Week 10: where I failed to do press ups. Again.

This week starts with a bang. My PT has set me a killer of a workout to do for Monday's 'homework'. It contains all of the things I hate the most.
My weight loss journey journal week 10 - struggling with press ups.
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Weight Loss Milestones - My Strongest Self
Summary of the key moments in my weight loss journey, including before and after pictures, and weight loss statistics.
Weight Loss Journal - My Strongest Self
A set of weekly posts, diarising my journey towards losing 20 kilos of weight, through transforming my eating and exercising habits.

This week starts with a bang.

A killer workout

My PT has set me a killer of a workout to do for Monday's 'homework'. It contains all of the things I hate the most - mountain climbers (they always seem to kill me), knee-high sprints (my knees just don't want to go that high...), plank-jacks (anything containing the word 'plank' is bound to be torture), star jumps (OK, I don't mind those...) and half-press ups (at least I can be grateful that he's given up on the idea of making me attempt full press ups, for now!)

Home workout session

Mountain Climbers (30 seconds)
High Knee Sprints (30 seconds)
Plank Jacks (30 seconds)
Star Jumps (30 seconds)
Fast Feet (30 seconds)
Half press ups (x10)

Rest for 2 minutes

Mountain Climbers (45 seconds)
High Knee Sprints (45 seconds)
Plank Jacks (45 seconds)
Star Jumps (45 seconds)
Fast Feet (45 seconds)
Half press ups (x10)

Rest for 2 minutes

Mountain Climbers (1 minute)
High Knee Sprints (1 minute)
Plank Jacks (1 minute)
Star Jumps (1 minute)
Fast Feet (1 minute)
Half press ups (x10)

To finish, do a 5 minute outdoor sprint at 80% RPE (rate of perceived exertion)

Pleasurable pain

Although it was exhausting, and at times painful, and although I was quick to complain to my PT that, "I nearly died!!", I have to admit that secretly, I did enjoy the session.  I think I've now reached the point where exercise is pleasurable pain as opposed to just painful pain. During the first few weeks of this journey towards health and fitness, exercise sessions were definitely just painful pain!

Brain fog and sleepiness

I feel great immediately after the session, but by late-afternoon I find myself suddenly overcome with sleepiness. In the evening I am out like a light. I sleep deeply, barely stirring throughout the entire night, yet the following morning I awake feeling incredibly groggy. The whole day is a real struggle in terms of being able to concentrate on anything. I decide consult the Internet, and it turns out that 'brain fog' after intense exercise is a thing.

"You definitely shouldn't be feeling like that," my PT says with concern, when I see him the next day for another training session.

"Are you getting enough sleep? Are you refuelling your body as soon as you've finished exercising?" he asks. "...and are you eating plenty of vegetables?"

I'm pretty sure that sleep is not the issue on this occasion. I've been spending a lot of time improving my sleeping patterns - and it has been working - my sleep is generally great at the moment. I thought I was doing great with eating healthily too. My lunches and dinners tend to contain a fair few vegetables.

But perhaps, I speculate, there is room inside me for more vegetables...

An amazing and versatile soup-maker

He moves on to raving about his soup-maker - how it is 'the best thing ever''so versatile''so amazing for the immune system' and 'a great way to get extra vegetables into the diet!'

I've always been a little suspicious of soup myself.

I've always remained unconvinced by the way in which soup is not quite a food. Yet also not quite a drink. Instead, it maintains a lumpy, watery consistency, somewhere halfway between the two. Nevertheless, if soup is going to help me combat my tiredness after strenuous workout sessions, I'm prepared to give it a try.

I order the soup-maker that he recommends to me. It turns out that soup is actually rather nice. My first soup looks like a bowl of sick - but tastes surprisingly good.

Press-ups. Again.

I clearly spoke too soon, when I said that my PT had given up on the idea of making me do press-ups. Wednesday's session ends with another attempt at trying to get me to do these ridiculous things.

To be fair, I think I've improved slightly from my last attempt - this time I manage to lower myself to the ground in a more slow and controlled manner, without thudding into a heap on the ground. Coming back up is just as disastrous as the previous time though.

Weekly food diary

This week I have been eating...

Monday

Breakfast: Muesli with oat milk. Two or three cups of black coffee throughout the morning.

Snack: One banana.

Lunch: Mindful Chef's Mexican cod with black beans and guacamole (one third of a two portion recipe).

Snack: One orange and two cups of tea, each with a dash of milk.

Dinner: Chicken in breadcrumbs with baked beans, parsnips and potatoes.

Snack: A small bowl of muesli with oat milk.

Tuesday

Breakfast: Muesli with oat milk. Two or three cups of black coffee throughout the morning.

Snack: One banana.

Lunch: Baked beans on buttered toast (two pieces of granary brown bread).

Snack: One orange. Two cups of tea, each with a dash of milk. Two pieces of buttered toast with marmite (brown granary bread).

Dinner: Mindful Chef's creamy tomato, butter beans and pesto tenderstem

Snack: A small bowl of muesli with oat milk.

Wednesday

Breakfast: Muesli with oat milk. One cup of black coffee.

Snack: One spoonful of grain free granola mix.

Lunch: Mindful Chef's apricot harissa salmon and hasselback potatoes (one third of a two portion recipe).

Snack: One spoonful of grain free granola mix. Two cups of tea, each with a dash of milk.

Dinner: Mindful Chef's creamy tomato, butter beans and pesto tenderstem. One glass of red wine.

Snack: A small bowl of muesli with oat milk.

Thursday

Breakfast: Muesli with oat milk. Two or three cups of black coffee throughout the morning.

Snack: One spoonful of grain free granola mix.

Lunch: Mindful Chef's apricot harissa salmon and hasselback potatoes (one third of a two portion recipe).

Snack: One spoonful of grain free granola mix. One cup of tea with a dash of milk.

Dinner: Mindful Chef's turkey meatballs with roasted vegetables and brown rice penne.

Snack: A small bowl of muesli with oat milk.

Friday

Breakfast: Muesli with oat milk. One cup of black coffee.

Snack: Two spoonfuls of grain free granola mix.

Lunch: Mindful Chef's apricot harissa salmon and hasselback potatoes (one third of a two portion recipe).

Snack: One cup of tea with a dash of milk.

Dinner: Mindful Chef's turkey meatballs with roasted vegetables and brown rice penne.

Snack: None today.

Saturday

Breakfast: Muesli with oat milk. Two or three cups of black coffee throughout the morning.

Snack: Two spoonfuls of grain free granola mix. One orange.

Lunch: Mindful Chef's preserved lemon, olive and chickpea tagine (one third of a two portion recipe).

Snack: A bowl of homemade vegetable soup.

Dinner: Mindful Chef's bavette steak, smoky chimichurri and maple potatoes.

Snack: A small bowl of muesli with oat milk.

Sunday

Breakfast: Muesli with oat milk. One cup of black coffee.

Snack: A bowl of homemade vegetable soup. One orange.

Lunch: Mindful Chef's preserved lemon, olive and chickpea tagine (one third of a two portion recipe).

Snack: A bowl of greek yoghurt with chopped banana and grain free granola mix.

Dinner: Mindful Chef's bavette steak, smoky chimichurri and maple potatoes.

Snack: A small bowl of muesli with oat milk.

Closing thoughts on this week

When will my PT accept that my body just can't do press-ups?

Up next: my weight loss journey week 11

Week 11: where I did spring cleaning.
This week starts with an energetic spring-cleaning of the house and garden. It involves a lot of bending, stretching, reaching and lifting. Hoovering, scrubbing, washing, wiping and dusting.
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Lisa

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