The atmosphere, buzz and sense of achievement connected with any organised sports event is scarily addictive… And this is why I keep signing up for more and more!
This year you can find me at:
February 1st - Winter Run 10k - COMPLETED 73:16
May 23rd - Eton Dorney Sprint Triathlon (750m swim, 20km cycle, 5k run)
June 7th - Finsbury Park Women’s Running Series 10k
June 21st - Nike Women’s 10k (Victoria Park)
August 8th - London Triathlon Olympic (1,500m swim, 40km cycle, 10k run)
Who’s with me?
While Simon (my fiancé) is in India for 2.5 weeks, I’ve had to fight the urge to book arrangements in for every night due to not wanting to be alone all of the time and not wanting to spend loads of money!
So today I did something that I haven’t done in a couple of years by myself, I took myself off on my bike and had a cheap little adventure.
I’ve lived very close to the Olympic Park for nearly 2 years now and can you believe it, I’ve never been! It’s an easy 5km cycle there which only took 15 minutes and then once you’re into the park there’s lots of wide and smooth cycle routes that take you around the whole area.
My first triathlon is coming up in May so with that in mind I headed to the Aquatics Centre for a swim (cue swimming selfie…).
It was busy in there but once you’re in the water there’s actually plenty of room for swimming! I swam sets of 250m for 1km, alternating breaststroke and freestyle trying to concentrate on my technique. For triathlons you really want to swim hard with the arms to save your legs for the cycling and running to come, so I focused on them. Jelly arms now…
Afterwards I basked in a bit of February sun overlooking the canal and took some time just to relax and enjoy not having to rush anywhere. Also, hello Vitamin D top up!
I cycled the long route home through a very busy Victoria Park and I’ve spent the afternoon doing chores, writing up plans for a PT client and pampering myself.
The point of this rather rambling post is to remind myself (and you) how important it is to do things for yourself every now and then. Our lives are always so busy and rushed, there’s never enough time for ANYTHING. So make time, indulge yourself in whatever it is you enjoy and luxuriate in the alone time. That’s all there is to it.
‘Guys, we need to sign up to this race! It’s through central London and there’s fake snow and polar bears and everything!’
Skip forward a few months and our team had dwindled right down for plenty of very valid reasons. However, despite an awful race prep and freezing cold weather, this race was momentous for me and here’s why….
The Training
There was no cardio training to be seen in the month leading up to the race. In fact, my last run had been a slow 4k on New Year’s Eve in Nice that felt really rather tough.
I’ve been doing lots of strength training and because I’m bulking I’ve not been using calories up on cardio. So while I’m definitely stronger I had serious doubts as to my cardio fitness which has never been a strong point of mine.
The Race
I’d spent all day before the race in bed with a migraine so the immediate prep was going really well. Not.
I managed to get some sleep the night before, after cramming in some rice and woke up feeling quite fresh which was a nice surprise. The morning was grey and cold, just right for running… We got down to the welcome area nice and early and I warmed up outside Downing Street before I felt remotely comfortable taking off my coat to leave with Simon.
The start line was a little bit chaotic as although we’d all been given wave times there didn’t seem to be any checking or order to how people were starting. Everyone was crammed into the start area and they were just letting 2,500 people go in each wave. It meant that I ended up doing the warm-up 3 times before I even got to the start line!
Anyway, off I went feeling pretty sceptical about how it was going to go. However, I surprised myself by feeling really quite comfortable all the way up until 5k.
At that point though the problems hit. My hip flexors tightened up first, followed by my back and finally my left ankle. By the time i hit 8km it had become a mental battle.
I didn’t even notice the fake snow zones or cow bells along the route although I do remember being a little underwhelmed by the novelty of the race. Just being able to run on closed roads along the Thames was enough of a novelty for me.
I could hear my normal pace running away from me through my headphones so I just concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other and ticking off the ½ km markers. This was one race that I was going to finish running, whether my muscles wanted to or not.
With 200m to go, I normally step up a gear and go for a big finish but this has to be the slowest sprint finish I’ve ever done. But I did it. I proved to myself that not only can my base fitness carry me through a 10k without walking but I can also run by myself and self-motivate. It was a good feeling to cross that finish line and hold my head high.
The Results
1st km: 07:10
2nd km: 06:50
3rd km: 06:54
4th km: 06:47
5th km: 07:16
6th km: 06:21
7th km: 07:19
8th km: 07:21
9th km: 07:04
10th km: 07:30
TOTAL TIME: 01:13:12
Now that I’ve got the bug back, I’m itching to sign up to EVERYTHING. But while I fight the urge, I’ve got a sprint triathlon in May to get training for so watch this space for training updates.
