Fat and Lazy

I have become fat and lazy and put on 10lb in 3 months!!

So I'm not major lazy I just never stick to an exercise plan properly. My intention is to run 3 times a week as a minimum and some weeks 4 times.

My other problem is I am just eat eat eat eat eat. I am actually hungry though not just eating for the sake of it and frankly a piece of fruit just doesn't cut it and leaves me hungry. Muchos will power needed.

In conclusion I am stuck in a rut. I have the good intentions but struggle with the doing.

I'm Back!

I haven't updated in so long. Sorry everyone. I've been exhausted again lately with my shifts. I have managed to fit in some runs including a 43 minute one in the rain today. It was raining before my friend and I went out but we went anyway and on the very last stretch as I was soaking wet anyway I splashed through the puddles like a child which was fun!

My next half marathon is a week on Sunday (10th October) and I'm really not sure what to think of that. I think I am at my fittest running wise but I do think I will struggle with the hilly nature of the course. I am looking forward to a photo of my friend and I in our finishers T-shirts and medals to be taken afterwards on my phone. New facebook profile pic me thinks!

I'm sorry that I'm not writing a longer post, as I say I am very tired and therefore concentrating is a mission. So for now it's farewell and hopefully I will update again in a few days.

752 kcals

I went to the gym last night and burned 752 calories, hell yeah! Although I have to say I didn't feel like I had worked that hard. I spent a long time on the rowing machine going slowly so that was where I burned most of the calories. I hadn't been to the gym in ages as I had got bored of it and had been running and going to spinning classes instead.
Since my work shift pattern has changed I have barely been to spinning. I got into the habit of going every Monday morning as I always worked Monday evenings. But now I work 2 out of 3 monday mornings and seem to find an excuse not to go on the other Monday. However now we have got new spins bikes (I work at the leisure centre) we have more places on classes as we have more bikes. Also I now have a staff membership which means I can book onto the classes so I am more likely to get a space at busier times. So hopefully I will stop being lazy and go?! Watch this space.

My mum is kindly making homemade stew for dinner and when I popped in earlier it smelled delicious. It should be pretty healthy so I am looking forward to that.

I do have some other stuff going on in life at the moment but I don't really feel that now is the time to blog about them so that is perhaps something for the future.

I hope everyone is having a good week.

Bread Challenge? Done & 101 in 1001 update

So my one month of eating only homemade bread ended yesterday. It was surprisingly easy to complete with freezing loaves I had made etc. However all I could think yesterday was I never want to eat homemade bread again. The last 2 loaves I made I put a quarter of the amount of salt the recipe stated which is great for the health aspect but they turned out a bit bland. I bought a loaf of wholemeal bread yesterday and I am looking forward to having my sandwich at work this evening on that bread. I think in future I will make bread more often as it really isn't that hard it just requires time if you are hand making it or only 5 mins of weighing if you are using a bread maker. Overall it was a good experience.

I am going to write an update on my 101 in 1001 list below.

Items in bold are completed
1. Complete a half marathon
2. Graduate from University
3. Walk/Cycle everywhere for one week
4. Go on holiday abroad
5. Continue to give blood regularly (I am currently not allowed to give blood, however I was doing so prior to illness so if I am allowed to give again I will do so regularly and if I get to the end of the 1001 days and haven't been allowed to I will still count this as done.
6. Make baked Alaska
7. Make a gingerbread and sweetie house
8. Type all the recipes out from Gran's recipe book
9. Make the wartime fudge from Gran's recipe
10. Go to the beach
11. Make Christmas Dinner
12. Eat only homebaked bread for 1 month
13. Make jam
14. Learn some basic Italian
15. Go sledging
16. Learn to play Squash
17. Eat 5 a day fruit and veg every day for 1 month
18. Eat 3 a day dairy every day for 1 month
19. Complete a full marathon
20. Go camping
21. Go on the London Eye
22. Teach Milo to rollover properly
23. Journal properly for 1 month
24. Cook a new recipe once a month
25. Join the bone marrow register ( I enquired about this but am not eligible as I have a latex allergy however the good intention was there and I put the effort in to contact them therefore I am calling this one done)
26. Go crabbing
27. Watch the sunrise
28. Go horseriding
29. Don't eat meat or fish for one week
30. Go Ice skating
31. Bake something from the dog treats recipe book for Milo
32. Cycle to Kimmi's house
33. Climb a tree
34. Make my own mulled wine
35. Go to Scotland
36. Go carol singing with Laura
37. Go rollerskating
38. Buy someone some flowers
39. Read all of the Lord of the Rings (I am starting this one today)
40. Go for one month without eating any chocolate
41. Buy something with the £50 from Nan for my 18th
42. Play the lottery 10 times
43. Keep a record of everything I spend for 2 weeks and what on
44. Paint a picture
45. Spend an entire day in my PJs
46. Take part in a conservation project
47. Eat oily fish 2 x per week for 6 weeks
48. Take an evening class
49. Get a manicure
50. Go to York again
51. Climb Ben Nevis
52. Bake a cake for someone
53. Make my own sweets
54. Watch all 3 the Lord of the Rings films in a row
55. Make a massive sandcastle
56. Go on a Ghost tour
57. Watch the Hunchback of Notre Dame
58. Watch all of the Labyrinth
59. Walk around Grasmere and Rydal Water in the Lake District
60. Buy something designer(my glasses are)
61. Go to a Karaoke night
62. Have a weekend in a new city
63. Make my own tiramisu
64. Try yoga
65. Make pretzels
66. Get into my old jeans
67. Customise something
68. Get something from Tiffany's
69. Make my own nutella type thing
70. Spend one day a week off of facebook for 6 weeks
71. Enter more competitions
72. Make flat chips
73. Feed the birds
74. Have a tapas night
75. Read 101 books over the 1001 days
76. Epilate my legs at least 20 times over the 1001 days
77. Do some regular volunteer work
78. Go on a lot more walks to different places locally
79. Go to Warwick Castle
80. Go to Birmingham shopping
81. Have a barbecue
82. Cook over a camp fire
83. Make a themed cake
84. Make chocolate truffles
85. Buy some more matching underwear
86. Visit Stonehenge
87. Visit Liverpool
88. Visit Blackpool
89. Go one day a week without eating chocolate for 3 months
90. Make my own cereal bars
91. Throw a dinner party with 3 courses
92. Learn to change a tyre
93. Have a poker night
94. Learn to play chess
95. Throw a proper slumber party
96. Visit Ireland
97. Learn to play 10 songs on the piano
98. See a Shakespeare play at The Globe
99. Make a bracelet
100. Go to a pub quiz
101. On day 1001 write a new list

22 items completed so far, Day 1001 for me is 13th September 2011.

The one in which I get fitter

I went for a run this evening. The only time I stopped to walk was crossing a couple of roads where there was traffic to avoid. I then walked another 5 paces after the last road I crossed while I had a few sips of water. Prior to today and despite having done 2 half marathons before the most I had ever run without walking a bit was 2 miles. This evening I made myself keep running and keep running and kept giving myself a you can do it you are strong each step you take is one less left kind of pep talk and I ran 3.05 miles. Which is more than a MILE more than the most I have ever ran without stopping to walk. Previously I have been more of a run/walk person. Today I finally feel like maybe I actually might be able to be a runner (not professionally but you know actually get half decent at this running thing). The training plan I was going to use for the London Marathon this year (before I realised I wasn't going to be well enough and deferred to 2011) required you to have been running for 30mins 3 times per week for 3 months I think it was. The training plan I believe needs to be started either the last week of December of 1st week of January. Being as I managed to run for just over 30 today (yes I am slow paced!) I think I am going to be on target if not just ahead for that training programme. This makes me happy as I am actually improving and hopefully I will manage to keep up training regularly.

I do have a half marathon in October and I do think I am unlikely to do as well as I had hoped when I signed up but at least it is having it's purpose of getting me doing some training. The half marathon is very hilly which is what concerns me. I will be happy to finish and am hoping for a similar time to my last half marathon which was on flat ground. I still have time to get fitter before this half marathon and I think now I know I can actually run a reasonable distance without stopping I will be more motivated and self believing.

I also enjoyed my run this evening as I had time to myself just to think about whatever happened to pop into my head. By the end of it I was singing a song in my head although I can't remember now what song but it had the word step in the bit that was going round my head. (Probably to do with the aforementioned pep talk!)

A fun weekend

This weekend I have been to a friends housewarming party. She moved 5 months ago, but has only been in her new flat for 2 months. I had a great time but I am pretty tired right now!

