ooops.................

Ok so as you all know i have battled for many years with my weight but finally triumphed in loosing over 8 stone and becoming a Personal trainer and fitness instructor.

Well now to the oops................

 early this year i was working in my full time job as a venue manager fo nottingham Trent as well as working between 10-20 hrs as a PT and fitness instructor this meant a total average working week of 60-70 hours. This was fine but training myself was getting tough to fit in but i was just about managing..... but then.............

I fell in love i met my current partner in early january and suddenly i needed to fit someone else in to my life.
As with all relationships early on came the dating.... the eating out, the drinking.... the lets have a takeaway night in etc etc................

initially work stayed the same, so what lost out you may ask? well my training schedule did and as a result so did i.

Everyone says with love comes a belly........ :-) initially mine didnt the high work load and running about kept the weight off, but soon i became run down i did not have enough time for everything. not only this but my already hard hit training schedule was dealt more blows and i was just too run down to train as i always have.

what happened you may ask? well i was happy and initially my muscle mass kept my metabolism high so i didnt see too many adverse effects, however with the low training i soon lost muscle mass and with that came the belly....

i am ashamed to say i have put on just over a stone ooooops

so what do i do? well i soon decided my health and happiness were more important than my work or bank balance and even my clients (what kind of role model am i if i put on weight) so This has meant i have now come to the decision to stop Personal training (for the moment) and just teach my tri club and spin classes with effect from the end of this month.

this means i have now regained some me time, yessssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

i am happy as larry, very much in love but also very ready to banish this belly back to where it came from!!!!

so i appologise everyone for falling of the blogging wagon, but i hope you can see why, and i also hope this shows all of us fall a little now and again but as long as it is recognised and a plan put in motion to stop it in its tracks then we will win

Fat mairi will not get her claws back into me!!!!

watch this space for updates on my progress...

P.S im even taking my running shoes on holiday with me next week :-)

Pole Dancing Mahem

ok so there are many fitness crazes out there, some are worth more than others, i have in my time tried a fair few.....

Zumba this is a great fun work out and good cardio altrernative to aerobics...; however for me who is never the most graceful it wasnt one i chose to continue

Body Bar, i love body bar its brilliant for building strength and tone but some find it a little scary and think they will all come out looking like arny (not the case unless you want to) but i understand for some just as Zumba was for me its not their choice.

Power plate.... ok not my favourite and often used wrong (guys if you just sit or stand on it the fat is not going to magically melt away!!!) but can be good for incorporating into core strength excercises and also helps to relax muscles after a workout

and many many more ...boxercise (LOVE IT), pilates (good for core strength), belly dancing (not personally tried but good for core im told), etc etc etc

However my new found fun and great strength and core work out is.............................................

POLE DANCING..... yes i did say it pole dancing

I love it.. im not yet very good but its a great mix of fun, overall strength building, toning and core... its the whole package... and when your good at it you can make a work out look not only impressive but sexy too!

i have currently had 3 lessons, now ladies i warn you there will be some bruising involved but i am told this eases with time, and you will be initially shocked at how hard it actually is... but it is also a lot of fun once you get over the intimitation of swinging around a pole (somewhat ungracefully at first)

i can now do a fire man swing, a back swing, a chair swing and almost a carosel to chair swing, as well as climb the pole (ISH), hold my own body weight in some slightly graceful positions and im now starting to try some pole sits (sitting half way up the pole only using legs to hang on :-)

its amazing to watch our instructor Kat from Pole kat Fitness nottingham ... there are things she can do that even those so called strong guys in the gym wouldnt have a hope in hell of...... one day i hope to do the same, but meanwhile im crying out to have my own pole so i can train at home and not just have one lesson a week as for me upper body strength has always been my weakness and this will help as well as giving me great tone and killer abs woop woop

so if you have a class near you get out there and give it a whirl...... and if someone is taking photos for you be prepared for pain when they ask you to hang on just as you were about to get off!!!!!

Nottingham triathlon .....so whats next?

So nottingham triathlon came and went..... considering my lack of time to train this year i did pretty well.... Well that is as long as you forget the fact i got a little lost in the swim!!! yes i know how can you get lost in the swim...

 Well its suprisingly easy in murky lake water when your goggles steam up and amazing how much extra distance you can add im pretty sure i swam an extra 400 meters... so my swim was slow but in total i only came in 2 minutes slower than last year... so had i not decided to swim away with the duckies i would actually have pulled off a faster time than last year which just goes to show that even if you dont feel trained enough its worth giving things a shot!!

so what next?

well i have 2 weeks left of term before things get quieter... than its time for some serious running training!
im hoping to run the london marathon with my partner next year in 2012... so this year running will take presidence over anything else...

Now my partner who had never run a step in her life before is  now trying to embrace the thought of running the marathon ... in fact she was the one who actually suggested running the london marathon ( rather stupidly she chose a family gathering to do this so now the whole family are waiting and expecting her to run so its a done deal!!!!)

After 3 weeks of training she is now running 4k by running for 7 minutes and walking for 3 and repeating this interval.... Now this is not to say we have done this without shedding a few tears, weve had a few dramas over some GIANT blisters (really they were huge!!! lol) and some tantrums running round the lake, but i am so proud of how far she has come in just 3 weeks..... the london marathon proffessonals better watch out we will be right on their heels.....
we will also be raising for cancer research so keep an eye out for a link in the next few months to a just for giving link.
so me the slow runner and my partner the never runner.... will be spending this next year running we will beat the 26 miles and we are going to enjoy every blistering step it takes us to get there..... some come on guys if you have ever thought about doing a marathon..... well just do it there is no time like the present....

watch this space for news on how we get on.

When the going gets tough!!!

OK Appologies to fellow followers out there i have been a little lax with my blogging but i am trying to pull my socks up.... but in fairness the past few weeks have been a little trialing to say the least....
not only is work still manic but i was hit by a stomach bug which lasted 3 weeks....

but hey ho i have a trialthlon in 6 days and i am determined to get over the hiccups and get on with the ride :-)

I have a hectic week of training planned including a 5 k run tonight, 1hr spin and 1hr swim tomorrow, another 5k run on wednesday, followed by a spin session and run on thursday.... friday may have another swim but this will be gentle as this will be my rest day.

so hopefully on saturday not only will i complete the triathlon but im hoping to have at least a similar time to last year if not a smidgin better....

so wish me luck people... and if any of you out there are also having hiccups in your training for whatever reason... dont chastise yourselves just pick yourself up and start again

xx

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 :-)