Note from Oonagh:
When I first read Heather’s story, I thought her lifestyle would be hard to improve on!
As you’ll see – she is kind of a straight A student when it comes to fitness.
But then I spotted a few areas that could be tweaked that will give her much better results…
Let me know if you spot them before watching the video! – O
The Stats
Heather
49
Female
5’2″
184lbs
Goals:
My fitness goals are focused on endurance cycling. Being able to travel and ride with my boyfriend. Right now I am only able to ride with him on his recovery days. Due to my weight climbing hills is a struggle and huge effort. It would be nice for us to plan a vacation where we can do 100km rides together not worrying about terrain or location. This summer we are going to Portugal and I fear riding won’t be part of my trip due to the hills.
Challenges:
I am a person who works hard, I think in terms of challenges right now its losing weight. Weight loss would increase my overall fitness. In January 2017 I have done Moksha Yoga every day and spent over 10 hours on my bike (on a trainer). I have seen improvements in my strength, my endurance and my performance. No weight loss, very little change in my body and clothes. Its the struggle of working hard with little to no results that is my challenge.
Typical day:
Wake 5:30, Ride my bike for 30mins, Eat breakfast drive to work at 7am, leave work 4pm Yoga at 4:30. Home. Make dinner, eat 7:15pm (due to husbands training schedule) get ready for bed between 9-9:30
Breakfast
Coffee, Muesli Pita with Natural peanut butter and skiff of creamed honey
Lunch:
Salad with olive oil and vinegar, half a chicken breast, 1 slice of homemade sourdough. 1 cup homemade soup. (this is often eaten in stages over a couple of hours)
Snacks:
Daytime Buckin eh oats around 9:30 am 1/3 cup.
Sometimes an orange at some point in the morning or afternoon.
0% greek yogurt with 4 tbsp of homemade granola (chia, flax and wheat germ)
Night 250 ml of almond milk with vega protien and greens powder
Dinner:
Chicken breast, Pork Chop or Cod, basmati rice and broccoli. occasionally we add a salad
How happy are you with the state of your health? (scale of 1-10)
3
How happy with how you look?
2
Anything else I should know?
Last year I put 2500 km on my bike 2000 of those outside on the road.
I did not see a significant change in my body and my weight remained relatively the same.
I am wearing all the same clothes with really no change in fit.
I have hovered for the past few years between 180 and 190 pounds, with no significant difference regardless of the changes I have made.
I am frustrated, everything I do and have done would result in change for the average person.
I have had blood work done, I have had the celiac test, other than high iron everything is normal.
I don’t need to be a stick just need to be a healthy weight. Right now I am carrying and extra 30-40 pounds and its really difficult.
So….what advice would YOU give Heather?
Oonagh gives Heather a Healthy Lifestyle Makeover!
Resources for Heather:
Online bike training classes she can do from home:
Zwift (classes you can stream at home to your TV or computer)
Peloton (an app)
Online yoga:
Yoga with Adrienne (a Youtube Channel)
Gaia (a paid streaming service)
Alternative breakfasts
Oonagh’s Favourite Smoothie
1/2 banana
2 cups kale
1 cup almond millk
1/2 cup blueberries
1 scoop Vega with greens
1 tbsp chia or flax seed
Simple scramble breakfast
2 eggs
1 handful of spinach
1 slice of Ezekial sprouted bread
Must reads:
What everyone ought to know about cycling for fitness. (This goes into more detail on how to get the most out of your cycling training and includes a workout for cyclists)
How to not exercise (this will explain more about why it’s so important to take time off!)
Leave a comment!
Did any part of Heather’s story resonate with you?
Do you have any tips for Heather that have worked for you?
Want to tell her that you are rooting for her and her upcoming trip?
Leave a comment below! 🙂
So I have some work todo, rearrange and rethink my workout schedule. Possibly do a training program on Zwift to challenge my bike training. Rest days and working in some strength training. Keen to see how I can incorporate the 28 day challenge!
Food Glorious Food! Need to look at what I can do to pre prep for a shake in the morning. Usually I am time crunched so quick and easy is why I eat the breakfast muesli and peanut butter. What I am hearing is I need more protein to get me through my morning. Will still be looking for the 9:30 snack as this is about 3 hours after breakfast!!
Things Oonah doesn’t know, I am a trained pastry chef with a speciality in bread. You may have to pry my homemade sourdough that takes me 3 days to make from my hands!!!! However my salad is lettuce, carrots, celery. tomato. onion. peppers and a couple of olives. I keep it simple and prep ahead.
Water is not a problem as I am drinking between 2 and 3 litres a day, always on my desk and with meals plus at least 500ml at each workout session.
So my homework is to change the routine, add some variety, rest! Change the protein distribution and drop the simple carbs. Did I get that right Oonah!
Time to redesign!
Hey Heather! You got it. Except for breakfast I want you to add the protein and replace the simple carbs with VEGGIES. The more veggies the better at every meal. And wow – homemade sourdough does sound fantastic. Just keep the portion to the size of your palm (which might be closer to half a slice). Good luck, tiger! 🙂
I love this! Go Heather go!! I totally understand how frustrating it can be when you feel like you’re doing everything right – for some of us it feels like we have to work so much harder to drop the weight. And I argue that being of smaller stature – I’m 5’1 – can make it even MORE challenging since our bodies need less fuel than taller people, yet we can’t go under a certain calorie threshold or we’d be hangry 24-7. So the difference between what our bodies burn to and the amount we need to survive and thrive on – isn’t that big so it’s harder to create a calorie deficit (am I crazy Oonagh?!)
I also have a question for Oonagh – I’m curious why you didn’t recommend adding any strength training to Heather’s routine? Is Moksha filling that need….?
Heather – you’ve got this!
Hey Joanne! Great question! You are absolutely right that strength training is essential for a well rounded training program but I think that Heather is going to be getting that for her lower body with the hill training and she’ll get enough upper body with the Moksha to maintain muscle (if not to get a lot stronger) However, after her trip I might advise a bit more balanced program with specific training for upper body and core as well as lower body. 🙂
Hey Heather– wow, all sounds so healthy and on point, but you made just a whisper of the idea of the 28 Day Transformation Challenge, and I for one can tell you– HOLY CRAP- IT WORKS!! I did it last March as I so frustrated with working out, and watching every bite ( and sip, as I work in the Bev/ ALc business ) and I hovered around your weight for years– all the while sweating my arse off at the gym– running, weight lifting, and spinning. It wasn’t till I COMMITTED to 28 Days of Oonagh that I saw such a big healthy change in my body ( as of this month I am 23 pounds down ), and soul…can’t say enough about the program– give it a try…before Portugal!! ( and lest we forget….there will always be delicious baked items in our lives; we just look at them differently now 😉 TAKE GOOD CARE, Transformer Michelle
Go Heather! You can totally do this! Have an amazing time in Portugal- it’s beautiful!
I’m in week 3 of the 28 day challenge and I can also tell you it works! So, if you feel like adding it to the mix, I’d highly recommend it!
Cheers,
Laura