Week 1
The NHS health check was quick, painless and very informative. See that video here. Although my cholesterol and diabetic screen results were good, it was apparent that I need to improve my activity levels and diet. This week I have joined weight watchers online. I have been to other healthy lifestyle clubs in the past with good results but I struggle to attend the meetings due to work and looking after my children, so this time I am going to try going on my own.
The first week has gone well. I have found that I need to pre-plan all my meals and do the prep the night before. I have not felt hungry and so far have kept snacks to healthy fruit in between colourful, filling meals. I have also started running (very very slowly) with the help of the “couch to 5k” app. This involves short intermittent jogs and brisk walks over 30mins. Although exhausted by the end, I am still feeling motivated to keep going.
Next week I hope to get back in the pool and start swimming again! I will keep updating with my progress!
Feel free to let us know at CLMP what you are doing to improve your health and lifestyle on social media.
Week 2
This week has been tough. My body is starting to miss the processed sugar and so for a couple of days I have felt quite lethargic.
The diet continues with lots of fruit and vegetables. I am getting most of my protein from plant based foods as I am mostly vegetarian. I am eating a lot of pulses and some quorn. Once a week I try to eat some oily fish such as salmon and sardines to help with my good cholesterol levels, but otherwise I don’t eat any meat.
Tracking my food has been easy. The WW app has proved easy to use and there is a barcode scanner that comes in handy too. You can find some nice healthy recipes on there and there is a vegan and vegetarian section.
Exercise this week has been 2 swims and a run. For my running I have continued with the “couch to 5k “ app. I have a watch that can assess how far I have swam and then that uploads to a swimming app “SWIMIO”. I find this good fun as you can do set distances eg swimming the Channel but obviously in a swimming pool.
Weight loss so far=5lbs
So far the motivation has continued so I keep going. I will update again soon!
Week 3
After a busy week at work, we were rewarded with amazing weather on the bank holiday. I managed 1 run and 1 swim during the week . I had set out to do more and thought the bank holiday was a great chance to get some exercise in. I succeeded but not quite in the way I had planned. A great reminder that exercise can be in any form and involve the whole family, we set out early each day on trips out and about in Warwickshire and Oxfordshire. The weather made such a difference. Over the 3 days we walked a total of 20km and it did not feel like exercise at all. It was hugely enjoyable and we all got plenty of fresh air. Exercise does not have to be in a gym or involving expensive machines or equipment......just grab some comfortable shoes and get out there!
Congratulations goes out to Dr Al-Zubaidi and his wife who blasted round The Trust 10km! Huge inspiration there! Dr Al-Zubaidi has only been running for about a year now and came in second!!!!
Let us know by tagging us on social media, regarding what you have doing to get out and about and keep active.
Weight loss so far= 7lbs
Catch up again soon!
Week 4
Getting the kids involved.....
Luckily both my daughters have inherited my love of swimming with my eldest having her first experience of open water swimming, aged 5, in lake Windermere. She is now aged 9 and is planning to swim in her first Great North Swim with me next June. I am telling you all this, as this weekend on Saturday morning I was met with hostility by the another user of a members only “health and fitness club” who felt it was their responsibility to make sure that my daughter “knew her place” in that she cannot use the large pool till 11am but was apparently “too big” to use the kids pool. The rules of the “health and fitness” club are clear. If you are a young person who would like to swim for exercise, for your health and fitness, then you can only do it between 11am and 3pm on the weekend.
In this day and age when childhood Obesity is reaching epidemic proportions there should be absolutely no restrictions on encouraging young people to get fit and keep active. We are surrounded by technology, screens, tablets, smart phones with no restrictions on how long they can be used and yet when it comes to exercise, we have to abide by time limitations.
The NCMP provides the most comprehensive picture of the state of childhood Obesity for the 2017 to 2018 school year in England. It found:
- the proportion of overweight and obese children in reception year (aged 4 to 5) has remained stable at 22.4% (equal to 136,586 children) for year 6 children, it is 34.3% (equal to 197,888 children) compared to 31.6% in 2006 to 2007
- in the most deprived areas, 12.8% of children in reception year are obese, compared to 5.7% in the least deprived areas
- in year 6 it is 26.8% in the most deprived areas, compared to 11.7% in the least deprived areas
- in both age groups, severe Obesity is 4 times higher in deprived areas
So this weeks message is simple! Let’s set an example for our children. Make exercise the norm and part of our daily lives! It does not need to be in an over priced gym but can be daily walks with the dog, Parkrun on a Saturday or Sunday morning, football in the back garden!
