(2) Crunches, obliques each side, curls - 8 then 16 minis; 6 then 12 minis; 4 then 8 minis
(3) 20 medicine ball (3kg) crunches, 40 alternated oblique crunches, 20 reverse curls

Supper: Seaweed* and lin+sesame seed salad; Big salad: kale* cherry toms, carrot*, pumpkin seeds, 2 heaped and very large tbsps tahini; 1 sweet potato; apples for dessert

Before bed - 1 mug of So Good soy milk ( last night I had some almonds and cashews with that too)

Friday again - the week seems so slow whilst it is happening and then i look back and I am like woah it's another week gone - and I have to move on Monday... Mind you after 3 fire alarms in 4 days - maybe that is not such a bad thing! Had one whilst i was in the middle of my dinner last night and then at 2AM this morning - grrrrrrr...

2:30AM 1 banana and 1 apple cos my body was up and roaring to go thnking it was morning

6:20- banana before my run
6:55 - 7:20 run with (2 x 0.5kg) dumbbells
Bum and Tum1 workouts
Brekky: 4 kiwis, 1 punnet blueberries, 1 banana

11:00 2 bananas
11:30 swim (29 mins)
Lunch: Watercress, sprouted mung beans* and cabbage salad with tin of chickpeas* in GoOrganic Basil and Tomato pasta sauce*; 1 sweet potato; 1 apple

3:00 apple; 6 each of cashews* almonds* and walnut*
4:00 Gym - Relax day - 1h10
15 mins Xtrainer (constant speed level 6)
5 mins Arm bike
2 x [10 pullups, 10 dips at (-10)] - should reduce it to (-5) as too easy
2 x 20 leg curls (30)
2 x 15 shoulder press (15)
2 x 20 horizontal leg press (80) should increase weight here too
3 x [10 lateral raises, 10 upright row, 10 raises in fron, 10 shoulder press] (2kg dumbbell each hand) wish i could increase load but must wait
3 x [20 tricep extension each arm; 20 tricep overhead each arm] (2 kg each hand)
20 medicine ball (3kg) sit-ups
20 oblique crunches each side with medicine ball
20 crunches
20 oblique crunches
20 reverse curls
20 leg raises
hollow holw 60s
(need to work out a more demanding ab workout too)
10 mins row

Supper: 1 raw carrot* whilst I prepared my meal; 400g Quinova chunks* with the rest of GoOrganic sauce*, broccoli (steamed) with lemon juice, and home-grown mushrooms from a friend; side-salad of kale* raw broccoli and cerry tomatoes with Thai sauce. Apples for dessert

Saturday

3 bananas and 250mL unsweetened, calcium and vitamin fortified soy milks
Gym normal saturday workout:
5 mins warm up and 4 x (3mins 11.5k/h; 2mins 9.5k/h) treadmill at 1%gradient (i.e. 15 mins treadmill)
16rm chest press (25kg)
16rm leg curl (35kg)
16rm vertical row (25kg)
16 power lunges each leg
12 mins cycle (level 6 - starting to get easy)
rep resistance
15 mins Xtrainer (level 6)
2 x [20 crunches, 40 alternated oblique, 20 curls]
20 medicine ball (3kg) crunches
40 alternated medicine ball touch-downs whilst in a maintained tuck-up position
20 curls
swim 60 lengths (30 mins)

Lunch at organic cafe: Morrocan red lentil and pepper soup* with wholemeal, fresh pumpkin roll*; then mixed salad plate* [carrot apple and raisin salad, vegeslaw, pasta and mushroom salad, lentil salad, bean salad, green salad]* with small side-order of potato wedges*- Lime and Ginger presse*

Mid-afternoon: 1 apple and 1L Alpro chocolate soy milk with vitamins and calcium

Predicted dinner: Kale* and cherry tomato salad with Thai dressing, 200g tempeh* - apples for dessert

Last night dinner turned out to be later than expected so I had another 1L of chocolate soy milk
Dinner: kale* spring greens, cherrytom, carrot* and mix sprouts* sala with 200g tempeh* and Thai dressing
Later munched on some cashews*. almonds*, brasils* and walnuts* - but broke the nutcracker with my strong grip trying to crack open a hazelnut. OOPS!

