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52 Week Challenge - Week 4 - Bondi to Bronte Walk

Dianna Henry — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 14:00:00 GMT

I love living in Brisbane. I really do. But there is one thing about Sydney that I just adore - its proximity to the beach.

And now there is another thing - the Bondi to Bronte walk.

This would have to be one of the most scenic vistas for working out. And it is free!! It isn't a secret, thousands of people plod the walkway every day. Some extra keen people run along it. From Bondi to Bronte return is 8km. Just past the Bronte Surf Club, but just before Clovelly, there is an amazing cemetery on the hill. I really like cemeteries and so we walked through this as well which adds an extra kilometre or so.

The walkway meanders along the coast line and passes through Mackenzies Bay and Tamarama Bay. Sometimes you're right on the edge of the cliffs.

There are a few flights of stairs - so the super eager can really push themselves by running up and down these.

But on the day I did it, it was more about having a good gossip and 'earning' brunch than training!

There are a number of ocean pools along the way, but it was far too cold for me. A few keen people were swimming though.

If you live in Sydney and haven't done this walk you are crazy. I literally dream about it now!

If you live elsewhere in Australia, add this to your 'to do' list now!

52 weeks of challenges

52 Week Challenge - Week 3 - Booty Camp!

Dianna Henry — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 14:00:00 GMT

The first two challenges were fairly casual affairs and so I thought I should try something a bit more structured.

Booty Camp operates in multiple locations in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide.

I've never done a boot camp, however have often seen people in parks and wondered whether it was actually any good.

The course I've signed up for is two morning sessions a week for six weeks, so 12 sessions all up. I want to re-train myself to get out of bed early and also gain upper body strength and tone.

In the first session we just did testing. This very much appealed to me because I like having benchmarks and being able to track progress. The testing isn't as scary as it seems. It caters for all levels of fitness and ability. In our group we had a wide range of levels.

52 Week Challenge - Week 2 - race walking

Dianna Henry — Thu, 27 May 2010 14:00:00 GMT

This week’s 52 Week Challenge was race walking. I’m very glad to have tried it because it is one of those things that I have always seen on TV during the Olympics and never really understood. I can tell you now that there is not much similarity between layperson walking and race walking! My ‘coach’ was a friend Belinda (another ex-lawyer!) who used to compete.

52 Week Challenge - Week 1 - shootin' hoops

Dianna Henry — Thu, 20 May 2010 14:00:00 GMT

Those of you who follow me on Twitter (@ActiveWomenAust) will know that my planned activity for this week was thwarted when I missed the starting time due to work. So I had to come up with something else. Fiance suggested just going for a run and writing about it, but I thought this was a) totally boring and b) not in the spirit of the 52 Week Challenge. I want to try 52 things that are a bit different.

I thought about things that I could do close to home and on the cheap. James and I bought a basketball a couple of months ago with grand plans to shoot hoops together at the local half court. We did this once. I realised that I've never played one-on-none so this could be my challenge!

52 Week Challenge

Dianna Henry — Tue, 11 May 2010 14:00:00 GMT

Joining in the trend of setting x week challenges, I'm embarking on the 52 week challenge. I'm committing to trying out one new form of exercise/sport each week for 52 weeks.

One year seems like a big committment and finding 52 different activities seems a little daunting but I reckon I can do it! I already have contigency plans for weeks when it might be trickier (like honeymoon, Christmas, interstate for weddings). I imagine that along the way I'm going to have to face up to some fears but I'm excited!

I'll write up a report on each mission so that you can all share in the fun (and maybe even try it yourself!).

I welcome your ideas! Freebies are most welcome too! ;-)

52 weeks of challenges

Week 1 - shooting hoops