No more wobbles!

Missed last weeks #wobbleswednessday! There was a different type of wobble in our house as the little lady started school!! Well to be fair the only wobbling was coming from me, one week into school and she is loving every minute, was very disappointed this morning not to be going to breakfast club or afterschool club!

Anyway, starting school meant 3 half days so we took the week of work, and I took a week of 'dieting' although its not dieting is it? This is just how to eat and be. Full stop. Its not like I am going to reach my target and break out the junk, well I might for a day, but you know what I mean.

All in all it wasn't too bad. I ate more junk than I would normally but I moved an awful lot more than I do at work (resenting the desk job this week) and actually lost a little bit of weight not much but still. By Sunday I was more than ready to get back to some normal eating and craving vegetables!

I guess I am lucky in that I have a VERY active daughter (although you will frequently hear me cursing it) I hope it will continue and I don't want to discourage her. So, given I can no longer keep up with her running while she is on a bike, I have purchased a bike! Now I have not been on a bike for at least 12 years but am enjoying our wee bike rides together, for a 4 year old she is nippy so there is no need to try and slow myself down :-)

What's more it was a bargain! £50 from the very lovely people at http://www.recyke-a-bike.co.uk/ who refurbish second hand bikes, so I can feel I've been nice to the environment.

So am back to it, healthy food choices with the odd treat thrown in. Exercise wise I have got my fitbit back in action. I struggle to say I will do this on this day so instead in a week I will walk at least 70,000 steps, do one cardio DVD, one Pilates DVD, some abs work and one run or decent cycle plus what ever additions the little lady makes!

What are your goals?

Inspiration!

Well today was going to be all about going to my Mums at the weekend, having a fab old time, not going crazy on food but enjoying some treats and basically not sitting down all weekend!

Then I came across this blog post on twitter http://gymforwomen.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/michelles-amazing-story.html?m=1 

The lady in question suffers from EDS (hypermobility) as do I. Luckily I was diagnosed pretty early at about 17 (saying that 12-17 was not good - growing pains Mr Doctor? Errr no!) and although at the time was told there was a good chance I'd be in a wheelchair by I was 30 I also had a great physio who stressed the importance of strength and basically using my muscles to hold myself together. Now this is not to say I have always been great at this my 20's were spent partying, exercise wasn't always easy, I put on weight blah blah blah! But now I am older and wiser I am being a lot more conscious of my role in keeping myself fit and healthy. I've mentioned before how I feel better if I am eating right and exercising and it's not always easy. Yesterday I dislocated my toe walking to work, now a toe isn't a very major joint but my it smarts and makes you walk in the strangest of ways!

The upshot of all this is I AM going to do the Spartan race next year - I have 13 months to be fit and strong for it, frozen shoulder or no frozen shoulder! I will be an inspiration to my daughter, who although not formally diagnosed yet looks like she has inherited my condition.

This time next week Chloe starts school, although this doesn't actually give me any more time, it is almost a new start, I am going to give myself a list of fitness activities I want to achieve in a week (inspired by an MFP friend) and as long as I get those done it doesn't matter when I do it!

What is your inspiration? What is your challenge? Can you inspire someone?

Linking up to #WobblesWednesday and http://ditchflabgetfab.com/an-even-keel-wobbleswednesday

#WobblesWednesday - sticking to the plan!

Last week was great, firmly back on the wagon, focused and determined and do you know what, it worked - the weight I had put on is off. So it should be easy right? Am still pretty focused, had a small slip up yesterday (400 cals for a flapjack???? it was delicious though) but am going to do this. I injured my shoulder a couple of months ago and finally went to the doctors on Monday, turns out I have a frozen shoulder, so have been referred to a physio - who knows how long that will take to come through. So in the mean time I am going to have to modify what exercise I do which is really frustrating! I already have a whole long list of don't thanks to hypermobility (most of which I ignore but ssshhhh don't tell the doc!)

I accept that I'm not going to be able to do as much exercise as I would like so I really need to keep food in check, have a trip to Mum's this weekend so it could be tough. But if I want to be where I want to be then I need to stay focused.

I would like to thank my lovely friends over on MFP who have kept me motivated and on the wagon.

And if anyone is feeling like giving up watch this clip of one of those friends Uncle who finish an Ironman despite being hardly able to walk! A true inspiration, it is not how you finish the race but finishing it that matters!

