back... from outta space...

...or a field in cambridge, anyway!

yes, I am back from the Secret Garden Party and I had an absolute blast! Lots of fancy dress, lots of fun with friends :-)

I can safely say that the handbrake came off in spectacular style over the past week and a half and I don't *dare* step on the scales right now, lol!!

that being said, I couldn't give a shit really as I've had an excellent past couple of weeks... my boyfriend finished L'etape du Tour in 8hrs 50 and managed to stay up celebrating with beer, wine and champagne until 3.30am! what a legend!! His legs have felt a little tired but pretty much fine... just shows how much good planning and sensible training can help... as the saying goes "he who fails to prepare, should prepare to fail"... I like that, it's a constant mantra of mine

I'll upload pics of his amazing demolition of Mont Ventoux soon but they're on his camera so will have to smile sweetly and say it's for the good of the blogging community... he's a star, and an inspiration :-)

as for me, well, I managed to keep up the strength training a bit in France, employing the use of resistance bands, a stability ball (they pack flat when deflated!), a chair, a bench and not much else (I did take a skipping rope but there was nowhere to skip, the ceilings were too low - nearly took out the light fitting - and there was no privacy outside!)... I took a pic of my 'gym' which I'll post when I've uploaded it from my point+shoot.

in the meantime, I've been looking my levels of Cals from carbs/protein/fats and have come to a balance (50%/35%/15% respectively) which I think will suit me, based on Anita Bean's advice (in her wonderful strength training and nutrition books which have collectively become my fitness Bible!) of a maximum of 1.8g protein per 1kg of me.

Apparently any over 2g of protein per 1kg of bodyweight will not actually be of benefit, in fact the best case scenario is that it gets excreted by the body, but if not, it can be detrimental to your health as your liver and kidneys will need to work overtime to process it. In short

That being said, no two people are the same, and different people require different levels of nutrition. I have naturally low-density bones (I've had a scan, I'm quite scared, one of the reasons why I weight-train and run) and the women in my family are pre-disposed to getting osteoporosis... so I'm not taking my chances!

Plus, I did a lot of research on the Atkins diet a few years and discovered, before they actually admitted the whole 'state of ketosis' that the body goes into, that it was based upon a diet devised for epileptic children called the Ketogenic Diet.

My opinion, and forgive me if I'm wrong (but everyone's entitled to their own opinion on here right?) is that if you follow a really high protein, relatively high fat and really rather low carbohydrate diet... you are in effect subscribing to the Atkins way of thinking.

Carbs are not the energy, they are as essential as fats and protein, I really think they get a bad rap!!

However, I do recognise that I used to eat way too much in the way of carbohydrate, thinking that it didn't matter how much I consumed as long as I kept within my calorie allowance... not realising that the body can only process so much before it stores it as fat - bummer!!

ahh well, we live an learn, just got to get the right balance!! :-)

right, have just been told by my other half who has tired of Tour de France highlights, and QI repeats, and is now ready for beddy-byes, that I really need to get off the PC so will post-and-go

night! x

How rubbish am I?!

I've just looked and it's been over two weeks since I last wrote anything on here! Not quite 'capturing my progress' eh?! ;-)

I have been very busy with work, family, social life and play... it's amazing how much of a commitment I've had to make to that, every Wednesday night and all Sundays are taken up with rehearsals! Well the play is showing in the West End at the end of April and, although looking forward to performing and very proud of how well we've all done, I'm quite looking forward to having some time to myself... well, until rehearsals for Pride & Prejudice start, but the weekday ones will be on Tuesdays so I'll get my Wednesdays back and can rejoin my running club on their night :-)

Work's been busy, our head-of left last week, I have a lot of time for our new guy, but there has been quite a substantial shake-up and we've just learnt that 5 years of system changes are expected to be delivered within just ONE! going to be busy busy for a while!

So, in terms of weight progress... not gone too well I'm afraid, in fact, it's stayed stubbornly the same or just over for over a month!

however, the good news is, with the increase in exercise of late, my legs are starting to look a lot better, they have a much nicer shape to them and my waist looks better too :-)

exercise-wise... for the last week:

Friday 27th March
Ran 3.65miles a little too quickly, well a lot too quickly really. I was running just over 9 1/2 minute miles... which doesn't sound fast at all, but when you consider that my long run pace is 11+ m/m and my usual pace is over 10 m/m, it's quite substantially different!

It's also quite daft, as articulated by Anita Bean, (who I will consider my *official* authority on sports nutrition for the foreseeable - due to the amazing straightforward yet comprehensive and scientific qualities of her books!) in her book Sports Nutrition, if you run for a sustained period at quite a high effort... all you're burning off is muscle glycogen, not fat! It's the sustained lower intensity exercises that burn fat... I just need to remember that and slow down!!

Friday night I was with friends in Brighton, I danced quite a bit, does that count as exercise? Probably not as any benefit dancing may have had to my waistline would have been countered by the enormous amount of alcohol I put away!

Saturday 28th March
Felt dreadful, managed an hour's hack on a lovely horse, Brighton is very pretty indeed

Sunday 29th March
Couldn't walk very well due to said hack on horse as not been on one for nearly a year - I just don't use those muscles ordinarily!!

Did cycle to rehearsals and back though which is 10 miles

Monday 30th March
cycled to work (4 miles)
walked home (4 miles, quite fast, took less than an hour!)

Tuesday 31st March
went for a run at lunch, same route as Friday, went even faster this time, will I never learn!! my quads seized up a bit, felt like cement blocks... tsk tsk... silly girl

cycled home

Wednesday 1st April
cycled to work and back (8 miles) I'm thrilled by how much easier cycling is getting, I'm on a higher gear now but legs are still spinning (relatively) quickly... not likely to beat any road cyclists just yet but it is encouraging!!

legs still sore from horse riding!

Thursday 2nd April
walked home from chelsea, very leisurely, in the sun, with brand new teeth (well parts-of) thanks to super new Cerec 3D ceramic modelling... very impressive! (approx 6 miles, maybe less.. it was a breeze though, very pleased at how fit I'm getting!)

Friday 3rd April
well, I was meant to walk in but my dreadful influence of a boyfriend decided to open a rather lovely bottle of red wine, followed by another... I have no willpower!

I'm off now to a friend's birthday bash... drinking shall ensue... will be punishing myself (in the nicest possible way of course) for it in the gym tomorrow

though got a fancy dress party in the evening too... oh dear!