Thankfully my daughter was not discouraged. She went on to swim 80 laps in the kids pool and still managed to enjoy it!
Let us know at CLMP what activities your children enjoy to keep active and moving!
Weight loss so far =8lbs
Catch up soon!
Week 5
Some is good, more is better.......
No, I am not talking about chocolate! The Department of Health has released a new document relating to how much exercise we should be doing and there is some good news!!
Essentially the latest guidelines states that every little bit counts. Obviously the more we do, the more we benefit. I am thinking about all the times I have said to myself, “I don’t have time!” It turns out that is rubbish. We all have time. We need to stop focusing on how busy we are and take time out to move. That means even a walk round the block counts if that is all you have time for in your lunch break for example. It all adds up!
The benefits of exercise are enormous. If we could bottle it we would be billionaires. It helps with physical and mental health, including reducing the risks of heart disease, strokes, dementia, 8 types of cancers, depression, anxiety and sleep disorders. Did you know that it also counts it babies? The idea of aiming for 30mins tummy time per day in babies who are still too little to crawl, and then increasing to crawling, swimming, jumping, throwing, walking, messy play.....this helps with bone and muscle strength, cognitive function and relationship development. The benefits are immense and it can be as simple as getting on some comfortable shoes and getting out the door.
This week has been a good week for moving for me. I managed a couple of swims, the longest of which was 2km, and a 9km walk with the dogs and kids on the weekend. I have not even counted the walks here and there, smaller dog walks, walks to the shops etc.
Weight loss so far =10lbs
The practice is getting ready to “get moving” too. We hope many of you will be joining us. Follow us on social media and find out what is happening soon!
Week 6
There is no such thing as a quick fix......
As I creep into week 6 of this fitness drive it has become clear that although I am getting fitter and losing weight, I would love for it to be happening faster. It makes me wonder if there is a “quick fix!”
How many times do we see articles in magazines and on social media about “skinny pills” and “ celebrity diets”? They are everywhere! There is a part of me (the fat part) that thinks just maybe there is something in those “skinny pills” and maybe I should have a go......and then the logical (the doctor part) of me remembers- it is utter rubbish and nonsense, a waste of money and also potentially dangerous to your health. At best you will be taking chalk pills, at the very worst you could be risking serious health complications such as liver failure and death.
What is the obsession with the quick fix?? The more I think about it, the more I realise that for me it is based purely on a materialistic desire to look smaller with minimal effort. Then I remember, that is missing the point! It should be maximum effort! It should be hard work because my health, fitness and happiness should be something to work for. The more effort you put in, the more we get out. “Skinny pills” “weight loss injections” and “diet teas” don’t help muscles tone, they don’t increase bone strength, improve cardiovascular fitness, improve mood and boost your endorphins or improve your quality of sleep. They absolutely DO NOT prevent cardiovascular disease, 8 different types of cancers, strokes and diabetes. They also don’t set an example of hard work and dedication to others, or instilling exercise as an important part of life for our children.
Ultimately it comes down to why we are doing all this. Am I doing it to look slim? No, because there is more to life than how I look and , in this day and age, we should be encouraged to love ourselves no matter what what we look like. That includes every lump, bump and chunk of cellulite. I am doing this to feel good, feel strong, feel happy and feel proud of what my chubby but amazing body can do. I want to feel that pride that comes with saying,” I did this!” The feeling after your first exercise class, or Zumba class when you finally get the routine right, completing your first 5km run in just 19mins, or the feeling after doing your first 1 mile swim without stopping or 10km bike ride, you will never find that feeling in a bottle of “skinny pills”!
Remember that the human body is an amazing machine that can do incredible things when looked after and nurtured properly. It needs to be worked even if that is in small regular walks ( remember “some is good but more is better”), it needs to be given healthy natural fuels to help it to work to its best possible ability. Don’t go for a quick fix......go for the long haul!!