I have managed to stick to my homebaked bread challenge so far. It is interesting as it does involve a bit more planning and thinking ahead to make sure I have some bread.

I have a couple of social events coming up this week that involve some not so healthy eating but I am not going to worry about it and am going to just make sure I eat as healthily as possible the other days. I am on all earlies this week so am going to cycle to work every day unless it is raining very hard. I have got some cycle gloves to protect my hands from the rubber on the handlebars. My eczema on my hands has been pretty bad the last week or so despite not having touched anything that I know is rubber for well over a month. I'm hoping they are starting to heal right now. It did get me a bit down on Thursday as they were just so sore and itchy and kept bleeding.

So anyway my plan for this week is exercise and eat healthily as much as possible. I have decided today that my aim to get back into my target size of clothes is the end of the year. Which gives me four months which means I only have to lose a tiny bit each week. I could probably do it sooner and I would like to be skinnier sooner but this aim is realistic and leaves room for those days when you just can't motivate yourself.

Simple things that make me smile

I wrote this list a while ago with the intention of posting it but have only just got around to posting it now. It is of simple things in life that make me feel content/happy.

• Shade on a hot day
• Freshly brushed teeth (so smooth!)
• Finishing a good exercise session
• Cuddles with my dog and my rabbit
• Feeling good in an outfit
• Singing along to the radio at the top of my voice even though I'm rubbish at singing
• Singing in the shower
• Sunshine
• Sitting doing nothing whatsoever for a few minutes (time to think but about nothing in particular)
• Finishing everything on my to do list
• Dancing like nobody's watching
• Improving at something
• Making somebody smile
• Doing a good deed
• Knowing exactly what your friend is thinking just by exchanging a look

There are many other things that make me smile but these are just the simple, small, momentary things that enrich life.

New stuff

I went to a big sports shop today and got some cool new running gear. I got a top, a sports bra, a water bottle and some trainers just to wear to work. They are all pink to some extent!

At the moment I am starting my only eat homebaked bread for a month challenge tomorrow. I did start on Tuesday and then forgot today when I was out and ate some bought bread oopsie. I put less salt in than the recipe says in order to make it healthier. The challenge is on my 101 in 1001 list and the idea is it is a way to cut down on salt and surely has to be healthier as it only contains the natural ingredients.

I went for a hill run on Tuesday and it was wicked hard but also immensely satisfying. I also downloaded the runkeeper app for my phone earlier this week which is pretty cool.

When I weighed earlier in the week I had put on weight but had a lower body fat percentage which surely means I have put on muscle so :).

This post is really jumpy all over the place type but I am tired so you will just have to accept it.

A quick post

Hello Again,

Quick post here to say I went for a run again this morning, a short run as I had achy legs. Tomorrow is a rest day so they can have a recover tomorrow.
Hopefully I can have several healthy days and see a weight loss next week.

Welcome back weight loss mojo

I have my weight loss mojo back! This morning just before I got in the shower I had this sudden surge of determination. A feeling of I want to do this I can do this I am determined to get back in control of my eating.

I feel really positive right now.

I went to spinning this morning and I don't think I have ever sweated that much, it was hard going. But when I push myself I always feel so gloriously pleased with myself afterwards.
I also went for a run last night which really seemed to upset my joints. During the run at some point each of the following hurt, both ankles, both hips and one knee. My left hip seemed worse and sure enough today it is sore still. It survived spinning with only the odd twinge. I am hoping it will hold out for a run tomorrow and then Thursday is a rest day so recover then.

I have decided to have some chilled out, lazing about, me time before work today. I am relishing in the fact that I am going to make my lunch and then sit on the sofa watching trashy tv until it's time to get ready for work. Bliss!

Ultrasound

Today I had an ultrasound scan on my salivary glands. I thought I would write about my experience here.
We went to a hospital in London for the scan, we allowed plenty of time for delayed trains etc so arrived early.

We made our way to the waiting room and sat and waited, whilst we waited there were quite a few babies waiting to go in and the one nearest us was so cute and very young, he also pooped his nappy twice in 5 mins! And I tell you I have never heard a fart so loud as came from that baby's bottom. It made everyone laugh in the waiting room his mum included.

Anyway after a while I got called through, the room is darkened and I had to lie down with my neck extended slightly. There was a lady scanning and 2 or 3 men in there too. I felt a bit awkward just sort of staring at the ceiling trying to keep still. I know it sounds silly but whenever I try to keep still I always get twitchy and also I was concious that they were looking at me. Then I really wanted to swallow and wasn't sure whether I should as she was scanning my neck at the time. I was also surprised at how thick the gel they use is as I expected it to be a bit thinner. The scan was over pretty quick, then one of the males said it looked pretty much normal but he would have a quick scan too. He showed me one of my glands on the screen and being fascinated by medical things as I am I thought it was pretty cool. Then I got some tissue to wipe the gel off and went on my way home.

My mouth rash has been there the last few days so I tried to get a photo but again I just can't get a good enough one on my camera. I have used the steroids for the first time today so we shall see if that has any effect.

Post number 100

So this is my 100th post on this blog! Quite what I have written about for 100 posts I do not know.

When I weighed myself on Monday I had lost 2lbs :-) I did do a lot of exercise last week so I guess that made up for my not so healthy eating.

I went for a run last night despite feeling really tired because I was feeling guilty that if I waited until today I may not have been able to fit in the 3 runs I wanted to this week. So I went last night and I did really well. I am going to go for a run tomorrow night if I am back from my hospital appointment in time. Then I am thinking Saturday morning for the final run of the week. I hope my guilty conscience does this to me every time so I never miss a run.

I have been very hit and miss with eating. I had a nice nourishing lunch but then I had 2 cookies so I feel like I have ruined it. I feel a tiny bit blah at the moment about healthy eating as I don't feel very inspired about what healthy foods to have. Although cherries were half price today so I bought a box and will take half to work today and have the other half another day. I think variety is the spice of life and I often fall down by buying the same fruits several times in a row and getting bored of them.

Despite my complaining about my eating etc I am actually feeling pretty content right now.

I don't think I have a lot more to say other than here's to the next 100 posts.

Sophie Queen of the Exercise

This week I have been for 3 runs, 1 bike ride, 1 spin class and 1 hour long walk. Now I just need to keep up the exercise, I want to be going for at least 3 runs a week until after the marathon.

The problem with all these things healthy eating and exercise is sticking to them long term. My running seems to have improved which is why I am a bit more enthusiastic about going for runs.

This week I have work every day, Mon-Fri and also hospital appointment on Thursday, then the weekend off and it is my friends birthday so we are having a bbq :)

Ok I am getting rather distracted from blog writing by facebook chat. I will leave the post at this for now.

Hope you are all having a good week.

It begins again

So I haven't had a routine for exercise lately and I seem to have been hit and miss with my eating too. Today I have decided to sort it out. I am thinking that I will give up chocolate for a week (maybe a month?) ok a month, to help me focus on healthy eating, I'm the sort of person that if I give something up I stick to it if it's something I really want to do. I think this will be a good challenge for me. That does still leave plenty of unhealthy stuff for me to snack on but I think no chocolate will help greatly. What I need to do is plan.
I have already sorted what I am taking to work for my dinner this evening. I am going shopping in the day tomorrow as it is my day off and have planned what healthy thing I am going to grab for lunch. I am out for dinner tomorrow night so am going to enjoy that and not worry too much then get back to normal over the weekend. I will hopefully have the energy to go for a run tomorrow morning before shopping. I say hopefully because I have been very very tired the last couple of weeks.
Yesterday I had a hospital appointment about the problems I have been having with my mouth and throat. It was originally on Friday but was brought forward. I am pleased I went as it was useful. I don't have a definite this is what it is yet but I have some new stuff to try and am going back in 3 months. In the meantime I am to try and get a photo of it when it is bad (every time I have tried before it's been too blurrry) and to keep a diary. I do actually have a spare diary for this year as I ended up with 2 so maybe I'll just jot down each day in that how my mouth is etc.
I have a busy few weeks coming up (maybe even couple of months?!) so will have to make the effort to eat well, exercise, look after myself and of course blog more often. I really am neglectful of my blog a lot of the time.

