Bristol Half Marathon

This weekend I completed my second-ever half marathon, completely by accident.

Well, I say by accident but I don’t think even I could absent-mindedly stumble into a race of 14,000 people completely by surprise. No, I mean it was very last-minute and totally unplanned. You see, a friend has persuaded me to join her in the Great South Run later this month, a 10 mile flat (I’m assured) course around Portsmouth’s historic docks.

I am by no means a serious runner and often need a steady push out of the door to encourage me to embark on the longer runs but I’ve been trying out some new mechanisms to help my mind switch off from the task at hand and get me enjoying the runs.

It must have worked, as the mileage has been steadily increasing – perhaps a little too much as my runners’ knee will testify – and as the Bristol Half Marathon approached I felt 2012, the year of the London Olympics and all it’s inspiration and glory, could be my year for completing a run I’ve wanted to do for well over 5 years but not had the time/inclination/motivation (delete as appropriate) until now.

Thanks to one of our clients, the charity One25 offered me the chance to run for them. The application pack lurked incongruously for a week or so, as I debated whether or not I could take on the challenge. I agreed with myself that if I could run 10 miles a week before the run, the application would be signed, sealed and delivered.

Thankfully(?) my feet didn’t fail me and carried me through a hilly, drizzly, steady jog. The sense of achievement at the end was overwhelming so before the endorphins wore off and I came to my senses I scribbled a hasty signature on the dotted line and hobbled walked to the post box to wave it goodbye.

 

Needless to say, race day was amazing. Granted, I’ve only done one half marathon before but the atmosphere was incredible (people of Bristol, you never disappoint), the race well organised – I swear the energy gels single-handedly carried me though the last 3 miles – and the course spectacular. As a born and bred Bristolian I couldn’t help but swell with pride running under the Clifton Suspension Bridge.

  I finished in the grand time of 2:10, knocking 5 minutes off of my Bath Half time and feeling utterly thrilled at my achievement with only 6 weeks or so of serious running. The less we say about my knees and hips at this point, probably the better but let’s just say I’m awfully glad I’m married to a sports therapist and am spending more time than is healthy with my foam roller.

 

For me, the real challenge of the longer distances is psychological. My body is willing but my mind resists every step of the way. Using distraction techniques, I managed to overcome this massive barrier and am once again enjoying the runs. If you too find yourself battling with your mind the whole way through, stay posted and I’ll be sharing my tips with you over the coming weeks. In the meantime, I have no time to relax.

Gotta keep this momentum up now for so I can fly (ha!) around that course and bag myself another medal to add to my growing collection.

Getting my sweat on

For the first time in a long time (since having babies?) I'm feeling properly fit. Not quite looking it yet but these things take time y'know?

Since running a half marathon last year and it pretty much killing any enjoyment I had for running (not that much actually, to be fair) the old exercise has been a bit sporadic, limited to cycling into work and the odd token jog or gym session when I could fit it in.

At the start of the summer though, Andy and I went to a fitness convention for work and something just kind of clicked, I went to a ton of lectures on nutrition and listened to the latest research, got tips on training and was just immersed in everything fitness for 2 days. I returned full of motivation and thankfully, it's still hanging around.

Rather than use time as an excuse, I'm actively making time for exercise, a novel concept. Luckily the gym I go to has a great creche so I'll go maybe once a week with the boys and for a longer session on a weekend when Andy's home. I cycle a 15 mile round trip to work twice a week and the rest of the time is either running if Andy's not on a 7am start or doing the 30-day shred.

And the running....finally I'm enjoying it. I'm doing the Great South Run in October and am back up to running for an hour, way more than I could have dreamed off 6 months ago. I love the flexibility and portability of it and am coming up with new ways to keep my mind off the whole 'God this is hard, when will it be over' thing which I've battled with in the past.

Rather than bore on about it, I'll do another post soon with the things I find help me on the longer runs. In the meantime, if any of you have any tips, tricks or advice on how to stay motivated, do share. I'm sure I'll need it soon as the training ramps up!