As a medical practice, we are aiming to lead by example. Follow us on social media to find out more about our up-coming fitness campaign. We are in it for the long haul and would love you to join us!
Weight loss so far= 11lbs (and I am proud of every 1 lost)!
Let’s keep going ........
Week 7
Weight loss this week = 0!!!
So initially I stood on the scales this week and was a little gutted. I have been swimming 3 times this week, swam 5,700m in 2hrs 40mins of exercise. I have been eating healthily....so what went wrong?
If I am totally honest with myself, it may have had a little something to do with the secret liaison I had with a packet of custard creams whilst nobody was as looking! Here’s the thing......it does not matter that nobody was looking! The scales don’t lie! And what is worse, had I stopped scoffing at one or two then that 0lbs this week, just might have been -1lb. The learning point here is that occasional treats are ok! This is about the long term changes.......stuffing back a whole packet of custard creams.....not so good!
Now anyone with a smidgen of self control is probably judging my gluttony right now, but news flash.....I did not get this size by snacking on carrot sticks. And please don’t think that I was reaching for the biscuit tin out of hunger because I wasn’t. Genuinely we don’t have cakes and biscuits in the house (because I can’t be trusted), this was an unhealthy response to stress and tiredness whilst visiting my parents. People, including myself, can fall back on food as a source of comfort and as such it can become an addiction and an unhealthy way to combat stress.
Everyone responds to stress differently. Some people eat, others drink and smoke. But if we try to change our behaviour and invest that time and energy into something better for us then we would be doing our bodies a huge favour. Think about how you would feel after a rubbish day at work, going for a run or a walk......headphones on, great music blaring and burning off that stress, anger or frustration. Had a hugely stressful day at work, don’t reach for the takeaway menus, reach for the yoga mat and find a yoga session on-line to follow.
Most importantly, remember you are only human and as such, we make mistakes! I stuffed my face with custard creams....and I am moving on. I have learnt from it and I will not repeat it. I will not fall into that trap of thinking, “Well that’s it! It’s not working! Why bother?” In the words of Chumbawamba.....”I get knocked down, but I get up again...!”
CLMPFC launch day is in sight.......really hope to see you there!
Till next time......
Launch Day Blog...
So in case you hadn’t heard..... on the 25th of September we launched our Clarendon Lodge fitness club!! I say our, but really it is your fitness club! As a practice we are trying to lead by example and get you all moving more! To improve your blood pressure, diabetic control, fitness and risk factors, get involved and get active!
Remember that can be anything from a walk into town to a 5km run and everything in between.It all counts......every walk to school, every dog walk, moving the lawn, sweeping up! You are moving and active, using those muscles, increasing your heart rate and getting a sweat on.
We had a great selection of activities today, taekwando, yoga, salsa, and Wasps rugby players too. It was a huge success and that was because of you.....our patients! You turned up and you got stuck in and I couldn’t be more proud!
It is not always easy to step out of your comfort zone and put yourself in a position where you feel exposed and I understand that. For those of you out there that feel too big, unfit, embarrassed or just lack the confidence to take those first steps.....I know how you feel. I am there walking in your shoes with you all the way. Today, I spent the entire day in Lycra, a round bottomed size 18 woman, surrounded by fit, athletic slim folks! I was by far the biggest person in that Clarendon Lodge car park today, and it was not easy. But, I did it! I did it for all of you that feel too shy and uncomfortable to make those steps, for those of you who don’t want to be the fattest person at work or in the gym anymore, for those of you that feel embarrassed to get changed in the changing rooms at the gym or school, or those of you that want a note for PE because you just can’t face it!
We can do this together! Me and you! One step at a time. I know how you feel! I am there with you! This fitness club is for you.......now let’s get stuck in!!
Week 9
Fall from grace........
Weight loss=16lbs......but then......
Weight gain=2lbs
So far my motivation and resolve had not really been tested. I have been preparing my own foods and getting into a solid routine.
Swimming on Monday and Wednesday mornings and a run/walk on a weekend. My fitness is improving.....I have managed to knock 8 minutes off my 2km swim time since I started this lifestyle change. It’s all going really well and I am now 1 dress size smaller than I was when I started (although admittedly that means I am actually now the size I previously convinced myself I was, whilst grumbling everything had shrunk/ the sizing was wrong!).
