The 30-day abs challenge

The bike means I get plenty of CV exercise, but it’s time to do some toning training, too

---

The challenge in full. I'm not looking forward
to day 30.

With all the cycling I do at the moment – an hour commuting at least four days a week plus longer rides at the weekend – getting enough cardio/fat-burning exercise really isn’t a problem. What I am missing out on is toning and load-bearing training.

So when a friend signed up to the 30-day abs challenge on Facebook, I thought I’d give it a go too. It’s a simple enough idea: take four ab exercises (sit ups, crunches, leg lifts and planks) and slowly build up the number you do over a period of 30 days, with every fourth day being a rest.

At the time of writing (16 June), I’m 16 days in, just over halfway. And it’s certainly getting challenging. Today is actually a rest day, but yesterday (15 June) comprised 75 sit-ups, 95 crunches, 42 leg lifts and a 60-second plank. That was hard. Tomorrow will be even harder.

I don’t know if I’ll be able to complete the challenge. Day 30 requires 125 sit-ups, 200 crunches, 65 leg lifts and a 120-second plank. That sounds like an awful lot to me, although I will be building up to it daily, of course. I also figure that I can do it in two sets if need be – half in the morning and half when I get home from work. Although I think this isn’t really in the spirit of the challenge, the site doesn’t actually prohibit it, and I’m of the opinion it’s better to do it that way than not do it all.

Yesterday comprised 75 sit-ups, 95 crunches, 42 leg lifts and 60-second plank; that was hard

The site, 30 Day Fitness Challenges, has plenty of other challenges, too, lots of which are toning/strengthening training. So after I’ve done the abs challenge, I’m going to try some of the others. It might be a good idea to alternate between arm and core challenges.

Review: Selle Italia Women's Diva Gel Flow saddle

A new bike means a new saddle. Find out how I got on with this model from an Italian company specialising in bike saddles

---

I’ve learned that a new bike requires the purchase of a new saddle pretty darn quickly. I suspect this is especially true for cheaper models, as one of the ways manufacturers can save money is on the seat.

Much as I love my new bike, the seat was causing some serious chafing in areas you really don’t want chafed. I could have changed it for the saddle that’s currently on my hybrid, which is perfectly comfortable, but I wanted something a bit special. Also I intend to carry on using the hybrid and don’t really want to have to swap over each time.

The Selle Italia Women's Diva Gel Flow saddle.

As this is the bike I’ll be doing the London to Cambridge on, I was prepared to spend a bit more to ensure comfort. I also did a lot more research this time. In fact my last saddle was a case of ‘I need a new seat; that one looks nice.’ It also only cost about £20.

Turning to some trusted cycling sites, notably Wiggle and Total Women’s Cycling, it soon transpired that most women agree that the Selle Italia Women’s Diver Gel Flow saddle is about the best there is. This retails at £79.99, but it’s currently available on Wiggle for £55.99.

It’s available in both black and white, but I particularly liked the white version. The silver and pink highlights nicely match my grey and pink bike, and this is a neat, nice-looking saddle that doesn’t look out of place on a sleek road bike.

During my research, two pieces of advice stood out to me. First was that your saddle should go unnoticed; second was if you’re saying that your saddle is ‘exactly what I want, except for this one thing …’ then it isn’t exactly what you want.

I forgot about the seat completely and just enjoyed myself – which is entirely the point

After fitting the new seat I took the bike out for a short ride to test it out. It was only when I stopped at a junction and actually thought about the reason for the ride that that first bit of advice came back to me. The only thing I noticed about the new saddle was that I hadn’t noticed it. By the end of the ride the front of the saddle was pressing into my pubic bone, which was quite uncomfortable, but there was no chafing.

The silicone gel inserts are nicely positioned for the sit bones, providing excellent cushioning. I also found that I was seated very securely, with no sliding forwards or backwards. The large cutout adds to the comfort.

I had deliberately put the saddle in the zero position to begin with, knowing that I might have to tilt it forward slightly. So when I got home I adjusted the saddle accordingly.

Of course a short ride was fine as a test, but I needed to get the bike out for longer to be really sure. A 13 miler this weekend was perfect. And the saddle performed exceptionally well. No chafing, no rubbing and no pressing into bones. On the way out I was deliberately concentrating on how things felt down there and there really was nothing to report. Coming home I forgot about the seat completely and just enjoyed myself. Which is entirely the point.

The silver and pink styling nicely matches my
grey and pink bike. All photos Idoru Knits.