7 reasons why I am glad I applied for a marathon

Almost a year ago when I applied for the London Marathon, I didn't actually think I would have any chance of even getting in.  Then there's the first run I did back in October.  I only just completed 2 miles, my lungs hurt, my legs didn't know what was happening and I thought there was no chance of me being able to run a marathon.  Then there was my knee trouble.  Iliotibial band syndrome is a bitch.

But nonetheless I am still glad that I applied for the London Marathon and this is why:

1. Motivation
Before training for the marathon I did exercise.  I have a gym membership and I attended classes and sometimes went into the gym.  There were weeks when I went three times a week, which I thoought was a lot, there were weeks when I didn't go.  Now, I exercise almost everyday.  Because I have to, but because I also want to.  I feel motivated.  I don't just feel motivated to exercise, I feel motivated to do other stuff too now.  If I wake up early to go for a morning run or gym session, I then feel motivated to achieve loads in my day.

2. Fitness
Like I have said, it's not like I was a lazy slob before but my fitness levels have increased SO MUCH!! I can really tell the difference and I am loving it.  I am able to go faster and for longer on my runs and I am able to work at a much harder level in the gym.  I think I might be the fittest I have ever been in my whole 25 years of existence. I am super proud of this.

3. Looking good
I can officially say, this is the first time in my life I have been able to see my abs.  I knew they were in there somewhere!! My stomach is far flatter than it's ever been and my legs feel far more defined.  Even if no one else could tell the difference, and just I could notice it, I would be happy, but other people have commented on it as well.  I feel great!!  Which brings me nicely onto the next section.

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4. Diet
My diet has always been good (for the last 2 years) but it has increased dramatically and is so much better.  I'm not on a diet, I just have a good diet, and I enjoy my food.  This includes alcohol.  A year ago I used to drink every weekend, now I drink about once a month and my body loves me for it!!

5. Confidence
This ties in with looking good and fitness. I was never terribly un confident about my body, but since I have seen improvements I feel so much more confident about my body.  Before, I would be self conscious about wearing a bikini, now I cannot wait to go on holiday and strut about in a bikini with my new found confidence.

6. Achievement
I love a challenge and I love feeling success.  Every time I run a longer distance, or beat my previous fastest time I feel success.  When I did the half marathon, crossing that finish line was such a great feeling.  I had done it!!  I love each step of achieving and it leaves me wanting to achieve more.

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7. Challenging yourself
As I have said, I like being challenged.  I like setting targets and getting to those goals step by step.  It not only gives me a sense of achievement but motivates me and keeps me going.  These days I never think, oh I can't do it.  I think I will do it and will work out a way to get there.

Are there any goals you have set out to achieve this year?

Thirty before 30: Part II

Last Tuesday I shared with you, the first 15 of thirty things I want to accomplish before the age of thirty, which you can read here.  This is instead of making New Years resolutions.  I am only 25 so it's not like I have to rush to complete these goals, but I'm sure those next four and a half years will creep up on me and I will be 30 before I know it. Scary!

So here is the other 15 goals to complete my list.

Thirty before 30: Part I

Recently I have been reading a few blog posts on 25 things before the age of 25.  Yes!! I thought.  I want to do that! But seeing as I am already at the grand age of 25, and life does not end at 25, I am going to make a list of 30 things before I'm 30.

In January of this year I made a post about my Non New Years Resolutions.  If anyone knows me, I hate to make new years resolutions.  They're always the same each year, you never stick to them, then you make the same resolutions in the next year.  This lead to making some non new years resolutions, or as I liked to call them, life changes.  This year I am mixing it up a bit and making a bit of a bucket list of goals to achieve before I am thirty years old.

Eating Healthy Is Boring

A work colleague said to me "eating healthy is boring, you can't do it every day".  I would like to say the complete opposite.  Eating healthy does not have to be boring and you can do it every day if you really want to!!  I am going to prove my colleague wrong and show that you can have an interesting diet which isn't bad for you, and that you can do it every day!  Sure, I like to have the odd chocolate bar or cake now and then, but this is on the very rare occasion!  So every Sunday I am going to document my diet and exercise from the week.

It is my goal to lose a bit of weight, although I'm not interested in weight that much, I just want to look good!

I do sometimes work ridiculous shifts for example I finish work at 2am or start work at 1pm sometimes so my eating pattern may look a little strange

Monday 7th December
Weight: 11 stone
Breakfast: Cup of tea, muesli with almond milk, cup of coffee.
Snack: Belvita breakfast biscuits, milk and cereal flavour.
Lunch: Spinach, carrot, chic peas and tuna.  2 satsumas. Nakd banana crunch bar.
Snack: Banana. Cup of tea.
Exercise: 4 mile run in 43 minutes.
Dinner: Potatoes, carrots and cauliflower.
Snack: Hot chocolate.