Then it all started to go wrong!!! I can pinpoint the exact moment where the proverbial hit the fan! I had been on a well deserved night out with friends, in London. It was a lot of fun but socialising seems to revolve around 2 things, drinking and eating. We had a lovely 3 course meal and despite trying to pick healthy options, who can say no to pudding all of the time.......apparently not me. And so the rather swift fall from grace/ fall off the wagon began! Pudding turned into drinks, coffees, breakfast the next day, more coffee, lunch and ultimately gaining 2lbs!!
2lbs, that is a bag of sugar, back on my bingo wings and bulbous bottom! Gutted! And I did what only any self respecting, life time member of the lard arse league would do.......I drowned my tears over a calzone pizza! Honestly, self destructive behaviour does not even come close. I beat myself up over this for a few days....decided that it was not worth the effort and who cares anyway. There was a lot of wallowing in self pity and I seem to remember macaroons were involved somewhere.
Who cares anyway?? Who should care? If I don’t care about my own health, about trying to live a long healthy active life for me and my children, then why would anyone else. Nobody else can do this for me. Sat in those consultations trying to encourage people to help themselves, I can’t do it for you! But I am trying to do it with you! It’s not easy. Temptation is all around us all the time. One treat or cheat meal, can so quickly turn into a bad day, bad week and then before we know it we have gained all the weight we lost and added a bit more for good measure. If you are sat reading this and it sounds familiar......let’s keep looking forward. Put the breaks on the self destructive eating and embrace the future and what we can achieve. We are only held back by our own demons and lack in motivation.
So, we try again! Breaks on the biscuits, back on the broccoli! I am sat here at the gym, ready to battle that bulge again, about to go for a swim...........
Let’s get to work!
Week 10 - Greetings from Cairo.....
10 weeks since start
16lbs lost.....then 2lbs gained.....then 2lbs lost again......
So this week I am blogging live from sunny Cairo, whilst visiting my parents.........except it lashed it down day one and flooded most of the roads. Great start to my week off. We had intended to do a lot of walking and sight seeing but had to adjust our plans due to the fact that I had only packed flip flops......
I am not worried though, think I lost a stone carrying a toddler through the airport walking the miles and miles to the gate. Arrived at the plane sweaty, beetroot coloured and breathless bags under one arm, toddler under the other wondering why I was not picked out of the queue for an upgrade?? Surely this picture of health, vitality and excellent parenting deserved a bit of luxury, no?
I collapsed in to my seat with a mixture of excitement, anxiety and nausea worried about if I had packed enough snacks to last the flight , to keep the kids happy.........last snack inhaled just as we left terra firma......only 5hrs to go.......... we arrived safely with limited toilet trips thank goodness!! I still to this day think changing a shitty nappy in an airplane toilet should have featured somewhere on the Crystal Maze!!!
My parents were present when our Fitness club was launched and so are massively behind this change in lifestyle and want to support me as much as they can. They are both still very active and play tennis and golf regularly. Their support apparently means keeping me under house arrest and letting me only eat fruits and vegetables!!!! I am not complaining (too loudly anyway) as it is currently mango season here and so I am filling my face with the sweetest mangoes you could ever imagine! Straight from the tree, on a donkey and cart to the fruit stall down the road. Life does not get simpler than that. It is also pomegranate season! We make fresh juice from these beautiful ruby red lovelies and it tastes amazing. Full of vitamins and antioxidants. My uncle has sent us sweet pink grapefruits from the trees in his garden and they make a wonderful refreshing breakfast.
Don’t get me wrong.......when on holiday it is so easy to eat a huge amount of sweet foods, fried foods, gooooooood foods- this is rather typical of my previous holidays! To help put things in to a bit of context........we buy Baklava here by the kilo!!!!! I have often had to return home wearing the loosest clothes I can find whilst modelling an extra chin or three! And then there is that question of why they always put me in a smaller seat on the flight back??!!! I am allowing myself an occasional treat and have not decided what that might be but it will be worth the sacrifices. I love travelling and trying local cuisine. This for me though is a trip home from home and so I am simply enjoying all the beautiful seasonal fruits, that are fresh, organic and cheap as chips!!!