Shredding

Thanks to Charlotte (and the rest of Twitter it would seem. I'm never one to pass by a bandwagon) I ordered me a copy of Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred last week.

Now, usually I'm not in to fitness DVDs. I run, cycle, and go to the gym so have never really had a place for them in my life. Plus, as much as it hurts, I like the feeling of pushing myself hard and really getting my sweat on. In my experience, many commercial DVDs don't give you this experience.

...Until I found this one. There are 3 levels and each level consists of 3 circuits; 3 minutes strength, 2 minutes cardio and 1 minute abs. So all in all (not counting the warm up/cool down) it's a workout in under 20 minutes.

Now, 20 minutes may not seem like enough to get results but done right, you can torch as many calories as you would in a longer, slower workout and you'll also get the 'afterburn' effect, where you go on burning calories even after you've stopped.

So, how does it work?

1. Circuit training is one of the most efficient forms of exercise. By combining strength and cardio, with minimal rest, you maintain a higher heart rate throughout the workout, meaning...

2. ...It's intense. High intensity yields a greater calorie expenditure and resulting fat burn.

3.You get a full body workout. By combining upper and lower body exercises, you train your entire body and man, do you feel it the next day.

4. Because it's so fast paced, you're less likely to get bored. You've just about got enough time to think about finishing your star jumps without whacking the dog in the face (just me? Ok, then) and before you know it it's over and you're on to the next thing

5. You can really push hard. Which is the point. Each exercise only lasts about a minute so you can really get your head down and go for it knowing it'll be over soon.

6. You don't need much space. This was a MAJOR selling point for me as our living room is so teeny. No space for grapevines in our house, no siree. No complicated choreography means on the spot jumping around. It's all good.

So, if you're short on time, want to lose a few inches and aren't afraid to work hard, this could be for you.

Have any of you tried it? I'd love to hear your experiences if you have :)

Lift weight to lose weight

Yep, thats right. If you want to lose weight(well, inches/fat but for the sake of this post let’s call it weight loss as we’re all familiar with the term) you need to lift weights. Resistance training is key to a successful, and more importantly sustainable loss.

Lets have a think about metabolism. So your metabolism determines the amount of calories your body uses as fuel. The faster your metabolism, the greater the calorie burn, the slower it is, the smaller the burn. With me so far?

Ok, now your muscles burn more calories than fat so the greater the muscle mass, the greater number of calories your body requires just to function on a daily basis. According to the American Council on Exercise, maintaining 1lb of fat uses 2-3 calories per day. The same findings show that 1lb of muscle burns up to 10 calories a day so you don’t have to be a maths whizz to work out that if you replace fat with muscle* you’ll burn more calories a day.

We all know that cardiovascular exercise increases calorie burn, right? So you go for a 30 minute run, burn about 300 calories, job done, and your metabolism returns to it’s normal rate. Now, how about a weights workout? Granted your calorie expentiture during the session will be less but the magic of resisitance training is that because your body needs extra time to recover (you know that achy feeling you get after weights? That) your metabolism is elevated even after you’ve hit the shower and gone home. Experts estimate this can be up to 39 hours post-workout!

Before you say ‘but I don’t want to bulk up!’…you won’t. Any bodybuilder will tell you it’s not easy to build muscle mass and often means very structured regimes, carefully planned nutrition and alot of discipline. By adding 2 or 3 resisitance training workouts to your week, you can start to replace lost fat with muscle and look forward to a leaner, more defined shape without added bulk.

Thanks to this greater muscle mass, and your new improved (increased) metabolism, you’ll be burning more calories at rest, not just when you exercise. Using more calories as you sleep? Sounds amazing. This makes for a sustainable loss. Carry on with the weights, and as long as your diet remains the same (i.e. not consuming more calories than you burn) you’ll avoid piling the weight back on, a common pitfall of many a dieter.

So what are you wating for? Grab a set of dumbbells, hit the deck for a set of press ups or get squatting to become a lean, mean** calorie burining machine.