Tuesday 8th December
Breakfast: Two cups of tea, pancakes (made from 1 banana & 2 eggs) and nutella.
Snack: Nakd banana crunch bar.
Lunch: Watercress, edamame soya beans, chic peas, red pepper, carrot and tuna.  2 satsumas.
Snack: Nakd banana crunch bar. Cup of tea.
Dinner: Potatoes, mushrooms, avocado.
Exercise: 1 hour pole fitness session.
Snack: Ginger, orange and vanilla tea.

Wednesday 9th December
Breakfast: One cup of tea, pancakes (made from 1 banana & 2 eggs) and peanut butter, cup of coffee.
Exercise: 3 mile run in 30 minutes.
Snack: Redbush tea.
Lunch: Sweet potato, edamame soya beans and mushrooms.  3 satsumas.
Snack: Nakd banana crunch bar.
Dinner: Greek style ginger yogurt with blackberries, pomegranate, linseed and pumpkin seeds. Chai tea.

Thursday 10th December
Breakfast: One cup of tea. Smoothie with blackberries, blueberries, pomegranate, banana, linseed, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, goji berries, chia seeds, ginger yogurt and almond milk.
Snack: Vanilla coffee.
Lunch: Salmon, avocado, watercress, red pepper, tomatoes.
Snack: Green tea.
Dinner: Raw carrot sticks, red pepper, cherry tomatoes.

Friday 11th December
Breakfast: One cup of tea.  Smoothie with blueberries, banana, satsumas, strawberry yogurt, pumpkin seeds and almond milk.
Snack: 2 satsumas.
Lunch: Tuna, watercress, red pepper, cherry tomatoes.
Snack: Banana.  Green tea with mint.
Dinner: Salmon and bread, Christmas dinner, and cheesecake.  Copious amounts of wine. I'm sorry body.  It was my work Christmas party.

Let's not include the weekend.  It consisted of one hungover Saturday, an evening shift, and Christmas drinks Sunday evening.

Weekly progress picture.

Marathon Training - Week 3

Some time ago a friend asked me if I would like to apply for the London Marathon with her.  Willingly I agreed, doubtful that we would get in, but very intrigued to see if I could handle running a marathon.

It turns out that we both got in... HELP!!

I don't run.  It's not like I don't exercise, I have just never done any sort of running before.

I started my training on Tuesday 21st October.  I did 3 and a half miles in 30 minutes.  I decided that I couldn't run.  The next day, determined that I needed to continue the training, I went for another run.  3.4 miles in 34 minutes.  The following day, Friday, I decided to have a rest from running on the road and went to the gym... to run on the treadmill.  Saturday was a rest day, then on Sunday I went for another run achieving 6 miles in 1 hour 2 minutes.

Week two.  Not such a good week for running.  I had a nasty cough meaning I wasn't sleeping at night, and I was choking to death during the day so decided to put a hold on the running.  I finally went for a run on the Saturday completing 7 miles in 1 hour 16 minutes.  I was so proud that I did a 7 mile run.  The time was a little lower than I was hoping, but it was a very hilly run, which is my excuse for the slower time.

I am now into my third week and have not managed to squeeze in any running yet.  This marathon training is proving to be a lot harder than I expected! In between work and life I am finding it hard to make time for running but I am going to keep at it! I am determined!

I am running for the charity Whizz Kidz and intend to raise £2000 for the charity.  I have two aims, one event.  I can do this!!

Review of New Years Aims. One Stone Down.

On 14th January I set some goals for the year. Some of them were based around exercise and healthy eating, and that is what I am going to review today.

The whole point of trying to get into better shape is because I want to love the way I look.  I don't hate the way my body looks at the moment, I think it's OK.  But I want to think it looks more than OK, I want to love it. I would also love to increase my fitness levels.

For the last month I have been very careful with my diet and have been going to the gym a few times a week (or at least trying to) and...

I have lost a stone!! ONE WHOLE STONE!!

Cue celebratory dance.

I don't feel like I have been trying particularly hard either. By cleaning up my diet and ensuring I go to the gym I have managed to lose weight.  I feel like these are all lifestyle changes, and it has motivated me to go on.  I know I will have to try and bit harder now if I want to see further progress, but I want that awesome looking summer body!!

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What changes have I made so far?

Breakfast
The first thing I did was look at what I eat in the morning,  In the past I had some sort of breakfast cereal, with a mug of tea, and usually a mug of coffee too.  Sometimes I swapped it around for Nutella or peanut butter on toast.  Maybe I would have some orange juice too.
I have started to look at food packaging more and breakfast cereal tends to contain lots of sugar. Even the cereal that you think will be more healthy for you, really isn't.  Breakfast cereal doesn't tend to keep my hungry stomach satisfied for long either, and by 10 or 11 AM my stomach is grumbling away.

I have swapped the cereal for smoothies.  They are much yummier and fill me up until lunch time.  My smoothies tend to consist of a banana, some sort of berry (strawberry, raspberry, blueberry etc), spinach, some sort of milk  (dairy milk, almond, coconut etc), and nuts or seeds.
Occasionally I will have peanut butter on toast, and make my own fruit juice.  Or now and then I will have an oatmeal breakfast.  I have given up the coffee saving this for weekends, but haven't been able to give up the tea.

