Another day successfully completed, and this one really feels like I did it against all the odds. The week so far – but particularly today – has taught me two semi-contradictory things. Firstly, that when you really prioritise your fitness and nutrition, you can make it work in any situation. But secondly, that you can’t necessarily do that and just continue with your life as normal.
Every six weeks or so, my work organises an evening quiz. It’s always fun. People bring in lots of snacks and homemade cakes, and everyone provides their own wine and beer. Two problems with that today – firstly, any booze or the slightest nibble of most of the food provided was going to torpedo the nutrition plan.
And secondly, by the time it was over, it would basically be too late to do today’s workout. The answer to the first issue was obviously just going to be one of willpower. The answer to the second was trickier. I decided I was going to have to work out in the morning, but I’m really not a morning person. And I’m really not a morning exercise person. Exercise isn’t a chore for me any more, it’s a treat – at least in the evening, when it helps take away the stresses of the day. So it always seems a shame to force myself through something that would be torture first thing and a pleasure 12 hours later. Worse, when I have tried it, I’ve tended to find that it leaves me feeling tired and unfocussed all day, which I just can’t afford in my job.
But I’m doing 80 Day Obsession, and I’ve swore to stick to it. So I set my clock to get up earlier than usual, reasoning that I’d try a morning workout once. If it worked, I could do it again later in the programme as a contingency option where necessary. If it really left me feeling awful, I wouldn’t force myself again.
And then, once I got up, I suddenly remembered I had an early morning meeting and there wasn’t going to be time to work out. It’s credit to how addicted I’ve already got to this programme that I felt infuriated rather than secretly relieved.
Skipping forward to 6.30 when the quiz started. The good part is that I was very well behaved. No wine. None of the hundreds of amazing baked goods. Just an attempt at a pre-workout meal, though I didn’t have quite the right things. The bad part is that it was a little depressing how less fun the even was without sugar and booze. I was hoping to have been able to say just the opposite. Hopefully, this was just due to it being in a work context or it being week one and my body and mind being a little thrown, combined with my frustration at the thought of missing a workout already.
Anyway, I left halfway through, partly because I wasn’t 100% feeling it, partly because I reasoned that would just about give me time to do AAA after all. My husband was stunned that I was a)back so early and yet b)planning to work out so late. I started the workout at 8.30. Quite a bit later than I’d normally attempt, particularly for something 50 minutes long. By the time I ate at 9.30, I was starving and a little dizzy (my meal timings were all off and I hadn’t eaten in hours by then, and my pre-workout meal had been a bit patchy anyway) but I felt extremely proud of my determination. And was I’d had some tasty homemade fajitas, I felt a lot better physically.
As a consequence of the quiz and the late workout, it’s getting late, and I’m ready for bed, so I’ll leave the detailed review of this one till next week. My review of the equivalent workout in ALO gives a fair sense. This was longer overall, with two arm exercises (but still just one ab and one ass exercise) per round, but otherwise broadly similar in concept, difficulty level and effectiveness.
And one day during this programme, I promise I’ll attempt the early morning workout approach again!
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If you don’t currently have access to BOD, you can get a year’s subscription, a month’s supply of Shakeology, and all the accessories you need for 80 Day Obsession for just £180 here
If you’re already a Beachbody on Demand customer, you can get everything you need for 80 Day Obsession (workout calendar, resistance bands, strength sliders, portion fix containers) with Shakeology here, with performance supplements here, or with both here.
There are a variety of different combinations of BOD access, 80 Day Obsession accessories, Shakeology and performance supplements available. Do drop me a line if you’re not sure which is right for you or if you’d like more information about this programme or anything else.
Munday Morning Fitness 