Louisa's Weight Loss Blog

I am so sorry that Louisa and I have not been updating recently, but thank you to everyone who has still commented on previous posts. Glad to know you’re still reading us.

Activities to raise money for charity are a great motivator to get your fitness up to scratch. Having found myself in a bit of a fitness rut and eating more junk and going to the gym less, I knew I needed a longer term kick up the bum than the vague fear of ‘bikini season’

So I’ve signed up to do Race for Life in aid of Cancer Research UK. It’s a women only race of 10k or 6 miles if you’d prefer. It focuses more on finishing the race rather than a huge competition, but I am determined to run it in under 1hr and 15 mins even though people can finish it in under and hour, I saw it happen when Louisa ran the same race a couple of years ago.

This is a huge deal, as I’ve decided to run it in memory of my Grandfather who died of cancer last year and I want to raise £250 for him and during the last of his life, I was not happy in my work and my life and I know that this hurt him and I want to show him now that I am by achieving this. I can’t let him down.

Signing up to an activity as such for charity means you are not going to want to back out and on those days that you really don’t feel like training, you’ll remember why exactly and get your bum out of bed. I know that with every bite of junk food I eat or every day I put off going for a run, is more unnecessary pain that I am going to feel on the day of the race.

Right now, I have devised an 8 week plan that will see me add more and more distance until I hit 10k the week of the race.  Running 2.5k to start with as I am used to running 1.5k in my usual gym sessions. I do interval training which is a minute on and a minute off on intervals of 6mph and 8mph although I am trying to extend the amount of time that I run 8mph and that I am always moving and don’t stop.

The most important thing when you are running is to stretch properly so that you don’t get that offputting muscle pain the day after. Stretch each muscle for a count of 30. Warm up for a good few minutes. I warm up for 5 minutes on the cross trainer, upping the difficulty level every minute and then stretch my leg and arm muscles, front and back and sides. Don’t be put off by the fact that you see people in the gym rarely stretch, they’re the ones who are going to hurt the next day.

Another thing is to keep your resistance training up. Running is an excellent fat burner, but doesn’t exactly do wonders for the shape and tone of your bum or arms. Trust me, get a resistance program in twice a week, I am now squatting and doing arm weights like never before. This is how you achieve that lovely lean shape that runners have.

Hopefully, you’ll stay with me throughout my training and I’ll update regularly on my progress. I’ve got another run planned for later so will look forward to that.

If you want to have a look at my sponsorship page in the meantime here it is: http://www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/ameliahastings

I would never be so forward as to ask for sponsorship, but if you want to donate, I would be hugely flattered by your support. Your support by joining me in this race or joining your own activity for charity would mean so much to hear about your own journeys.