Lunch
I have always eaten fairly healthily at lunch time, however packing your own lunch for work is time consuming and sometimes I can't be bothered, meaning a trip to the shop during my lunch break.  I would pick up a salad, but then a packet or crisps or chocolate bar as well.

So now I always make the time to make my own lunch.  I usually make a salad with plenty of spinach and other veg such as carrot, pepper, cucumber, celery.  Then I add cous cous, chicken or tuna.
On days when I am fed up of salad, some warm soup does the trick.

If I am still hungry then I usually have some sort of fruit in my bag whether it's a banana, orange, blueberries or apple.

Dinner
I'm not always hungry at dinner time as I try to make lunch my main meal of the day, so I would often reach for a bowl of cereals or toast but I am trying to get out of that habit.  My dinner will often consist of a smoothie, small portion of soup or some veggies. However if I am making a proper dinner it will usually involve vegetables with some sort of meat or meat substitute.  I am constantly trying out different recipes and will be sharing them with you here!

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Exercise
In the past I would go to the gym once a week, twice if my body was lucky.  But I have been determined to go more.  So now in a usual week I will do exercise four times a week, this usually include a circuit class and a pole fitness class, as well as other fitness classes depending on what my shift pattern is like at work.

Alcohol
One of my aims was to stop drinking as much alcohol, and I have done just that! I don't drink every week and when I do drink I am careful what I drink.  I haven't given up on trips to the pub or nights out but I certainly have stopped drinking as much.  This will have contributed to the weight loss too.


Further Aims
Now I have my diet pretty much sorted I would like to clean up my gym attitude.  Whenever I go into the gym I tend to use the tread mill and the exercise bike, perhaps one or two weight machines if I am feeling brave and that is about it.  I feel like I would look silly trying to use anything else, as other people would be lifting much heavier weights than me, or I may do it wrong and look like an amateur.  But everyone has to start from somewhere and I am sure no one would be paying me any attention anyway.  So my next step is to get over this silly fear.  I need to branch out in the gym and make the most of it!!


Have you stuck with your New Year Resolutions?

Non New Years Resolutions

Happy New Year! I know, I know.  How late am I?!  But recently I have been super busy.  I haven't even had 5 minutes to myself.  So you can't blame me really, right?!

Anyway, let's get onto my New Years Resolutions Aims.  I never make New Years Resolutions.  I just think what is the point?!  I am never going to stick to them, I will forget all about them when it gets to February, and come next December I will remember my resolutions and feel like a lazy, unachievable slob.

I'm not going to lie.  I did think of some possible resolutions.  Lose weight, travel to a country I have always wanted to go to, take up a new hobby.  Blah, blah, blah...
But realistically, who knows if I will be able to do these.

So instead, I have thought about what I achieved in 2014 and I would like to set myself some aims to build upon what I have accomplished over the last year.

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1. Cut the crap, eat healthy.
   I do already eat quite healthy.  But often when I work late shifts I find myself reaching for a chocolate bar or a packet of crisps to get me through the evening at work.  I have quite a busy lifestyle too so I can be pretty lazy when it comes to cooking, choosing to make beans on toast with lots of cheese or cook some frozen chips instead of taking the time to make a proper meal.  I want to eat healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner, making proper meals and consuming what is good for me!  I will document it here each week.
   
2. Train like a beast.
   I was doing really well with going to the gym then December hit.  I had an illness for more than four weeks!!! Then I just got lazy because I hadn't been in so long.  But since then I have gotten back into the workout mood and feel very motivated! I want to look good for summer and I will achieve this!!  I have been going to the gym a lot recently and have been really going for it, I hate it and my muscles hurt, but in the back of my mind it feels good!! Work hard, train harder
   



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3. Learn a language.
   No this isn't one of those 'I want a new hobby so I will learn a language then never do it'.  In 2014 I started learning Spanish as I made a bunch of new Spanish friends, then when I went to Spain I was able to talk some Spanish.  I was able to order food, and understand directions but could no way hold a proper conversation.  I would like to improve my Spanish because I am sure I will be back there some time.
   
4. Take Opportunities.
   What I mean by this is, make things happen and experience adventures.  Sometimes I think I just let life sail by and months go by and all I have done is go to work and have drunken nights out.  In 2014 I started doing more with my time, I went to Spain, I went to a festival in another country and various other trips which have all made my year memorable.  I have already planned a few events and small holidays for 2015, so let the good times begin!!
   
5. Drink Less.
   This will be by far the most challenging of all of my aims.  I would love to stop drinking alcohol altogether but we need to be realistic here, that's not going to happen.  I'm talking about nights out.  It doesn't take much to get me drunk but I try to keep up with everyone else which doesn't end well and leaves me with a rotten hangover the next morning.  Not to mention the harm it is doing to my body, and drinking less keeps in theme with eating healthy and training hard.

Here's to 2015 being awesome!! (It still feels weird writing 2015.)

Do you have any resolutions this year?