Welcome to Wendy Den Hertog’s Big Bods Blog

FINALE!

Challenge over, but it's only just begun!!

Visions of champagne for breakfast, a roast lunch and lashings of trifle for dinner is frightening me. I've put in a lot of effort during the challenge and I certainly don't want to waste it all in one week of Christmas frivolity. Eight weeks has gone really fast and the most amazing thing that's happened is I totally "get" the need for exercise now - I understand it.

I feel much healthier, my skin has improved and I've had loads of positive comments. Psychologically it's done wonders because I know I'm trying my best. I try to attend the gym or at least do some sort of exercise 5 times a week. This is huge for me - but as long as it's varied, it's not too bad.

I haven't lost as much weight as I wanted to - but I've dropped a clothing size and I can see the difference in the mirror. I've lost over 57cm from my original body measurements. I can run! Seriously, if that's sounds stupid - I'm not kidding! I can run without stopping for 4 minutes on the treadmill and that feels pretty cool. I can jab, hook and upper cut box with strength that surprises even me.

Hayley (aka Personal Trainer) has been so inspirational - I can honestly say that without Hayley I would have given up. She says things that motivate me when I'm feeling down - she's positive and realistic - helping me achieve small goals before I get over-excited about wanting to wear a bikini. We have set a goal to complete a women's triathlon together next year. I haven't turned into a gym junkie - and to be honest I would rather sit in a café overlooking the lake eating eggs benedict. But I know it works, I can see the results. It's hard work, but it feels so good afterward. It feels good to be making an effort.

The Big Bods group have been amazing. I've made loads of new friends from Big Bods and feel strangely protective of them at the gym! We help each other, get together for extra sessions, motivate each other, whinge to each other and complain how hard Jenny and Hayley are working us! We walked up Tobins Track, down the Sofitel stairs (yes, more than once of course), up Queenstown Hill, around the Lakes Leisure track, we did RPM together, boxed, lunged, rowed, and stepped many kilometres as a group.

I feel sad that the group challenge is ending - but I'm not giving up! This lifestyle change has only just begun and I know this Big Bods Challenge has been the start of something huge!!! (excuse the pun).

Wendy

WEEK FOUR

It’s been a long week in my fitness world – this Big Bods Challenge is not a stroll in the park.  I feel like chucking it in some days but the pressures on – thank goodness for that.  It feels like the honeymoon period is over and reality is I need to exercise 5 times a week to lose weight.  If that isn’t sounding bad enough, add to the exercise a healthy diet and it’s enough to make me want to curl up and eat a donut. 

But I’ve never been one to hold back my feelings (some people tell me I’m very “straight up” … I think that’s a nice way of saying I’m a bossy cow).  So I told Haylee, AKA  Personal Trainer, and she said stop worrying and that it will get better again.  If I give up now, I’ll be back to where I started by Christmas. 

I need to focus on the positives; in three weeks I’ve lost over 2% of my body fat, my tummy is slightly less protruding, and my angled triple chin has transformed into a regular double chin.  People have commented that I look better.  My clothes feel less restricted.  My snoring has slightly improved.  Those are small good things that I have to remember. 

I also have to remember that I still weigh as much as an All Black forward so I have a long way to go.  Somebody said to me yesterday when I was moaning … “Well, it took you how many years to put on this weight? Don’t expect to lose it all in one month!” It wasn’t helped a weekend full of socializing with sausage rolls and lamingtons soaked in kahlua.  The home-made sausage rolls and I got on very well.  I even invited them back out of the fridge on Sunday.  

However, the comments about looking better made me feel so much happier than the lamingtons did, so it was back to Pump last night and Body Attack tonight – back on track I am!!!!

Wendy

Week THREE

The past week has been my first willpower test during the challenge.  I surprised my parents by flying my daughter and I up to their place for the weekend.  Lucky we flew with JetStar so  there was no food to eat on the plane.  Being at my parent’s house for the weekend presented me with lots of challenges.  I had little control over the meal choices. 

