day 47

pictures for week 7 are up, hope everyone had a great Halloween!

I'll post properly tomorrow, see you then!

Day 46

Halloween has arrived! Actually, I'm not a huge halloween fan for one reason or another. I won't be trick or treating don't worry, but I was confused by Patricks day 47 E-mail (timezone difference I get all the E-mails for the next day in the evening) are we allowed eat some "treat" things today? I didn't want to interpret it that way but I thought thats what he was referring to in the beginning of the e-mail.

As for exercise matters, all is well. I much prefer the timed jumps and I'm finding the tougher exercises (davinci's and bicycle) a little more easy to manage as the days go by. One thing I've really begun to notice is my taste buds changing. I found myself eulogising over the deliciousness of a piece of brown bread. Yes usually I would enjoy brown bread but since I've been deprived of sugar and salt, something normally as bland as that just tasted lovely....or maybe I'm just weird.

See everyone tomorrow, happy Halloween!

Day 44 mixing it up

One of the things I really enjoy about this project is the flexibility of the diet. Ok, the grams are strict enough but when people ask me is it difficult to follow a diet regime and why I'm doing it, I find myself saying that its not about depriving myself of food or banning certain things all together (apart from sugar and salt of course!), its about eating the right things and making them as tolerable as possible.

In my day 41 post I posted a recipe for oatcakes, and I made them again this evening. But, with an orangey twist! I grated some orange skin and squeezed a small bit of juice into the mix and it works well. They're great for a morning snack and breakfast and they taste quite nice.

I'm enjoying the timed jumprope, none of this counting into the thousands any more! The floor jumps followed by the lunges yesterday were a killer. Would I be right in saying that everyday focuses on a different part of the body with more intensity? Because my legs feel like they need a bit of a break.

Nearly halfway there team, and we're a day away from being the senior PCPers...exciting stuff!

day 42

Not a huge amount to report. I swapped my jumps today with a run and I really enjoyed it! Apart from my mountain run the other day, I hadn't had a good run in weeks. I really saw the difference, after 25 or 30 minutes I usually become sluggish and ready to give up. Yet, today I was going as strong in the 30th minute as I was in the 3rd minute. I felt great, I went for 38 minutes and its a welcome break from the jumps.

Yesterday I simply couldn't face the full workout, so I switched todays exercises with day 41's so today I was on a full workout. The pistol squats are great. As in they're tough and they've really made me realise how much weaker my left leg is compared to my right. After doing those, the normal squats seem along way away!

Week 6 pictures are up, sorry for the delay. I'm looking forward to another change in diet, maybe my evening snack will be chocolate and hot cocoa, maybe...just maybe!!

see everyone tomorrow

Day 41

Not much to report really. The jumpropes are as tedious as ever, but I'm getting through them. I'm on my mid-term at the moment, that means more time for a good run to calm my jumprope frustrations. I had a major challenge of my will power last night. I was at a party at a friends house where food such as chips, chocolate and cake were readily available (not to mention some nice "beverages")

I was wondering if anybody else has replaced the jumps with a run at any stage, I'm not entirely sure how long my run should be to replace 1500 or so jumps.

See you soon!

Day 39 back in the groove

Today I was back to my best! Cold free, phlegm free and had a good relaxing day. My exercises were great. I love the side crunch and due to some lovely mid-october weather, I did most of it in the sunshine. I woke up at 10 this morning, first to get up as usual for a saturday, and saw Patricks e-mail. So, I cancelled an early morning playstation session, with jumprope! I did notice it being a bit tougher due to the lack of food, but it meant I had it out of the way early.

As for food, I've been trying to find something snacky like a salt free, additive free cracker or something, no luck. So I took matters into my own hands. And found a killer recipe for sugar, salt and butter free oatcakes.

60 grams of oatmeal

60 grams of wholemeal flour

5 table spoons (I used 7) of boiling water

One table spoon of light olive oil

And...half a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda

Its not hugely flavoursome, but they are nice, filling and quick to eat for breakfast or before a workout.

See you tomorrow!

Day 38 feeling good

The cold has passed, I hope. I missed yesterdays workout totally but today I managed most of the exercises. I didn't do my jumprope because it was lashimg rain and my mum in particular was strongly opposed to me aggravating my cold by getting myself drenched and sweaty, asking for trouble.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to a nice, relaxing 9 day break starting tomorrow! I'm looking forward to getting back a full workout tomorrow, missing out on two days of jumprope is frustrating to say the least.

Enjoy the weekend everyone, a well deserved break!