I love the fact that in Egypt as well as England we can still enjoy beautiful season foods. Before we left, the whole family were enjoying lovely roast veggies- heritage carrots, parsnips, pumpkin and butternut squash with light seasoning- so tasty, full of colour and so healthy! Minimal prep, fast, easy and nutritious- exactly what we should be eating for maximum health benefits. It does not have to be expensive either.......one of the benefits of eating locally produced seasonal veg, is the fact that you are not paying for it to fly half way around the world and then end up on your dinner plate.
Most of the exercise this week, will be walking or rowing depending on how the roads clear up........Keep those pledges coming in folks......you have done amazingly well so far. Let’s keep going and doing what we can, when we can!
Week 11
Mah Salama Kahera
We survived!! 6 days and 7 nights in the hot and sweaty capital of Egypt! I expect a big bloody medal on arrival please!
Still no upgrade! On the plus side the Glamazon, 3 rows in front, who does not have a hair out of place and is still wearing her Gucci sunglasses did not either! Her kids are clean, groomed and wearing matching Fendi outfits! Mine are dressed, alive, happy and free of nits- winner!!!!
Don’t get me wrong I love the people, the food, the history and the art! But dear God a week on my own with 2 kids and my 2 parents is enough to test the patience of Mother Teresa!!! My systolic has risen by at least 30mmHg!!! Pulse is a steady 120bpm at rest!! And I have found a new cluster of grey hairs!! It is over crowded, the traffic is awful and it’s so bloody noisy!!
Thankfully though the weather had cooled down to 27degrees and so made the walking round the sights much more bearable than it could have been. This enabled us to clock up an impressive 36km waking over our stay (most of which I have carried Zahra- who has turned in to a spider monkey and has seemingly lost the use of her legs and insisted on being carried everywhere). I now have the biceps of Arnie Schwartzeneger and a back that feels like it has been hit by a bus.
After the initial rains, storms and threat of a cyclone......the girls and I still somehow managed to get sunburn. That is after the nits on arrival and flea bites from sitting on a dodgey carpet in old Cairo and TMJ dysfunction from gritting my teeth every time my kids were being little sh*ts, as I type this I have a rather stickey right eye and a tight band sensation round my left arm (let’s hope that’s muscle strain from carrying spider monkey).
On the plus side .....no diarrhoea or vomiting, which is practically a rite of passage when you visit Cairo. I have managed to stick to my diet with a very occasional treat.
The fruits have been amazing and I have had lots of lovely salads and veg dishes created by my mum. My parents have taken us out and treated us to a brilliant time and for that I am so grateful. It is sad to leave them behind but they will be following us back to the U.K. soon enough.
Weight loss so far =17lbs
Week 12 - Shopping- love it or loathe it??
The plus side to being plus size is the fact that it limits what I can spend on clothes! This is a good thing. Left to my own devises, if I were a size 8, I would be dangerous.......and totally skint. I love fashion and it kills me that half the time I can’t find clothes that look amazing on the size 8 model in my size, or when I put it on, I look like a sack of spuds!
There is very limited options to what fashion designers seem to think a rounder figured person can wear. It seems to be from the extreme of skin tight mini dresses, which on me would like several pigs fighting under a blanket and crop tops (just NO!!!), to the other extreme, a shapeless tent. There is very little middle ground. Why is it that if you are fuller figured, you can’t dress on trend??? This may go some way to explain my love of shoes and handbags- one is never too fat for shoes or handbags!! Although, I do recall a time before children, when I attempted to try on a pair of Christian Louboutin black high heels and it looked like a scene out of the Cinderella Christmas panto!!
