Hello and happy 2011! Plus surgery & ankle rehab update...

Yes, I realise it's a little late in the year to be wishing you all a happy *new* year but then the last time I blogged was a *last* year so I think I qualify ;-)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Have you all made resolutions? Do people still do that? I haven't yet but I'm planning to sit down and think about what I'd like to achieve this year, which is kinda the same thing :-)

So, the good news is that I've got some time off work during which I'll try and update my blog with what's been going on in my life since... well, April 2010!

The bad news is that the only reason this is possible is because I can't actually *get* to work (unless I pay for a taxi there and back!) as I have had surgery on my ankle and I need to keep all weight off my right foot. I can't even leave the house in case I fall over or knock my foot etc as it's very much in the early healing stages so absolute rest is imperative.

However, it's not really *all* bad news as once I'm healed from my surgery I will be able to do things like run properly - for longer than 5k! Play netball again, try new and exciting sports (more about that when I list my goals for the year), and also wearing heels without feeling like I'm being stabbed in my ankle... which is never nice, especially when you wear 4" heels on stage during competitions as it makes posing practice almost impossible!

You see, I was diagnosed with an Osteochondral Defect (amusingly the acronym for this is OCD :-D), by the leading foot and ankle surgeon Mr Mark S Davies who works out of the London Foot and Ankle Centre. The picture at the head of this page features Mr Davies... bizarrely, the woman in the picture is wearing a jacket that I posses, spooky huh? Especially considering I got mine in a Sample Sale when I worked at House of Fraser - I hadn't expected it would get to the shop floor as I thought the hook&eye design was flawed... anyway, sorry, I'm going totally off topic there!

If you're interested about the condition, there's some good information available here:
http://www.mdmercy.com/footandankle/conditions/ankle_injury/osteochondral.html, and here: http://www.thefootandankleclinic.com/osteochondral-defects.htm, but basically what's happened is some bone/cartilage became damaged and dislodged from the bone where my ankle bone (Talus) meets my leg bone (Tibia) and would 'catch' when my foot twisted (i.e. when playing netball, or just twisting when walking round a corner!) or was put in a non-flat position (i.e. when wearing heels or standing on tip-toe).

I had an MRI done and I have a zillion scan pics and am unable to identify much on them - not being a specialist - but basically you can see the damage here (the black area where the ankle and leg bones meet):



There was also a large patch of inflammation at the back of my heel - undoubtedly resulting from the injury - here:



Actually, if you're at all that interested, I have a whole album dedicated to MRI pics of my ankle, lol! Here on Flickr :-)

I had a cortisone (steroid) injection into the area where the inflammation was located to see if that would sort out the pain. We needed to rule out the possibility that the pain was a result of the inflammation and not the OCD. Unfortunately the injection had no effect on the pain so the only other option was to operate to remove the cause. I was told I'd need an ankle Arthroscopy, which is surgery during which two incisions are made. One is for the instruments which are used to remove the obstruction(s) and the other is for the camera to guide the surgeon's hand.



My surgery was first scheduled for November last year but as it got closer to the date it became apparent that it was just not going to be possible as a) I was horrendously busy at work and b) work on our bedroom to fit an en suite and walk-in wardrobe *still* hadn't finished despite having been going for weeks and weeks :-( Basically, our builder took on the work, then agreed to move to Wales with his other half and took on loads of extra work to facilitate this move... he was meant to be working on our bathroom himself, as he'd agreed, but he ended up subcontracting the work out and we had new people in all the time it felt and the work took about 3 times as long as it should!

Anyway, the surgery was rescheduled to Friday, January 7th and to be honest, it was a bit of a relief because Christmas would have been a bit of a pain in the arse if I'd been less-than-mobile! (As it turns out I was very much less-than-mobile during Christmas because of illness but that's for another post :-) )

Pre Surgery

I'd love to say that I prepared well for the surgery and was ultra-fit by the time last Friday came around but the truth was that most of December was spent battling various viruses and I didn't get much time to train at all!

My last workout before surgery was 25 mins on the rowing machine and I was shocked at a) how tiring it felt and b) what a rubbish time I got for 5,000m!



I'd managed to knock around 2 minutes off that time in the past but not being able to train because of being ill had really hit my cardio fitness :-(

The day before this (Tuesday), I'd done a pretty intense lower leg workout and my hamstrings were still rather sore so that might have had something to do with it *ahem* ;-)

So yes, Wednesday was my last day of exercise - over a week ago! I didn't get a chance after that point though as too much to prepare pre-surgery.

Ankle Arthroscopy - Surgery Day!

Friday morning we woke up silly early (05:30!!) and got a cab to the hospital.

I was really chuffed with my room, it was mahoosive!



There were even hotel-style toiletries in the en suite bathroom - sweet!



(I didn't actually get to use them though, and no I didn't steal them, ha!)

So, first of all I changed into my uber-attractive surgery gown.

Hubba Hubba!

(I'm not quite sure how it was that Joe was able to resist me at that point, seriously!)



No... having an open back didn't make me feel at *all* vulnerable, honest!! 8-O

Shortly afterwards my anaesthetist came to see me, as did my surgeon who drew a large arrow on my right leg, and also some dots on the nerves of my right ankle... I don't question these things!

Next I was taken down to have my anaesthetic... this, strangely perhaps, was the part I was most afraid of as I'd never had one in the past and I guess a) the control freak in me didn't like the thought of me being totally out of it and b) the unreasonable unrealistic pessimist in me thought I might not wake up... I've heard too many horror stories! I was even talking to Joe in the taxi on the way over about donating my organs in case anything went wrong!

By the time I was ready for surgery I felt a lot more calm though. The anaesthetist didn't do any of the "count down from/up to 10" that I've heard people mention before, instead she just administered first the painkiller... which she said would make me *very* light headed and she wasn't kidding! I was VERY light-headed, not unpleasantly so though, it was quite good fun, the room was spinning around all over the place! Next the anaesthetic came, together with an oxygen mask, the lady spoke to me for a few moments and that was the last I remember!

Next minute I was lying in the recovery room being brought round. The big arrow was still present on my leg and at the end of it was a super huge dressing encasing my entire ankle and most of my foot:



I became aware of my foot being a little painful so they fed some morphine into my line... that almost sent me back to sleep, lol! I remember feeling quite cold so they gave me this wonderful remarkable blanket which was completely hollow and had a tube at one end into which they pumped hot air. A hot-air blanket... I want one for my bed!! It was just about the most luxurious thing ever, ahhh. Also, the radio was tuned to XFM, it couldn't really get much better!

I was wheeled back up to my room and given some menus for breakfast, lunch etc. I felt enormously hungry so ordered a huge fatboy cooked breakfast with toast, coffee, juice and yoghurt... was ravenous, especially given that I'd been nil-by-mouth since midnight the previous day!




Unfortunately, my breakfast's arrival was timed perfectly with the departure of my appetite (I was told it was a 'Morphine thing', great).