* I’m talking losing fat and gaining muscle. Fat doesnt turn to mucle and vice versa, another common myth debunked right there.
** Perhaps not mean, you can still be nice even with muscles

Tour De South Glos.

What to do when the kids have gone to their Grandparents for lunch?

a) Go out for lunch? 
    No money

b) Go back to bed?
    There's a danger we may never wake up

c) Stay home and catch up with jobs around the house?
    Not a chance

d) Go for a bike ride together?
    YES!

So off we went, a 22 mile jaunt (route) around the best lanes South Gloucestershire has to offer. We spent the time daydreaming about living in one of the many quiet villages we passed though, almost being taken out by a sparrowhawk and narrowly missing a collision with a beaten up Rover.

And the rain waited until we got back. Result.

The REAL way to lose weight

I've been going a bit mad with the old exercise mags at the moment. Most of them are great (I'm looking at you, Womens Health and Ultrafit) and promote a sensible diet and give really useful advice on exercise which you can actually follow. They also use fitness models, people who granted, have little body fat but also look strong, defined and well, healthy.

At the train station this weekend I picked up a magazine with 'fitness' in the title, thinking it would be similar to the ones mentioned above. Nu-uh, skinny malinki models with bad form pictured doing the exercises and a feature on detox diets.

So people detox to 'give their body a break'. From what? Eating meat and grains, the very thing our bodies are designed to do? If you eat a healthy, balanced diet you don't need to detox. Want to know why these 'diets' work? Because they involve the consumption of very little calories. When you hardly eat, you lose weight. Who knew?

Our bodies need a minimum amount of calories to function. To keep our heart beating, organs working and brain functioning. If we don't get these calories from food, we go into 'starvation mode'. Because this energy is so important, our bodies actually cling to the fat stores (to keep as an energy reserve as it thinks it's not getting any from food) and instead burn muscle.

Let me tell you about muscle. It is active tissue and acts as a metabolic engine room. It burns calories, even at rest (unlike fat) so the more we have, the more calories we burn throughout the day. Sounds good, yes? Now, imagine what happens if you lose this muscle mass due to extreme calorie deficit? Yep, your metabolism plummets and your body actually uses less calories than before. This here is the very reason why people often put on more weight when they return to normal eating after a fad diet.

So with all these faddy diets, the only reason they work is that you're creating a massive calorie deficit. Nothing more to it I'm afraid. No science, no miracle solution.

The only way to lose fat is to burn more calories than you consume. 1lb of fat equates to 3500 calories. As a rule of thumb, you shouldn't go below 1200 calories a day to avoid 'starvation mode'. Reduce your calorie intake by 500 per day (as long as it doesn't take you below the 1200) and you could lose 1lb a week.

Better still, add in some exercise and your body will burn more calories, resulting in greater fat loss. A steady loss is advisable, no more than 2lbs a week for a sustainable loss.

Even better again is to add strength training to your regime to give your metabolism a boost so even after exercise your calorie burn will be elevated, burining more calories as you work, eat your dinner and sleep. No, you won't bulk up. Any bodybuilder will tell you how hard it is to build muscle mass, these guys work incredibly hard and nutrition plays a huge role.

So pardon my rant but the bottom line is fad diets? Don't do it. Eat sensibly, stay active and be patient and you'll get proper results which stay with you.

Shake it

I totally feel as if I may go off on a tangent during this post, as I so often do when talking about exercise (it's been my job for 12 years, I have alot to say). I'll try to stay on topic, please forgive me if I stray slightly.

So yes, exercise. I am currently doing alot of the stuff. My first sun holiday since my honeymoon 7 years ago, not to mention my first time in a bikini since having two babies (eek!) has made me ramp up my efforts in the last few months.

A general week will include cycling 15 miles to work and back twice a week, a 3 mile run, a Body Attack class and 2 weights sessions. I combine the run with a weights session so I'm at the gym 2-3 times a week.