Mum and Dad are supportive in my efforts, but it was hard being “picky” about the meals they offered – I didn’t want to offend them - but needed to avoid over-piled plates full of fried steak and potatoes.  Dad doesn’t really believe in green trim milk “they’ve washed down the milking shed floor and put that in a bottle” he says, so would offer to cook scrambled eggs or porridge for me but with dark blue milk so I had to make my own.  

I managed a one hour swift walk on Sunday through the Waharau National Park and on the way home I convinced my mum to jog the last 500m with me.  Coincidently, Dad said he felt an earthquake at the same time.  I cut down on the amount of wine I would usually consume with mum – slowly sipping on one single glass while mum downed three.  It wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be.  I knew I had to weigh-in when I returned to Queenstown so no doubt that was forefront in my mind. 

My first weigh in was the usual disappointment in my dietary life – I would like to lose the whole lot in two weeks – 10 kilo loss per week! but blah blah apparently that’s not how it works.  Hayley AKA the Personal Trainer was very happy with my efforts so I won’t complain.  About that.  What I will complain about is the rotton exercise the Big Bods group endured last night around Lake Hayes.  We jogged and ran and walked for over 40 minutes and were all left heaving and puffing.  I hope midgie insects aren’t high in calories because I swallowed a few en-route. 

It can only get easier…

Wendy

WEEK TWO

Well I’ve discovered that going to the Gym before work just does not fit with my happy nature.  I’m grumpy enough on Mondays (just ask my co-workers) without getting up an hour earlier and trying to look cheerful on the treadmill.  So for me, this means making an effort to be organized and take my gym kit to work (shorts and sneakers, not lycra bodysuit) – so I can call in to the gym on the way home and get moving. 

There is no excuse of getting bored at the gym  – the different classes and other options keep me interested from week to week – sometimes I feel like swimming, sometimes I feel like Body Combat.  Sometimes I feel like buying some chicken nuggets and going home, but I tell myself I only have to go for 1 hour and then I can leave.  On days like that,  I find locking myself into a class is a better option than slogging it out by myself on the equipment  –  the time goes faster and the music really helps to keep me motivated. 

Some people said I’d get to a point where I love exercising and would miss it if I didn’t go for a few days.  I think those people are a bit weird because I still secretly love my “days off” when I can mooch around at home and if I’m honest -  exercising really hurts.  Bits of me hurt where I didn’t even know muscles existed. 

Enduring the one-on-one sessions with Hayley, my Personal Trainer, are really testing my agitation levels.  She makes me work so hard I can’t even look her in the eye, for fear of saying bad words.  Hayley and Jenny are so fit, it’s hard to imagine I’ll ever have the drive they share – but they are both so passionate about transforming us into healthier bods  that  I think of them each time I want to scoff a steak and cheese pie and  so far, the pie method is working.

Wendy

WEEK ONE

Well I suspect my body and I are no longer friends.  I have done more exercise in the last 10 days than I've done the rest of 2010.  I have totally surprised myself by attending several classes - Body Combat, a workout involving punching and kicking an imaginary enemy such as my husband when he doesn't do as he's told. I went to an RPM cycling class - up off my saddle for virtual hills and down dale, although my ability level meant that I deleted a few hills from my landscape.  I figure just turning those pedals as fast as I can for nearly an hour is good enough without having to win the yellow shirt.  Aqua Fit class is fantastic - can't see the wobbly bits under water and I'm as light as a feather.

Bobbing around to Abba with a foam noodle between by legs is as good as it gets in my fitness dreams.  I'm still not a fan of all the mirrors in the weights area but it's so encouraging when I see some of my big-bods friends loitering around just like me.  So far the best thing about going to the gym is that I am eat less because I learnt it takes 1 hr on the bike to work off 3 Tim Tams - so be off with you Mr Tim Tam, you're so not worth it. 

Last night my big-bods friends and I jogged, ran and climbed galore around that Events Centre - I wouldn't say it was as much fun as a night at the pub, but it must be good because we could hardly speak at the end and our personal trainers Jenny and Hayley were looking very smug. The window reflection allowed me to catch a glimpse of myself mid-jog which has given me as much encouragement as I needed to turn up next week...

Wendy

Events