12-week transformation: Week three - post-holiday blues, just dust yourself off and try again

Although I did bring oats, protein bars and rice with me (and did eat all of it) I over-indulged slightly, and felt a bit rubbish for it.

On the last two days of my trip I upped my water intake, cooked meals in the apartment and added an extra few thousand steps by exploring, and by the time I got on home on Tuesday evening I felt a lot like myself again. A 12-week programme such as this can be challenging, and some may say restrictive, but I found last week that a small slip up isn’t the end of the world, and making smarter choices, like choosing scrambled eggs when everyone else ordered a burger, can make a difference overall.

I got back into training with a bang on Wednesday evening, catching up on the chest and biceps session that I missed on Monday.

It’s tough going training alone when you’re so used to a group set up, but it felt great to get stuck back in again.

By yesterday morning I was already feeling the effects of not weight training for almost a week. I think that in future I will bring gym gear and hunt out a gym for a sneaky session if I do go on holiday!

Legs were on the menu yesterday morning, followed by back and core after work. I wouldn’t usually do two separate sessions in one day, but I had some making up to do with being away, and I’m fully committed to the plan.

Overall, almost three full weeks in I’m feeling much brighter, I’m sleeping better, and my clothes are starting to feel much looser.

My strength has increased again, and I’m back to squatting 100kg with ease.

Although I love training, eating has to be the most enjoyable part for me.

I have everything planned out and cooked in advance, so it takes a lot of pressure off, and removes the urge to nibble on the odd biscuit here, or the slice of cake here.

Tonight we have a staff night out which will involve dinner, but as I said before, I can make smart choices and not ruin my hard work.

The decision to be designated driver will also help matters.

Even though I felt that I had a bit of a set back on Monday, it’s onwards and upwards now for the next nine weeks, and I will be putting my heart and soul into all of it!

Don’t forget to keep an eye on my Instagram throughout the week to see my daily training and diet - www.instagram.com/aine_od