During the night still hungry so I had to get up and have 1 banana and 1 apple

Breakfast: 3 banana and soy milk (unsweetned sith calcium and vitamins) smoothies with 3tbsps of UDOs oil*


Gym 2h20: Upper Body
30 mins Xtrainer (5 mins warmup level 6 then 5 x interval training 3 mins level 7 and 2 mins level6)
3 x [5 pullups with about 120* range (-5kg body weight - YAY I have gone down another 5 kgs!) and 10 dips (-5)]
3 x 10 chest press (30kg gone up 5kg but shoul dhave done more reps)
3 x 10 vertical row (30kg again more reps needed)
3 x 20 lat pull-downs (30kg also up 5kg)
6 mins Row
3 x [10 bicep curls and 10 upright row (20kg up 5kg)]
3 x [10 shoulder press (20kg up 5)]
3 x 10 pec flye machine (20kg)
6 mins row
6 mins arm bike
6 mins cycle
3 x [10 lateral raises and 20 mini maintained raises; 10 front raises and 20 crossovers maintained in front] (2kg dumbbell each hand)
3 x [10 tricep extensions each arm; 10 tricep overheads each arm] (2 2kg dumbbells in each hand = 4kg) I really wish I could have something heavier
Abs: 5 x [30 back extensions, 50 crunches, 60s bridge, 60s oblique bridge each side - (on the last time I did the bridge I did 30s with one foot in the air and then 30s with the other foot)]
50 ball crunches
Swim 60 in 28 minutes and an extra 10 "proper swimming" as my friend instructed me on the proper technique for the crawl.

Fiew!!! 3 hours working out and feeling fantastic and not even tired out - just slightly. Must pack up my room for my move now!

Lunch: 250g falafel* with seaweed salad* and sesame and linseeds and another salad of kale* spring greens cherrytoms, carrot* and pumpkin seeds with Thai dressing. Dessert: 1 apple with same mix of nuts* as above

Afternoon snacks: 2 bananas, 2 apples, 2L Choc soy milk (Ca+Vit)

hmmmm going overboard on the soya milk - maybe it will build me some muscle???

My hidden strength is enough to snap a metal cracker in two just by squeezing it trying to break open a hazelnut - though mortified at breaking someone elses property, I was quite proud of myself! Heheheheh.

Supper: 200g my favourite tofu - Taifun smoked tofu with sesame seeds and almond bits*, with cherry tomatoes, 1 avocado* and some mangetout. Dessert - apple(s)

Mmm. What is your recipe for seaweed salad? I love seaweed! My granny used to do kelp with garlic and scallions, served with the ubiquitous potato. No wonder I like sushi so much! (My sushis invariably include raw baby sweetcorn and savoury tofu, with the rice mixed with tahini to make it sticky. Not exactly traditional Japanese! Though I love the pickled ginger...)

Any seaweed recipes point them this way!

I am afraid I am terribly boring - it's just mixed seaweed from Clearspring, that I rehydrate, then add the seeds to and eat as a king of starter!

Monday-

Weather was too bad for me to contemplate a run so I snuggled back into bed. Brekky: 1L Innocent Banana and strawberries smoothie with 2 apples

Moved up the hill - now there's a workout for you! Then went shoping dowtown and had to carry some heavy bags of veg and fruit up the blasted hill (I forgot how easy it is to live in town!).

100 length swim - 51 mins.
Today I time was not the issue, so I was pleased and surprised at my time, I was concentrating on my breathing. After my little swimming lesson yesterday, I decided the reason I had a little trouble with swimming a porper front crawl was because usually I always breathe onteh same side. So after a 20 legnth warm-up in my usual style, I did 20 lengths normal style except that I made myself always breathe on my left insteead of my usualy right. The next 40 I did my usualy style but breathed every 3 strokes. The las 20, I would do my length of breat stroke, then one length of proper-form front crawl, then 2 of old style breathign every 3. I am nackered!