I made a bold effort at the bacon and sausage and gave up and had the toast with apricot jam - was the best thing ever, my nurse was rather amused when I described it as 'epic toast', perhaps it was the Morphine talking but that's how it felt to me :-)

The staff at the hospital were super nice and attentive, especially my day nurse who regaled me with medical anecdotes and let slip that his alternative career choice that he tells people when he's out (he doesn't tell people he's a nurse in case an emergency happens when he's drunk that could land him in all kinds of trouble if he messed up due to intoxication - very wise!) is that he's a biscuit designer for Cadbury's. Apparently he started off as a humble sous chef specialising in pastries who happened to catch the eye of someone high up in the company. I *love* that story!

I had to have my observations taken quite frequently after the operation, especially as my blood pressure kept dropping. I do already have very low blood pressure though so it wasn't entirely surprising. I also had my temperature taken and my toes wiggled to see if I could feel anything... which I couldn't very well for a while as my toes were numb for half the day! Apparently after the operation I was given a local anaesthetic as well to help with any residual pain.

Aside from paracetamol and dihydrocodeine, I didn't have any other painkillers, which I'm quite pleased with as I was told I could have morphine tablets if I wanted! I think it's testament to Mr Davies, my fabulous surgeon, that I wasn't in a lot of pain :-)

Mr Davies came to see me a little later that morning (I was the first surgery of the day at about 8am) and said that operation went really well :-) he said there was actually a fair bit of loose cartilage in my ankle so he removed that, together with the inflamed tissue present in my heel - double whammy! :-)

Mr Davies also said that someone from the physiotherapy department would be up to provide me with crutches and a wedged shoe to keep my foot in the correct position.

I *finally* had a physiotherapist come and see me, who didn't want to give me a shoe at first, even though I'd been told I needed one... first she tried to squash my just-operated-on foot into one of my crocs!! V painful, not impressed :-( She adjusted the crutches to my height and then pretty much buggered off straight away. I guess she thought I was a big girl so could work it out on my own, lol! I was too relieved at not having to use a bed pan again to care really - freedom!



My Mum came to visit me next which was fabulous. She's suffered from various aggressive cancers over the last few years that have threatened to take her life and she still visits the hospice she's been attending since she was at her lowest ebb. The hospice was near to where I was staying so that was a happy coincidence :-)

Mum stayed for an hour or so then went off to the hospice to meet up with some people and have treatment.

Next came lunch which I was super excited about as my appetite had returned with a vengeance! Lunch was beef and mushroom casserole with 'seasonal veg' (broccoli & sweetcorn), additional side salad and some rather delicious melon too :-)



It was devoured, rapidly.

My male nurse disappeared at some point and my care tailed off somewhat - I missed the company! I did have the ward sister come round with a gorgeous cake-style biscuit fresh from the restaurant... plus some other naughty biccies for tea-dunking *slaps wrist* ;-)

Mum came back a little while later and we chatted for ages, it was lovely to have her all to myself! We spent Christmas all together... my parents, Joe's parents and older brother too - was a full house! - but didn't really get a chance to speak to her properly on her own so it was lovely to just have a bit of mother and daughter time :-)

I'd planned to have a nap during the afternoon but by the time Mum and I had finished gas-bagging it was time for dinner which was pretty darn special... tuna loin served with green beans and a spinach and tomato accompaniment.



Also had soup and side salad and fruit for dessert again - I figured I needed the nourishment, my body had been through a lot that day!

Dinner was pretty early at 6pm (I don't normally eat til closer to 9pm... a bad habit to break that will be on my resolutions/goals list for 2011!), but this was good as Joe and my son came to visit pretty soon after I'd finished - good timing :-)

Was lovely to see my boys but they couldn't stay too long as they had their own dinner to take care of (and Gran Turismo 5 on the PS3 from what I could make out!).

It was hard to sleep that night, the hospital was on a main road and my room was close to the nurse's station so I could hear everything that was being said there.

To top it off I was mega flushed, my cheeks were bright red like I'd been in a sauna, I'm guessing it was from the anaesthetic as I didn't have a high temperature?

I also had some hassle on Twitter from someone who long-term blog readers are familiar with. My mobile is registered to my Twitter account so every time I get so much as an '@' mention my phone beeps. This happened late the night of my surgery and there followed quite a bit of interchange between me and my less-than-fabulous blog and Twitter feed reader. I'm not going to go into it in detail on here, you can see from my Twitter history from the early hours of 08/01/2011 if you're interested and can be bothered to trawl back that far!!

Anyway, finally got to sleep sometime close to 4am, and then was up around 8am ish for breakfast... definitely *not* the restful night I'd hoped for the night after invasive surgery!!

Breakfast cheered me up :-) I didn't go for the cooked this time but still ordered a whopper of a meal... porridge, 1/2 a grapefruit, yoghurt and 2 pieces of (epic) wholemeal toast with apricot jam AND marmalade *glutton*... oh and I might have ordered a croissant too... whoops! ;-)

I was discharged at 11am and, although I knew I'd miss my multi-directional bed and help at the push of a button, I was also horrendously homesick too and couldn't wait to get home! I missed my boys, my quiet street, my cats...

Back home

So, I've been home for 5 days now and nothing adventurous has happened really. Stairs are challenging but not impossible, especially as we had an extra bannister fitted for Joe's parents while they were over at Christmas as they are both elderly and find it hard to move about as much.

The biggest challenges I've faced have been with transporting liquid... i.e. very important wake-up fluids like coffee! My son gets home from school around half 4 so until then when he assumes the role of Tea Boy, I have to make do on my own!

Fortunately, the same reason why I'm in this whole ankle injury mess - being a bona fide exercise nut - means that I have equipment to cope with carrying various items in a handsfree fashion, mainly during long runs.

So... for carrying flasks of hot coffee I have my Hilly bottle carrier:



and for all other stuff I have my Nathan running bag with its handy pockets and main pouch section!



Yes, I am a running geek *proud* :-D

Other than that, I have spent four out of the past five days sleeping in excess of 12 hours... not tried to fight it as I figure my body needed the time to repair itself... hopefully now the loose tissue has been removed, new healthy tissue will form in its place. In order for that to happen though, I need to rest and nourish my body accordingly to give it the best possible chance.

I have also restocked my vitamin and supplement supplies. I decided not to reorder Lycopene as most of my meals are tomato based so I figure I get plenty of it as it is! I did order some more Lutein for my eyes, pomegranate, CLA, multi-vits and L-Carnitine, which I discovered through Multipower's L-Carnitine Range of products (the drink and bar from which I'm hoping to review soon as they're lush!). L-Carnitine is an amino acid which plays an active part in the body's ability to use fat as an energy source - cool!

I have in past bought almost all of my supplements from ZipVit as they've always had very good deals. I still use them for Glucosamine Hydrochloride (I try and steer clear of the sulphate version for the higher salt content).

More recently I've been using JustVitamins, particularly as they have some awesome deals like buy-one-get-one-free on CLA, pomegranate and more.