Now, I've been eating 'clean' (foods in their natural state i.e. unprocessed) as much as possible a while now (bar a weekend vino or, erm, five and the odd cakey/chocolatey treat thrown in) which has helped with a good amount of fat loss but I want to now 'sculpt' and work on my Jenifer Aniston arms (sigh).

As much as I try I don't think I'm getting enough protein in my diet to fuel the amount of exercise I do. I'm not a massive meat-eater as mentioned in my last post and though I get ample protein to hit the RDA through pulses, grains and nuts, I think I just need a little extra to aid recovery and allow for muscle repair.

So, I read Nicola's blog with interest this week on Bio-Synergy's range of sports nutrition for women. I've always poo-pooed the idea of supplementation, believing that we can get everything we need from our diet but since upping the ante on my training I'm finding myself constantly hungry and having to fight the urge as I try to lose fat.

Also, I train early in the mornings. I leave the house often before 6:30am and even I (greedy) can't face breakfast early enough to digest it for this time. After reading the gumpf on the products I wonder if a protein-based drink before I train could make a difference to not only my performance but also how fast I recover.

A product which caught my eye is their Activate powder, a protein-based shake which provides slow-burning energy, some essential vitamins and minerals and that all-important protein (which promotes satiety). Recommended use is before a workout or between meals when the hunger pangs strike. So far, sounding so good.

So I ordered me a tub of Activate and await my delivery with anticipation as to whether it makes a difference or not. What say you, readers? Has anyone tried supplementation? I'd love to hear your experiences as I envision myself swanning around Barcelona, svelte (ha!) and tanned (sunburned) enjoying the results (please?) of this (bloody) hard work.

A pain in the, er, back

Lately, my Twitter timeline has been full of people talking about back pain. Perhaps because I follow alot of people with young children (back-cripplers), who knows?

My husband and I run a back pain studio and I'm finding it really hard not to pimp out the business to my pain-riddled followers. Bad business sense? Perhaps, but the Twitter account in question is a personal one and I don't want my followers to feel obliged to make an appointment or that something is being pushed on them.

So I thought instead, I'd just add a wee post for any of you who do suffer to give advice on how to manage back pain, the best ways to prevent it and who to see if it all gets too much.



Your best defence against back pain is strength. If you can get to a Pilates or core-strengthening class, you're on your way to a stronger back which gives greater support to the spine and reduces vulnerability to injury. Better still, if you can it's well worth going to see a specialist sports therapist, rehab professional or physio (even if it's just one session) to get a specific core-based exercise programme.

Work on 'activating' your core each time you lift your child, twist or move with weight. Read here on how to do this.

Avoid twisting to lift or put down your child/something of significant weight. Stand straight on, keep your back straight and bend your knees.

A hot bath and ibuprofen can work wonders for short-term back pain.

If you get pain down your legs, there's a chance you may have a prolapsed (slipped) disc. See a chiropractor or osteopath if this is the case.  If there is no prolapse, it could be tight muscles in your buttocks causing the problem. A good sports or deep tissue massage can see to this.

Sports or deep tissue massages are amazing for easing pain and tension. I'm not just saying that because it's my job, honest.

Stay active. The more mobile you are, the less chance you have of seizing up and causing further damage. Keep walking, keep moving but know your limits and listen to your body.

If you don't already, exercise. If you have a long-term back problem, seek advice from a physio or sports therapist before you do but exercise keeps us strong, supple and our joints mobile. Even if it's just a 20 minute walk each day, it's all good.

If you push a pram with an adjustable handle, make sure it's not so low that you're stooping over.

So, there we have it. I hope that helps some of you and please feel free to comment if you have any questions. Good luck!

Back!

Jeez, it's been forever since I've posted on here. I kind of fell out of love with blogging since it landed me in trouble a month or so ago. I took a little hiatus from Twitter and have left the blog (pretty much) alone for a while.

Anyhow, after a tricky few weeks I'm rested, back on form and ready to start again. So hi :)

So, yeah, what have I been up to for the last month? As always I turn to the good old iPhone for an update...