Then there is the act of shopping! The judging looks......the sideways glances.....the thoughts of is it long enough to cover my bum......will I be able to get those trousers up past my knees .........and will I get my bingo wings in those sleeves and still have full use of my arms. And then my favourite.......the check out experience! “Would you like to try this on????” No, I bloody wouldn’t! I will try it on at home and not in a pokey arsed changing room, with lights brighter than the sun that show up every imperfection! I have seen bigger coffins than some of these changing rooms......getting into one of those and then being able to manoeuvre to take your own clothes off and try this new outfit on, that in your head will look bloody amazing, but in reality is just you but now sweating in another snug fitted outfit........NO THANKS!! So I decide that I will buy it and it is the right size, so fingers crossed I will look like SJP right out of a scene from “Sex and the City.” I am pretty sure she too sometimes has to jump up and down to coax her thighs all the way into a pair of snug trousers! Then the punches keep on coming....”Don’t worry, you have 28 days to return it!” The final kick in the teeth. Great so either it will look sh*t or you think it’s the wrong size and I am too huge to wear this!! This may explain the huge selection of clothes I hang on to because I will slim in to it and show that shop assistant!! I am not in any need for your 28 day return policy......I will buy the pink tutu dress and look bloody fabulous in it too!
At the end of the day, I will never ever be a size 8..... to be honest I doubt if I would ever be a size 12 but I am not doing this to look smaller! I am doing this to feel good and to feel healthy! Remember to focus on other numbers and not dress sizes! Focus on your blood pressure, HbA1c if diabetic, how far can you run since you started, how many laps can you swim now?? Those are the numbers to look at and improve.
Lastly, I would like to say a huge thank you to Dr Jo Mulley, who after 16 years of dedicated hard graft at CLMP, is hanging up her stethoscope! It is not a goodbye, just a see you later......Keep those numbers (#pledge10000) coming in people! We have done so well so far.
Ps- just to reassure you all, I do not own a pink tutu dress! SJP can keep that one!
Week 13 Parkrun
Clarendon Lodge is a parkrun associated GP practice and as such we try to encourage staff and patients alike to join the team for a 5km run/jog/walk on a Saturday morning 9am at Newbold Comyn. I have been promising to go down for months now and this week I was there.
.Firstly, I am no runner. I know I am not alone in this. I won’t even run for a bus, much more likely to hail a cab! This is something I have always wanted to change. I have aspirations to whip round that 5km course like the wind.......flying past my colleagues as they eat my dust!! “Dream on,” I hear you cry! The fact is I may never run like “The Flash” or even Forrest Gump, but there is nothing stopping anyone walking round. I was so inspired by the team spirit and great effort put in by all, runners, joggers, walkers and organisers. It made me realise a few things though. Wearing the right gear is important. It does not need to be expensive or flash but it should definitely fit right. Significant problems with my leggings, my “smiley mummy tummy” kept poking out the top as my leggings slid down. Doing karate kicks whilst trying to pull them up is never a good look. My trainers were rubbish and I ended up with trench foot by the end of it. Also don’t take a toddler as your running buddy...... it looks really bad when they finish before you!!
What was most inspirational for me was chatting to a lovely CLMP patient who had only started running at 65, and had already completed over 50 parkruns! That is 250km total! There is literally no excuses! This lady found the motivation she needed to get off her bottom and do something amazing to help herself and I applaud her. She is an inspiration to me and has motivated me to get my trainers out and get running......jogging......ok, maybe start walking fast, but at least get my backside off the couch and back out there!
Come on team!! Let’s get out there and motivate each other. I am willing to give it a go and try my hand at running again. Fancy joining me??? Don’t forget to upload those walks/runs and help us to our 10,000km goal by Christmas!
Week 14
Week.....who knows?? It’s cold! I hate winter! It’s dark. It’s cold. It’s wet. Did I mention it is cold?? It is miserable. It destroys any microscopic traces of motivation I have, and as a result, I switch from “Couch to 5k” to “Couch to the chip shop.” I can’t even face getting on the scales right now, because I know I have gained weight.
This happens every year. The nights get longer and my waist size gets wider. A few more weeks and I will be “Ho Ho Ho-ing” like the big man in red, with a gut to match. Who can be arsed to go out for a run in this (put your hands down- this is not aimed at you!)? Well I can’t! I also can’t face walking in the cold and the wet much either, but with 2 dogs and 2 kids, that decision is taken out of my hands. The annoying thing is that I do feel better after a good long walk outside. It is not only a chance to do some exercise but it’s also a chance to clear your head.