There are more packets in the box and that all fit through my letterbox - neat huh? :-)

I also bought some more of the rather excellent Scivation Xtend which is a yummy drink containing all the BCAAs and L-Glutamine thrown in for good measure! Here's some additional scientific information regarding this fabulous product. My previous tub was watermelon flavour, these two are lemonade and blue raspberry - lush!



I've stocked up on my Udo's Choice Ultimate Oil Blend of Omega 3 & 6, used by athletes and bodybuilders alike. You can read an article with top fitness model Carly Thornton here.



Last but not least, from MyProtein, I bought some Nitric Oxide (NO/NO2), and MyProtein's own brand version of ZMA (Zinc & Magnesium).



So yes, I'm nicely stocked up now :-)

I can't actually remember what we had to eat on Saturday night but on Sunday we had a bit of a treat... Roast pork joint... complete with crackling!



Talk about a plateful eh? This doesn't happen very often, so when it does... boy do I savour it!



This week I've been mostly resting up and digesting my fill of daytime TV... it's not the most palatable I must admit!

Yesterday I started going through some of my training books as I'm pretty limited in what I can do exercise-wise.

In fact, pretty much all I can do is upper body (seated!) dumbbell training... but also, Pilates! Although saying that, quite a few exercises in my book I couldn't do as they required *some* pressure being put on my right foot and I just can't do that right now. Mostly it's okay

I've been trying to put together a workout... with a little help from my cat of course... hmmm



And I've also had Joe get most of my exercise equipment down from the loft:



I've left the resistance tubing and kettlebell as I don't think I can use them very well right now.

I've put up my PowerBar again...



...but I still suck at pull-ups so definitely something that needs working on while I'm off!!

Unfortunately I don't think it's something that will change overnight as I think my weight-to-strength ratio is a bit off :-/

In any case, I really can't stay sat on my backside entirely for the next week and a bit, I don't think it'll do my recovery any favours and muscle atrophy is *not* on my hit-list right now!

So today I found today that all I needed was a mat and a mirror:



...and I was able to do a decent core workout without stressing my foot. Fab!

Anyhoo, I'm going to get off now as this post was only meant to be a quick update, but in true Tara fashion it has metamorphosed into a behemoth of an entry - hey ho!

I'll be back tomorrow hopefully but this time with updates - as promised - of the past year... I'm determined to catch up!

In the meantime, sweet dreams and thanks for still reading despite my poor update rate!

Stay strong!

TJx

Lunch hour workouts

With the best will in the world, my scheduled workout plan often goes awry due to personal/work/social life taking over and throwing everything out of kilter!

However, I do try my best to squeeze in some lunchtime workouts during the week as I find that not only is it a great way of getting some training in, it also helps you to combat the dreaded 'mid-afternoon slump'!

Plus I find that as I only have a limited time, my workouts tend to be fairly well focused and structured (regular readers of this blog will recognise that I struggle with both of these traits!! ;-) )

I'm going to start sharing my lunch break activities with you as and when... I can't promise they'll be any good or suitable for everyone but the one below can be done by anyone who has a bench, some free weights, a rope and a little bit of space!

You seriously don't need much space, just look... this is my work gym - how microscopic?!



Only one of the treadmills works, both bikes are broken (I've never used the 'multi-gym', it's pretty rubbish) and the elliptical trainers make your toes go numb if you use them for more than 20 mins, but I can still get a reasonable workout in if I use some effort and imagination :-)

Today I'm going to tell you about the workout I did last Friday lunchtime.

If you like the look of it, here is the equipment you will need:

* 1 x jump rope. I use one with weighted handles but any is fine
* 2 x heavy-ish dumbbells (the weight you'd use to perform about 12-15 'standard' biceps curls)
* 2 x lighter dumbbells (approx 1/2 to 2/3rds the weight of the other ones)
* 1 x mat (optional - if you have carpet you might not need this)
* 1 x bench
* bit of space with reasonably high ceiling (I have to stand smack bang in the middle of my work's gym when I skip or I'll take out the light fittings!!)

And here are the exercises you're going to do:
(click on the exercise name for link to video/picture/animation or, if you're familiar with the exercises, click here to be taken directly to the routine)

* Biceps Concentration Curls
Notes: These are harder to do than regular bicep curls as you isolate the muscles and use nothing else to perform the movement (it's amazing how many people you see in gyms with weights that are too heavy literally 'rocking' their arms into a curl with the weight of their body!!).

Sit on a bench or stability ball with your legs wide apart and rest the back of the arm with the weight on your inside thigh - use the other arm for stability.
This exercise is good from an ego perspective as you can really see the biceps working hard! ;-)

* Biceps Hammer Curls
Notes: Like the concentration curls, I find that these also require a slightly lighter weight than that which I'm used to for regular curls as the movement is more isolated and forces you to concentrate on using the biceps to do the work... as opposed to your back, shoulders etc.

For this exercise I sit at the end and astride the bench with my arms by my side to begin and curl both at the same time. But you can alternate them if you like. Lift the weights up as if you were holding a baton (or bottle of beer!) so that your thumbs are facing upwards instead of your palms as with regular curls.

* Triceps Kickbacks
Notes: This exercise is harder than you might think and requires some concentration to get it right. You may wish to choose a lighter weight from that which you can curl. Make sure you engage your core muscles during the exercise and try to avoid twisting your back.

Although this movement targets your triceps (and indeed it is those muscles that facilitate the movement!), the only part of your arm that should move is the forearm. Ensure that you keep your elbow raised and still, if you find that you're dropping it or you're having to rock to 'kick-back' the arm then the weight is too heavy and you should drop it down a smidgen to avoid hurting your back

* Overhead Triceps Extensions
Notes: You will most likely need a lighter weight than the one used in the biceps curls/triceps kickbacks. I use one which is 2kg lighter, any heavier and I'd probably bash myself in the head with it!!

Variations: I tend to stand up while doing this and hold onto my triceps with my other arm to stabilise the shoulder joint... I only do this because I have rotator cuff issues due to hypermobile joints. You can sit down if it's more comfortable and you don't have to hold onto your arm if you feel it unnecessary - whatever feels most comfortable during the movement, just make sure you control the movement when lowering your arm as much as when extending it :-)

* Skipping
I'm sure you don't need a picture for this, although that's not to say that skipping's not challenging... it's just not hard to figure out for yourself ;-)
Try to keep skipping for the entire time, no matter how difficult it feels - it will get easier I promise!

* Plank
Notes: try and keep a straight line across your back and avoid sticking your butt up in the air or lowering it below the hips. This exercise hurts, but it is SO worth it :-)

Variations: If you're feeling particularly hardcore, you can always try the straight arm Plank variation on this already tough exercise!


* Quadruped (Alternating Arm and Leg)
Notes: This odd-sounding exercise is fabulous in that it works your entire core, without you (seemingly) having to do much! The main focus is on balance though and in this exercise I want you to hold the pose for at least 30 seconds (instead of alternating in quick succession like the video clip). The longer you hold the pose, the harder it gets to balance and the harder you are working your core muscles as well as improving your butt - everyone's a winner! :-)

Variations: If you want to make this tougher you could consider wearing ankle and/or wrist weights to make this more difficult for your arms and legs. Also, instead of kneeling you can come up on your toes like this. However, if you're new to this exercise it's probably best to stick with the basic move which is effective enough in itself without the need for variation.

