When work takes over and life takes a back seat!

OK so some of us are more guilty of this than others but even the best of us can find work has taken over and all but a few of things you enjoy seem to be a distant memory!

Now for me that joy is Training and considering i have a sprint triathlon (first of the season for me) in 4 weeks i really need to get a grip of my work life balance........
Now you all know my work week is hectic, 2 jobs and a minimum of 70hrs a week leaves little time for much else. But realistically there is time and only i can make it!

 Just the same as i am the only one who can make that decision to eat a chocolate bar.... or not..... .......only i can decide to roll my carcass out of bed an hour or 2 early and fit in a morning run or swim.

I have currently found myself making the wrong decision on more than a few occassions.... not necessarily for the wrong reasons though.... my job is hard, my hours long..... and my partner... (and thus time with them) precious. Some times it is good for the soul and the body to have a break.... training whilst tired is not good for anyone and my body was starting to feel the toll, so a few weeks of enjoying the time i had off from work mainly to be with my partner, go out for meals and generally enjoy the other pleasures in life has done me the world of good and i am now ready to kick myself back into action....

i will be planning my weeks like a finely tuned military mission.... runs/swims and bikes will all be scheduled.
My bike which has needed a service and brush up will be hauled out of the shed and sorted this weekend!!! this i promise and pictures i will show! please beat me up if i do not do so.

and work well... i am determined that although i know my hours have gone up rather than down i will not let this stop me getting to my goal.... i refuse to get any less than 5 minutes off last years time for the same triathlon!!!!

so here i go ! wish me luck i may need it.

To Eat or not to eat......

OK so i was talking to one of my PT clients the other day and we got to talking about food. Now i am as you know a believer in everything in moderation.... never make yourself feel guilty for having that weekend chocolate, or the sunday fry up... it is these simple pleasures that make food a joy and we should not spend our lives chastising ourselves for having the odd treat.
However there is always a balance... unfortunatly like many of us including me at one stage the need to loose weight and feel good about yourself often sees you making some of the worst mistakes you can in nutrition:

- skipping breakfast
- reducing you calories to such an extent it wouldnt keep a toddler going
- cutting carbs
- eating only protein
- eating only veg
- eating nothing all day (so no one sees you eat) and then binging in the evening
- feeling guilty about having a treat
- taking diet pills
- taking laxetives (i for one have never done this but its crazy what people will try)

now all of these are bad enough on their own, but if you combine them with the fact you are attempting to train... oh my lordy your body will not be thanking you and this is why....

Breakfast.... as my mother always said is the most important meal of the day.... it kick starts your metabolism and gives you the energy to begin your day in a positive way. if you skip this you will ultimatly feel sluggish and more hungry and crave highly processed foods..... (why? because your body knows it can break them down easily and get energy - all beit poor energy- fast)... this is your fast track to reaching for that nasty pasty, or bag of crisps at 11am.

Breakfast should be a good sized portion with foods that have slow energy release like whole grains (porridge/muslea etc) and a portion of fruit either juice or fresh to get you on your way to a minimum of 5 a day.

ok people lets stop obsessing about calories!!!! eat when your hungry, stop when you are full and make good food choices. If you restrict your calories to such an extent that its below 1500 a day and you are also training your body goes into preservation mode and will actually store more calories because it is worried you will starve. instead of using your proper energy pathways and burning fat reserves and sugars you will start breaking down muscle for energy (the weight loss you see is an unhealthy one which could lead to severe health consequences)

As for cutting carbs lets all stop being so ridiculous.... if you completely cut carbs you would be cutting out fruit and veg too... yes they are carbs. im all for reducing bad carbs like white bread and pasta, but carbohydrates are your bodies main energy source and it will struggle without them. yes limit them a little in the evening but they are still part of a healthy balanced diet!!!

eating only protein.... seriously people would you believe anything you see/ hear we are omnivoures for a reason we are not meant to just eat protein we are not carnivourous... and its very dangerous to health... our kidneys help with the breakdown of protein but diets like the atkins can cause excess ketones which not only means bad breath, bad skin and a whole host of other unpleasant things but worst of all you can end up with severe liver and kidney issues SO DONT DO IT!!!!!

As for treats if you want something nice have it.... plan it into your week for example on a saturday let yourself have that favourite treat, or head out to a restaurant with friends for a guilt free evening.... wouldnt life be boring if we couldnt enjoy the odd something naughty... easter wouldnt be the same without chocolate eggs, or birthdays without a cake.

as for diet pills.... where do you start - BUT REALLY IF THERE WAS A PILL THAT WORKED DO YOU REALLY THINK WE WOULD STILL HAVE A PROBLEM WITH OBESITY?

Laxatives just dont go there do you really want all the issues that come with malnutrition... or spending hours on the loo!!!

so here are my rules for eating healthily:

- EAT BREAKFAST!!!

- Eat 4-5 small meals a day

- downsize your meals as the day goes on

- stop eating when you are full

- drink plenty of water
- If it glows in the dark, we don’t eat it.
- if you cant understand the ingrediants on the packet......leave well alone
- if you go to buy chicken pie and the word chicken isnt on the packet its not going near my body!