Lift more weights, eat more food, do less cardio.
Sounds pretty easy right?
Well, I guess it is physically but it’s not so easy mentally.
To put it into context, I’m coming to the end of the first month of a 6 month plan in which I’m spending 3 months building muscle and then the last 3 months will be spent trying to strip body fat to increase definition and get that ‘toned’ look that I’m after.
To build muscle, you need fuel. And that fuel is being supplied by nearly 2,000 calories each day of unprocessed food. That’s an awful lot of food, especially given that to meet this I’m having to eat mountains of vegetables, lean protein and lots of carbs squeezed into 3 main meals and 2 snacks each day.
The workouts are focused around lifting increasingly heavy weights and doing very little cardio training (apart from my daily commute and occasional cycles to see friends) which is very different to the high intensity stuff that I normally do.
The result is that although I feel stronger (I’m PBing all over the place on squats, presses and basically everything), I also feel ‘bigger’. You’re probably thinking ‘well obviously, you’re building muscle’ but for someone who has spent their entire life trying to be smaller, this feeling is alien and not entirely comfortable.
Watching my abs disappear day by day, the scales creep up slightly and my legs getting bigger is actually bloody difficult. It goes against the grain and it makes me feel out of shape bizarrely. It’s having an effect on my willpower too as I’ve never had to eat more to hit calorie goals before, so I’m thinking ‘well I might as well have 3 biscuits, it’ll help me hit my calories’.
As I keep telling myself (and my friends and clients), you have to trust the process and getting control over your willpower and brain is part of this process. So I’m making sure that I eat plenty of ‘clean’ foods and hitting the gym to try and avoid the dips in willpower.
Most of all, I’m accepting the fact that I’m struggling and that is ok. Not everything is easy and I know that I will appreciate the results a lot more because of the battles that I’ve been through.
You might have heard people talking about ‘clean eating’ but what does it actually mean? Well, there’s different levels of clean eating.
For example, you could go hardcore and do a Whole30 which cuts out all sugar, dairy, legumes and grains or you can do a slightly more lifestyle-friendly version, which is what I’m doing.
The rules are very simple. If it came out of a packet and has been processed far beyond its natural state, don’t eat it. So that means trying to steer clear of:
Bread (especially white or over-processed types)
Pasta
Cakes/biscuits and anything sweet or dessert like
Most dairy (minus a bit of feta or greek yogurt here and there)
‘But what is there left?’ I hear you cry. Plenty is the easy answer. You can eat all vegetables (although try to stay away from canned veg and beans as they often have stabilisers and other chemicals in them), meat, fish, brown/basmati rice, sweet potatoes, fruit, dark chocolate (with 3 ingredients or less), nuts etc.
A typical day of clean eating:
Breakfast - green smoothie (½ banana, handful of berries, 10 pieces of cucumber, a big handful of spinach or kale, 1 stick of celery, juice of ½ lemon, 2 tsp flaxseed, 1 tsp chia seeds)
Morning snack - a few almonds or macadamia nuts
Lunch - baked chicken breast with spices, baked sweet potato, steamed green vegetables, raw spinach, tomatoes, cucumber, ½ avocado, drizzle of olive oil
Afternoon snack - 100g greek yogurt with a chopped apple or berries
Dinner - 2 egg omelette with mushrooms, pepper, spinach and a side salad (spinach, cucumber, spring onion, cucumber, pumpkin seeds, olive oil, lemon juice)
Evening snack - 1 square of 90% dark chocolate
When I’m focusing on eating ‘clean’ foods 80-90% of the time, I feel less bloated, my energy levels throughout the day stay much more constant rather than peaks and troughs and I feel stronger and more focused in the gym. It’s also really good for building lean muscle without increasing body fat whilst doing the right sorts of workouts.
I eat out at least once a week with friends and the key to sticking to your clean way of life is to pick things off the menu that are as unprocessed as possible, preferably without sauces which are often loaded with salt or sugar. If you do want to indulge yourself then go for it but try to limit it to once a week if possible.
Let me know how you get on!
It’s now halfway through January and I’m kicking ass so far. I’m committing to my diet, eating ‘clean’ (ie. unprocessed) food 90% of the time and working out HARD. I’m focusing more on strength training than cardio at the moment to try and build some muscles before I start upping the cardio again in a few weeks to bring down my body fat and increase the definition.