* Bicycle Crunches
Notes: Jillian Michaels says that these are the best all-round abdominal exercises you can do and I tend to agree. This exercise works your upper and lower abs, as well as your obliques - perfect if you're pushed for time and want to blast the lot!!

Place your fingers behind your ear lobes - not head - to avoid using your hands to propel you forward increasing the risk of neck strain. Bring your elbow to your opposing knee, breathe out as you lift your elbow upwards and breathe in as you lower it and your leg.

Okay so now you're familiar with the exercises, how about we put them into a workout?

This is what I did on Friday, it's a circuit of all the exercises I mentioned which you repeat 3 times. It's guaranteed to get the heart racing and make you feel fabulous afterwards for having worked so hard!

The whole routine took me about 50 mins which included time for re-working the programme, re-tying my stupid long hair which kept getting tangled in the jump rope and sitting down panting for breath after each skipping interval!

Next time I do it I'm hoping to get down below 45 minutes!

Tara's Fitness Fat Blasting Routine

* Skipping - 3 minutes
* Plank - hold for 60 seconds
* Quadruped - hold for minimum of 30 seconds each side
* Bicycle Crunches - 20 reps each side
* Concentration Curl - 10 reps each arm
* Overhead Triceps Extension - 10 reps each arm
* Hammer Curl - 10 reps each arm
* Triceps Kickback - 10 reps each arm

(rest for a few seconds... then repeat!)

* Skipping - 3 minutes
* Plank - hold for 60 seconds
* Quadruped - hold for minimum of 30 seconds each side
* Bicycle Crunches - 20 reps each side
* Concentration Curl - 10 reps each arm
* Overhead Triceps Extension - 10 reps each arm
* Hammer Curl - 10 reps each arm
* Triceps Kickback - 10 reps each arm

(as above, rest for a little while but no longer than 30 seconds, pick up your jump rope and get right back into it!)

* Skipping - 3 minutes
* Plank - hold for 60 seconds
* Quadruped - hold for minimum of 30 seconds each side
* Bicycle Crunches - 20 reps each side
* Concentration Curl - 10 reps each arm
* Overhead Triceps Extension - 10 reps each arm
* Hammer Curl - 10 reps each arm
* Triceps Kickback - 10 reps each arm

(finish and congratulate yourself on a job well done, feel very smug for having made such fabulous use of your lunch break/free period, note your time and try and beat it on your next attempt!)

So that's your lot for now, if you like the sounds of it then do let me know and I hope you have as much fun doing it as I did :-)

TJx

RANT and RAVE Friday

RANT

My journey to work should take 20-25 mins tops. On a bad day it can take half an hour.

However, today it went like this:

* 08:25 walk to bus stop with Joe
* wait for 20 mins in cold while 3 buses go past, all full
* look at t'internet on phone and see that train to victoria (10 minute journey) due at 08:53
* 08:45 Joe decides to walk to tube station but I (foolishly) opt to go to the mainline train station instead
* 08:50 arrive at train station and proceed to wait for train while her arse turns to ice from sitting on freezing cold metal bench (her snowboarding jacket stops at the hips so doesn't cover bum)
* 09:10 is when the 08:53 finally arrives. The train is full.
* 09:15 After waiting for *everyone* disembarking at that stop to get off, everyone in front of me piles/squashes/squeezes into carriage. No room for Tara
* 09:20 Tara walks to bus stop near train station, just in time to see 2 buses she could have got drive past.
* 09:25 Tara is finally on a bus and goes past her original starting bus stop. It has taken her an hour to travel in a 1 mile circle.
* 09:30 Tara gets to tube station she should have been at half an hour ago if she'd been sensible and accompanied her pragmatic boyfriend
* 09:40 Tara waits at Pret in Victoria for her 'skinny filter' while the staff forget her order and prepare everyone elses lattes and cappuccinos, could her day get any worse?
* 09:45 Tara finally gets to work, really really pissed off. So much for leaving early today :-(

Now, I realise that we're *all* suffering in this preposterous weather and my journey was probably tame by other people's comparisons but this is MY blog where I write about ME so I feel sufficiently entitled to whinge about my own annoying journey as much as I please ;-)

If anyone else is likewise suffering from rubbish-difficult-journey-to-work syndrome, I'd love to hear from you, if only for selfish reasons so I can feel better about my own affliction!

RAVE

I don't really ache this morning - miracle!

This is despite my hammering it in the gym yesterday - twice!

I'm happy but a little suspicious and apprehensive that the dreaded DOMs might creep up and catch me unawares later today!

Yes, yesterday I hauled my food-and-booze bloated ample ass to the first my work gym and then our local fitness establishment.. arghh

I knew it had been a while since I exercised, I don't know why though. It's like I had a break for a week or so, and then had a big fat mental block that prevented me working up the motivation (courage?!) to go back.

I've not felt like this for a while, perhaps it was due to the amount of alcohol I was drinking over the festive period, I don't know...

In any case, I was horrified - and not just a little ashamed - to discover when I checked my workout wallet that the last time I did any upper body work was on the 29th November!!! The last time I did any lower body work was even earlier than that.

I can't understand why I've left it so long or how I haven't noticed the days turning into weeks. I feel gutted but at least it explains why my muscles have diminished and what little I have left has a layer (or two!) of fat over them!

I'm also annoyed at myself at how much I've eaten and drunk, but then I have to remind myself that there's a reason why I'm not 'naturally' skinny and I'm still learning to eat properly after years of abusing my body through a variety of food deprivation methods.

Yesterday, I purposefully packed gym pant and a spare t-shirt and, throughout the morning, psyched myself up sufficiently so that by lunch time I was determined I would go and lift weights.

So at 13:30 I dutifully hit the basement of my building with fresh vigour and my familiar tatty weight gloves.

Now my work's gym has a very limited supply of equipment, and the dumbbells only go up in 2kg increments... odd increments.

In November last year I took my biceps curl weights from 9kg to 8kg but yesterday faced with only 9kg or 7kg dumbbells there was no hint of decision-making required.

Here's what I did:

biceps concentration curls - 2 x 7kg dumbbells - 3 x 10 reps
Overhead single arm triceps extensions - 1 x 5kg dumbbells - 3 x 10 reps
Hammer curls - 2 x 7kg dumbbells - 3 x 10 reps
Triceps kickback - 1 x 7kg dumbbells - 3 x 10 reps

That was tough, really tough, it shouldn't have been but nearly 6 weeks without lifting much more than an overstuffed suitcase or two (I always over-pack when going on holiday!), I've done precious little strength training. Sorry :-(

I feel/felt like a bit of a fitness fraud, especially given the ostensive 'theme' of this blog! I mean, talk about talk the talk but don't walk the walk!

