Sunday 30 November 2008

Bleurgh

A head full of cold and a very busy week at work have conspired to mean no exercise.

Just over a week ago I had a conversation with a colleague who, as a result of a routine healthcheck, was diagnosed with diabetes in the summer. He is not as old as me or as overweight. He is a pleasant chap and he talked quite a lot about the shock he had and how he is dealing with it. Basically he has cut out all sugar, has lost weight and feels much better in many ways.

As far as I know I do not have diabetes at the moment (last blood test did not show it anyway) but my Mum has type II, and I have many of the risk indicators.
Every time I speak to my Mum on the phone she asks about my weight; it makes me impatient, but as both her parents and a sister died in their 50s from strokes I have recently realised how anxious she is about me dying before her.
So the result of all this is that I have a renewed keenness to improve my diet.

So since that conversation I have cut (as far as possible) added sugar foods - so no cakes, biscuits etc and tried to eat more fruit and veg. It has been good and I now don't really think too much about it. 10 days completed - including selling fairtrade chocolate at the school bazaar and on a stall sited next to the cake stall!!

A long time ago Womble wrote 'The changes that work are the small ones that you can stick to and are easy to do, one by one.'

So the sugar has gone - it is not a small change but it is just one change and for me it seems easier to just have not biscuits or cake than say, well I can have one but no more. Losing the habit is better.

Next is cutting down on the fat. I have a lot of bad habits in that department. And I can cut those in small changes - no spread in the sandwiches is this weeks change.

Sorry this has been self indulgent.

Sunday 23 November 2008

No bike















The sun is rising later and I was first in the car park - so couldn't resist.

A forum friend was looking for a bike - so she can Tri. My bike does not fit me, so I have passed it on to her. She will give a bike to Oxfam.

So no cycling. Maybe in the spring, if finances allow, I will get a new hybrid bike that fits.

But I did go back to SwimFit and it was good again. And I am not slowest (provided we don't do too much breaststroke!).

And I've been back this morning to practice what I have learned, concentrating on form. At swimfit we only do one length at a time at the moment, so today I tried to keep going. And managed 2:4:6:8:8:2:2 then it was time to get changed and meet MrBeanz.

Sunday 16 November 2008

A plod :>)

I haven't blogged for a couple of weeks.

Last week was the High Peak Relay which we haven't done for the last two years. But this year we managed to get together a forum team. The hardest bit is the logistics of getting everyone to the right place to start their leg, without leaving them to freeze, and making sure the is someone with a warm jacket for them at the far end when they finish their leg. We managed it almost perfectly. And the chap who ran rather more than was planned (and didn't have any kit when he got to the finish) still wants to do it again next year! I was not running but driving and supplying the cake. Both Runner Beanz and MrBeanz ran. The weather was atrocious for the first half which included both their legs.
We were able to shelter in an old railway hut while waiting for RunnerBeanz to finish and MrBeanz to start.















Runnerbeanz ran the tough first leg, with a climb of 800 feet.



















On Wednesday I went to SwimFit at the gym. I was a bit anxious about not being good enough but I managed to keep up with the drills, although I had dreadful cramp on some of the legs only lengths. I certainly enjoyed it and will go again. Although I have swum further in a session I certainly worked harder than I would have done on my own.

If we go to the gym MrBeanz likes to go early. But were both up very early yesterday and we decided that this morning we needed a bit of a lie-in. But I knew I needed some exercise - I've been feeling rather lethargic recently.

So I had a bit of a lie in then went to try out my knee with a plod. More walk than run but I did manage the running bits with no pain and (so far) no after effects :>)

A highlight of the last few weeks has been the autumn colour. I had to stop the car one morning this week and take some pictures.

Sunday 2 November 2008

Away days

We had a few days away over half term. We returned to Malvern, last visited in 2004 when I was beginning my running career and went for some early morning plods on the hills.
Not this time I went for the lie in and then walking later.

We visited Hanbury Hall on the way - they have restored the garden to the design it had before Capability Brown came along and went for the makeover country park style.















We went to Westonbirt Arboretum, famous for its autumn colour. We managed to escape the greenwelly brigade and their children doing the half term stuff.














And we had a walk in the October snow.















More pics on Flickr