Bat Fit Assignments #13 #14, and Eating Plan

Greetings!

I figured it was time for a post, not to mention I didn't want to have a massive 'Bat Fit pile post' where I shoved 4 or more posts together, instead I managed to catch it at two.

So here they are.

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Bat Fit Challenge #13 - Introduce Calisthenics. 

In the words of the challenge: 


"This challenge, if you choose to accept it, is to add calisthenics, also called body-weight exercises, to your work out. Within the past six months of Bat Fit I have heard many people say that they don't have time for the gym or that they won't do the dancing challenge because they can't dance or won't dance. Some proclaim that they just won't go outside to run or walk because of the sun or heat. Calisthenics is an easy and effective alternative to the gym, dancing or outside activities because these exercises are simple to do at home with little to no equipment."

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For this challenge I tried to introduce sit-ups into my Bat Fit dance routine. First of all I do the usual, dance/do kickboxing for 20 minutes with fast music, then I change over to slower tracks, and I attempted to do 20 sit-ups.

At first I had to have a pillow underneath my head, and it was quite straining to have to get up like that, but after day 2 of trying it, it got easier and I don't wobble so much.

My goal is to extend this challenge in order to do 30 sit-ups, with no pillow for support. Yep, that's a fair ways off, but I really am determined to do it. 

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Bat Fit Challenge #14 - Drink more Water

In the words of the challenge:

"During these "Dog Days of Summer" water consumption before, during and after physical activity is important to keep the body performing at it's peak. However, one must remember to drink enough water during the hot, humid summer days regardless of what kinds of activities you engage. According to About.com's Women's Health, 318 Americans die each year from heat-related illnesses that could have been prevented by proper hydration. Too many people will hydrate when they begin to feel the symptoms of heat exhaustion such as dry lips and tongue, weakness, dizziness, and extreme fatigue, concentrated urine that will appear darker than normal, and nausea. Drinking water at this point is too late, so it's important to remember to stay hydrated regardless of your activity level!"

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For this challenge it was special for me, as this is a major hit zone. For me, I always forget to drink water, and that's got me into massive lots of trouble.

From chapped lips to kidney/back pains, I realised exactly how important this challenge is for me. When I get pains, I instantly drink as much as I can, but my mistake is not listening to my body (that means I need to pay attention to previous challenges..ehe) and drinking too late, or not at all.

Even though it's winter, I need to severely get my act together, so this challenge hit home hard. :)

My goals here are to drink 2 water bottles worth of water at least, instead of half a bottle per day, and to include more beverages such as juice. And also I need to stop thinking that caffeinated tea is an acceptable substitute for water....*shifts*

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Extras:

Considering this is a Bat Fit post, I figured I'd share the diet plan I've been on for the past week.

Basically, in the morning I have a bowl of toasted muesli, with just a small bit of Soy milk (I'm allergic to most dairy) and about 3/4 cup of orange juice.

An hour or so before lunch I have a small handful of salted peanuts (yeah, I still can't give up salt) with 2 or 3 dried apricots.

For lunch I have stir-fried brown rice with veggies, soy sauce marinated tofu, or canned chickpeas and corn.

For afternoon snack I have 2 rice cakes with cheese (Yes, I can handle a TINY amount of dairy)

For dinner I have the leftover food from lunch, or a tossed salad with hummus rice cakes or boiled veggies with fried rice/potatoes.

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Overall, that's it! Occasionally I have a muesli bar for a snack instead, but that's fairly rare, haha.

I'm vegetarian, for the most part, and I do try to avoid dairy, using just small amounts, and I try to avoid bread/white pasta and other heavy foods, as I found that after I stopped eating 2 peanut butter toasts per day I actually lost 3 kilos.

As for special treats, I go insane if I don't eat yummies at least sometimes, so my form of sweet is a big cup of tea every morning, and a small bar of chocolate once a month (When I get my female troubles, I will kill if I don't get my chocolate :D)

And as for my freakish obsession with potato chips, I try to limit my intakes to one bag every 2 weeks....Okay so I still sneak some once a week....but it's getting to two weeks! I just need to keep pulling myself away.

If you wish to undertake a diet a little like this one, or if you have any diet tips that have helped you lose weight, do share! I would love some more ideas.

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To sum that up, it's absolute hell some times trying to not put my grabby hands over that bar of chocolate in the store, or having to refuse spaghetti (I do eat it, sometimes. Just not every week now. :() But I hate the shape I'm in, and I want results.

Besides, I need practice in self control.

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One more thing:  2 weeks ago I started Zumba dance classes for fitness. It's really helped my coordination, and it goes for an hour, and is very fast moving so I sense that the weight will be off in no time! I've gone twice now, and I seriously love it. I hope to do a post on it in the future...But until then,

Farewell!

Ps: 64 followers! Gracious, that is amazing! Thank you SO much everyone for following, you are THE BEST PEOPLE EVER!!