So perhaps this prompted a little overcompensation when last night I took my hunky (but also somewhat weaker and plumper) boyfriend with me to our local gym.

We hit the Max Rack (3D Smith Machine thingy if anyone's curious) and started off with the good old bench press. I managed (just!) 30kg (I was able to push 32.5kg, and even 35kg for a few reps last year!).

Then we did some squats. I had 45kg all in and it felt okay actually... well, the first set felt fine, the next felt a little sorer and by the last set of 10 I could really feel it in my hamstrings.

Then we did some stiff-legged deadlifts, I took it down to 35kg. These felt weird, I'm sure my form was poor as I've not done them for ages and it felt like an unatural movement all over again, sigh.

After that Joe did some more leg work and I went on an elliptical trainer and did some rather fast 'running'. After 5 mins I was really out of breath... after 10 I had a cold sweat and by the time I got off after 20 mins I felt dreadful!! I was sweaty and trembly and the walk home (all 3 minutes of it!) was quite tough.

I got in and sat on a mat and stretched for a while with a resistance band, Joe made me a chai tea (yum) and I had some of his Maximuscle Cyclone as my Promax Diet has caffeine in it and, as we didn't get back from the gym till 10pm, I didn't want to be kept awake for much longer!

This morning I feel a little stiff, my chest feels tight and my hamstrings a little tender but nothing like how I anticipated I'd feel, I was worried about being able to walk!

So, a little negative in how long it's taken me to return to training - given how long the break was I'm surprised I haven't put on more weight but then I've still been eating well, my healthy food habits are not likely to be broken anytime soon and the thought of junk/fast food just turns my stomach. I've just been eating too much, too often, and doing too little.

After all

If calories in < calories out Then

weight loss

reverse that and you get the opposite of what you're trying to achieve... I've learned that the hard way and I'm sorry as I feel I've let all you readers down!

However I am back on track, and back with a vengence, with renewed enthusiasm and determination.

2010 is going to be a very good year and one in which I transform my body into the one I've always dreamed of, strong, lean, sexy and toned.

Just you watch this space

TJx

Training labels

I don't use labels well enough.

I tend to just arbitrarily paste some random bollocks into the box below this one and then re-use what I'd typed before without giving it enough thought.

This will change - well, when it comes to training that is.

I need to get more disciplined and perhaps start posting entries *specifically* about my training rather than:

"a bit of waffle

ooh I did some exercise

more waffle

ooh look what I ate too

more waffle still"

maybe I should have pure-waffle and waffle-free posts? :-D

plus I want a label cloud, where can I get one of those?!

Ahh... genius, here it is thanks to Phydeaux3!

God I've got waaaaaaay too many labels!!!!!!

Right, have configured it so that the minimum number of labels 'mentions' must be 2... the list was ridiculously long - that's better :-)

anyway, as I trained today on way to work (at the gym that is, I wasn't lifting dumbbells on the tube!) today's post has the appropriate labels applied :-)

Here's what I did...

Please bear/bare(?! what is it, I can't spell today!!) in mind that

a) I am muchos weakos having not done any sort of consistent upper body work for a while due to being a combination of ill/busy/injured (though not always all at once)

I know it's a poor excuse but I'm doing something about it okay?!

Important thing is that my eating has been very good so I've not piled on any weight - I just need to train better, get stronger and feel good about my body!

b) I've actually decided to lower the weights anyway. Just because I can lift heavier than quite a few men in my gym, it doesn't mean I *should*. And, being constantly witness to poor technique and clueless people at the gym it's made me quite aware of my own failings!

So I'm going to work with lighter weights and take my time and perfect my form :-)

This morning was a shoulder session, I did

Seated Shoulder Press - dumbbells (2 x 8kg) - 3 x 10 reps
Upright rows - dumbbells (2 x 8kg) - 3 x 10 reps
Front raises - dumbbells (2 x 4kg) - 3 x 10 reps
Exterior shoulder rotation - cable - (2.5kg) - 3 x 10 reps
Interior shoulder rotation - cable - (3.75kg) - 3 x 10 reps

actually wanted to do more but I ran out of time so had to leg it to the office!

So there you go, two posts in one day, aren't you a lucky bunch!!

TJx

Friday's photo foolery

Sorry that I haven't updated on the last couple of weeks yet - inexcusable but I've been so busy lately! I'm going to hopefully get round to it tomorrow... don't think it's going to happen tonight as I'm sitting here with damp hair about to start on dinner before we go out to a friend's b-day drinks.

I'd *like* to blog more but the boys are on their way back having just picked up a new PS3, amp and gigantic (apparently) speakers so attempting to drag them away from that tonight would be a futile endeavour!

Buuut anyway, I thought I'd share a few pics from yesterday's silly posing with my rubbish camera phone - more to prove that I *do* actually have muscles... you may be wondering if I did, and if you were going to go by my pics from the Maximuscle Body of 2009 competition!!

I really don't like how my arms look in those pics (in terms of definition, I'm happy that they don't look lardy like they used to!!) but that's not surprising as I'd not been able to work my upper body for about 2 weeks before the shoot as I'd hurt my shoulder following a rather stupid speed session on a rowing machine after an upper body weights session!!!

So anyway, it all started with a sneaky shot of my left arm..


...causing my son to ask what I was doing and then saying "oh yeah, your great arms" - the other day he told me my arms were AMAZING, well his exact words were "wow, you're amazing!" imagine how I felt?! Every Mum wants their kid to think they rock, luckily mine does!

I asked him to take a pic of my right arm (what a poser I am...)



I'm liking the definition, and how my forearms look too, I think I've lost a bit of fat on my arms and my shoulder work is paying dividends (I reckon!) although I need to change that a bit (more on that later).

Later on that night after a nice meal out and quite a bit of wine and Hoegarden beer (naughty!) I got Joe to take a picture of my back... probably being a bit drunk wasn't the best preparation as my muscles were all relaxed but then if I hadn't had a couple of bevvies I doubt I'd have asked him to take it... so swings and roundabouts eh? ;-)

So, here's my back, sorry for the poor picture quality



What do you think?

I'm quite chuffed, I didn't realise this is how I look like from behind (possibly because I've not yet perfected the art of 360 degree neck rotation!!), Joe says it's quite impressive which I'm really pleased about :-)

I don't think I'd be able to pull that pose tonight though as I've got serious DOMS from Thursday night's new arms and chest workout which I'll go into more detail when I post my new schedule...

I also can't sit down without grimacing as I put a bit too much weight on the bar when doing squats. I'd done 35kg (bar + 2 10kg rings) which felt ridiculously easy so I thought I'd add another 5kg to that. So I loaded up the bar with an extra two 2.5kg weights... however, instead of the 10s I'd picked up 15s so when I squatted and then tried to stand up again I got a bit of a shock to say the least!!

I carried on though (stubborn) and did 10 reps with that weight but for my last set I took it down to 45kg which was a lot more doable!

I felt fine yesterday morning but my hamstrings and glutes have progressively got more painful... arghh!