Can anyone say… fit bride?
Anyway, here’s 2 things that are inspiring me this week:
1) This Girl Can campaign
One of the things that really got into my head when I first started getting fit was not looking fit. I was overweight, overly sweaty and self-conscious of everything that was jiggling. I so desperately wanted to be one of those women who bounds through the park like a lithe deer, rather than the baby elephant that I was resembling.
However, once I got stuck into the process of getting fit and noticing the tiny steps that I was making it became about me and my progress, no one else’s.
This campaign from This Girl Can is designed to encourage more British women to get into sport and exercise, I hope it works and gives women that boost of confidence that so many of us need.
2) Taking small steps
If, like the women in the video above, you’re struggling to get moving then why not come along to a FREE taster day at Love Your Body Health Hub in Clapton, East London.
I’ll be there all day with Kate from Form Fitness and Carly from Project Hot Bitch doing free fitness assessments and helping you to set realistic and achievable goals (yes, having a bum like Beyonce is doable as long as you are committed and have rather a lot of time…).
There will also be free classes throughout the day and a photo competition with the chance to win fitness goodies including fruity protein drinks from the lovely people at Everything But The Cow and personal training sessions.
Get your beautiful selves down there, details below:
Where: Love Your Body Health Hub, 150-152 Cassland Road, London, E9 5DA
When: Saturday 7th February, 11am - 3pm
What: Free fitness assessments, free classes, competitions & goodies
How to book: Email [email protected] or call 0207 998 8181
2015. How did that happen?! Last year was a year of big ups and downs for me, including a redundancy, 2 part-time jobs, a whole-lot of soul searching, a new career direction and a marriage proposal! I said yes, obviously….
So I’m starting 2015 with a big smile on my face and a lot of exciting goals:
1) Set up my PT business - watch this space for updates on names, logos and websites…
2) Gain experience as a PT and build a client base
3) Plan a wedding (any ideas would be gratefully received, I’m not really sure where to start!)
4) Get lean - I’ve started a clean bulk (increasing muscle mass) before embarking on a cut to drop some body fat, this bride is going to be FIT
5) Do an Olympic triathlon - I’ve already signed up for one in August. Gulp.
There’s some pretty big ones in there already so I’m going to leave it there and crack on. See you in the gym!
Most people join the gym to lose a bit of weight and they think that because they’ve watched a few episodes of The Biggest Loser they know what they’re doing. WRONG. The gym can be a dangerous place is you don’t know what you’re doing. Oh, and chances are you’re going to look ridiculous while you’re doing it…
However, if you get it right (with the help of Personal Trainer like me!) the gym can be a magical place that will help you to hit your short and long-term goals. It can encourage a healthier lifestyle by changing your attitude towards your body. And if you lose a bit of body fat and gain a bit of muscle in the process that can’t be a bad thing!
1) Not reading instructions
Most resistance machines will have instructions on the side, look at them. Not only can it be dangerous to use them incorrectly but they also won’t be effective. If there are no instructions, ask someone. Don’t look like a noob…
2) Going too heavy too quick
As funny as it can be when someone fails, it’s also really dangerous and you’re just putting yourself at risk of serious injury. Be patient, work up to the heavy weights.
3) Getting bro’d out
Just because your bro is pumping iron, doesn’t mean you can or should. Listen to your body, work up to where they are and take it slowly
4) Not having a good spotter
When you’re lifting heavy make sure you have someone that knows how to spot you and that you trust. You’re putting your life (and your face) in their hands…
5) Getting ‘creative’
Only start making things up if you really know what you’re doing or if an experienced trainer is there. Oh, and NEVER PUT EXERCISE BALLS NEAR TREADMILLS.
6) Not checking your technique
Incorrect technique can be dangerous and totally ineffective. And it can make you look like an ass.
7) Ignoring health and safety
Lift with your knees, not your back. Wear safe footwear. Use the machines correctly, don’t try to outsmart them.
8) Showing off
It will hurt and you will look ridiculous. Also, the type of people that find that impressive might not be the type of people you want in your life.
9) Not checking the equipment
Although the gym will check their equipment every day, it should still be your responsibility to not use a machine or any equipment that doesn’t look right. Use your brain yeah?
10) Not sharing space
Everyone pays their gym membership equally so don’t act like you own the place. Share nicely, don’t sit on machines during sets and be nice to newbies, you were one once!