Internet was broken but is now fixed :-)

So our internet has been broken and I have also had a crazily busy couple of weeks. Right now I am super tired and feeling very much in need of some chocolate.
I seem to have been eating lots of fruit and veg but also slightly more cakes, chocolate etc than I would like to.
This weekend my brother and his girlfriend are moving in with us until their house they are buying has all gone through so it's all hands on deck to get them moved in and sorted.
Next week we are dogsitting which means walks for us. I also need to get stuck in with my training for my next half marathon.
This week has been a bit stressful and right about now I am not going to worry overly about how much chocolate I have eaten or a lack of exercise (I have been cycling to work though). I going to try and get back on track next week. And get training for my run.

Apologies for the shortness of the post I am trying to watch tv and type and have done so much its almost like its easier to not mention any of it then to try and think about them all and get them down. Perhaps I will update on those in a few days when things aren't so hectic.

This week

I really couldn't think of a title for this post so I just went for an easy one! Monday was back to work after my holiday, I got quite a bit of work done which was satisfying. Tuesday I'm thinking right now that I did something before work but I can't for the life of me remember and am now not even sure I did do anything... Wednesday I took Maisy to the vet for her 2nd vaccination and then I made muesli muffins before work. Thursday I worked the early then went to the gym. Friday I worked the late and had my eyebrows waxed before work. Yesterday was our Uncle's 65th birthday party which was nice. My cousin commented that I looked like I'd lost weight and that I looked toned. (thanks!)
I did have 2 slices of cake at the party but they were oh so worth it! Then last night we watched the England vs USA football match. I seem to remember complaining I was bored 20mins in but by the end I was getting very into it lol!
Today I went for a run which I enjoyed. It was only for 20minutes and there was some walking involved but it was good. I need to build up to running the whole loop and then lengthen the loop. My next challenge is a half marathon in October so I am training for that at the moment. This Friday I am having some patch tests put on to test for environmental allergens, the main aim being to see whether I am still allergic to latex. I will not be able to exercise when they are on as they easily come unstuck and exercise=sweat etc. So my plan is to exercise this week in general, some running, some cycling then next week after the patches have been taken off try and get into some routine with exercise and train regularly up until the event. Of course things don't always go completely to plan.
Once all that is over I haven't really got many plans, I have a wedding this weekend to go to :-) (with my patches on!) and have been busy the last 4 weekends but after that I don't have any specific plans as yet. Which will be good in terms of training.
There is an exciting opportunity to take part in a charity bike ride that is in 2 different countries and kind off off the beaten track. I am waiting to hear back with more information. I really want to take part though, it would be the trip of a lifetime. Thats the story for another blog when I know more about what's going on with that.
I have eaten some really healthy things over the last week and had a couple of different fruits to take with yogurt to work, but I have also eaten more unhealthy food than I would have liked to. I'm hoping to have my eating a bit more under control this week as I really do not want to put on weight. I think once I get into exercising regularly again I should be seeing the number on the scales go down. I really want to get into the 11stones, the 12s seem to have lasted forever.

A fabulous week

I have had a brilliant holiday. I really enjoyed it. We got back yesterday afternoon and then last night was my friend Amy's hen do which was awesome! I have also somehow managed to lose 2lbs! Must have been all the dancing last night.

That's about it for this post as I have had very little sleep.

We're all going on a Summer holiday...

Tomorrow I am off on my holiday. Whilst I know blogging about it may be advertising to potential robbers that is not a problem for me as there will still be people left at my house whilst I am away.

Today I need to drop something off at work that I forgot yesterday, then I am going to do some baking (flapjacks and fairy cakes) naughty I know but if you can't have a treat when you're on holiday when can you. Then I must pack! I also need to clean the rabbits hutch out.This evening I am off out for my friends sisters 18th birthday. We aren't going to stay out too late due to having to drive to Devon in the morning. Nor will I be having much alcohol, I am going to really play on the safe side with alcohol as I always do when driving is involved the next day.
I do have the day off today as were I not on annual leave I would have been working the weekend. I wouldn't have booked today off if I were due to work but it has worked out quite nicely that I do have the day off.

In other news I have been for 3 runs this week, actual outside runs and I have improved my time already. I was very impressed with how long I ran without stopping on Wednesdays run, I think the key is to run slightly slower. I have enjoyed the runs.

I'm not sure how nice the weather is supposed to be when we're away but fingers crossed it won't be too bad. My plan is to enjoy the holiday and then get on with being healthy, training for the upcoming runs and losing weight once I'm back. I am going to set myself a couple of post holiday resolutions once I am back.

By the way I got into a skirt the other day that I haven't fitted into for a couple of years and it was slightly loose :-)

Have a fab week all

Enthusiasm

I have been bitten by the running bug...well sort of, I haven't been for a run for a while as I have been doing loads of spinning classes instead but now I fancy doing both running and spinning. I need to get back into running. In all honesty even running a mile is a struggle for me.
I decided I would like to do an event around Autumn time so have signed up for this half marathon. And then today the entries for the only half marathon I have ever ran before (I have ran the same one two years in a row)opened so I signed up for that too, I think I may count as a regular at it now!
I am looking forward to the new one as it goes out through countryside and involves hills etc too. I am hoping to get a personal best for it despite it being hilly, I am hoping this time I will actually manage to stick with training. As for the one I've done before I really wouldn't want to miss out on a place so I've signed up!
I am looking forward to both of these challenges. I think it is good to have something to work towards. Lately I have had my holiday as motivation but with it now being 8 days away it is hard to become motivated for that as it seems too late for much of a difference to be made. I am happy with how I look in my bikini but would prefer a smaller tummy.
I am really enjoying exercise at the moment and love to see myself get fitter. I can't wait until my running improves and I can actually run for more than 2 miles without stopping. I actually think that would be a first for me as I have always been a run/walk kind of person.

In other news I had a nice birthday, my rabbit has been sexed as a girl so the name I chose is staying and I'm sorry it's taken me more than 2 weeks to update!

Maisy, food, exercise...

I got my baby rabbit on Monday evening, she is called Maisy until such a time that I find out she is actually a he! Lol. She is such a sweetie and has now got a favourite spot to sleep in in her run which is v cute. I'm looking forward to many years with her companionship.

My eating has been a bit unregulated the last couple of days, I wouldn't say I have gone mad but just not been particularly watchful. I reined it back in today. I did go to spin class yesterday morning but didn't feel particularly satisfied with myself afterwards as I found it really hard and didn't feel like I had done as well as I could have. Better than staying in bed I suppose. Plan is spin again tomorrow night and then I'm not sure when I'll get time to exercise over the weekend. Then Mon and Tues spin and not sure any further than that. Tuesday is my birthday and due to my working some extra shifts I have it off. I figure I will still go to spin as I probably wouldn't have got up to much in the morning anyway. Then home and shower followed by lunch with my mum and sit in the garden if it is nice (please be nice) then in the eve I imagine we will have a family meal at home. I am going out for a meal and to the pub on the Friday evening. This is the first time in 3 years that I have not either had an exam on my birthday or a few days after which has meant the last few were quiet ones. (I did have a party a couple of weeks after my birthday last year as it was my 21st birthday).
With all the birthday eating I can see next week may be a not losing weight week. However I am going to carry on doing plenty of exercise and try to eat as healthily as possible when it is not my birthday or meals out etc. My mum's birthday is the day after mine so there will be lots of goodies about but I shall just have to limit the amount I have.

So the rest of this week: tomorrow work and then probs spin, friday doctors appointment and friend over for lunch, Saturday and Sunday work and probs quiet evenings to save my energy.

Sticking to it

Since Monday this week I have lost 2.5lbs yippee! I have managed to stick to healthy eating with only one or two minor slip ups. :-) I'm so pleased. I am going to keep it up. Also I have really been hitting the exercise lately and am intending to keep that up too. I am really enjoying all this exercise although admittedly I feel like I've enjoyed it afterwards rather than during. If I'm enjoying it during I'm probably not working hard enough!

In other news I am going to be a mummy to a baby rabbit :-) I am so looking forward to it. I just have to decide on a name...well and get all the stuff for it.

This post is pretty short as I am very tired after not sleeping so well last night so am just off to bed.

Marathon thoughts

Today was/is the London Marathon. The one I would have ran had I not been ill. The one next year is rumoured to be on the 17April. Given that I deferred so have a definite place I have less than a year to go. Watching it on TV I was in awe, and also kind of like how can somebody run for that long!
I feel excited for running next year. 51 weeks to go which means I need to add a mile every 2 weeks or so as I am going back down to 1 mile to get really good at it. I know I won't end up training perfectly every week. Advice is you need to be able to comfortably run 15 miles a month before. At the moment I am struggling with running small distances. I have done loads of exercise over the last couple of weeks. I think for the time being I will continue with spinning classes, bike rides, general gymming and treadmill running to work on my general fitness and start to build up my running. Nearer the time I will focus more on running but if I just do running at the moment I can see myself getting bored of the training. With how much I am loving spinning classes I should definitely keep them up.

