Time to refocus

This morning I did a hill sprint session with my personal trainer. I wasn't expecting it to be easy, or fun, but I was expecting to be able to do it. It was perhaps a little ambitious trying to do it the day after I did a pump class, and put extra weight on the bar for most tracks. But whatever, it was still hard and I hated the feeling of knowing I could not push myself any further. It does sound odd, I know, but when I trained for the marathon I felt like there was no limit to my fitness, I could push myself to the edge, and then push myself some more and after a 30 second break I'd be fine. I don't want to do a marathon again, but I want to get back to that feeling of fitness. Anyhoo, that was wake-up call number one. It was loud enough. Wake up call number two came when I got on the scales and was the heaviest I've been for six years. I will give myself a kilo here and there for the fact I was a bit bloated, but still ... it's time to cut this sh*t out. Previously, this may have sent me into a tailspin of freaking out and hiding from people for a few weeks, eating salad and protein, and exercising like a demon. That, however, won't work this time. Because on that course, exhaustion is the end-point and I do not need to do that to myself. Instead, I need a slow and steady plan of attack. I need something that I can fit in around work, without having to kill myself to arrive on time (that's achievable), boost my incidental exercise (walk home most days), sleep more, and eat better. It's not great timing for all of the above ... but I can start making small changes. If I charge head-on into a whole new plan, I will immediately run into obstacles. But if I try to do one new thing every week, or one thing differently, it will start to make a difference. My plan: Saturday: Walk to work to collect my car (work Christmas party tonight, and I'm leaving it here) Sunday: Boot camp Monday: Morning run/PM pump Tuesday: Body Balance AM/Christmas shopping PM (this must count for something) Wednesday: morning run Thursday: Boxing Friday: Personal Training This is achievable, the running in the morning is the hardest bit if I'm not getting myself to bed at a decent hour. I must make myself get in bed ... and go to sleep, not read until 11.45pm and suddenly realise I have to wake up in six hours. I am going to record my meals for a week, honestly, and see if I can get my calories in deficit. That is the goal and it's achievable. And if I go over, so be it, I won't beat myself up ... just move on.