Day 37 the ultimate frustration

Nothing, and I mean nothing is more frustrating than missing a workout. I'd say most of my fellow PCPers would agree with me on that one. Atleast me missing it is legitamite...I feel awful. This morning I woke up a little groggy but not to bad, but as the day went on, I found it more and more unbareable. My sinnuses have never bothered me so much IN MY LIFE! I realise it is normal enough to get sick during the PCP, but I've been laid low three times now, which means ultra ultra frustration.

Anyway, on a positive note. My new diet plan is working out well. Still pretty gassy these days, but I'm beginning to LOVE vegetables. Brussell sprouts and carrots are the bomb! I'm still eating a similar amount of food as previous weeks, but I miss a bit of yogurt after my workout.

I've had a repulsive amount of homework recently, but my mid-term break is coming up this friday and I'll have more time to concentrate on PCP and relaxation.

I'll have week 6 photos up on saturday night. Til' then, au revoir (french study is going well!)

Day 35 trip...and trip up again

Last day of the week is always nice. The lack of other exercises gives us a decent break...especially the arms for me! As you can propbably tell from my post title that it wasn't all plain sailing with the jumps. I had a hugely bad day with tripping, I must have stopped 40 or more times. But, I've had some decent days with the rope recenty, I hope I can improve because I find the tripping unbareably annoying!

I'm looking forward to the new diet plans tomorrow, a bit of change is always good. Thanks again for the encouraging remarks on my last post, my legs are still killing me from the up hills!

See you tomorrow!

Day 34 they'll be coming down the mountain...

My first St. Gerards day and it was an eventful day. Its an age old tradition, first taking place in 1918, that all the students walk or run a 6-8 kilometre around and over the sugar loaf mountain in my home county, Wicklow. Around 250 students walked and around 200 ran it, including myself. I didn't know what to expect, Some said it was tough, some said it was fun but with my PCP diet and training, I was hoping to do myself justice.

I did myself justice, I manged 47 minutes 5 seconds and a 16th place finish! I was tired, but elated. I've never been so sore and drained after a run. So, I left out the jumpropes today but I got everything else done. The elevated triceps dips are tough, but I am beginning to see a big difference in my strength in my upper arm.

Interestingly, I e-mailed patrick on friday asking if I could indulge in a piece of "Gerards" day celebration cake and I did. He said to watch out how it affected me. Lo and behold, I've had a sore stomach ever since! It could have been caused by a combo of tiredness after that colossal run and the cakes richness, but I have a feeling its pretty much down to the cake. Although, I really enjoyed it!

See everyone tomorrow!

day 33

well, the photos for this week are up! I'm starting to really see a difference in my appearence, and I feel great after a week of "tougher" exercises.

I've got an exciting day coming up tomorrow. Its the celebabration of St. gerards day, the man to whom my school owes its name. So, they celebrate by............running up a mountain! It sounds odd, but it is fun and most people just walk it, because it is a long old trek. however, with my new found PCP fitness, I'm going for gold!

My inspiration had a good day last night, as did his team, the evidence is here! (Ronaldo is number 7)

 enjoy (I finally figured out how to embed the videos with a little help I admit)...see you tomorrow!

Day 31 weekend

Its been a good week of PCPing all round. The exercises are becoming very much a "routine" and I'm slowly becoming a lot more efficient at getting the exercises done quickly and effectively. In truth, the floor jumps are a killer, but obviously do the job brilliantly.

As for egg whites, I had a feeling they were a great source of protien, but I didn't know they were fat and cholesteral free! They're nice and tasty and quick to cook and eat, but has anyone been really gassy recently? I don't know if its the eggs causing it, but its the only really drastic diet change for me, I never used to eat eggs on a daily basis, maybe once a week. Its not a problem, but its a little annoying!

Anywho, I hope everyone has a great weekend, I'll see you tomorrow!

sorry, realised those links weren't live, this'll work better!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Xs_5vMw5OU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GJetwg_nGs&feature=related

ok...enjoy!

day 30

It was a regular day. Nothing really to report. My exercises were good, I definitely agree with Ian about the jump rope, if I can see it, it appears to become easier. I like the V-sit, they're tough but I can see why they are the ultimate abnominal exercise.

I was trawling youtube for some good footage of my inspiration, Cristiano ronaldo, and I found these. Enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Xs_5vMw5OU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GJetwg_nGs

I hope everyone is getting on well, I'll see you all tomorrow!

Day 29 DaVincis!!!

Wow, davincis are a killer. I don't know about anyone else, but I'm really having trouble with that one. As far as all the other exercises, they're going well! I love the floorjumps, they are very tough but that means they're doing the job! The jumps are going well, they are a little monotonous but they are quick and highly effective, the perfect combo!

As for the soccer game, it didn't go to plan. We were beaten handily, however, it was our first game together, so we didn't disgrace ourselves and theres only room for improvement!