- dont chastise yourself for having the odd treat just plan it into your week

- Eat more whole foods, You don’t have to think about high fat when you are eating whole foods. You don’t have to think about toxic waste when you are eating whole, real food. You don’t have to think about preserved, pasteurized, and pummeled when you eat whole foods, which makes your new life a whole lot easier.

Am i Fat?

Somebody asked me the other day if i thought i was fat.... my answer without even thinking came out as yes... I KNOW ridiculous isnt it!

Now dont get me wrong i am happy with my size, i feel fit and healthy and i know i look good (well i hope i do) but i guess this is the one last hurdle i have to face... starting to realize that dispite what i think, or feel, or what the media want me to think I AM NOT FAT.

I think as a prevously seriously obese woman ive never quite lost the feeling that people look at me, or the fear something wont fit, or ill be too heavy for that, or will i fit into that seat? its ridiculous i know... im sure i would be some psycologists wet dream but its hard to shake a lifetime of learned responses and fear.

It doesnt help that as a size 14/16 woman the media percieves me as PLUS SIZE, that there are charts out there such as BMI which still classify me as over weight without taking into account excess skin weight, and lean muscle mass... (please dont think these scales are the be all and end all they are merely a guide).

If size zero was the way we should all be.. why are so little of us there?

I guess its a little unfair that not only do i have to learn to battle with my own warped sense of body image but the societies as well... but i guess writing my blog is one way to help defeat these

 But the real reason im writting this particular page is to let others know we are all the same, we all have that little inner demon and that this.. the last hurdle can be conquered.
It will take time i know that, but as each day goes by i catch myself smiling at my image more than i do cursing it, i feel sexy more often than i do ugly, and i smile more with every day that passes.
 I am gradually training out the immediate learned response that is "I'm FAT" from years of being that way. now I need to realise im a normal healthy sexy woman with a long life to lead..... "I AM beautiful"  both inside and out :-)

MMA boot Camp

Well some of you have heard me talk about Toby before... he is the Personal Trainer i started with and who changed my life so dramatically that i became a PT myself. Well i still see toby... wether its for a booster PT session (we all loose motivation some times) a sports massage for one on my mainy niggles, or just for a chat on how i can progress myself.
Well a few weeks ago Toby started talking about doing a MMA (mixed martial arts) boot camp, 4 weeks 3 group sessions a week (at 6.30am i may add)..... so i thought what the hey, ill sign up... i love training with toby anyway, and the car accident i had last autumn has played havoc with my training so it will be a good boost to get me back on form... not to mention i can pinch a few ideas for my clients :-)

well we started last week.. ive gotta tell you im not a fan of 5.30am wake ups and i will be glad of getting back to a normal sleeping routine but i dragged myself up, got ready, walked the dog and headed to tobogym.

i walked in to see matting, punch bags, ladders and much much more and the huge grin on tobys face told me we were in for a tough session!

Now here i will introduce you to the Sprawl! this is somewhat like a burpee (and we all know how much we love those!!!) but you get your hips low to the ground they are used in MMA to avoid a punch, grab whatever and allow a quick gettup. These were to become my nemesis! now one is no problem ... even 3 or 4 in a row... if only things were that easy! every time Toby shouted and i heard the word SPRAWL my heart sank a little..... but i kept fighting through.. this and shadow boxing, boxing, kicks and whatever else toby had to throw at us.

by the end of the session i was pouring with sweat and laughing hysterically (always a theme in tobys sessions) and looking forwards to the next beasting... or so i thought.

Tuesday morning came... and along with it the dreaded DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness).... my body had not felt this way in a long time my glutes were screaming, my deltoids burning, and my ABs... well you get the picture.

However after the next two sessions of the first week i was no longer having to roll myself out of bed and dispite the early mornings i was feeling pretty sprightly.

now half way through week 2 and dispite still being tough and having the fun of sprawls and turkish getups to deal with my muscles have adapted... and by the end of the four weeks of i hope to have regaioned much of the tone and fitness i had lost due to the accident.

so if you have an opportunity to get involved in MMA, you dont have to be a fighter... its a great all round work out and brilliant fun.... roll on the next session with tobogym.

Shake away baby!

Well a few weeks ago i disscussed protein shakes, their pros their cons and the fact that i would not normally endorse their use certainly not as a means to loose weight! i will always say that the best way to stay trim and healthy is to ensure that you get plenty of fresh fruit veg and grains and try to steer away from anything too processed or white (unless its coconut).
However a few weeks ago i found myself wth a couple of extra pounds on from the christmas festivities... not only this but dispite the regular excercise i was doing ... these particular couple of pounds were of the stubbourn sort and refused to move.....why you ask? well as i said before 5 out of 7 days a week i do not get home before 8.30pm (earliest), im often on the run from one job to the next which means i miss the normal tea time and get home at 9/10pm feeling ravinous.... this led to the inner Fat me craving carbs/pasta/bread/cheese etc etc.... all the bulk foods to try to fill me up.. and this really is not good eating for that time of night.
So dispite my concerns i decided that pure protein shakes may be able to give me that early evening fuel and stave off the hungry mairi in the evening .........

so how is it going you may ask...... well actually it is helping, ive shed those stubourn pounds, i feel i have more energy teaching my classes in the evening, and im not ravenous when i get home so all in all things are going quite well. The only problem i have found is if i have a shake (just with water) too close to a very heavy cardio session it can make me feel a little unwell but other than that its ok.