Over the last few days I have not been eating so well. I need to rein that in. Next Sunday I am going to a barbecue so my plan is when I want to eat more than I ought to during the week to remind myself that I can eat what I like on Sunday if I stick to healthy eating during the week.

My holiday is just under 5 weeks away so I must stick on the straight and narrow.

Back to the marathon, I am interested to see how my body will change in this 51 weeks. How it will become stronger (I hope) and smaller (I hope). I really hope I do not get ill this time around or injured. I think I will measure my waist and take my weight first thing in the morning sometime soon and record it and then check again just before the marathon. It will be interesting to see what can be done. I am so looking forward to the challenge. By starting training now it should be easier as the distance increases will be more gradual.

It's just me and you now body, we can do it, a bit of determination will go a long way.

Congratulations to those that took part in the London Marathon today and for those who wish to enter the ballot opens on 4th May.

Good times

I have had a miraculous recovery from possibly the worst cold I've had in years :-)woop go immune system.

I had a grumpy moment this morning but am feeling much happier right now. I went to spinning class this evening and thought about what had annoyed me during the speed trackswhich kept me going. I am totally loving spinning classes right now.

I think this week is likely to be a weight loss week as I haven't been snacking as much during the day and despite being ill I have still exercised.

Tomorrow is my day off and I might go to the gym dependant on how much my legs ache.I could feel my bum aching during spin today which is the first time its made that area ache. I am definitely benefitting from the endorphins today. My grumpy moment only lasted about 10 minutes earlier but I felt even more cheered up after spin.

In other news I dyed my hair yesterday, it is plum,in some lights it looks very dark brown and in other lights purple. I totally love it! I wasn't sure earlier but it looks much fresher and now I don't have roots. It's probably the darkest shade I have ever had my hair.

Also on my day off tomorrow I am going to do some baking with my mother. Peanut butter squares which I have never had or made before and something else as well I think although I'm not sure exactly what the 2nd lot of baking will be. I'm looking forward to a chilled out day :-)
I'd better not eat too much of the stuff we make. We can always freeze some and give some out to people we know.

I am working this weekend which I don't mind as I can usually get quite a bit of adminy type things done on the long Saturday shift. I probably won't do much Saturday night and then work again Sunday until 3.30. We have a charity spinathon on on Sunday at work, there are 6 1 hour classes. The last one is at 3.30 and I want to take part so I am going to have to get changed and run in there bang on 3.30.

I haven't really made any plans further than that so far. Just to keep plodding on with trying not to eat too much and to keep up the exercise. I feel that being a healthy weight is in sight now and just around the corner. I don't know how long it will take me to get around that corner but right now I feel it is within grabbing distance and I can do it :-)

Smiles all round :-)

Energy

On Thursday evening I went to spinning class. During one of the faster tracks I looked at the other participants and saw their legs going really fast and yet I didn't seem to be able to make my legs go that fast. Suddenly I felt an anger deep inside me and I was pedalling really fast, that was a good stress reliever.
On the way home I felt energised so when I got home I got my bike out and went for a 10 mile bike ride just because!
I have got a cold right now which is possibly the one I thought I was getting a few days ago that never quite came to anything. So my energy levels are now low. I am going to see how I feel in the morning before deciding whether to go to spinning.
My blood tests came back normal by the way so I remain a mystery.

In other news I have booked my holiday! I go in just under 7 weeks. We are going to holiday in England it will be rubbish if the weather is bad every day. So that gives me something to aim for to make the exercise and healthy eating worthwhile. I really can't wait for holiday, although I can really as it gives me something to look forward to :-)

Thoughts

I have had a good Easter weekend, we had a nice family day yesterday. I ate quite a bit but not a ridiculous amount. I did go to the gym yesterday morning so am not feeling too guilty.
I will be hitting the gym in the morning before work. Its TOM at the mo and I am feeling grumpy so will be having an aggressive (ish) run on the treadmill.

I get my blood test results tomorrow which I have to say whatever they say I may not be happy. Odd as that sounds I want them to find something wrong so it can be made better. 7 months of a sore throat and feeling under the weather is not fun. I was thinking earlier I cannot remember the last time I did not feel tired. It was possibly in November when I was on iron tablets for the first time, I remember feeling the best I had for a long time about then. This time on the iron tablets I don't feel much different and I am taking 3 a day not 2. Thing is if my blood test shows a likelihood of coeliac that isn't good because I don't want that, I like eating too much to not be allowed wheat, rye or barley! If the blood tests come back clear I guess it's back to the drawing board. The throat is still rashy and has another big whitey yellow spot at the mo so it is definitely not just me thinking I have a sore throat. And it definitely needs to be sorted out if possible. I have become a boring person who lives for the moment she can go to bed and sleep! Well not quite but my social life is definitely not quite the same. I am still doing stuff but it's often a compromise as in come home earlier or do something not quite so exhausting. Some days I am so tired I feel actually excited when I realise I have got everything done and can go to bed! This is just me thinking out loud here. I will update you guys with the news. I'm just sort of beyond knowing what to think really.

In other news not a lot to report, working all week as next weekend is my weekend off yippee!

Hope you all have a good week

I will...or I won't

One day last week I wrote myself a list of sentences starting with I will...

I had been intending to share it here at some point and decided now was the time. However I can't find the notebook I wrote it in. The list was to make me feel more determined about things in life. Perhaps I should have added I will be more tidy and then maybe I would have the notebook on me now!

So an update in bullet point form:

• My sat nav sent me a different way to the course today than it did on Monday resulting in me being convinced I'd put the wrong post code in and was going to be hideously lost and very very nearly crying on the way there.
• The big spots in my throat have gone and the rash on the roof of my mouth is there instead.
• Tomorrow is Good Friday which is also a bank holiday, I am working it (we take it in turns to work bank holidays and I do get another day off at some point instead and also get to start an hour later than usual so bonus points for a slight lie in.)
• Tomorrow night I am going out for dinner and then a few drinks.
• Saturday night I am working.
• Sunday we are having a family lunch and I am really looking forward to it.
• When I last weighed I was a mere 0.75lbs away from having lost 20lbs.
• I am currently wearing some bottoms I forgot I had and that were tight last time I wore them and dug in, they are now comfortable.
• I am seriously lacking in motivation this week in terms of eating healthily and exercise,(I'm thinking this is probably PMS so am just going to try my best and look forward to a less grumpy time of the month)

Have a good week everyone

Various

I have felt like I am coming down with a cold for a whole week now. I am very tired most days and feeling like I want to go to bed at like 7pm! The spots in my throat have started to go down a little bit which is good.

Today I was on a course for work which means I am not working this evening. It is nice to have it off. I am having a very chilled out evening and then I'm going to get an early night.

I have broken my routine of exercising 3 times a week this week as I had last Wednesday off of the gym and then today could not go to spin due to the course.

I kind of feel very apathetic about healthy eating at the moment, I have been so tired that I couldn't be bothered. Although I did make a couple of kick ass smoothies over the weekend to try and boost my immune system. (and my eating hasn't been that bad)

I have my blood test tomorrow and then work, Wednesday I'll probably go to the gym before work, Thursday the 2nd day of my course, Friday work, Saturday work, Sunday I have the day off and we are having a family roast dinner as it is Easter.

I think this week will be a case of trying to get my energy levels up and also get lots of my to do list done.

I am going out on Friday night which is good as my life seems to have been lacking in fun lately.
I feel I don't have the energy to blog properly at the moment. Hopefully I will feel better soon and get back into blogging properly.

Another loss

I was down another 1.25lbs when I weighed this morning. I had stayed the same weight the last 2 weeks so I am pleased. I did actually do a cheer gesture with my hand and say yes!

I went to spinning again Monday morning and I worked hard and I loved it. Bonus points for cycling there and back!

Eating has been a bit strange this week. I haven't had much fruit and veg but I also haven't had loads of rubbish. I think I seriously need some more ideas for things to eat because I am so BORED with what I eat at the moment. I need to think of some new things to take with me for my meal at work. That is where I am struggling.

