Thursday 29 August 2013

29 August 2013

Don't you love it when people tell you nice things? 

Yesterday at the gym the girls were all saying how well I was getting on.  Then last night on their facebook page they actually mentioned me by name, along with another girl, and congratulated us on how we are getting on.

Today at work a few people have told me how well I am looking.

I have to say, I am enjoying these compliments.  :-)

It has been a slow start to this race, and I feel that I am most definately the tortoise rather than the hare, but I am in the race.  The weight is coming off and I am so dang pleased with myself.

Last night's gym class was tough.  It was back and shoulders, lifting far heavier weights than I normally lift, but admittedly nothing I couldn't actually handle!!


My first "routine" at the gym

My latest "routine"
So my chest and shoulders are a bit stiff and sore today, but this will get better.  I know it!  I can do so much more than I used to be able to do.

That is something I have had to teach myself.  Comparing myself to other people is no good.  They don't have the same life experience as I do.  They aren't the same weight.  They aren't the same fitness level.  Why should they be able to do what I can do?  Why should I be able to do what they can do.

DO NOT COMPARE YOURSELF WITH OTHER PEOPLE!!

If you want to compare yourself, compare yourself to how you were a month ago, or a year ago.

Compare yourself to the person you used to be.

This is how I work now.  Instead of looking at the girl next to me on the treadmill running for twenty minutes and barely breaking a sweat, whilst I walk fast and look like I have had a shower after five minutes, I think to myself..."Three months ago I couldn't have managed this at all.  Six months ago I wouldn't have even done this.  One year ago I would be sitting on my couch eating.  Today I am here.  At the gym.  Training.  Getting fitter"

I am proud of me.

If you are on this journey to get fitter, I am proud of you too.

Wednesday 28 August 2013

28 August 2013

Just booked a wee day trip to Scotland for a friend's birthday.  Thats me going away to Scotland in September, then Spain in October, then my anniversary in November, Christmas in December, Baby girl's birthday in February and New Zealand in March.  What a busy time I have coming up.

Isn't life brilliant?

I also have the 14 mile walk up the Mournes on 14th September, if any of you want to sponsor me, the link is here

I also have a few night's out in between all of that.

And my training at the gym.

And family life.

It really is no wonder I haven't read a book in months!!

And I haven't been to the cinema in a while either.....


Anyone know any good books or films that I should read/see?

Tuesday 27 August 2013

27 August 2013

I was at the gym yesterday, so what I hear you cry, sure I go frequently...well I got weighed and measured and have lost another 5lb.  I have now lost 3st and 4lbs since I joined up in January.  This is purely through going to the gym.  I haven't really changed my food habits (or my drinking) but I do work pretty hard at the gym.

Now, I am not dumb enough to think this is good enough.  I know I have a way to go.  But I wanted to enciurage any of you on a weightloss journey that slow steady steps are still steps in the right direction.

I started the gym back in January with the knowledge that the most exercise I had done since leaving school was walking from the coach to the fridge (not quite true, but not far off it).  The first time I attempted the cross trainer I did 2 minutes and thought I was going to die.  The step machine wasn't much better.  The treadmill was okay, but that was walking, slow walking!!

Now I can do an easy half hour on the treadmill at a fairly steady fast walk, on steep incline.  I haven't really been doing the stepper or the cross trainer, but I imagine I can do more than 2 minutes now.

I lift weights, I do crunches (although I still hate them) and I do spinning class.

I love spinning class.

It is hell.

It feels like my legs have turned to jelly, then that they are rock hard, then jelly again.

But it has changed my fitness level.

The first time I attempted spin I lasted 15 minutes, this was after 3 months at the gym.  And it was hard work.  But now I regularly do 3 or 4 half hour spin classes and have started doing a weekly one hour endurance spin class. 

I am going to do a 14 mile hack in the mourne mountains in September for charity.  I never could have done that before.

I still have a way to go but I am moving in the right direction.  I can do it.

And if you want to, you could as well.

Start small, but keep going!!

Friday 23 August 2013

23 August 2013

Hi,

Today I wore a dress to work, so what I hear you say...well I usually wear trousers, and a t shirt.  I have my hair tied back in a pony tail.  I do not dress up.

Everyone in work keeps telling me how well i look.  Its getting kinda embarrassing now!  I dunno about you but when ppl tell me I look good today, I think, why?  Did I not look good yesterday?  I am learning to say thank you and then not say anything else.  But it is difficult.  How do you react to compliments?  Can you accept them graciously or do you feel the need, like I do, to instantly put urself down.  Yes my dress is luvly but look at the state of my hair!  That kind of thing.

It is nice tho, I have worked hard at the gym and eight months down the line I am getting to the place where I can wear tighter fitting clothes and feel okay about it.  :-)

Its nice to feel good.

And its luvly that other ppl tell me I am looking good.

Thank you.

In case you are interested it is the dress that I tried on back in January and wrote about  here

Thursday 22 August 2013

22 August 2013

Yesterday at the gym I took a picture, just to see how I was getting on with my weight loss.

You all knew I was trying to lose weight, yeah??

Well back in January when I joined the gym I had them take a pic of me.  It was the scariest thing I ever did see.  I look terrible....and I was walking around like that, not having a care in the world.

Yesterday I took another pic.  Then put them side by side.  I am impressed with myself.  Yes, I accept I could do better.  Yes I know there are a LOT of things that I still need to fix...but I can see changes.

