Week 8 reflection

Mini Milestone week and the week of the Pay it Forward 50 Kilometre walk!

Menu plans

This week's deliciousness was consistently good.  My lasagne obsessed son was over the moon with Nat's lasagne recipe.  Adored it so much it will definitely become a staple in this house. The minestrone soup was great for dinner also, and for the lunches afterwards!
A great snack has been the pear discs, with cottage cheese and raisins.  A few of the kinder kids had NO idea what I was eating for snack...the next day, there were a few different cheeses and fruits in the lunchbox!  GO CLEAN EATING!!!!!

Part of our challenge this week was to devise a recipe for breakfast, main, lunch or dessert.  I tinkered with a few ideas but came up with using gow gee wrappers to make little apple pie-ettes, using grated apple.  Here I've served it with low fat vanilla yoghurt.  And warmingly yummy dessert for only 148 calories!

Exercise plans

The exercise plans this week still continued on specific areas.  I'm noticing I'm stronger in comparison to the last week and still managing to up some of my weights.  Currently I'm squatting with 40 kilos and chest presses with 30 kilos .  Really seeing some changes in my body too!  Here's a pic Troy took of me while on the Assisted chinup machine (30kgs weight)

It is a good reminder that I AM improving! Because the changes are gradual it's easy to think nothing is happening but get a pic taken and be amazed at what's changing!  Looking forward to the next 4 weeks of 'Gettin Ripped!'

Mini milestone challenge: Pay it Forward 50 k walk

Saturday in lieu of the SSS session, I embarked on my 50 kilometre walk challenge.  I was joined by the lovely Vicki as we set off at 7am in the dark from Werribee, along the Federation Trail, ending at Millers Road at the Westgate Bridge....25Km there and 25 back.

It was cold...one would say freezing, a fact not helped by the rain that peppered us on and off.

 But we persevered, making it to the halfway point in 5 hours of non stop walking....this is where Vicki and I parted company and I turned to make the homeward trek myself.
I was prepared for the walk but I was not prepared for how hard it would be mentally, particularly walking the last 25 k on my own. By the 35 k mark I had incredible pain in my hips and calves and due to wet shoes had developed huge blisters on the soles of my feet.  I limped on, updating on Facebook at each checkpoint on the way home, not seeing another soul on the trail.

At 8 hours walking my HRM died......

And still trudged on....for another 2 hours.

My gorgeous husband met me on my last kilometre.  It was raining harder than before, I couldn't feel my hands and had reached the limits of my mental and emotional endurance.  Physically I was in pain and exhausted.  He walked with me, carrying my backpack in the rain while I chanted " Nearly there nearly there" and cried alternatively.  The relief when I crossed the marker point was monumental.  I could not do any more.  But I had done enough.  I had done it......10 hours of nonstop walking, 50 kilometres.

I came home to a hot bath and a roast dinner....did I not say my husband is gorgeous?!  He helped me when my muscles began cramping up randomly through the evening after the walk and even had a celebratory glass of champagne waiting for me. I tell ya he's a keeper....

The nominees paragraphs are with the panel members now and next week I hope to be able to inform the recipient of the Pay It Forward 12WBT sponsorship.  I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has given me support for this....the ones who cheered me on via facebook or phone, the people who donated, Vicki for walking with me, my family for giving me the time to do this and for giving me the time to recover.