Camping. We bought a (cheap) campervan a few years ago. Honestly, it's been nothing but trouble. Something has happened every time we've been away in it, I'm convinced it's jinxed. It's cost a bloody fortune since we got it (there was a reason it was so cheap). Anyway, although this trip started well, didn't end so well...

This was the view on (what was supposed to be)  our last day. The less said about that the better.

Decorating. So we've had a child in that room for 4 years and we've only just decorated. What of it?

Writing. And eating. And writing. I went to a fitness convention a few weeks back and attended a lecture on nutrition. Backed up by extensive research, the basic gist of it was that if we focus too much on counting calories, we can make the wrong choices and become deficient in nutients vital to health. Without the basic foundations of health we cannot lose fat efficiently which is where many people go wrong. It might all be a bit boring to alot of people (diet bore-yawn!) but I find it fascinating and as such have spent weeks researching the topic and have written my very own eBook.

Of course, part of that research was to find or write recipes which of course needed road testing. Man, that was hard. Why I felt the need to photograph these meals I don't know but hey,they make this page look pretty.

Celebrating. My Dad turned 60 this month so we had a family weekend in Devon, grown-ups only. My Stepmum asked me to make a golf-themed cake which I feared would go horribly wrong but was actually pleased with the result. I *think* it tasted ok but it was consumed at 1am after an evenings frivolities so none of us can really be sure.

Marvellous.

Cycling. I was volunteered (thanks, husband *waves fist*) to do a charity bike ride from Bristol to Weston yesterday with the kids' nursery in aid of the Dame Kelly Holmes Legacy. 30 Miles, I thought, I can do that. I cycle to work and regularly do a longer ride of  20ms or so on a weekend so thought it'd be fine.

Then they asked me to cycle home again. Yep, stupidly agreed (it's for the kids, innit?). It was hard, especially on the way back when there were only 4 of us who didn't get the train back so the speed was increased and there were less stops. All good though, an amazing effort from all and yes, I do have a very sore bum today.

If anyone is kind enough to want to donate to the foundation by the way, you can do so via Paypal using the email address andysherlock@yahoo.com giving your name for the sponsorship form. Thank you :)

I would walk 500 miles

I read today that 60% of us make a resolution to lose weight in the new year. I'm not usually one of those, I try to keep active throughout the year and am lucky that my shape remains pretty constant.

This year however, I have a goal. My brother is getting married in Barcelona this summer and it will involve an (eek!) pool party. I've not squished myself into a bikini since my honeymoon. 7 Years older and 2 children later I'm not exactly confident about prancing around in a two-piece without a bit of, um, sculpting going on.

I listed my aims for the year earlier this week and included a goal to be more active with this in mind. Joanna had a fabulous idea of setting herself a set mileage each day to run, or walk if that's not possible.

I love this idea and it would be brilliant if I could run each day but, with a husband who is away from 6am-10pm each day and no childcare (bar an expensive creche at the gym which is rationed to once a week) I don't think I'd manage.

Getting into running in the last year and long walks with this guy...

...have made me appreciate how rewarding exercising outdoors can be. If 8 years previously working as a personal trainer taught me anything it's that the most successful people in terms of inch-loss and exercise adherence are those who do something they enjoy.

I walk roughly 4 miles a day at the moment to let off the endless labrador-energy harnessed by the above hound. It's easy, cheap and I can take the kids along too. This is fine to keep things ticking over but the time has come to up the ante and shift the last stubborn inches clinging on for dear life.

So, I've set myself a (rather ambitious) challenge of covering 50 miles a week which I can walk, run, cycle or swim to achieve.  It sounds alot now as I'm typing it but with the walks, cycling to work and some runs and swims thrown in, I think I can do it. It'll be a challenge but that's the point, right?

So, picturing myself lounging around the pool in the Spanish sunshine, sipping chilled champagne, I embark on this challenge. 16 Miles covered so far this week I have some catching up to do but am confident I can do it. Anyone want to have a go too?