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Sunday 28 February 2010

the joy of small success's

The weekend always seems to by so quickly. I missed body bar this weekend as i had a night out with friends on friday which meant the likely hood of being in the gym less than 5 hours after i came home was doubtful. But hey i made up for it today and dragged myself off to circuit - its all about the balance.
It was in cicuit today that i realised i can now do full press ups! ......yes i can only just about manage 10 before buckling to my knees and opting for the girly ones but its a success none the less.
I have found that since loosing the weight Ihave now hit a plateu, i think im about 1.5 stone off my ideal weight but dispite my best efforts my body seems to like where it is. but hey im happy with that im a size 14 fit and healthy.... but it can get harder to realise why you do it, its much easier in the days where the scales moved down every week. but ive gotta be happy in the small success's, if my weight doesnt go up, thats a small success, and when i discover i can now do a full press up when this time last year i would have laughed out loud at the suggestion of even trying!.... yet another small success!
horrah for that feeling you get when something that seemed impossible now becomes possible... one day I'm determined to conquer a chin up, maybe even the one armed press up :-).
Ive also made more moves in the direction of completing a personal training course.... i have choosen the course, venue and dates.... now all i need to to is raise the money. I cant wait to help others to do this, and do this is a balanced way.... lets not obsess about the calories but take pride in the small success's

Sunday 21 February 2010

Sunday the day of rest

This week has been so incredily hectic that ive only managed 3 trips to the gym and a total of about 6 hours, so i had planned on heading out for a run today especially as i just bought some new running trainers. however i woke up this morning to find the world had been blanketed in snow..... and no im not hard core enough to run in that... so plan B it was.
i phoned up a friend who has some dogs and suggested that we took them and my little mutt out to play in the snow. This not only meant i got some excersise in the form of a good long walk, but also i get to spend the afternoon with another of my passions.... my DSLR camera and wildlife photography.
Some times its just as important to have some chill out time... and do you know what else i am eating some mini eggs as we speak :-) sunday is indeed the day of rest :-)

Sunday 14 February 2010

To supplement or not to supplement that is the question!

I have always liked to think that i get most of my daily needs of vitamins etc from my food, however as an ex vege and someone who eats little meat i guess thats unrealistic.
When i sat down and thought about i today, my only real protein source is chicken, fish or dairy products. I try to limit dairy which in turns means my calcium intake cant be great. I do eat loads of veg and fruit as well as some nuts so I'm hoping I'm balanced on most other vits.
Recently ive been having a few issues with my knees, nothing too major but it is limiting my running ability which is not something i need right now when we are leading back into spring and the new triathlon season.
so i thought whats the harm, a few extra vitamins and some cod liver oil isnt going to do me any harm.... well except to my pocket. But it may actually help me heal quicker and hence get more out of my body, i certainly dont want to be an arthritic old lady, so after the gym today i took myself for a stroll round boots pharmacy.
This is where i hit the problem..... can you believe how many types of multi vitamins there are... it took me half an hour of searching just to find one thats not for a pregnant women,50+man or those going through the menopause!
When i finally did find the right section did i want added ginseng or iron, easy to swallow or powder, for the sporting individual or normal and sometimes i thought you were paying more just for the pretty coloured packet! and yes i was comparing the ingrediants list to see if i got anything for the extra money.... in a lot of cases the answer was no.
By now i was beginning to wonder if i was going to be grabbed by the shops security id been loitering so long.
So i decided on general muliti vits from Boots own range (had pretty much everything the more expensive ones did) some cod liver oil to help my knees and over all joints and some chondroitin sulphate also for my knees (p.s scout round for this one i managed to find an own brand tucked away at the back which was less than a quater or the price of all the big names)
so off i rattled to the till, thankfuly due to my careful selections and arduous comparing it wasnt as hard on the pocket as it could have been, and i felt healthier even as i walked out the shop :-)

Saturday 6 February 2010

Winter Hibernation

why is it that as soon as the weather gets cold, all i want to do is grab the carbs. Its almost as though my body is trying to get me to fatten up for a long winter sleep.....
but hey i am not a grizzly bear!
Unfortunaltly this is something we all experiance its natural and normal to find yourself pushing away the salads and grabing the comfort foods. its part of our DNA, its our inner monkey making sure that we survive the harsh winter. Yes i know we now have central heated houses and a well stocked kitchen, but our monkey doesnt know that. :-)
Now there is nothing wrong with eating a few extra carbs in the colder months... our bodies do need more energy to keep warm in the colder months but this is not a green light for our inner monkey to take over and destroy all the work We've done over the year.
The best way to keep my inner monkey from eating me out of house and home is to make sure i have a good hearty breakfast before heading into the cold. something like my favourite porridge and dried fruit is perfect. I also ensure that i always have healthy snacks like fruit, or mixed nuts to hand to ensure my monkey doesnt find an excuse to grab a muffin, or a chocolate bar.
when i come in in the evening, ive normally been to the gym and my monkey is ravenous, particularily in the winter months. all i want is a huge bowl of pasta or tortellini... to ensure i can have the carbs im craving but in a healthy way i get a bag of fresh steamed veg, and add this to a small amount of fresh pasta, add some pesto or chopped tomatoes and you have your comforting easy meal, but its packed with goodness.
Me and My monkey have found our balance :-)

Monday 1 February 2010

Beating The Monday Blues

why is it that Mondays are so hard?... getting back into a frame of mind for work... realising the weekend is so far away... all this makes monday a hard day for exercise... you say "theres always tomorrow" or "as long as i still go my 4 times this week its ok if i skip today" but if monday slides by its all too easy for the rest of the week to go the same way and before you know it you havent been to the gym the whole week... this is why routine is so useful... i have a schedule a weekly plan of what i do and when i do it, so when i rise on monday morning the gym bag is packed and ready for a trip to the gym after work... Mondays is Abs class and Jez's crazy aerobics. now im not normally one for aerobics my coordination makes me feel like a baby elephant on ice, but Jez's aerobics its like nothing ive ever done before, i used to watch the class through the window and think god i could not do that... the pace is so fast and energetic... not to mention the many Burpees and press ups... but you know what i tried it and i love it, its now my 4th week doing Jez's class and i love the way he pushes us, and the fact i come out soaked. Its truly an awesome class and the best way to set up my week. i may feel like ive been beasted by a sergent major, but the sense of achievement i feel when ive survived the 65 minutes is all i need to keep me going. roll on the rest of the week, im ready for anything it may throw at me!