Thoughts on Doe

 -  By Tess Amorangi Parker

​There is nothing better than feeling fit.

I don’t think I could live without it now- it makes me sleep better, eat cleaner, and allows me to participate in anything I want to. I have a relationship with my body that I never thought I would have. I love watching how it gets stronger, and how it changes. I rely on that hour a day that I have space in my own head to work through thoughts or worries.

Exercise has made me more confident, more energetic and active, and also calmer and more settled.
It’s more than just a routine, but a lifestyle which is much easier to sink into than it looks. The Doe Plan is a great way to either start trying to get fitter, or to challenge yourself in a new way. 

Starting with Mustard Fitness gave me a push that allowed me to relax into an exercise regime.  In the Doe Workout each day varies. Some days you get a follow through cardio and body weight class, which you can knockout in your bedroom in half an hour, and other days you’ll been sweating over 7 sets of every exercise at the gym and feeling like the Hulk.
The Doe Plan is 5 days per week, about an hour per workout, and lingers around every meal time making sure you’re eating clean. 

The plan is very manageable, as long as you’re committed. It’s important you plan out every week to fit your workouts in convenient places and allow them to become habit. For example, I was writing my University Dissertation when I did my plan, so I put my gym sessions at 11am every day. This gave me a break between my studies, gave me a sense of productivity, and also made me feel like eating healthy food for the rest of the day instead of procrasti-snacking. 

The best thing about a program like this is that it gets you into healthy habits. You have a timeline and an end date, so it’s much harder to fall off the bandwagon. I was sending biweekly progress photos to Stacey, so wanted to have the best possible results for each photo. I recommend taking regular photos, because seeing the progress is truly encouraging. But also, remember photographs wont depict that feeling of lifting a heavier weight, or your body being firmer, or that post-run euphoria. Those moments are important to note as well. It’s nice to look good, sure, but what you’ll see in photos will not always represent your health or fitness level. 

The Doe Plan is hard. But, that’s why it’s brilliant. The end result is worth all the effort, it’s a huge achievement. It’s also broken down so it’s easy to manage. By week 4 I found I was noticeably stronger and faster than I was at the start, as well as much more comfortable in the gym (nothing will make you overcome feeling like a dork like bosu ball knee tucks). It’s incredible to feel your body responding. 

Overall, I’ve found it to be an incredibly positive experience. I made an active effort to think of my training as ‘see how fit I can get if I put 14 weeks of solid effort in’, and I feel very proud of my results. I feel like now I’ve reached my fitness goal, I’m able to use it as a foundation for other fitness ventures.

The Doe Plan made me challenge myself, and I am so much more capable for it. 

My key tips would be these- 
- Quit alcohol as soon as you feel comfortable. I stopped drinking about half way through, and felt a lot cleaner. 

- If you have to miss a workout, replace it with 20 minutes of HIIT. You can always find 20 minutes. 

- Stretch! I recommend doing 10 minutes of hatha yoga every night. It’ll aid digestion, allow you to sleep better, and will help your sore muscles. 

- Stock your fridge with tofu. It’s a great protein source, and it’s very versatile. Tofu pancakes make a delicious (and low calorie) breakfast.

- Tess Amorangi Parker

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