Anyway, gonna get off but I promise a proper update soon (if I can remember what I've actually been doing!!)

Hope you're all well and having great weekends :-)

TJx

Super duper workout last night

Shhh, have snuck on here to tell you about last night's weights session, very naughty though, should be working!

I had such a fab workout at my local gym! Really pushed hard to see how I got on.

I'm starting to stiffen up now as I type haha, it was worth it though :-D

I stuck to the machines and cables and did:

* Seated shoulder press - 22.5kg - 3 x 10 reps
* Lat pulldown - 45kg - 3 x 10 reps (I also did 1 rep on 70kg to see if I could lift my bodyweight as I really really want to be able to do pullups and what hope do I have if I can't pull down my own weight?! I managed it, but it was heavy!!)
* Internal Shoulder Rotation - 5kg - 3 x 10 reps
* External Shoulder Rotation - 3.75kg - 3 x 10 reps (made Joe do these two exercises, glad to see he finds them as difficult as I do despite the relatively low weight!!)
* Triceps Rope Pulldown - 25kg - 3 x 10 reps (Joe pointed out that he thought I wasn't doing these properly as I was pulling down from too high and not isolating the triceps, so I looked it up and got an awesome explanatory video from the Livestrong website - click here to see the correct form for doing Triceps Rope Pulldowns I wasn't doing it right so will put the weight down to 20kg and see if I can do it properly with better form - it's handy having someone along to point these things out!)
* Low Row - 45kg - 3 x 10 reps
* Bench Press on Smith Machine - 32.5kg & 30kg - 1 x 8 reps & 2 x 10 reps respectively (that was hard as it was at the end of my routine, BIG mistake, was knackered and it shows! Had no choice though as peeps were hogging the bench before that)

I didn't get to do the pec deck as Joe and I were on the smith machine until the gym closed and they chucked us out, egging each other on - very good fun! :-D

Anyway, I think that's all I did, if I've forgotten anything I'll edit this, but I better get on... will report back later with news on my completely awesome amazing spin session at 06:45 (yes, I got up that early, shocking for me!!!)

TJ x

In need of caffeine...

I didn't sleep last night, well... unless you count some restless bursts of interrupted snoozes lasting no longer than 30 mins... harrumph

Since I got the flu I've had a relentless ringing in my left ear. Yesterday it was a mixture of high pitched whine, plus ringing, it sounded like a car alarm or something similar, but very far away, but still loud enough to hear... sooo frustrating! When I went to see the doctor to get antibiotics for my lurgy she said that I had some fluid behind the ear-drum but thought that the antibiotics would cure that as well as my virus - unfortunately the drugs proved not to be quite the panacea I was after and the ringing has continually increased. I don't notice it in the day time because, well... I work in London! But we live on a very quiet residential road and at night it's quite unbearable :-( I've got a doctor's appointment next week so will hopefully get some good advice about what I can do to remedy this problem.

So, yesterday was meant to be the first dress rehearsal and I didn't get back home after until midnight! It went quite well in terms of acting and nerves... however there was a slight cock-up with some of our dresses. Although the costume lady requested hips, bust, waist etc... she didn't ask for my arm measurement.

I'm not a willowy-armed waif and, to be quite honest, I never ever intend to be! I'm actually incredibly proud of my newly-(reasonably)defined arms and shoulders... but yesterday they proved troublesome when I couldn't actually get my dress sleeves over them. Hmm

of the three dresses I featured the other day, only the middle one fits! The first is too tight on the shoulders... but even if it wasn't it's way too short - I'm 5'8".. did they think with the inner leg measurements I supplied that I'd be 5'4" or something?! The third dress, my 'Mrs Collins' dress, does not pull up over my arms... I could close it at the back but then there's no point when the armpit of my dress is several inches lower than my own!!!

the middle dress fits okay, in fact it's too loose round the waist! but the length and sleeves are just dandy.

So I'm now wearing 'Jane Bennett's' dress, which is rather inappropriate being a lovely pale pink colour - I'm really meant to be rather plain as 'Charlotte Lucas' so this isn't working as well... the pretty dark pink jacket that goes with it is really out of character too.

I may not have a second day dress now, oh well!

It's a bit annoying as I was previously worried about how the dresses would fit my waist, hips, bum etc... I didn't envisage there being a problem with my arms, they're not that large surely?! Rarrr

In terms of exercise over the weekend, well it really didn't happen. I was hungover on Saturday and ended up coping with this by employing the age-old hair of the dog method... I was out with two of the girls I'm going to the Secret Garden Party with and we were having a good old natter about our costume plans, and then it just continued for far too long, ended up in a local late night bar and didn't roll in til 4am. Joe was less than pleased as he had a 100 mile bike ride the next day and I woke him up when I got in, whoops!!

So with Saturday's drunken late night/early morning shenanigans (sunday's rehearsal was quite a struggle) and last night's insomnia, I have built up quite a hefty sleep deficit and I'm feeling rather shady right now. I'm off the booze this week I think. Might have a glass of wine with my meal on Saturday night as Joe's parents and my lovely son are staying at the grounds where the play's being held from Thursday to Sunday... but not sure as will still have Sunday's performance before I'm officially off play duty!

I'm excited about the performance now but will be so relieved when it's over and I can get back to my training.

However, bit of a problem with the lovely hotel we're staying in for Joe's Etape Du Tour... it doesn't appear to have a gym :-( What am I going to do?! I think I might buy some weights and sneak them with me, the problem with that is that I use up to 12.5kg dumbbells and I don't know quite how I'd be able to sneak 25kg worth of extra weight with me... I may have to sacrifice clothing, which would be a real killer for me as I'm the queen of overpacking!

My right shoulder is hurting quite a bit from yesterday's workout. It was my Upper Body Workout No. 2. Although the exercises themselves weren't too taxing, I have a upper biceps/shoulder injury from years ago when I started out doing triathlon. As I've mentioned before, I'm hypermobile so there is a serious lack of stability in my joints. At the moment I'm doing these exercises exercises to strengthen the area, specifically Shoulder External Rotation, Shoulder Internal Rotation which were demonstrated to me by a physiotherapist, and also Lateral Raises which target the specific muscles around the ball of the shoulder... they're very subtle and I can only use a maximum of 5kg dumbbells for them!

The thing is that using weights aggravates the injury, but, by the same token, and bizarrely enough, not using weights also does too as the area becomes weak. Even when I've not done any form of upper body exercise for a long time my upper arm/shoulder can hurt so it seems I'm damned if I do and I'm damned if I don't! I figure that if I can build up and strengthen the muscles surrounding the affected area then I stand a better chance of improving the pain, perhaps to the point of alleviation... fingers crossed!

Anyway, I'd better get on now, but before I do I'll share my plan for the week with you. This is all dependent on how tired/sore I feel as this week is going to be busy indeed!

MONDAY
AM: - Rest
Lunch: - Upper Body Workout No. 2 (done)
PM: - Play rehearsal

TUESDAY
AM: - Rest
Lunch: - Lower Body Workout No. 2
PM: - Play rehearsal

WEDNESDAY
AM: - Abs
Lunch: - Run
PM: - Restaurant and Cinema (hopefully!)

