Blogilates 28 Day Reset: Day 4 & 5- Salsa Class and My First Blow Out

Nobody said this would be easy.....

What they also didn't say was that my first major blow out would come sooner than I thought.......

Day 4 for me was pretty good! I got my smoothie on in the morning, smashed out some errands and did my Blogilates videos before heading to my first Salsa class that night. 

Day 4's Lunch: If only all my meals could be this pretty and this delicious!

Oh my god! I had no idea that learning the 4 basic moves and practicing them over an hour could be such a cardio workout! Not only that but I was sweating my boobs off in the worlds least ventilated room with 50+ others. Was it worth it though? Definitely! I can't wait to go back next week.

My joy was short lived though as Friday (Day 5) I woke up and suffered a horrible episode of BPD for the entire day. Part of which involved consuming an entire pizza - Uh Oh! Somehow I still did my Beginners Calendar workout however and this morning got straight back on the horse with my diet. I remember whilst eating the pizza- it tasted amazing! However I didn't feel full and honestly feel just gross afterwards.

Even though today was Rest Day (Hello Paleo Banana Pancakes) and the day after my major blow out it felt like my stomach fat was a bit looser and my energy levels are still wayyyy up than before I started eating healthier.

Rest Day Paleo Pancakes: I finally mastered these- Time consuming and bit eggy but still good!
Plus an Almond Milk protein shake 

Also! How amazing is Brown Rice? Super filling and it smells like porridge when I'm cooking it (Yeah I know I'm weird for loving the smell of porridge). I love that it gets to be part of my meals and I'm super excited to attempt Cucumber and Avocado Sushi with it next week. 

Anyway that's all for now!

Blogilates 28 Day Reset: Day 3

Hello,

Today was not my best day! I went to bed last night feeling feverish and sore and bleach and woke up feeling not much better physically and pretty emotional. So I decided to load up with a "Comfort Food" breakfast of Gluten Free toast topped with Avocado, Tomato and Egg with a side of "Hot Chocolate" (Protein powder I found the back of the pantry and Unsweetened Almond milk). It tasted amazing and made me feel a lot better!

The offending meal......

Sadly my joy was short lived as the post on Facebook attracted some rather unwanted comments that made me feel quite depressed. I tried to rest as much as possible for the rest of the day- keeping in mind my very full on day tomorrow and the need to maintain my mental health.

Exercise wise I felt that the videos were almost a bit easy which I didn't mind so much as I was feeling it from the Bubble Butt Workout from yesterday. It amazes me how much my muscles can burn the day after from a few 5min videos! My first Salsa class is tomorrow and I'm ridiculously excited for it! Hopefully the inclusion of a few 1hr intensive activities a week will make a real difference.

As I sobbed to my housemate whilst preparing dinner; This Reset is really F****** Hard! And there is no way to sugar coat that (Pun Intended) I'm tired as my body detoxes, I'm cranky, I want to cry constantly, my body aches and a photo of cake makes me drool like you wouldn't believe. The unsolicited advice - although probably well meaning- hurt so much as it just felt like another stab by someone who didn't get how hard this journey really is. Although I'm putting on a brave face; This truly is the most vulnerable I've ever been.

Anyway hopefully tomorrow will be better! I will endure!

Dinner: Baby Spinach topped with a cup of mashed Sweet Potato and Stewed Lentils 

Blogilates 28 Day Reset: Day 1 & 2

Day 1: The journey begins!

Hey Guys,

So I know it's been a while but I'm back on the blogosphere as I really want to document the super exciting new journey I've started on.

As some of my older followers may remember; About a year ago I discovered Blogilates and the brilliant world of Cassey Ho. In January and February of 2016 I set about attempting to complete the Beginners Workout Calendar as well as 2 x 30 Day Challenges. Although I succeeded in losing 8cm off my body and about 3kg over the month- I didn't stick with it and struggled to find a dietary balance.

Over the course of 2016 my life changed in a lot of big ways. My relationship of over 2 years ended, I moved interstate to Melbourne and I struggled to complete my Certificate III in Individual Support (Aged Care) whilst living out of hotels.

It was a hard year and as I battled with endless amounts of stress and depression; my diet and exercise regime fell into the ditch and then got eaten by a feral cat.

In November I finished my Certificate III and a few weeks later finally landed some stable accomodation. As  I celebrated the end of my course and got giddy on Eggnog and the greatest Black Forest dessert in existence I began to take notice of the toll the year had taken on my body.

Celebrating Graduation- There is so much love in this photo
And yet all I see is my larger than life body 

At 102 kg I am the heaviest I've ever been, struggle with half a flight of stairs, suffer acid reflux and nerve pain and cry if I go anywhere near a ladies clothing section in a store. For someone who used to jog 5km up and around hills for fun: I'm not proud of who I've become.

A few days before the new year began I was searching through my emails when I came across an email from Blogilates. It was a link to a PDF which gave instructions on how to the 28 Day Food Reset from the PIIT28 Program. Being poor, I'd never been able to justify the $80 Aus for the PIIT28 Exercise program- let alone the diet aspect. But here lay a unique, realistic and most importantly FREE opportunity to get my health back on track.

The Challenge 

Unlike most detox's or diets; The rules for the 28 Day Reset are pretty simple:

For 28 Days omit the following from your diet whilst working out 6 days a week with 1 Rest Day.

- No Gluten
- No Dairy
- No Added Sugar
- No Alcohol and
- No Processed Foods

Sounds really hard right? Not quite

For me the whole dairy and no alcohol thing wasn't really going to be an issue. I barely eat dairy due to my intolerance (Not that I hadn't enjoyed some serious cheese over the holidays) and alcohol often gives me reflux anyway. Taking out Gluten and Processed Foods would be interesting as I absolutely love my bread and beef mince for cooking. Added Sugar? Well it was about time I broke that addiction. As I'm struggling with my reflux a lot, I've also opted to give up coffee.

Before I started this challenge I wrote up a list of "Reset Safe" meals. The list contained 5 different breakfast options- such as Oats w/ Berries and Maple Syrup (my natural sweetener of choice) and 17 Dinner/Lunch options that were more than just "salad".

As for the workouts I'm giving The Beginner's Calendar another crack and next week I'll be introducing 2 x 1hr dance classes a week plus 1hr a week doing laps at the local pool. Really trying to find fun and enjoyable exercise options that don't break the bank ($10 a week total for 3hrs of exercise? Hell yes!).

It's Day 2 and so far I'm going ok. I'm really enjoying the food so far- Especially the GF Veggie "Burgers" I made tonight with Avocado Pesto (That stuff is addictive AF). Exercise wise? Despite not being able to properly do some of the workout moves I'm still getting serious day after muscle burn which is good.

Tonights culinary success! Note the dripping Avo Pesto

Today I went to my local bulk foods store and stocked up on ingredients for smoothies and picked up almost a kilo of Epsom salts to soak my sore muscles later this week.

Emotionally/ Energy wise I find myself feeling tired and getting a much better sleep at night. I've been feeling pretty cranky detoxing from the sugar, gluten and caffeine; However I'm hopeful that clears up soon. I'm trying to remind myself that I'm at the beginning of something new and remain positive about the process- it takes 21 days to break a new habit and it's always hard at the beginning of new journey's.

Anyway, That's all for now. I will keep you posted on my progress and if anyone has any questions about the #28DayReset feel free to send me a message.