This is a great way to get away from social media, TV, and the constant feeling of being surrounded by people who are thinner or prettier or better in some way than you are. When was the last time you felt intimidated or belittled by someone because of their IQ or knowledge? Hardly ever! And yet all you have to do is switch the TV on and there are people becoming famous because of their appearance, the size of their massive boobs and teeny tiny waists or huge pecs!! Can you even begin to imagine watching “Love Island” if it were full of “normal people”? People with love handles, chubby thighs, bingo wings, a bit of good old cellulite! When did being over a size 8-10 make you unwatchable? We can’t all look like a Kardashian, despite how hard I try. A few years ago I tried to match Kim Kardashians blonde hair do.........dried my hair out to yellow crispy birds nest. Not a good look. And I clearly didn’t need the Brazilian bum lift either!
I refuse to be judged by my size. I will not be made to feel uncomfortable in my own skin or invisible. I want each of you to stop focusing on clothes size and “getting thinner”. We focus on being “better.” That could be physically better, mentally better, stronger, more confident, or just better than the idiot next to you who can’t see you for the amazing and kind person you may be. Be seen! Get that bright red lipstick out, wear a fabulous pair of fuschia pink tights, wear that shirt or tie that shouts “look at me,” and be seen. Know that your worth is more than skin deep. Get out there and go for a walk- clear your minds of any negativity and get away from images that make you question yourself, how you look or make you feel uncomfortable in your own skin.CLMPFC is about improving you. Better physically. Better mentally. More confident. Walking taller with your shoulders back and head held high. It is not about changing who you are but improving on your already fabulous self. I need to get out of my own little winter pity party for 1 and get motivated again! I know that will help me feel better and more confident than I do sat at home feeling sorry for myself. Next time I see you, I hope you are wearing your brightest lipstick or most fabulous shirt with a confident glint in your eye!
Week 15 - It’s ok, to not always be ok!
As my winter pity party for one continues, I have to accept that sometimes it is ok, to not be ok. Right now despite all the will in the world, I can’t get to the swimming pool. Work is busy, life is busy. The more I worry about it, the less I focus on the benefits of just staying active and busy with the kids.
When the nights are long and it is so cold, the motivation to get up and go for a swim or a run, can be hard to find. The less we do, the more we focus on it and start to worry about how little exercise we have done. This can then feedback in a negative way, as you start to think about what you haven’t achieved, rather than what you have achieved and not even recognised. Think back to those weeks when we said “Some is great, more is better!” It is ok, to not be ok. It is ok to not always feel bothered to go for a run. Think about what else you can do though. Go for a walk instead. Meet up with friends. Cook a nice meal. Do something to help you feel like you have achieved something and that will help give you a feeling of achievement and boost your mood.
Walking the dog! Cleaning the house- you can burn some serious calories doing a good clean and hoover, and you get to see the results of your hard work! Walk to school! Christmas shopping- walk into town! This all counts. I have managed to create my own fitness training regime. I call it,” The Potty Training Plan!” This involves getting my youngest daughter to a toilet in time. Sounds easy?? Sprinting across the Priors with a toddler under one arm and Christmas shopping under the other, whilst dodging the hundreds of shoppers! NOT EASY!! It involves cardio and weight training- she is not a dainty little thing, let me tell you! Then there are the exercises for the brain and memory- the Christmas fayres, fetes, nativity, carol concert!! Trying to fit these all in and remember them!! Well that is like a game of Jenga- but with life events and time rather than blocks of wood!
There are a lot of you out there who have found your motivation! Hold on to that feeling and keep going. We are so proud of you all for getting active. A special mention to Mr Mick O’ Leary who has taken up Parkrun and already knocked 7mins off his initial time! Amazing! Special “Good Luck” to Dr Lawton, who is running 5km everyday in December till Christmas Day, for the charity Breast Cancer now. That is 125km!! If anyone would like to make a donation then please see his “Just Giving” page at www.justgiving.com/team/125k2xmasday Lastly, we are holding a Christmas fete of our very own to raise funds for Zoe’s Place baby hospice. This is at CLMP in the car park on 14th December from 9am till 12:00. There will be a treasure hunt, Santa’s grotto, a raffle with amazing prizes, tombola and lots of fun and festive cheer! We hope to see you there!