I am hoping that by January, which will be one year from I started the gym, the changes will be immense...for now I am very pleased with how I have done.

Tuesday 20 August 2013

Sunflower fest

Whanau
Fairy ladder leading to a washing line
The Lighthouse, in the Lighthouse Bliss area
One of the many, hand painted designs around the area
The fairy houses
Another fairy house
Fairy houses, and ladders
Fairy washing lines, and ladders

Where the bigger fairies could hang out

Fairy washing lines
Do you dare?
Davy Jones locker
Isn't it?
The stage, at 7am...no bands at this time in the morning!!
Decoration at side of stage
Other side of stage
Finn McCool, complete with sunflower eye patch, made from crocheted sunflowers (that I made)
The entrance sign

20 August 2013

Forgot my log in details again. Seriously. I have to learn to write them down somewhere. I am hopeless. 

The day before yesterday I did dishes and took my rings off to do that. I forgot to put them back on until this morning. Never saw so many sneaky looks at my hand before. It's like everyone had noticed there was no wedding ring on but no one would say. 

I am gonna try and get a few pics up from sunflower fest. But I will do that on another post. 

How do you remember your passwords? Do you use the same one for everything? Do you have them all written down somewhere? I need hints ppl! Lol




Tuesday 13 August 2013

13 August 2013

What a weekend

That was brilliant

Pics will follow soon, but I just wanted to let you all know I survived :-)

Tuesday 6 August 2013

6 August 2013

I am SUPER FREAKIN EXCITED

This weekend I am going to Sunflowerfest and I cannot wait.

Me, R, baby girl, her friend and my friend are going to camp all weekend, drink copious amounts of alcohol and listen to great live bands.

I am also volunteeering at the festival which means doing two six hour shifts helping people out around the site and directing them to where they need to go.

It also means I won't get to drink those days!!  (BOO)

This family friendly festival is in Northern Ireland and is just brilliant.  Everyone is so helpful, and nice, and there is a real hippy vibe, with loads of holistic therapies including Chocolate Shamanic Yoga (whatever that is).

So this weekend I will be off radar until at least Monday.  But then I will hopefully have loads of pics and gossip for you all.

Check it out, they are also on Facebook.

Catch you all soon. 

Friday 2 August 2013

2 August 2013

Hello again world.

Arms are still sore.

Not good!!  It hurts to type!!

The weather here is pretty changeable, I live in Northern Ireland and we can have sunshine and showers, hail and thunder within the same hour sometimes!

Recently it has been raining.  That is perfectly normal.  It rains a lot here, that is why our countryside is so lovely and green.  However for a couple of weeks before that we had sun.  Actual sun.  With heat.  And I got used to it.  I want the sun back.  It was warm.  I got to sit outside to eat my breakfast.  I got to sit outside when I came home from work.  I got to go for walks and not get drenched.

Now it rains.  A lot.

And I don't really like it.  Because it is still a bit warm. 

So, conundrum time....how does one dress for warm, yet wet weather.

If I wear a coat I get hot and sweaty, cos it is too warm.  If I don't wear a coat I get drenched by the rain and look like an idiot.

I need to find something light enough to keep me cool, yet waterproof enough not to leave me looking like a drowned rat when it rains.  Any suggestions?

On a positive note, baby girl bought me a present yesterday.  Out of her own money, and it wasn't even my birthday.

I got a new pair of shoes. 

Thursday 1 August 2013

1 August 2013

Hi blog readers, have I told you recently how happy I am that you show up and check out my ramblings?  Well I am happy.  So thank you.

Have you ever had a session with a personal trainer?  I have had one on one sessions with the trainers from my gym, and that is hard work.  On Tuesday however a personal trainer from some place else came into the gym and I had an hour session with her.  OMGoodness, my arms have been killing me since.  Nothing else is sore, she had been up my cardio so I did the treadmill on a steeper incline than I usually do and for a little longer than I usually do.  But that was okay.  The other exercises she made me do, hard at the time, but doable.  The bicep curls...I knew they would come back to bite me in the butt.  It was sore at the time and two days later it is still sore.  I feel that someone has ripped my biceps off my arm and just left them hanging.  Now they are trying to reattach themselves and it hurts.  It hurts to move my arms at all.  This pain is not good!!

When I went into the gym yesterday (yes I went back again) the personal trainer said she obviously didn't work me hard enough as I wasn't all sore. 

No thank you mrs, sore arms is bad enough, if I had more pain I am not sure I could function at all!!

On the downside I don't think I am working hard enough at the gym.  I lost 3lb this month.  Yes I know that is great and its 3lb off my body, but it's crap.  I should be able to lose more.  So this month I am going to try a lot harder to be better about my food (and drink) choices and to work harder at the gym.  I want to try and lose 1st this month.  I am not sure I can do it, but the personal trainer seemed to think it was doable.

She has recommended no carbs after 5pm.  I don't usually get home from work/the gym until 7 or 8, so this could be difficult.  She has said that I should eat more carbs during the day and at night just have chicken and a load of green veg.  Thats what I did last night...we will see how this goes!!

On a more positive note it was R's birthday on Tuesday.  32 years old.  I still feel extremely blessed that he is mine.  I am so grateful that we are married.  This is the happiest and most content I have ever felt.  R and baby girl are the most brilliantest ppl in the world and I am very lucky that I get to be part of their lives.  And yes, I tell them daily.  :-)