Plates, Kettles and a 10K run

After being out of action last weekend with a cold I think I've more than made up for it this weekend and am pretty achey today as a result!

I started on Friday lunchtime with a Powerplates class. I've been doing Powerplates classes for a few years now at Good Vibes Fitness They're a great way to get toned up very quickly.

A Powerplate is basically a vibrating plate that you stand or sit on. You hold poses or perform movements like squats or lungs as the plate vibrates. The vibrations from the plate cause your muscles to contract really quickly which means that you get a really quick and efficient workout. Apparently doing a 25 minute session on the plate is the equivalent of spending an hour doing weights in the gym. I love that the classes are so quick - I can fit them in before work, or in a lunchtime and they are really effective.

When I first started coming I would do 3 classes a week and within a month or so had dropped inches. These days I try and do one class a week, around my running and yoga - it helps with building strength in my legs and core.

Then on Saturday I went to my first ever Kettlebells class. This was part of the 'Belles and Beauty' Boutique Sport event. It was held at Frame Studios in Shoreditch and I turned up for my class not really knowing what to expect.

As the class started we warmed up and then were all told to take two of the kettlebells, one heavier than the other. The instructor then took us through a series of exercises using the kettlebell as a weight to work different groups of muscles. The class was called Cardiokettlebells and it certainly got my heart pumping! We were lunging, squating, bicep curling, tricep dipping and doing press-ups in what was one of the most high intensity classes I've done for a long time. At one point I did find myself wondering why on earth I had signed up for this but the moment soon passed when we were given a small rest break!

After the session I headed off to the second part of the event which was at the Benefit store in Spitalfields. There were cocktails and mince pies for everyone and I had a mini makeover done before aquiring some new Benefit products. It was a really fun afternoon.

On Sunday I woke up feeling pretty sore, my shoulders and arms were the worst. To be honest I really didn't feel like going for a run but having missed my Sunday run last weekend I knew I needed to go out. So I put on my training kit and headed out without having planned a route or set a specific mileage to do.

The first 3 miles were pretty tough, but then they quite often are for me on a Sunday. I kept looking at my watch and the mileage seemed to be increasing really slowly. Then, once I'd got to 3 miles everything seemed to click into place, my running felt easy and I started enjoying myself. The next time I looked at my watch I'd done 4.5 miles. I decided I'd do 10K - a decent distance but without pushing myself too far having not been out the weekend before.

I arrived back at home having completed the distance feeling so much better than when I went out, as I always do. So overall a pretty energetic weekend and boy am I feeling the after effects today!