With my move no time to make my usual rice-salad lunch so just had 2 apples and ABCW nuts* (Almonds, Brazils, Cashews, Walnuts)

Dried apricots* (no added anything - just apricots and water)
Gym 2hours
5 min warmup (9.5 k/h), 7 mins at 11.5 k/h, 5 mins 12.5k/h all at 1% gradient on Treadmill
12 mins cycle level 6 - faster than usual around 80 k/h vs 72 k/h
6.5% gradient walk at 6.5k/h
5 x [1 min level 7; 1 min level 6] and then 1 x [1 min level 8; 1 min level7]
1km row (4mins 45)
1km run (11.5 to 13.5 k/h progression)
Arm bike 5 mins
ABs:
(a)20, 8 (2 tempo up, 2 down), 8 (3 up, 1 down), 8 [crunches, obliques each side and reverse curl] 60 s bridge (15 secs both feet on the gorund, 15 secs one foot in the air, then 15 secs the other foot, then 15s both on the ground)
(b) 20, 16 mini, 6, 12 mini, 4, 8 mini [crunches, ob crunches each side, reverse curls] Bridge as above
(c) 20 crunches, 40 alternated oblique crunches, 20 reverse curls, bridge as above

Supper: Spring green, mangetout, carrots*, cherry tomatoes salad with pumpkin seeds and tahini dressing*; Seaweed salad* with lin/sesame seeds; apple and ABCW nuts*

Later: 3 banana Soy smoothie with 3tbsps UDO oil*, an apple and B12 supplemet and all-purpose supplement due to the fact that I havent eaten as much as I feel I should have today.

I felt fantastic in the gym - it was hard work trying to make me work hard - no matter how hard I pushed myself, I did not struggle. The girl I see in the mirror has got abs she is actually proud of and feels really good about herself.

She also has a huge dilemna because, a guy she had a crush on has er-appeared in her life, and there is in the meantime another guy who has blatently been flirting (and with whom she spent a great part of the weekend). On the side-lines - as a further flattery to an already really good morale, there are 2 extra-friendly on-lookers.

Why am I talking in the third person?? Very tired now. I think the adrenaline from the social side of my life, from moving and discovering my home for the next study-year, and the physical satisfaction and feelings I am experiencing has kept me going and made me push myself too hard. I would love to post the next chapter of the seemingly never-ending saga of my love-life on the "Non-vegan partners" thread - but I will do that tomorrow. I am sure everyone will be thrilled (irony). I promise this male attention is a new development in my life - seems to evolve and increase my positive self-image and soaring self-confidence.


I hope can attribute such success and good feelings to my ever-improving diet and increased fitness from exercise. I may update my WIP in 2 weeks with my diet modifications. Two weeks is my goal for doing pullups with my full weight, and should be the end of the free-weights-free period - I should hit the free weights room very shortly after.

My Parents' special dinner is Wednesday.

Tuesday

Weather was foul and windy this morning so I snuggled back into bed for an extra hour instead of going running - something I feel bad about but I am a fair-weather runner. I got up at 7:30 therefore and did my usual Bum and Tum (1) workouts. I added 10 single-leg squats on each leg an some handstand work at the beginning (all will be explained).

Brekky: Blueberries + Galia melon + 3 plums

Pre-swim (11am) 1 banana
Swim 100 same as yesterday (48 mins) and then an extra 4 lengths of just the proper crawl.
Lunch: Mixed rice* pesto* salad with carrot*, kale*, mangetout and cherry tomatoes.

An hour later: 1 apple

Pre-gym: 3 banana soy smoothie + apple
Gym 1h45 - Lower body workout
30mins Xtrainer (5 mins warmup, 4 x [3 mins level 7; 2 mins level 6] and 1x[3mins level8; 2 mins level7])
3x10 leg curls (35kg)
3x20 horizontal leg press (90kg)
30 squats (2x2kg dumbbells)
30 power lunges each leg (2x2)
5 mins row
5 mins cycle
3x20 abductor machine (20 but not nearly as hard as it used to be despite the fact that I used ot do it every day and now about once a week if that)
3x20 adductor machine (20) (same remark as above)
10mins on Treadmill at 6.5% gradient increasing form fast walk at 6.5k/h to jog at 8.5k/h
Abs 20 of all of: crunches, obliques each side, reverse curls, complete crunches, obliques alternated (40 in tot), side-to-side obliques (40), Vs, flutter (40), Vs, mini V-ups, leg raises, hollow hold 20s, oblique curls each side.