On my PT course this weekend someone asked me what my motivation is when I’m working out to keep going and not stop when it gets tough, and it got me thinking.
Why is it that this time, for the first time in probably 15 years, I have committed to a fit and healthy lifestyle? Motivation. It’s an incredibly powerful tool if you can figure out what yours is.
The interesting thing about motivation is that it can change all the time, whether it’s what gets you out on that very first run, or what gets you up out of a lovely warm bed on leg day, or even what makes you sign up for a fitness challenge. It can change day to day, week to week and it depends on your goals.
If you don’t know where to start on finding your motivation, these are mine, they might get you thinking.
I’ve always been a bit of a girl power advocate because I don’t want to ever have to rely on someone else for my own happiness and success. I’m capable of making my own life amazing and the people that I choose to be in it are very special to me.
Getting in shape and being the best version of me that I can be physically has helped me to become stronger mentally. Being strong physically and mentally puts me in the independent position that I want to be in and knowing that it will only get better from here keeps me going back to the gym, lifting the weights and exploring the optimum way of eating for me.
I know I’ve talked about ‘fitspiration’ or ‘fitspo’ before but it really helped me to move on from the ‘skinny = good’ mindset into ‘strong & healthy = good’. By following some beautiful and strong young women on Instagram, it kept me going before I could start seeing changes in my own body. By aiming for an athletic body type that I’ve never had before and working out a programme to get me there, the small steps of progress have kept me going. I’ve become my own personal fitspo!
What motivates you when it’s cold outside and you’re tired?
If I had a penny for every fad diet I’ve tried over the years… I’d have a few pounds…. But anyway, my point is that there’s so many ‘miracle cures’ that keep cropping up promising to make you drop a load of weight simply by doing one thing and they might work for a few weeks but then you put everything back on again! Here’s my top 10 common mistakes that people make with their diets when they’re trying to lose weight and some tips on how to avoid them.
1) Skip breakfast
‘oh, I don’t even get hungry until lunchtime’. That’s because your body is still fast asleep! Eat a protein-packed breakfast and you’ll find yourself waking up your fat-burning metabolism much quicker.
2) Eat only low-fat foods
‘It’s fine, it’s low-fat ice cream, there’s only 90 calories per serving’. Yes, and about 10g of sugar… Eat the full-fat version, it’s tastier and contains way less chemicals
3) Don’t eat carbs
‘Can I have the spaghetti Bolognese but without the spaghetti?’ What?! No, just no. Your body needs carbs for energy so unless you want to move like a slug, eat your carbs
4) Eat too little
‘I’ll just have half a sandwich, thanks’. No, no you won’t. If you want to burn fat then you need to eat to have enough energy and build muscles to burn that pesky fat
5) Drink ‘diet’ soda
‘Just a diet coke for me thanks’. Stay. Away. From. The Diet. Soda. Artificial sweeteners stimulate the ‘reward center’ in the brain and you’re more likely to eat sugary snacks after. And don’t get me started on all of the chemicals.
6) Put too many restrictions in place
‘Oh, I couldn’t possibly eat that, I’m gluten, dairy, carb, egg and meat free at the moment’. The more restrictions that you put in place the less sustainable your way of eating is. Plus, life is too short to never eat mac n cheese again. Just maybe don’t eat it everyday…
7) Cut out fat completely
‘Oooooo bacon! Let me just smell it though, it’s too fatty’. Really?! Humans need healthy fats to maintain skin, hair and insulate against the cold. Try and eat healthy fats like olive oil, avocados and raw nuts.
8) Not eating carbs in the evenings
‘Sorry, it’s 18:01, I couldn’t possibly eat that spoonful of rice’. Actually, as long as you’re eating nutritious food regularly throughout the day it doesn’t matter when you eat your carbs. Or your protein. Or anything else for that matter.
9) Not letting anything ‘naughty’ passed your lips
‘Fries?! Who put this fry on my plate?!’ One burger isn’t going to make you fat, just like one salad isn’t going to make you skinny. Practice moderation, it’s the best way.
10) A diet can make you lose 10lbs in 2 weeks
‘Right, I’m going away in 2 weeks, time for the bikini diet to lose 10lbs’. Sure, if you want to just cut off a limb. Any diet that promises this is likely to be unhealthy at best and harmful at worst. Plus, you’ll put everything back on afterwards. Aim for 1-2lbs each week to stay healthy and keep it sustainable