THURSDAY
AM: - Spin
- Upper Body Workout No. 1
Lunch: - Rest
PM: - Play performance

FRIDAY
AM: - Lower Body Workout No. 1
- Run
Lunch: - Rest
PM: - Play performance

SATURDAY
AM: - Rest
Lunch: - Play performance
PM: - Play performance

SUNDAY
AM: - Rest
Lunch: - Rest
PM: - Play performance

Will definitely need a holiday after all this!

I might not be able to write again between now and next Monday, so, if not, hope you all have a fabulous week!

TJx

quick post before I sod off home

so I didn't make it to BMF tonight. I won some tickets to see La Roux, who I LOVE in an unhealthy cheesy synth-loving manner :-D and then discovered that a friend's birthday meal was tonight instead of tomorrow, bahhh... and then figured that actually since my back is hurting and I'm quite tired I'm just going to go home and chill.

I get upper back pain quite often, usually for no apparent reason... I might just suddenly jerk my back and then the space between my shoulder blades feels like it's going to explode. not much fun :-(

I'd kinda decided earlier on to make this a rest day anyway. I've done quite a bit these last few days given that it's not been long since I've been 100% well.

Sunday
* Lower Body Workout No.1
(quick blitz in the gym. Double leg press: 80kg; Single Leg Press: 40kg; Leg Curl: 35kg; Leg Extension: 35Kg; Adductor: 55kg; abductor: 55kg)

Monday
* Walked home from work: 4 miles in less than an hour
* abdominal workout in the evening

Tuesday
* Upper Body Workout No. 2
(Shoulder Press: 9kg; Biceps Curl: 9kg; Upright Row: 9kg; Triceps Kickback: 7kg; Lateral Shoulder Raises: 5kg; Side Row: 12.5kg)
* Cycle to and from work (8 miles)

Tomorrow I'm planning to do my Lower Body Workout No.2 in my work gym first thing in the morning. Then at lunch time I'm going to have a steady jog on the treadmill for 20-30 mins followed by lots of stretching.

I might not do upper body weights until Saturday, will have to see how I feel.

So, instead of running around a park in the sunshine, or sitting down to a nice meal, or going to see a band I like, I'm going to trundle off home and sit in my local pub (which is actually a nice pub, gastro status but not too pricey) with t'other half and eat a nice steak and drink a glass of medicinal red wine (it has analgesic properties, true story!)

it'll be good to spend an evening with my OH as I feel like we've drifted apart a bit lately with us both having our own projects. It's scary how little time there is to fit everything in. I'm such a contender for the 'biting off more than she can chew' title.

Ahh well, play's next week and then that's something out the way so I can relax a little and focus on family and training.

here are my dresses for Pride & Prejudice by the way:


what do you think? I'm so excited about wearing them! I'm a little worried by how low cut the first two are though as last sunday's rehearsal saw me acquire some rather interesting burn tan lines, hmmm...!!

The first is my dress as the single-spinster Charlotte Lucas, the second is single-spinster-but-hopeful-to-get-a-fella-at-a-balll Charlotte Lucas, and the third is 'married to the dreadful reverend collins... and the church... so must cover up one's assets' ;-)

The dress rehearsal is Sunday, I do hope they all fit, though reasonably optimistic that they'll be fine as I'm good with dresses being a pear shape... it's just trousers I can't cope with as I found in my last play when I had to play a man - my estimations were *way* out!!

okay, must dash, if only because there's a cleaner in the other half of the office who, whilst doing a sterling job of cleaning all our admin people's pedestals, is a little larger-framed so struggling a bit and therefore grunting away like the ladies at Wimbledon! I fear that any second now I might giggle - doesn't she know I'm here?!

My strength building workouts (for now!)

Right, now that I am recovered more or less 100% from my horrid flu and having realised that I don't have a chance in hell of winning the Maximuscle Body of 2009 unless I start taking my training much more seriously, I've finally put together 4 strength-training workouts based on the exercises I currently do.

There are two upper routines and two lower. The No. 1s can only be done at my local gym as they're machine based and my work gym is a bit pants!

I haven't yet decided yet how often I'll do them, I think one of each a week, intersperced with cardio (walking, running, biking and rowing) will do for now as I'm going to be super busy between now and August! This week and next ridiculously so as I've got rehearsals tonight, a British Military Fitness class tomorrow (woo hoo!), venue reccee with a friend on friday (I'm helping out with a new themed club night in London coming in August, it's going to be awesome!), BBQ/picnic saturday, dress rehearsals sunday... and then all of next week is basically rehearsals then performances from thursday to sunday... scary!

anyway, enough blabbering, here are my routines:

UPPER BODY WORKOUT NO. 1
(Machine and Stability Ball)

* Chest Press
* Lat Pulldown
* Triceps Pressdown
* Pec Deck fly
* Low Row
* Shoulder External Rotation
* Shoulder Internal Rotation
* Back Extension - Arms Folded
* Back Extension - Arms Out


UPPER BODY WORKOUT NO. 2
(Dumbbells)

* Shoulder Press
* Biceps Curl
* Upright Row
* Triceps Kickback
* Lateral Shoulder Raises
* Side Row


LOWER BODY WORKOUT NO. 1
(Machine and Stability Ball)

* Double Leg Press
* Single Leg Press
* Leg Curl
* Leg Extension
* Hip Adductor
* Hip Abductor


LOWER BODY WORKOUT NO. 2
(Dumbbells)

* Step-up
* Forward Lunge
* Squat
* Stiff Leg Dead Lift
* Single Leg Split Squat
* Single Leg Calf Raise
* Reverse Lunge

I'm also doing some various abdominal exercises but haven't decided which one I like enough to do regularly... none of them make me hurt enough the next day!!

Strength Training Exercise List

I thought I'd compile all the strength exercises I currently do so that I can use it as a reference for my plan and future posts.

I might add to/take away from the list as there are some exercises with kettle bells that I'd like to try.

Hugely grateful to http://www.physicalfitnet.com/ for their amazingly extensive free library of instruction video clips, it's a fab site! Try the search facility for yourself! http://www.physicalfitnet.com/exercise_video_library/exercise_search.aspx

so, here we go:

UPPER BODY EXERCISES

Shoulders

* Dumbbell Shoulder Press
* Dumbbell Shoulder Lateral Raise
* Cable Shoulder External Rotation
* Cable Shoulder Internal Rotation
* Dumbbell Upright Row

Back

* Low Row
* Lat Pulldown
* Dumbbell Side Row
* Back Extension On Stability Ball - Arms Folded
* Back Extension On Stability Ball - Arms Out

Arms

* Dumbbell Bicep Curl
* Dumbbell Triceps Extension
* Cable Triceps Pressdown With Rope

Chest

* Chest Press
* Pec Deck Fly


LOWER BODY EXERCISES

* Reciprocal Dumbbell Step Up On Bench
* Alternating Dumbbell Lunge
* Alternating Backward Dumbbell Lunge
* Dumbbell Squat
* Dumbbell Split Squat With Back Leg On Bench
* 1 Leg Standing Calf Raise With Dumbbell
* Stiff Leg Dumbbell Deadlift
* Double Leg Press
* Single Leg Press
* Leg Curl
* Leg Extension
* Hip Adductor
* Hip Abductor


I think that's it for now, I'm sure I've missed some stuff off, mind! Ahh well, a work in progress, just like me :-)

bored with being sick so posting a stream of consciousness, hope you don't mind!

okay, this is getting tiring, and not just in the physical sense!