Supper: 2 Clearspring Tofu Seacakes, steamed brocc*, raw cabbage with Tahini dressing*, avocado* with (v) Worcestershire sauce*. Dessert: 2 apples and ABCW nuts*

I had a bath tonight - I hardly ever have baths but it was nice.

Probably a mug of soy milk tonight.

My goals for the next month:
(1) run that Hill no effort and faster
(2) 10 pull-ups with no counter-weight
(3) learn proper form on front crawl
(4) handstand straddle-down. Let me explain: I used to do these all the time and require huge amount of shoulder and ab and to a lesser extent all-over strength and control. Kick up to a handstand and maintain it. Straddle the legs and slowly bring them downtowards the floor qhilst maintaining the handstand, then as they are cms away from th floor, swing them past the floow without touching to end up in a straddle hold - that is to say your weight is all on your hands in front of the body, with the legs in a straddle in mid-air. Even more impressive is people who can start in this position and go up to handstand - you see men do that on floor, parallel bars and pommel horse at the Olympic gymnastics...


Tomorrow parents arrive - my meal- and they have already made problems which I will post in the appropriate thread.

Sorry to hear that. Don't let it get to you... Whatever happens, it isn't your fault.

Wednesday (before parents arrive)

6:30 am the Great Outdoors convinced me to go for a run - because of my new location and not wanting to run all the way down into town (about 1 mile solid steep hill) I just had a little potter around student village and campus so only 10 minutes but intensly hilly!
7:00 Handstand (2/10 succeeded), 10 single-leg squats each leg, normal Bum and Tum (2) workouts
Brekky: 1 melon
8:00 swim - only 60 today - first 2/3 of my 15 sets of 4 were swam normal pattern but breathing every 3 strokes on the crawl, last 5 sets of 4 I did the same as my last 5 sets when I did 100 the lasst 2 days. I got the person who gave me the little swimming lesson on Sunday to come along to the pool too this morning and it was fun because my best friend, her boyfriend and my friend were all there and we all know each other (and they are all impressive swimmers - but I am an impressive non-swimmer as apparently it requires far mroe fitness to swim the way I do than normally!)
3 plums

Before gym: 2 apples and ABCW nuts*
12:30 Gym 2h30 upper body workout:
30 mins constant level 6 Xtrainer
10 mins arm bike
3 x [5 pullups and 8 dips] (-5)
3 x 20 lat pull-downs (25)
3 x 10 chest press (25)
3 x 10 pec machine (25)
3 x 10 shoulder press machine (20)
3 x 10 vertical row (25)
3 x [10 uprite row, 10 bicep curls] (20)
15 mins rowing
3 x [10 lateral raises, maintain 20s; 10 front raises, maintain 20s] (2kg each hand)
3 x [10 tricep extension each arm; 10 tricep overhead each arm] (4kg)
Abs: 3 x [30 back extensions, 50 crunches, 60s bridge and oblique bridges]
Post-gym: 3 banana and soy smoothie


My special meal (I am STUFFED but at least i know it is healthy! Except for the vegenaise, nut roast and Swedish Vanillla that is!):
1L Ginger presse* to drink
Apperitif: Mixed nuts and seeds*
Starter: Seaweed* salad with Shiitake*, lin/sesame seeds, portion of Vegan Tofu spring roll* with broccoli* (steamed)
Main: 1 sweet potato*, 1 avocado* with my mayo-based sauce*, nut roast* (2 helpings), tofu*, green salad of kale* spinach and watercress* cherry tomatoes and red pepper; Salads (all *): carrot, green lentil, bean, rice, vegeslaw, daahl, hummous
Dessert: pineapple (fairtrade) with raspberry coulis and mixed red berrie with Vanille Swedish Glace

Is that almonds, brazils cashews and walnuts? Mmmm. Yummy!

Good luck with the meal - you know, it might be fine and really positive if your good glowing mood carries across. I wish I could eat at yours tonight! I am off to a couple of classes tonight, as I need to work on my cardio vascular more than I have been doing. I will let you know how body sculpting and kick boxing go. (One after the other.)