I am doing one days overtime this week, which will lead to a bit of extra money in Aprils pay (not much after tax though). I am trying to save up as much money as possible though ready for when I move out and I figured that as I didn't have any plans for that night I would say yes and make some use of the time rather than sitting at home bored.

At the moment I have a couple of spots in my throat which are sore. I seemed to be doing better the last few weeks having less of a rash but have had some spots under my tongue for 2 weeks that weren't much bother but these ones are making my throat really sore. I have my next blood test on Tuesday and then it is usually a week for results (they are often back sooner but they say to allow a week) somaybe that might give me some answers and then again maybe not.

I am not up to much this week, just ticking over, it is my weekend to work both days so I will be busy busy and hopefully will get a lot done at work.

My room at home is a serious mess so I am going to tidy it and also sort through and see if there is anything I can get rid of.

A quiet couple of weeks ahead in terms of social life I think, but on the bright side a good opportunity to save money.

A short post

I am feeling super tired. I went for an indoor picnic at my friend's today as it was too rainy to go where we had planned to go. It was fun. But seriously I was nearly asleep at 3pm. I am feeling a bit under the weather.

Early night for me I think. Tomorrow I am marshalling a charity run, I really hope the weather is ok.

I will update properly another day.

Silverstone half marathon 2010

This is me stretching after the race

This is me just before the ten mile marker (the one in the pink hat)

Today I ache and I mean ACHE! ouch. My hips are especially sore. That half marathon was hard. It has confirmed to me that it is sensible for me to defer my full marathon place to next year.

A summary of the day yesterday:

I got up and showered, dried my hair, dressed. Had a small bowl of porridge for breakfast as I wasn't that hungry. Went to get my socks and could only find one running sock, realise I should have been more organised but also thought they were both together. Find running sock. Finish getting ready. Leave house at 9.05am.

Arrive at Silverstone at 10am, get out of car, realise there is a really strong and bitterly cold wind.

Walk the half mile to the start area, grab some free lucozade and a pace band. Sit sipping lucozade and waiting to meet my friend. Friend arrives, we eat some jaffa cakes and a mars bar, go to the loo, drop bags off and then go to the start line.

And then we were off, it took us 5 minutes to get over the start line.

The first 2 miles seemed easier than last year. I did then stop to walk for a bit and found it a struggle to even walk at a normal pace. I got an agonising pain in my right shoulder and just below which left me unable to run for a bit. Eventually I ran a bit more. Soon I saw the first water station which I was so pleased to see. The first few miles I was on target if not a bit ahead for a finish time of 2 hours 30.

However I became very tired, usually when I run I struggle with my breathing but this time it was my legs aching a lot that set me back. I used the tactic of counting my steps to make myself run. e.g run 100 then walk a bit. Between miles 5 and 6 the wind was at it's worse, it was blowing directly towards me and at one point I was going barely faster than walking as it was so strong. It was the sort of wind that makes you feel as if you are going to get blown away.

I carried on with my walk/running and came to the only hilly part of the course, 2 very steep bridges. I jogged (yes jogged) up the slope and powered it down the downhill bit (that bit was fun) then I found the toilets and I have to say I really needed to use them, I had been needing to go since mile 4!!

I kept telling myself to dig deep and push myself but I have to say I had nothing left in there to dig deep for. I was exhausted. Just after my toilet stop I began to limp. I had a sore foot that had begun to niggle on Friday evening but I thought nothing of it and assumed it would be fine.

It only seemed to bother me for a mile or 2 and then I forgot about it. There was a lucozade station just before mile 10 which I was so grateful for (there was also an earlier one and 3 water stations). Then I began running again when I looked and saw my mum and dad up ahead so despite getting really out of breath I carried on running and they took a couple of photos.

The next mile or 2 are a blur, I remember wondering where on earth the 12 mile marker had got to I swear I had been running forever before I got there. Then it was there, 1.1miles to go. I don't remember much of mile 12 other than a brief conversation with another runner, and going look that's the 13 mile marker. The crowds around the finish were cheering and I heard my parents cheering for me. At exactly the 13mile marker I didn't think I could go on, I felt faint, I wanted to stop to walk but everyone around me was running and I was too embarrassed to walk so I ran and somehow made it over the finish line. I stopped and for a brief moment thought I was going to faint. I took a deep breath and walked over the the ramps to get my timing tag removed from my trainers. I don't remember what the person said to me but whatever he said it was what I wanted to hear.

Along the course the marshalls all clapped and shouted words of encouragement. The ones that I actually found the most useful were the ones at the very last water station.

After crossing the finish line I felt myself well up and I very nearly cried, this years half marathon was much much harder than last and I felt more proud of myself this year.

I walked down the track and picked up my finishers bag, I put my medal on and got my photo taken. I exited the track and picked up my bag, then saw my friend who had also taken part and my family. We had a hug and I drank some of the milkshake in the finishers bag, I put warm clothes on, we said goodbye to my friend, I went to the loo and then we walked the half mile to the car park.

I ate half a sandwich in the car and text a couple of people, when we got home we had dinner (although I didn't have much of an appetite) then I had a bath and quiet evening before a very early night.

Overall I am pleased with myself for doing the half marathon but I am definitely going to do more training before the next one!

The elite athletes were interviewed afterwards so my mother tells me (I was still running) and they all said the weather made it particularly hard.

I didn't finish in 2hours 30 as I had hoped but I definitely beat last years time. I haven't had my official time yet but I think I shed about 3-4 minutes off. Not what I had hoped in advance but when I was actually taking part I realised just how hard it was and was happy to let that aim go. That aim is for the future.

EDIT: my official finish time is 2 hours 49 minutes 2 seconds which is 3 minutes 54 seconds faster than last year. Also the wind was 24mph! No wonder it was hard

Thoughts the day before the half marathon

This time tomorrow I will be running the Adidas Silverstone half marathon! It is due to start at 12noon.

I am currently experiencing mixed feelings. Excited and determined and nervous. I am hoping it won't rain, nor be too hot.

I have got a hat to wear this year which will be good if it rains as should shield the lenses on my glasses from it and also be good to protect my scalp etc if it is sunny. I am going to wear suncream this year after getting sunburnt last year.

I am going to be wearing a lot of pink so it seems, I have without planning to ended up with a matching outfit. I feel good in it so fingers crossed I will stay comfy.

I really, really want to get a better time this year. I would like to shed 10-20minutes but I don't know that that is very realistic with everything that has been going on in my life lately and distracting me from training. My time last year was 2 hours 52 minutes 56 seconds. I am definitely aiming for under 3 hours again. I just have no idea. I think I will be disappointed if I don't do better than last year.

I don't know whether having done one before and knowing I can do it will help. I hit the wall around mile 2 last year and was completely freaking out, wondered who I was kidding etc etc wanted to quit but somehow I got through it and ran/walked the 11ish more miles and completed it. I am expecting I may hit the wall this year and be thinking yes I've done one before but I haven't done enough training this year cos I was ill and have I done more or less training I don't know etc etc etc. Hopefully if I expect it when it happens I will be able to deal with it ok. Although it'll still be a bad moment I'm sure.

If I can put the determination and sheer ROAR I am feeling inside of me right now into my running then I will hopefully beat last years time. I think there is no way to know how it will go until the day and the moment. I will feel so pleased with myself if I beat last years time. Truth be told I would love to get 20minutes off my time but I know that may not be realistic. However anything is possible and I am going to give it my all, self motivation YOU CAN DO IT.

If nothing else running a half marathon burns a good few calories and I get a Tshirt and medal when I finish :-) See you guys on the other side.

Bye bye inches!

On the first of January this year I wrote a post and explained about my waist size and how healthy for a woman is deemed to be 32inches or less. I remember thinking I have no idea how I will ever get that small etc. Well I have just measured my waist and it is 32 inches!!! Yippee.

From my heighest weight I have now lost 17lbs, I don't know exactly when my heighest weight was but progress is progress thanks very much.

1st Jan my weight was 12st 13.5lbs, however for quite a while between then and now I weighed 13st 1 -13st2.

Today I was 12st 7lb.

So it has been a slow journey, but I have got into the healthy zone in terms of waist yay! I am going to keep going, I want my tummy to be toned rather than doughy.

I have just been food shopping and got some mainly healthy foods. My meal tonight at work will be sandwich, carrot, apple and yoghurt. Lunch is pasta and breakfast was muesli.

Not much else to report, had some more news from the docs yesterday am low on iron again and am getting tested for coeliac too, when/if I ever find out exactly what is going on with me I will let you guys know. There's been many a theory so far. Touchwood my throat is not too bad today :-) and my energy levels have been ok.

