The Truffle Shuffle

 

OK, so I may look more like Chunk from the Goonies than Darcey Bussell when I dance, but I just can't help myself. It's the same with singing - I know I can't do it but I still enjoy bursting into song in the shower, in the kitchen, basically whenever I'm alone and in a good mood. So last week, I bought Just Dance for the Wii. And now I can't get enough of it. From Cyndi Lauper (Girls Just Want To Have Fun) to Katy Perry (Hot n Cold), I have been bustin my ass to some serious tuneage and I know I'm burning calories from the deep shade of red my face has been turning. And no, it's not from embarrassment cos I'm so bad that I miss the targets, use the wrong hand/foot and find it difficult to move my arms and legs at the same time. It's just because it's great exercise. And it's FUN!

Cool runnings

Today I ran outside for the first time in months, if not years. I wasn't going to work, which is near my gym, so I decided to do my workout a bit closer to home. After tracking 3km on mapmyrun.com, I took off down the street and headed towards the canal. Luckily, the first part of my run was all downhill so I started brilliantly, thinking that this run was a breeze and maybe I would end up doing 4km instead. But by the time I got to the canal I was flagging a bit. The ground on the towpath was still icy after another snowfall several days ago, so I had to hop over the perilous bits and run on the grass where possible.

I made it to my halfway point - two locks which span across a kind of island - had a minute's rest then set off back. And then it hit me. I obviously didn't notice on the way out as it was behind me the whole time, but an icy wind was blowing right down the canal, making running very uncomfortable. I could hardly catch my breath so spent most of the way back stop-start running. But once I got back on the roads again, it wasn't too bad so I upped my game and ran further than I had planned to make up for the walking parts.

The hill up through our estate looked so daunting I didn't even attempt to run up it so I used this as my cool-down, which worked out perfectly as our street is relatively flat and I really could ease off for the final 100m. And as I was planning the route I realised that all in all it's 4km long. So when I can get to the island and back running the whole time, I will have almost reached the 5km needed to do Race For Life! I'm sure this will be easy when I up my distance over the next couple of months. And if it isn't, I'll just have to practise more often :-)

All in all, I found the run really enjoyable and kind of wish I hadn't put it off for so long. I just get a bit frustrated sometimes having to do things like run around other people and their dogs and wait to cross the road. But there will plenty of distractions at the race so it's probably a good move to get used to the feeling of running like the wind with the sun in my eyes and the stones in my shoes!

A new goal - Race For Life

After my last post I weighed myself and no, it wasn't my imagination. I hadn't lost weight and am only about 1lb lighter than when I started this whole water thing. Grrr! I am still sticking to the water, only giving in to the odd decaff coffee and a  small, weekly helping of wine. Not bad considering how much alcohol and caffeine I was drinking before. But not good enough to make much of a difference, apparently.

But this week I asked my fiance's sister if she would run in the Cancer Research UK's Race For Life with me. We've both done it in the past, but not together, and she agreed. So I have until June 27th to get my ass into good enough shape to run 5km. Which may not seem like a big run but I actually only run 2.4km on the treadmill during my usual gym workout. So here's the plan: for the rest of February I'm going to run 3km, then each month up the distance by 500m until, in June, I'll reach 5km. And I'm going to practise both outdoor and gym running to make sure I'm conditioned ready for the event!

Our Race For Life is being held on a horse racecourse so the ground should be fairly flat - no hills, yay! I don't know how I'm going to handle the jumps, though...

Halfway there... or just half-hearted?

I'm in a half-and-half situation at the moment. This week has been a great week for exercise... I've been to the gym, done a Spinning class and dragged my fiance on a 4-mile walk. So I've probably burned off at least 1,000 calories. But I just can't seem to stop giving in to temptation on the food front!

At every corner there is a cake, a glass of wine or a takeaway meal and I haven't got the willpower to say 'no!' to any of them at the moment. Don't get me wrong, I'm not exactly pigging out here but I'm not often hungry, either. And I don't think I'm going to lose any weight if I keep giving into temptation.