I've been ill for over a week now, as has my friend featured in the pic the other day. We've decided it's swine flu, but are yet to convince anyone else! Basically, I started noticing I had an awful sore throat on Tuesday... then woke up Wednesday realising I couldn't go to work and slept the whole day! I woke at 5.30pm and then went to bed around midnight and slept the whole night again (so obviously needed the sleep!). Since then, my sore throat has dissipated but I've just turned into a huge snot monster from planet phlegm!

my tickly cough is now a full blown chesty rattling one and my voice is several octaves lower, true story

all in all, I'm an attractive sight to behold!

hmm


okay so I will console myself by showing you a few pics of my party, telling you about my new toys and my great lower body workout yesterday in my paltry work gym... it's amazing the results you can get with the minimum of equipment... and trust me, my gym has the absolute minimum of equipment!!

Party Party Party!!

It was amazing!

Of course there were the usual flaky people who didn't show despite promising they would, and there were about 10 people I really wanted to come who were out of the country, but all things considered I actually had quite a few people turn up in the end (which was a relief as a) would have been a pretty shit party if no-one did and b) there was a minimum spend of £600 - which incidentally was decimated given the high prices at the bar, but hey ho!)

so, to start you off, here's me blowing out the candles on my cake, what a star my boyfriend is, not only did he go all out with the cheesy balloons (even bought an entire helium canister, which we had great fun with later... probably didn't help the sore throat thing, hmm) he got me the most awesome birthday cake I've ever seen - go Joe! If you look closely you'll see that it's a picture of me in a mask from Secret Garden Party 2008 on it :-)



and, here's a collection of a few of the best pics from the night, lots of people made the effort to bring a mask so was uber chuffed at that. Some were beautiful, some eerie, some just a bit odd! And everyone that didn't have one was able to wear some from the collection I brought.



as you can see, Joe didn't wear the mask I bought him which was a good decision in the end... I liked the camp pirate look ;-)



New Toys

I'm going to have to rein my spending in a little I think... need to start saving for a bigger house. Our place is a really nice size, but Joe won't let me convert the dining room into a gym/study/music or games room >:-( I'm thinking our breakfast room could probably serve a better use than being a 'stuff' room where bikes are put as are items that don't fit in the kitchen!

I'd *love* a big house, arranged over at least 3 floors with a big garden for my son and the cats, separate room for a study, gym etc, en suite bathroom, walk in wardrobe (I have a lot of clothes), wine cellar... ahhh

still, reality prevails, and if we want to continue living in our rather lovely area and not move into the more edgy parts of south london like our neighbours, Brixton and Camberwell, then I might have to rethink my plans a little.

in any case, we need more rooms! So I need to start doing something totally alien to me - save!

enough of that boring stuff though, here's my latest purchase/project:



isn't it awesome! this bread was ready this morning when I woke up, I added the flour, water, yeast etc, punched in a wholewheat setting, fed the linseeds and sesame and sunflower seeds, as well as mixed chopped nuts, into the top dispenser which automatically tips it into the mix when required, and left it to it!

the house smelled fantastic when I woke, apparently, I can't smell anything at the mo, grumble grumble :-(

I'm very pleased actually as I decided to be healthy (well, healthier) and substituted the sugar and butter from the bread recipe I had with honey and olive oil and it turned out okay! My son is loving the fresh bread in his sandwiches every day (yes, at 13, his mother still makes him a packed lunch every day!)

my other new purchase for the house is a Tefal Ultra Compact Steamer



Joe's not as enamoured with this as the bread-maker, understandably I guess... but then he hasn't tried anything steamed in it yet (he was busy cycling up mountains when me and my son had steamed cod and puy lentils last week - yum!)


And my last big purchase was what I've been aiming to get for a while... a pair of MBTs. I've always been keen to try a pair, despite the ridiculously large sole on them that make them look more like a correctional device than a pair of normal shoes! I tried on a pair of my friend's the other day and found them really comfy so I did some research into the latest models and found my ideal pair. They're a nice brown colour and have a gore-tex lining so are 100% waterproof... typically, they're the most expensive shoe they produce!

I have bought the Chapa GTX in Coffee. They look quite similar to the off-road Nike ACGs I wear every day, though without so much of a rugged sole.

I can't wait to try them out! I'm walking into work tomorrow as I'm leaving my bike overnight so will test them out :-)

Training

well, cardio wise it's a big fat zero, unless you count biking to work and back which has really only been out of necessity especially given the bloody tube strike, russen fussen russen >:-(

I did manage to get down to do some lower body work yesterday lunch time and was quite pleased at my efforts... although it's hard to sit down or stand up today - which is good in a sick way as if I don't ache after weights I feel inadequate!

I did 5 exercises in total, in sequence:

1)
Exercise: Dumbbell Step-up
Weight: 2 x 12.5 kg
Reps: 10
Sets: 3

2)
Exercise: Dumbbell Forward Lunge
Weight: 2 x 12.5 kg
Reps: 10
Sets: 3

3)
Exercise: Dumbbell Squat
Weight: 2 x 12.5 kg
Reps: 10
Sets: 3

4)
Exercise: Dumbbell Straight Leg Deadlift
Weight: 2 x 12.5 kg
Reps: 10
Sets: 3

5)
Exercise: Dumbbell Split Squat
Weight: 2 x 12.5 kg
Reps: 10
Sets: 3

by the end of all the sets my heart was pounding away! felt good though. I do the step-ups on a reebok bench which I place on one of our treadmills... the one that's been broken for months (told you my work gym was poo!)

my butt is looking so much better, as are my arms - much better than in my birthday party pics! they're back to looking slim again which is fab and the definition in my triceps is starting to show through, just need to strip through more fat and it'll all be more obvious!

I had a bloke say to me "hello beautiful" while I was card shopping earlier... I didn't hear him as I was plugged into my iPod as per... so he made a point of stopping me and repeating it so I heard, very funny, especially given that I have zero makeup on and a big red nose from all the blowing! maybe he was just referring to my arse ;-)

better get on now, I hope you're all well, looking forward to a good upper body session either tomorrow or Saturday. I had a great one last Sunday, 2 hours of upper body weights! I'm upping my machine weights (lat pulldown, low row, vertical traction etc) to 40kg on the weekend... will keep my free weights at 8kg dumbbells for the seated shoulder press, biceps curl, upright rows etc though

more about that another time though, don't get me started!!

Bye for now :-)