Now, the "real" PCP sounds like a challenge. The gauntlet has well and truly been laid down, and I'm up for it (I think!)

Keep it up everyone, good luck with week five!

day 28- 8 to go

well, another week down, just eight to go! I'm excited by the prospect of differnent diets and work out plans tomorrow. I was hugely happy to see that we had only jumps to do tonight, my arms (especially the triceps) were aching. My arms have always been the weakest part of my body, I've always had strong legs and a decent core, but I'm glad my arms are being worked hard, I need improvement in that area.

I have my first soccer game of the season tomorrow and I'm extremely excited. We're in a league and cup this year, so we'll have a lot of games and hopefully,  a lot of success!

I have a few more food photos aswell as my own body snaps, enjoy!

Good luck to everyone on week 5, see you tomorrow!

Day 27 getting involved

Hey everyone, sorry there was no post yesterday, I left it to late!

Anywho, the new exercises have brought a new dimension to my day. Not only are they tougher and more satisfying, they are (especially the creep) a tad amusing to look at! I couldn't help but laugh at myself as a 'crept' around the room. Needless to say, my family found this rather amusing, and soon enough, my mum and dad were creeping around making chicken noises! It really looks like that and I do believe this is an added challenge, exercising and laughing at the same time is tough! It was a very funny spontaneous moment. I wasn't at first sure if I was doing them properly, but after 25 steps or so my legs were burning!

Well, as we approach week 5 of 12, I'm finding the PCP experience easier and easier every day, and very enjoyable! Also, I believe that in my case it has helped me with my study. I am highly energised, focused and determined to do this project to the best of my ability and I think that may be rubbing off on my work.

I hope everyone is enjoying themselves...and their treats, see you all tomorrow!

Day 25 treat day!

I was glad to see the treat day arrive in many ways. The release of eating something you would "normally" eat is quite comforting. However, I really surprised myself in what I chose. The decision was made for a few reasons; one that I really didn't feel like anything sweet and two, my parents were going out for dinner, so it was up to me to cater for myself and my brother. Instead of a normal PCP dinner with cake or something like that aferwards, I indulged in my ultimate comfort eating meal. Its not bad at all really, 4 chicken fillet goujons ( around a breast of chicken in size added together), some oven chips (fries), no deep fried, no salt and some beans and some ketchup on the side, delicious! I wasn't sure whether it was a a good idea but the way I see it is I didn't eat that much more calories then I would in a PCP dinner and I didn't eat anything sweet, yet it was a treat!

The chips ( fries) with some ketchup were lovely, the beans are not bad at all really compared to most tinned foods and the chicken (bread crumbs aside) were PCP friendly. I never thought I would view a "savoury" meal as a treat, but there you go!

As for normal PCPing, breakfast was good and the exercises were great! The floor jumps are amazing, its a bit hard to keep balanced but I really felt the burn. I've found that as I get used to the exercises, I can get them done a lot quicker without rushing. Bring on more new exercises is what I say!

As promised in last nights post, here are some pictures of my PCP meals prepared by master chef mum!

Spaghetti bolognese, chicken coriander curry and a typically cobbled togther breakfast by me first thing in the morning. The bolognese is made with fresh tomatoes, an assortment of veggies seperately weighed out and some lean beef, also seperately weighed. As for the curry, Its made with no yogurt, no butter, no oil and no salt. Only water, chicken and herbs and spices, delicious! both dishes have brown rice and brown pasta respectively, which I love just as much as the normal stuff!

Anyway, I hope every enjoys treat day and keeps enjoying PCP life! see you all tomorrow.

Day 24 another weekend

Its been an easy enough week. Homework has cooled off, making some new friends and PCP week four is going well. I'm really looking forward to getting a bit of relaxation in over the next few days...and a treat! I'm torn between several things to indulge in this weekend, I'll enjoy whatever it is!

As for Patrick's request, I've noticed some major changes in my soocer abilities over the past few training sessions. I have never been hugely fast, but recently I've been flying past people who I otherwise would have no chance against. I put this down mainly to the squats and lunges, my legs feel stronger, more flexible and also my stamina has definitely improved. Even btter is, my strength in my upper body has been impressive too. I have always tried to throw my weight around in a game, but in the last few days I've been knocking guys of the ball, big guys!

As for PCP-ing, the exercises are running smoothly. The pull ups are tough, but a combo of the wretched full pull ups and the incline have worked nicely. The jump rope is coming along. I managed my last 230 jumps of the 1100 without a trip, I'm most certainly improving. I always trip big time early on, but once I find a rythm, I'm off!

Dieting is good. I haven't craved anything too badly so far, and I feel my diet (especially breakfast) is giving me much more energy for the day. I'll enjoy my treat, but thats all it is!