Plans for this week are gym with friend in morning tomorrow, then work, Thursday day off, help someone with something for a bit, go shopping with friend, Friday work then think I am doing something with my friend who's birthday it is on Thursday. Saturday eat lots of carbs! Sunday run half marathon. Monday spinning if my legs are up to it (probably not!) followed by work.

Have a fab week all, one of these days I will get around to commenting on other peoples blogs a bit more x

Fun times

I have had a good week this week, I went on a mini holiday and then on Friday went out partying.

Tues-Thurs I was staying with a friend in Cardiff, we ate out, we shopped, we ate out again, we gossiped, fun times. Unfortunately my energy levels were a bit low so we didn't manage clubbing or anything but I had a great time anyway :-)

Friday night was a friend from works leaving do. We went out for a meal and then to some pubs. I did say I wasn't going to drink much. However I ended up roaring drunk (oops). I got in at 3.30am and after 3.5 hours sleep managed to get up and get through my 10 hour work shift and get everything I needed to done (go me!) I had a really good time and don't drink often so am not going to feel bad. Have to say I have no idea how I had the energy to stay out that late.

I am running a half marathon next Sunday so am going to be getting plenty of quiet time and after going to spinning tomorrow morning will only exercise lightly until the big day. I have absolutely no idea what sort of time I will get what with getting ill having affected my training. I am not worried as long as I'm not last! I kind of wish I had done loads of training so I could get a better time, but regrets are pointless and I wasn't well enough to train fully. Getting a better time is for another half marathon, if I do get a better time than last year this time then that's a bonus.

Zzzzzzzz

So I have just got back from a couple of days away (which was muchos fun) and am pretty tired.
Have eaten out a lot and am off out for dinner again tomorrow night. I am going to enjoy myself and worry about the calories on the 12th of never!
Its ok to eat what you like some days as long as it's not every day. I have enjoyed myself on my little holiday and I intend to enjoy myself tomorrow night. Eating healthily again can start on Saturday.

I have a super hot new dress to wear tomorrow night. I can't wait.

Sorry for the shortness of the post but I have been a busy bee today and am too tired to blog in detail about things x

Disappointing news

Ok so I just typed out a long and heartfelt entry and then clicked publish post and the bloomin thing didn't work and my entry is lost! Not what I need right now. Start again!

It is with great sadness that I must announce I am having to defer my place in the London Marathon to 2011. If you are ill or injured you can defer for a year(only once though so I'd best not be ill again next year!)

Some of you may be wondering where this has come from. I have mentioned on here several times about feeling ill, sore throat etc. There has also been times when I have intentionally not mentioned feeling ill as I do not want my blog to be a complete whinge!

Since the beginning of this year I have had 2 weeks off training due to being ill (thats about 25% of the year so far!!) This sore throat has been bugging me for 6 months! sometimes it's not too bad, others I feel completely S**t (faint, sick, no energy whatsoever). Several people had asked me whether I was still going to do the marathon as they knew how rubbish I'd been feeling and I said yes because I was determined to do it. However after a serious chat with a friend who is also an exercise professional and also taking advice from a couple of others I realised deferring was the most sensible thing to do. How I hate being sensible though!

I have shed a few tears (and more!) about it today, considered not deferring and then decided to move on, train for next year and don't look back. This gives me 14months and I am going to go right back to basics, not running far to start off with and build up to try and help my body recover. I have found a couple of shorter races for later on in the year for me to work towards. The silver lining of this dark cloud is that I should hopefully be able to get a reasonable time next year. If I had tried to do it this year for the sake of it I think I would have struggled to finish in under 7 hours if at all as right now I can barely run a mile or 2 without having to stop to walk or feeling ill!

I hope you guys will understand and support me in my (longer) journey towards a marathon.

I kind of feel defeated, a let down, and a chicken. Like I've taken the easy way out.

Have a good week x

A challenge overcome

So I did something yesterday I am proud of, I went to my first ever spinning class! This is especially great for me as I have never been to any sort of exercise class before due to feeling worried about not knowing what to do/making a fool of myself.

I was thinking I would take up spinning after the marathon as a way of keeping up my fitness. However 2 work colleagues were going to go Monday morning and persuaded me to come with. I figured I didn't want to go by myself first time so would go then. However neither of them showed up! I went ahead and did the class anyway.

The instructor was lovely and showed me how to set up my bike etc and was really helpful. During the first track I started to tire and get out of breath and wondered why I had thought I could do it, how stupid of me to think I was fit enough etc. Somehow I managed to continue and finish the class and in the end I really enjoyed it. I will definitely be going again. I think whilst I am still training for the marathon I will go to spinning once a week and then once I have done the marathon perhaps go a bit more often. I'm proud of myself for breaking that barrier and going the first time.

My Day today (so far and the rest of the day plans)

Wake up, breakfast, go to gym, run/walk 12k on treadmill at planned marathon pace, chat a bit to friends in gym, home, lunch, long hot bath with new yummy smelling bubbles, wash hair, get out, dry hair, get dressed, chat about stuff, read paper, do tiny bit of housework, cup of tea, read runners world mag, decide to start running journal in a spare diary I have, start said journal, go on internet, update blog, laze around a bit, have dinner, get ready, go out, cocktails, giggles, home, bed, sleep, wake up refreshed and happy!

Back to normal...

So I am back at work now :-) this week has gone well so far. I am feeling pretty tired today but have nothing on for the rest of the day so am going to relax.

I have really got my appetite back now and am wanting to stuff everything in sight! Not good but then I have also just realised that it might be pre-menstrual hunger (sorry for tmi!)

I have been knocking back the veggies and fruits. I am finding some things hard to swallow at the mo which is annoying, but it's more stuff like breads, raw carrots etc.

Am back to exercising which feels good, gonna do an 8 miler on Saturday or Sunday in accordance with my training plan. I can't wait, will feel really satisfied and pleased with myself after that.

Not much else to report really, just trying to get back to normal...

Will update soon with more info x

10 weeks to size 10?

I have a plan, today is my last day of rest and getting better (well last day off to do so, I hope to continue to get better after today) Tomorrow is back to work and back to training.

As of today it is 10 weeks until the London Marathon, 4 weeks until the half marathon and 2 weeks until the 3 hour aerobathon I am taking part in. This week I fitted into a pair of jeans that have been too small for the last 2 years. Not just fitted but managed to wear them all day. They are a UK size 12. I could do with being a tiny bit slimmer to fit them nicely. Anyway I digress, Yesterday I got my old size 10 haven't fitted for 3ish years jeans out just to prove that they were stupidly small and would never fit again. I looked at them, I held them up against myself. Hmm, maybe they aren't impossibly small. This morning I was thinking, 10 weeks til the marathon, 10 weeks is a long time, long enough to get into the size 10s? I hope so. You are now reading about a girl on a mission to be a size 10 by the time of the marathon. I have no idea how many pounds I need to lose to get to that size but I know that it is doable in the time I have and I will still be able to lose sensibly. No crash dieting.

The fact I will be doing a lot of training is what makes me confident. I want to be healthy, I want to be confident in my body whatever I wear not just in 'some outfits'.

I also measured my waist today, since the 1st of January I have lost 3.5 inches. Over the last couple of weeks I have been much more in control of my eating. If I continue with that level of control then size ten should be doable. 10 weeks is a long time but it also isn't. I am hoping that now I have such a goal and have made it public then I will be accountable. Please willpower stay with me!

In other news my mouth/throat has healed up a lot more, energy is still low but getting there. I'm looking forward to going back to work tomorrow and getting back to normality.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone and have a great week x

Can you say hungry?

Man am I hungry!

I seem to have my appetite back although it is not quite normal. I put a tiny bit of weight back on and have now maintained a loss of 6lbs since starting to feel quite ill last week.

I feel a little bit better but am still really struggling with my energy levels. I go back to work on Monday and am going to start back with training then too. I know I must not go mad and to be honest I don't think I will have the energy to go mad doing loads of exercise.

My plan is to make sure I get plenty of rest over the next couple of weeks and carry on with my fruit and veg etc to really try and kick this thing. Or at least the non-sore throat symptoms. I don't think that eating lots of fruit and veg is going to do the trick on the sore throat.

2 more days to really rest up and try to gain some energy. Tomorrow I am going to be super lazy!

I hope you guys have all had a good week.