I don't know why I am less motivated on some days than others and I don't see there are any specific reasons for me overeating... I'm quite busy and happy at the moment so it's not a depression thing. Maybe it's the time of the month. I am due to weigh in today so I will soon see if this is all in my mind or if those snacks have actually stopped me from losing or, even worse, made me gain weight.

Has anyone got any good tips to avoid giving in to high-calorie treats? Cos if you have, I'd like to here them! And if anyone knows where I can buy some bottled willpower, let me know...

Miss Motivator

Damn, I feel so motivated at the moment and hope my blog can inspire you all this week. I managed to shift a pound by doing 4 days of exercise this week (2 gym sessions, a good walk and 1 exercise DVD) and plan to do some more tomorrow as I am off work with my fiance. Not that kind of exercise you smutty ones at the back... we're going to explore the countryside near our new home and go for a hike.

This will be the most exercise I've done in a week for a long time, what with the Christmas break then snow covering every pavement and footpath in the country. But now the big thaw is here, I can't seem to get enough. And my fitness regime has been accompanied by a (fairly) healthy diet. Have been eating fruit for breakfast and am sticking to the water, so it's all good. I have still managed a few biscuits and a bit of cake, but if I can lose a pound a week doing this then I'll be happy!

But on a more negative note, I have another gym moan. This week it wasn't the other gym members who were pissing me off, but a gym employee! There I was, pounding away on the treadmill when a small, balding 'personal trainer' started cleaning the machine next to me. I could barely contain my annoyance when he proceeded to spray a cleaning product practically in my face, and when he started to hoover up the dust on my treadmill - as I was running - I had to say something. 'Dude, you're going to trip me up!' I yelled. And did the little man apologise? Did he smile sweetly and move to another machine? No! He said 'I were nowhere near you!' and carried on. Cheeky swine. The adrenaline rushing through my body made me vow, in my head, to complain to the manager but by the time I had finished my workout and had a shower, I had calmed down and left quietly. Probably for the best, I think...

Post-Christmas Fat Days

I overdulged at Christmas. Mince pies, Xmas cake, buffets, wine, mulled wine, cider, YOU NAME IT! My other half even pointed out how my stomach looked swollen (yeah thanks love) and as proof of this, my pants were starting to feel tighter around the waist. Added to that was the fact that, due to moving house and having a stonking two-week cold, I hadn't been to the gym since December 10 and I was pretty much in a mess.

As you can imagine, I felt like such a whale and was sure I'd put on the four pounds I had lost by drinking water, week in week out before the festive break. I started seeing it in the mirror – wider hips, a chubbier face and awful muffin-top which was barely there before. So imagine my surprise when I dragged myself back to the gym and found out I had only put 2lbs on! TWO! I felt like it must have been 4 or 5 at least.

But my workout proved that the damage had perhaps not shown on the scales. I felt it physically impossible to push myself for longer than 20 minutes and had to retire to the ladies' for a time-out session, feeling quite sick and imagining myself hurling all over the floor or – worse – on some innocent gym member on the treadmill in front. But I was determined to get back out there. So I finished with a few weights and floor exercises when really I should have been pounding the crosstrainer.

It just goes to show that getting out of shape needn't mean putting on weight. So for all you thinnies out there, feeling smug because you don't have much flab to lose, BEWARE! Test your fitness and make sure you involve at least some exercise in your weekly routine or you'll be puffing up the stairs and feeling woozy at the gym in no time. See you in the ladies'.

My Hero... Marjorie Dawes

Marjorie: You see your problem is, Tania, you're fat AND old. It gets harder, and there's no man is there, you're on your own?

Tania: Yes, my husband left me.

Marjorie: Yeah, well, he would have done. Yeah, younger woman weren't it?

Tania: Yeah.

Marjorie: Forty-nine, yeah, so you're on your own now, every night crying and eating. Well, at least you've got all of us here at FatFighters to make you feel better. Off you pop. Oh, she stinks an' all...