I've been compiling some food-photos over the last few days, I will have them up by tomorrow for sure, See you then!

Day 23 today

Today was a good day. Not much homework, exercises went well and school passed quickly. I also recieved a confidence boost this afternoon when I saw Patrick's e-mail, I had been doing straight leg press ups instead of the knee press ups. The only reason I did them rather than the easier ones, was simply because I didn't realise there was any other kind! I always thought picture looked funny!

As for dieting, we're really getting used to the routine of eating really healthy food. Today amidst the boredom of maths class I was trying to list out the foods and drinks I have given up during this project. The list was huge! Cranberry juice, crunchy nut cornflakes, white bread, fruit yogurt, chocolate, mango chutney...the list is endless! Every day I realise that I haven't eaten a certain food for three weeks, I assume thats a good sign as I'm not craving it?

Football is going well, we've got our first game coming up soon (next wednesday) and I'm really noticing the difference since the beginning of the PCP. I have a good chance of making the team and I'm seriously excited!

Keep it up team blue, only 67 to go...oh wait...thats a lot:)

Day 22 bluh

Another busy, long day. Long day of school, soccer training and pcp exercises...and homework...so much bleedin' homework! Ah well, hopefully it'll level out as the year goes on, but I've a horrible feeling that it won't. Fitting into a new school is tough. Quite apart from the fact that I don't know anyone, I'm not a fan of school and it gets me down.

The dieting is going well, the change of diet plan is a welcome one with the yogurt after my exercises, a big treat! The pull ups are so tough. I can't manage a full set of the full pull ups, the incline are ok. I'll keep working on it and soon I'll be hangin' outta' the trees!

My photos are up, I definitely see some results. I realise I am a little lop-sided but, nobody is perfect!

Keep going team blue and all fellow PCPers!

Day 21 taking a knock

One of the few downsides to having a routine of exercise which you can come to heavily rely on, is picking up an injury. Football is a contact sport, yet today I was under no physical pressure but I managed to twist my ankle! It was a strange sensation, I felt the back of my leg lose support as I turned. At first it hurt, then I had pins and needles and ever since I have the feeling of a strain in my leg. I was initially worried that it could be the dreaded achilles tendon but even if it is, its nothing more than a strain. Certainly, the achilles can be a tough one to recover from but I'll be ok.

I broke through the pain barrrier and managed my 1000 jumps. I was glad to see there was nothing else to do today, I couldn't have done lunges or squats with my ankle, yet strangely I almost missed not having the full workout to do, the evening seemed...unfinished.

I'm looking forward to another week of PCP-ing, I'll have my pics up by tomorrow and keep it going team whatever we're calling it!

Day 20 getting it all done

The exercises have (naturally) become longer to get out of the way so to speak. In the first week or two I'd have it done in 20 minutes, now between doing the exercsises and the shower afterwards its taking me an hour or so. I'm up to my knees in homework, the food preparation is taking it out of me and my mum (especially mum) and the exercises are piling up. I like to be kept busy though, so it suits me fairly well!

I'll get some photos and more in depth posts done over the next week, when I find some time!

Day 18 and 19

Sorry everyone, I completely forgot to post yesterday, I hope you all had a great weekend!

Anyway, I had a good, relaxing weekend, exactly what I needed. We've gotten super creative and delicious with the diet. I had coriander curry last night and a big chicken dinner tonight, but, with the curry; no yogurt sauce, no salt and nothing out of a packet, just chicken, and many wonderful indian spices! Tonights dinner was tougher to endure. My mum made her wonderful roast chicken and potatoes. First of all, I didn't have any of her trademark gravy or any butter on my potatoes. To compound my craving-mysery, they all had a slice of apple and pear crumble after it, that was VERY tough to pass up.

As for exercising, everything is going well, I managed 900 jumps today with only 15 or so trips so I'm coming along in that area. The squats are getting easier by the day, however, the DaVinci's and press ups aren't really although I'm beginning to see some results!

Finally, my inspiration was in action tonight. Ronaldo scored two great goals as his team won 6-1, it was a great game!

Are we still team blue? If so, come on team blue!!!

Day 17 friday feeling!

Another week of PCP and school under my belt, and I feel good! Also, I spent a few weeks working this summer and made myself some decent money, and I decided to splash out a bit. I bought a playstation 3 and a new game, Fifa soccer 2011, I'm delighted!

The diet is really going well, and the exercise is still good. In a strange and twisted way, I'm looking forward to the exercises getting tougher, because the more I can do, the fitter I'll get! My soccer training is becoming easier and easier, I can run longer and can hold my own in a shoulder charge much better. My season starts in a few weeks time and I'm really looking forward to it!

Well, as we are still team blue, keep it up team blue!!