The one in which I feel a bit more human

So I feel a tincy wincy bit better dare I say it. I have had loads of rest so have a bit more energy than I did at the start of the week. I also have a bit more of an appetite. My throat is still 'interesting' though.

I'll be honest and say I am a bit bored of being off work but I know I need this time to recover and recuperate and with how I feel at the moment I don't think I would last even half a shift at work.

I am going to have a quiet afternoon and maybe watch a dvd or 2. Have to see how I feel. I have been having 2 naps a day the last couple of days! I am actually like an old lady especially with my aching hips...

Thanks for the get well wishes everyone, I am hoping to be back to some kind of normal by Monday when I go back to work and am then going to build back up to exercise slowly.

Going down

Well after last weeks loss of 4lbs i have now lost another 2.75 lbs bringing my total loss during February so far to 6.75lbs.

I have really lost my appetite at the moment, sometimes I am really hungry but at other times of day I am not and feel nauseous (spelling?), last night I had a small smoothie whilst waiting for my dinner to cook and that was it I was full!

I visited my doctor again yesterday about the good ol sore throat, and my feeling exhausted all the time lately (also joint pain, stomach pain, headaches, dizziness, being a grumpy cow). I have pharyngitis again and have probably had/have a virus as well and a combination of the two is making me feel pants. Not fun although it does work well for the weight loss. I am off work for the moment and am really hoping this week of rest and smoothies and vit C and zinc will really help me to feel better. We are still, not sure what is going on with my throat, it is still being investigated. When I know I will let you guys know!

I am going to get lots of sleep and eat what I can that is nourishing and hope to have more energy soon.

I hope you guys are all well and not bored of listening to stories about my sore throat!

10 weeks and 5 days until the marathon!

yo-yo scales

Between Sunday and Thursday I lost 5.5lbs, since then I have put 1.5lbs back on which means over the last 6 days I have lost 4lbs!

To be fair losing 5.5lbs over just a few days is not healthy. I don't really know how I lost it as I was still chomping down plenty of chocolate! I think it might have something to do with my being a bit under the weather of late.

Today I went shopping with my friend and got a lovely dress and some other stuff like a cardi, tights, underwear, leggings and a top. and I didn't even spend that much. I really feel like we shopped til we dropped. I am having a quiet night in tonight, I really need it, my energy levels have been so low lately.

In other news I have signed up to take part in a 3 hour aerobathon at the end of February for charity. I must be nuts I have no coordination whatsoever!

A strange new me...

I kicked butt today with my exercise, I walked the dog in the rain this morning.

I went to the gym this afternoon and I ran at a faster speed than I used to, I ran at this faster speed without stopping for longer than I run at my normal speed without stopping. I came home and decided to run up and down the stairs 5 times just for the fun of it! Then later on I ran up and down another 5 times because I was cold and figured I may as well warm myself up and burn some calories. Now I know there are other ways to warm up and burn calories but well I'm single at the moment ;-) so running it is!

I haven't done too badly with eating today either. I am also much more restrained at work, haven't been raiding the biscuit tin and am barely ever buying things from the vending machine.

I am feeling really determined right now to get on with my running training and to really push myself. I am aiming to finish the marathon in under 7 hours. This may sound ridiculously long, that allows 15 minutes per mile and an extra half an hour ish for what ever reason. That will still be a challenge for me. I will be walk/running it. So my training's aim is to get me to be able to run as much of it as possible. When I did the half marathon towards the end I was so tired I was counting my paces and running 200 walking 100 etc. I know this is the way I will get through the marathon walk/running, whether it is walk a mile run 2 or what I do not know. I have never been someone who is good at sport or who is particularly fit. Running is a challenge to me whether I am running a mile or 26.2 of the bloomin things! I crave the challenge and can't wait to knock this marathon dead in my own slow and steady way. I will feel mentally AWESOME as I cross that finish line (and probably rather emotional too). I can't wait for the hugs with my family and friends the first time I see them after the marathon. I hope they will be super PROUD of me. Little old me the one who always made excuses not to take part in school PE lessons.

11 weeks and 5 days to go... :-) 11 weeks and 5 days to kick butt and make mine smaller! woohoo!

Could you tell I'm in a good mood?!
Love

Lazy day

Hello!

Sorry for the lack of posts, I have been pretty busy and also have a hand injury (mainly my thumb) which makes typing or indeed doing pretty much anything painful. Luckily the swelling is starting to go down now and it's less painful and yes before you ask there is almost always something wrong with me!

This week seems to have passed in a blur. Today and tomorrow are my days off. I might be seeing a friend this evening, I will be having a lazy day up until that point and if I am not seeing her then I will just carry on with my lazy day! I am seriously in need of some rest. For some reason I never quite manage to have the relax time I intend to.

My eating has been going quite well I think. However when I injured my thumb and felt faint I did have a cup of tea with 4 sugars! My friend made it to try to stop the faintness, the faintness did go away so it may well have helped :-) I felt so sick that I didn't end up having any dinner that night. So I guess that cancels out the sugar in the tea. lol.

Exercise has been ok, lots of dog walks, I am intending to go to the gym tomorrow morning for a run, or run with the dog on his walk. The problem is that the places like the fields where we can let the dog off his lead are too muddy to wear anything other than wellies and I couldn't run with him on the lead as I don't think it would work out too well!

I am going out for drinks tomorrow night, I can't wait :-) I won't go overboard but it will be nice to go out.

Have a fab weekend x

What a Week

I have had a crazy week, can't go into full details here but I have been so busy! Tomorrow I have a day's holiday from work and have lots to do. But at least I don't have to get up at 6am to walk the dog. In the evening my friend is coming over who I haven't seen for ages, can't wait :-) I am going to cook us fajitas for tea.



Erin gave me this :-) thanks


The Rules
post 10 things that make you happy
try to do at least one of them today
and pass some lovins on to 10 other bloggers

1. Eating healthily and resisting temptation
2. Helping other people
3. Taking my dog for a long walk
4. Laughing with friends
5. Sunshine
6. Pushing through the pain and achieving exercise goals and thinking about the marathon
7. Baking makes me feel very content
8. Singing in the shower
9. Cuddles :-)
10. Dancing like nobody's watching :-)

My answers there are very brief but it does what it says on the tin.
So who to award this to?

Emma
KK
Girl Stuck in a Rut
June
Melissa
LittleMissFattyPants
Merys

I have decided to leave it at those 6 as most of the blogs I read are written by men who may or may not appreciate the girliness of the award!

I'm off to lie on the sofa and watch sex and the city on boxset :-)

What a Difference a Day Makes

Phew I am feeling so much better today. Much less stressed.

I did some voluntary work last night to do with nutrition and I really enjoyed it. I will definitely be helping out again each week that my work shifts permit it.

I have 3 more days of work before my next day off, I am looking forward to the day off but am also quite happy to go to work and get all my admin type things done too. It's really satisfying to tick things off my to do list.

I did manage to get my early night last night, think I was about 5 past 11 so slightly missed my target but much better than usual. I am going to aim to be in bed by 11 or quarter past tonight too. I do find tiredness really affects my mood causing me to be grumpy and irritable. I have been really hungry all day which I now realise could be related to the fact that I am still pretty tired. I think I should have taken a more substantial lunch with me to keep me going.

I am having a quiet night in tonight, then gym or outside run in the morning before working the late shift. It's an extra shift so more money yippee! (I am trying to save as much as I can here and there for the future when I buy a house, admittedly by the time I've paid tax it won't be very much money at all but it all adds up)

Strategies

I have been feeling rather stressed the last few weeks, I have decided I need to do something in order to feel more in control of things and less stressed. I am going to write a list of things I need to do to feel less stressed. I think a problem of mine is reading too much into things people say and thinking they mean a hell of a lot more by it than just what they said.

I need to get in fun time, relax time, going to bed at as sensible a time possible, this will all help me to get more things done both at work and at home as in chores etc etc as I should be able to concentrate better.

Once I get in tonight I am going to have some wind down time and then aim to be in bed ready to sleep by 11pm. Ideally I would be in bed before this but as I usually don't end up ready to sleep until after 12.15 I think 11pm is a good aim.

I know I just need to calm down and logically work my way through everything that I need to do and get on with it rather than worrying about it. If all goes to plan I should soon be feeling a lot less stressed.

I feel better knowing that I am doing something about it, I'm not entirely sure what I need to put on my list but hopefully that will help.

Changing the subject, we have snow again!!!

Man am I tired

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz, cough! gasp! sorry did I just doze off there?!