Week 16
Happy New You.....As we wave goodbye to 2019, it’s a great opportunity to take the time to reflect on the year that has passed and what we have achieved! CLMP started a fitness club, raised money for several charities including Dr Lawton’s £15,000 raised for Breast Cancer Now, and achieved our goal of moving 10,000km by Christmas!! Amazing effort by all, so a very well done!I have not blogged for sometime due to the fact that we were busy arranging a Christmas fete, to raise money for Zoe’s place baby hospice. A huge thanks to you all of you who bought raffle tickets and attended our fete. We raised £500 for this very worth while cause, providing care and support for children and their families at times of desperate need. It brings home the fact that for a lot of people out there, Christmas may not necessarily be a time of happiness and joy.
I like to remind my children on a regular basis of how lucky they are to be healthy, happy and loved. We should never take anything for granted and should try to be grateful for all we have, however little that may be. It can be a time of over indulgence and materialism but the message behind Christmas should hopefully remain to spread hope and joy. We often forget that these can come in the most simple of gestures- a kind word, a please and a thank you, a warm smile, a simple chat to the neighbour that lives alone, paying someone a compliment or simply reminding someone that they are doing a good job. It can be difficult to remember these simple gestures, whilst getting in to a bust up over the last bag of sprouts or arguing over the size of the turkey you think you need. What ever we do at Christmas and into the New Year, a random act of kindness will give hope to others and a feeling of achievement to those that have offered it.
As we head into 2020, it is a time that a lot of us think about change and resolutions. What do you want to do differently?? Most years I aim for a size 8 by summer but it helps if a resolution is achievable!! Let’s say a size 10 then??! Get healthy! Get fit!! Let’s all think about changes that are small steps and likely to be more achievable. Walk the dog every day, meditate, take up yoga! What ever it may be, aim to make a change that makes you healthier and happier, or that makes a difference. I am going to aim to be grateful for something everyday and to take the time to focus on that, rather than negative thoughts (as well as being a size 8)! It can also be a time to try something new,out of your comfort zone. I have fancied rowing, boxing, Pilates, but have not been brave enough to try them. 2020 is the time to be brave and give them a go. This has prompted us to sign up and enter a team in the Dragon Boat Race, in September, for Zoe’s place baby hospice......
So, as we have survived the fetes, concerts, nativities, plays, pantos, shopping, decorating, eating, drinking and being excessively merry, let’s look forward to 2020 as a fresh start. Let’s dust off those trainers, blow the cobwebs off your exercise clothes and take 2020 by storm.2020- bring it!
Starting again.......
It’s not easy admitting failure. It’s not easy admitting you have been beaten. It’s not easy admitting that you are struggling. What tends to hold us back is pride, or guilt, or insecurity. What is even harder though is finding the determination and strength, to power on through. Be reassured, that in life, you are not the only person that will have failed at an attempt at something!!! I have fallen off the wagon and into a biscuit tin......time to admit I failed!
We can take examples from all around us, the phone you are reading this on, or laptop- how many versions of that device were created and improved until you got that finished product in your hands?? Millions!! Millions of versions and attempts until it was perfected.
What is my point? My point is that it is ok to mess up, fail, struggle and basically balls it up- as long as we remember, to get up and try again! It is ok to be human!!! That analogy, is the same for diets and fitness drives. If at first you don’t succeed then try again. DO NOT BEAT YOURSELF UP! We can’t all have personal trainers and chefs that help make our lives easier.......sometimes life is busy and overwhelming and a bloody salad just won’t cut it! Do not look at others and wonder how they did it. We are all different and so unique. What works for your best friend, may make you hangrier than you could ever have imagined!! It takes real strength of character to dust yourself off and try again. And so, rather that focus on the first attempt, focus on the final product.....have that picture of what you want to achieve in your head and drive towards that.
I went off the rails over Christmas! And let’s face it, into January too. My first attempt ( first attempt last year- I have been battling all my life!!)did not work, and so I am trying again. I have decided that I need a focus, a final target to reach and one that is actually achievable (I will NEVER look like JLO).
That target is going to be June 6th- when I throw myself in to Lake Windermere again for the 3rd time and take part in the Great North Swim. There is no escape.....training begins. I am not focusing on weight. I am focusing on timing and aiming to swim my mile in open water, in rather chilly conditions in less than 40mins!
So to all of those who need to start again......raise your head up, remember your inner strength and look ahead, learn from the past but do not dwell. Let’s get to it!!