Im still on the NRG shake my friend gave me, and trying to have a look at other shakes more specific to women and when i move on to my next batch i will let you know what i choose.

Again Protein shakes are not a meal replacement and should not be used as such, but they are handy for giving you easy fuel whilst on the hop....... Plus add some fruit and youve got a great replenishing smoothie.

wheelie wheelie fun....

just a short one today.... but again following along the lines that you dont have to go to the gym to get some excercise.

Last year for xmas i bought my best mate shaun a segway rally day for two.... i thought it was a good idea at the time :-)

so off we headed to staffordshire, where we met Dan and DanO.... who begain to run us through segway.... and got us to sign our lives away so that if we damage the machines or ourselves we are liable!

Next we were kitted out in an exoskeleton...... at least we were well protected, and handed helmets... everyone else gets handed a nice black normal helmet... what do i get???? a bright pink on which was slightly too small so sat right on the top of my head... DanO said it was fine though as long as it took away the impact ..Great i thought... i look like an idiot but im protected from brain damage.

once kitted head to toe we were then taken through the basics of how to get on and off a segway by Dan and DanO.... simple you would think but actually far more challenging then first thought.... essentially segways work by feeling where you put your weight... in your toes and you go forward, in your heels and you head backwards, i slight pressure on the handle bars to go left right and pirouet!

so on we get and after a slightly wobbly start we very quickly (and suprisingly for me as lack balance or coordination skills) got used to the movement and soon we headed off to the woods to have a ralley round...this is where shaun decided he was going to massacre a few cones despite Dan and DanO's warnings that we were to avoid them as they signelled hazards....  shauns killing spree held no bounds.... through fits of giggles me and shaun are soon razzing up and down and thoroughly enjoying ourselfs.... it was all over far too quickly we were out for an hour and you could feel it a little in your legs but it was great fun.

so far so good 2011.... keeping active and fit is not all about pounding the treadmill or the tarmac but just as much about getting out off the sofa and having fun xxx

Shake it up baby!

So im sure many of you out there are now well into your post christmas detox, maybe its your first attempt taking on the war against the flab (if so go you :-) !!!), or maybe your a regular excerciser just trying to shed the christmas excess (weve all done it). which ever you are we all know the january blitz comes with its own challenges, from that inability to convince your body to get up on the dark dismal mornings, to getting back into a gym routine when all you want to do is snuggle up inside with a coffee and whats left of the christmas chocolates.

Many of us are now back at work and for some that will bring its own challenges, long hours, relentless sales, battling with budgets etc etc.
Some of the best advice i can give is to have a routine set in your head, know what you will be doing each day of the week and make sure you do it. Believe me the endorphins released from excersise will more than make up for those winter blues.

My main problem is finding time to eat, now i always have a healthy breakfast, this is a must and i never miss it, however lunch and dinner can be very late due to long hours. I pack all sorts of healthy things for my lunch and snacks at work. but when i get home either after working late or a late gym session (basically every day its one of those) i get home and im starving, the cold weather makes me reach for the carbs, and all beit there are only good carbs in my cuboards large amounts of them at 9/10pm are not good.

so as much as i hate to say it, im experimenting wth the world of protein and recovery shakes. My general rule of thumb is to get all the nutrients you need from fresh food, not packages or prossesed gunk, however as a previously seriously obese woman, my health comes first. if a couple of well placed protein shakes can stave off hunger and prevent fat mairi rearing her head and leading me into having a late night carb binge then im up for giving it a go.

My first challenge is finding a shake that works for me, the information out there is overwhelming, sites filled with "BUILD MUSCLE FAST/ LOSE WEIGHT/ TONE UP/ LEAN AND TONED/LOW CARB/ISOLUTE/GLUTAMINE/WHEY,SOY OR EGG/MICROFILTERED/CROSSINFUSED" blah blah blah

 but as a simple guide im looking for pure cold pressed natural protein, low in sugar fats and carbs that can be mixed just with water and tastes ok. As a women i also don't want the proteinper serving to be too high (im not looking to be arnie, or one of those women built like a brick .... well you get the idea).
currently im using NRG pure whey protein powder (purely as a friend gave me it for free to try) but i will be looking for a more tailored one for me later.
all i will say is dont focus on brand names as that is all you will be paying for, have a look around, check out the labels for the ingrediants and well give it a whirl.... or a shake as the case may be.

I have been using the shakes for a week now, just 1 or two a day either as a post excercise fuel, a early evening snack (when working late) or a late night meal replacer. and so far its working :-). im craving less, shedding a couple of those winter pounds and generally feeling a bit better about getting the fuel i need without compromising my health.

but hey protein shakes arent for everyone, and i wouldnt suggest them as a total meal replacer, or for those who do not excercise regularily. Good fresh food will always be better than a powder but i guess sometimes they do have their place.