Linking up with the very supportive #WobblesWednesday ladies

Wobbles Wednesday, wobbling along!

Well, what can I say? I've been struggling. I lost my mojo,, looked everywhere for it, behind the sofa, in the fridge (had to eat a few bars of chocolate to make sure it hadn't sneaked into them) but it was nowhere to be found. We were away at the weekend, so there was a lot of eating out and eating rubbish. We stopped at Burger King on the way home, £18 for 2 adult and 1 kids meal nearly passed out. The chips were so drowned in Salt that C wouldn't eat them! But anyway I digress. I have not been anywhere near the scales as I know I have gained, if not in lbs then in fat!

So yesterday I wobbled, I felt fat and lazy and all I wanted to do was eat chocolate. But I gave myself a good talking to and you know what? I didn't have any chocolate! I am feeling fat and lazy because I am being fat and lazy. I know the only way to get the body I want is to work at it, so why the self sabotage? No idea to be honest. Eating rubbish makes me feel rubbish, not exercising makes me feel rubbish so why it is so easy to laze around stuffing my face? My joints are worse so its a bit of a vicious circle as it is now a real effort to get back into exercising. But I have given myself a good kick up the bum and am feeling a bit more positive.

Part of the problem this week has been lack of planning, so shall be back to planning and think I am even going to put together a workout schedule so there is no excuse!

Linking up with http://nakedmum.co.uk/ a day late, not being in work on Monday has confused be totally!

An amazing body?

So last week I said I looked alright but I wanted to look amazing and while I am still on that mission it go me thinking. We give our bodies a pretty hard time don't we? There is always something to moan about, cellulite, bingo wings, jelly belly the list goes on. In my case if often does this I did not request, the odd dislocation here and there! But do you know what, no matter what shape or size you are, our bodies are pretty amazing.

So without sounding vain I thought I'd write about why my body is amazing!

First off it survived years of partying, drinking more than I should, sleeping less than I should, the usual and it came out of it pretty well intact!

Then it did this....                                and produced this!

 

And if that was not amazing enough it produced food to give my gorgeous little girl everything she needed for 6 months, and continued to feed her until she was 18 months old! If you take a step back and think about it that is too amazing fro words! Its also gave me a delightful set of stretch marks but as this is a positive post we'll not dwell on that!

 

I was a keen gymnast in my youth and remain pretty flexible (it helps that I am hypermobile!) but it's still pretty amazing that I can still do this at 35!

Now the splits are not perfect but my aim is that they will be by the end of the summer!

It's amazing how strong you are without knowing it! I regularly pick up (and throw around, in a good way!) a 26kg child, now if someone asked me to lift that at the gym I'd probably say I couldn't.

I think I'm going to focus on gaining instead of losing. Gaining flexibility, gaining strength, gaining leanness, gaining confidence......

So yeah they may not be perfect but our bodies are pretty amazing! What amazing things can your body do?

 

 



 

The scales dont say it all!

So at roughly the 6 month mark I have hardly lost any weight around 4lbs woo hoo!!!

But I think I have made a difference to my body shape.

This in in January

 

 This was last week

 

Not the best of pictures I know, and was just before me and the little one were about to go swimming and had an invasion of cuddly toys!!

 

But I think there is a difference (maybe its the angle it was taken?)

 

However the point is if I have given even 90% for the last 6 months I would be looking a lot better! I think the problem is I look 'alright', if you walked past me in the street you wouldn't think I was huge, well not unless you were really mean! But I don't want to look 'alright I want to look amazing and I'm only going to do that if I focus and stick to it!

 

I am still using myfitnesspal.com and I do like it, there are some fab people on there who are not just great at motivating but also understand that real life gets in the way.

 

I am still joining in with the great ladies at #WobblesWednesday

 

I have also joined up with #TeamLean2013 on twitter, great motivation. Have joined the July abs challenge to see if I can get this jelly belly

 

 



 

 

looking a bit more toned!

Have done two days on C25K and really enjoyed it, problem is fitting it in! Hopefully the next 6 months will see a huge transformation into awesomeness!!

Rain!

The rain annoys me

It's a bit of a pest

My feet are soaked

I'm wet through to my vest

But without the rain

The flowers wouldn't grow

We'd go our whole lives

Without seeing a rainbow

Next time someone gets your goat

Or something just drives you mad

Think where we'd be without rain

Remember the rainbow and don't be sad!