I am so super tired, I am definitely going to bed early tonight.

I have been doing reasonably well with my eating the last few days (yay). Exercise has been going well too, I am achy tonight.

I've got a doctors appointment tomorrow, but am not sure whether my blood test results will be back yet and even if they are I may still remain a mystery.

Not a lot else to report, as I mentioned at the weekend I have a busy week this week. I just need to get through it and get as much stuff done as possible. I'm finding it hard to concentrate lately.

Back soon with hopefully something more interesting to say

Doing well

I am feeling so much better and am doing well on the rules I set myself.

I have stuck to the rules so far. I am having 2 chocolate free days at the moment so that I can allow myself some tomorrow as I am going to a friend's for a movie day and want to be able to have some in case there is any.

I went to the gym today and did 55mins on the treadmill. I didn't run for particularly long as I was struggling to keep up the running. I'm still pleased with my efforts though.

Tomorrow as I say I am going to my friend's for a lazy day, I can't wait, will be great to have a good chat, I saw her on Thursday but felt like we had so much left to talk about!

This next week is going to be mad, I am working an extra day this week and then on my one and only day off am very busy with a doctors appt, then helping someone out with some stuff, then helping out with something in the evening. I have a day off Monday 25th, think I'll be exhausted by then!

I will be dogsitting as of next weekend for 3.5 weeks so will be getting a lot of exercise walking him and following my training plan too.

As well as sticking to the rules I have found I have not eaten as much in general the last few days and in fact when I tell myself it is a chocolate free day I don't even find myself wanting it very much. Long may it last!

The Rules

So I have set myself some rules:

I must have at least 1 portion of fruit and/or vegetables with each meal I take to work.

Chocolate is now allowed no more often than every other day. (skinny cow hot choc is allowed if needed)

That's about it on the rules for now!

Yesterday I went for a run, I walked to the park and ran around there as it is still snowy rather than compacted into ice like it is on the pavements. Tomorrow I will probably go to the gym or run round the park again. It's gotta be good for me as it's harder to run through the snow.

I am really struggling with hunger which then leads to me eating chocolate. I swear chocolate is the only thing that fills me up for very long. I'm going to need some serious distracting. It's pathetic how much I struggle to control what I eat.

Must try harder!

On the plus side I visited my sister who is stuck inside cos of the snow and made us a yummy and healthy stir fry for lunch. I'm taking the leftovers to work for my dinner. I'm going to take a banana too and just hope I resist the urge to munch the biscuits out of the biscuit tin at work.

Stories

I have a number of things to talk about today so I figured I would tell them all in one post. Several 'Stories' kind of.

A bottle of Wine

On Monday I went to work, a colleague mentioned something about my bottle of wine. I was confused, what bottle of wine was she talking about? I then thought well maybe it's a late Christmas present from somebody. I went to go and see and there was a letter there. Addressed to Sophie C c/o leisure centre. Now I'm thinking it must be from a customer or someone else I've had dealings with. I open the letter. Dear Sophie, Ref Employee of the month. I had been awarded employee of the month for my centre :-) that put a smile on my face! The letter went on to explain why I had been awarded it and ended with enjoy your wine, now that's my kind of letter!

A trip to the doctors

I went to see the nurse on Monday as the rash in my mouth had returned, she then sent me in to see the doctor. The doctor was not sure why my throat was so sore but said it was very red etc. She gave me antibiotics for 10 days and has ordered another blood test to test for some different things this time. I have been poorly all week as I have had this major sore throat and a stonking cold/fluey thing on top of it. I was off sick from work on Tuesday as I felt so ill, no energy and a bit dizzy too.

The Snow

I have officially been proved wrong when I said it hardly ever snows. On Tuesday evening it began to snow and snow and snow. We have the most snow I have ever seen in my life at the moment! Its supposed to snow even more tomorrow and Monday! I have been walking to work in it as I would have to dig my car out if I wanted to drive anywhere and the roads are so icy and dangerous.

Marathon Training

I completed week one of my training programme, then I got sick. I haven't been for a run for a week and a day. And I am not going today either. I am just coming out the otherside of this flu/cold and think it would be unwise to go running, however I feel REALLY GUILTY about this. It does worry me that I haven't trained for a week, but I just haven't been in a fit state to do any training. I have walked a couple of places other than to work this week and am finding my leg muscles ache, I think the slippyness of the paths means it takes more effort to stay standing so is probably pretty good for toning. So the walking is better than nothing. I have to say just a short walk to town and back one day this week really took it out of me. I kind of need some reassurance that it's ok not to train when you feel poorly and this one week off training will not affect my ability to finish the marathon? I'm also concerned I won't be able to do as much as the programme says next week, does this matter? Perhaps I should do some research, then again perhaps I should just not worry and do my best next week to do what I can.

A party

It was my friend's 21st birthday party last night, I almost didn't go because I was feeling so poorly, but I did go and had a great time. I think she did too :-)

A day of rest

Today I am having a day of rest, my body needs it, I think I will watch a dvd this afternoon and get an early night tonight. I will make sure I get plenty of rest next week too as well as getting back to training. I have been making sure I eat vegetables this last week to try and help get rid of my illness, however I have not been hitting 5 a day. My aim for the next week is to nourish my body and take good care of it. Although that's easier said than done, especially when there are 2 boxes of chocolates on the table I am sat at right now!

I hope everyone is having a good week :-)

Feeling Sorry for myself

You know the persistant sore throat I kept mentioning? Well the problem returned a few weeks ago and I have been avoiding mentioning it because I didn't want people to get fed up of hearing about it.

My throat has been sore for 12 days in a row now. Some days it's just a touch uncomfortable, others worse. Boxing day my mouth was covered in a rash and I had 2 spots at the back next to my throat. Were it a day that the GPs was open as usual I would have gone to see them that day but being as it would have been an out of hours service I did not feel it was severe enough. It calmed down the next day.

Today it is super duper painful, I have been feeling off all day and have gotten worse this evening. I have a different spot now and it's actually right next to my tonsils, and now instead of just a sore throat I have icky sinuses, feel sick and a bit of a cough and my kidney has decided to join in and ache too!

I had a sleep after work and feel a tad better in terms of lethargy but in general just meh. I am going to get an early night. Really hope I feel better in the morning I can't afford to be ill.

Whinge over!

So I may not be blogging much this week.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year Everyone!

May it bring you all health and happiness.

My aims for 2010 are to cut down on swearing which I am doing ok at but it's proving hard, I'm really having to think before I speak.

The second one is to run the London Marathon, today I completed week one of the training plan. I had to adjust the days slightly due to my work hours this week so I am a day ahead and did the Sat/Sunday run today. It was hard, it was however a beautiful day and there were lots of people out walking in the sunshine. Cold and fresh outside which I think is better than warm and drizzly/raining.

I weighed myself this morning and have just measured my waist. My weight was 12st 13.5lb (181.5lb). This makes my BMI 29.4, supposedly I need to lose pretty much 2 stone to be at the top end of healthy. I know that BMI shouldn't be used alone as a tool but still 2 stone is an awful lot to lose to still be on the top end of healthy. I'm not in denial but I've always been on the heavier side even when I was small in terms of dimensions etc so I don't think I would be healthy if I dropped my BMI to say 20 (and who knows how many lbs I would have to lose to get to that bottom end?). I don't know! urgh! Stupid weight. I have just measured my waist, properly and not pulling the measure really tight or sucking in or anything, 36 inches. Below 32inches is healthy for a woman, thats 4 whole inches I have to lose. I really hope I do and in fact lose more than that!

Apparently the average female stops her new years diet after 6 days and the average male after 8 days! Sticking to plans is one of the hardest things to do.

I am going to try and up my fruit and vegetable intake because I do not want to be getting ill even with a cold in the run up to the marathon (excuse the pun) as colds really knock me back and also have more fruit and veg because doing a lot of exercise increases the production of free radicals in the body so it's important to consume enough antioxidants to counteract that effect, of which fruit and vegetables are a good source.

I am going to have a quiet weekend this one, I am working 10 hours tomorrow and will then have a chilled evening hopefully and Sunday only 7 hours. After all the excess of Christmas I need to look after my body and get plenty of sleep etc. I think I will look through the cookbooks I got for Christmas at some point and see what goodies I can make out of them, perhaps not make anything for a while though as I am kind of off puddings and desserts etc. Maybe make something savoury in a couple of weeks when things have settled down a bit more. I will also probably spend some time reading the running magasine I got for Christmas.

Have a fab week x