Food and Exercise Round-up (Week 30)

The Stats

Weight:  8st 10lbs
B.M.I.  21.5
Body Fat %:  29.5

Well, humph.  I used to go to Weight Watchers meetings, and at one meeting the leader had a block of lard with her, and to anyone who was fed up they'd only lost a pound that week she pointed to the block of lard and said "you've just lost that".  Ever since then, I've felt distinctly squeamish about putting weight on, because I imagine a block of lard distributed about my person.  So, I was hoping that as I'd been detoxing this week after last week's chocolate/cake/ice-cream/wine-fest I'd have lost the pound I put on as a result.    No such luck, AND body fat percentage was up, although you can never really tell with that.  It was a distinctly "well, humph" week in other ways too, so I was quite downcast and sulked somewhat.

Exercise

Continuing with the "well, humph" theme of the week, I decided to go for a run on Thursday lunch time rather than going to circuit training, as I was feeling anti-social.  And THIS happened!!!

It has occurred to me, looking through my runs on Runkeeper, that I appear to be getting slower the more running I do, which I'm pretty sure isn't meant to happen.  So I thought that I would knock out a quick 5k in under 30 minutes just to prove that I could (I don't *do* fast, 10 minute miles are fast for me!).  Well, humph.  Crashed and burned!  Started too fast and really struggled in the last mile.  I do have a theory that the GPS on Runkeeper stopped working at one stage, I was so knackered I was running looking at the distance to keep me going and I swear it said 2.94 for a reeeaally long time.  It was under some trees too...maybe I lost GPS?!  Although it is rather suspicious that that's never happened before!  Whatever, I was pretty downcast when I finished, but after a while the post-run endorphins kicked in and I felt so much better for having done a run.  It is indeed true that a crap run is better than no run, and I was really pleased with myself for not giving up even though I really really wanted to, right from about the third minute into the run.  Also, it was so hellish that it had to count as a serious threshold run, and they're hardcore (smirk).

I was a bit concerned though, that whatever I've done to my left thigh flared up after mile 2.  Knees weren't too bad, just as normal, and ankle was okay, although that's stiff every morning when I wake up which is a bit of a worry.  I'm taking myself to the physio on Monday to get everything checked out and to see if he thinks I'm up to starting half-marathon training.  I'm desperate to get running so hope he give me the all-clear.

I'm still doing my DIY circuits, and in one exception to the general tenor of the week I did an absolutely lush session on Tuesday.  I've been craving stretchiness lately, so I only did a few different exercises, but all of them very slowly and deliberately and concentrating on form.  And I made it HURT (in a good way of course, did each exercise to the point of form breaking down, which I read somewhere is how you know you've pushed yourself enough).  I did what I think of as a "top to toe" session: warm-up, squats held for 1 minute x 3, 60 glute bridges, plank held for 1 minute x 3, left side plank held for 1 minute x 3, right side plank held for 1 minute x 3, 30 crunches, 30 oblique crunches, 30 aleknas, 30 close-arm push-ups, 30 open arm push-ups (I don't know if these are the right names...just what I call them!), cool down and stretching.  I was sweating and euphoric afterwards!

Food

Nothing of note except an awful lot of virtuousness...I'm saving myself up for my holidays (two weeks and counting!).

Food and Exercise Round-up (Week 29)

The Stats

Weight  8st 10lbs
B.M.I.  21.2
Body Fat %:  26.6%

This Week's Exercise

It's  been a quiet week this week.  I've been recovering from this!

It was grey and rainy last Saturday, and we'd decided not to go out for a walk.  So...I went out for a run.  I really wasn't feeling it, so trotted along at a very slow pace, but once I'd done the first three miles I found I didn't want to stop...so I carried on...and on...and then pure stubbornness made me do 10 miles.

It had been quite a stressful week at work, and a long, slow, steady run was just what I needed.  I felt totally blissed out when I finished - I love running!

However, you know all the training plans tell you not to increase your mileage by more than 10% per week?  Well, don't increase your mileage by more than 10% per week!  You will be resting for a long time afterwards while your body repairs all the aches and pains you caused!  I really upset my knees by running so far, and I've also now got suspicious sorenesses in the ankle I twisted, my left thigh and my hips.  I'm going to have to be very good from now on, and once I'm fit to start running again - which I'm not as yet - follow my half-marathon training plan to the letter.

At least not running has made it a lot easier to do strength training twice a week, which I resolved to do for six weeks in a row to try and bring down my body fat percentage, which I think is too high given how little I weigh.  It's very difficult to tell, as your body fat percentage fluctuates so much based on how hydrated you are, but I think a trend of being in the region of 26% is starting to emerge, as opposed to being in the region of 28%.  I'd ideally like to get it down to 24%.  Then, when the half-marathon training proper starts I'm going to swap one of the strength training sessions for Pilates.  I realised whilst warming up for circuits on Thursday that I'm horribly inflexible - we were doing sideways ballet kicks and I could only lift my leg to about 10 degrees!

Seeing as I'm not running at the moment, A and I went out for a lovely walk yesterday.  In spite of it being the Bank Holiday weekend we went up on Bowes Moor and didn't see another soul...bliss!  We had two seasons in one day.

We also did a lovely walk on Tuesday evening under a huge and beautiful Harvest Moon.

I'd been working from home and really missed my daily exercise so after I'd finished did a DIY circuits session, and we also did our lovely walk before bed.  

Food has not been particularly noteworthy this week, as I overindulged last week (chocolate, cake, ice-cream and wine!) and so have been detoxing.  The cake I had last week was, however, very noteworthy.  Made by the lovely Em it was a feast of moist, chocolatey gorgeousness with downright sinful buttercream icing.

I had a slice after my sandwiches during last Saturday's walk sitting on a moor in the sunshine looking at beautiful scenery and listening to the birds singing - perfection!

Kitchen and Garden Update

I love this time of year, when kitchen and garden well and truly collide and produce from the garden is being used in the kitchen all the time. I have just been out to the garden, picked a courgette and roasted it to have with other roasted veg, feta cheese and wholewheat pasta for my supper! We haven't done all that much with the garden this year, but thanks to the weather we've had a brilliant season for fruit. Kilos of strawberries...

...rhubarb...

...blueberries.

We've also got a source of brambles, which is making me feel autumnal. Delicious with kiwi fruit and golden syrup in porridge!

In the back garden we've got peas, green beans, potatoes and giant monster courgettes!

We also enjoyed cauliflower and spring cabbage from the lovely Em's allotment, with which I made cauliflower and courgette cheese and goat's cheese and spring cabbage risotte, and 'tates, courgettes and green beans from Dad's garden which I made into an amazing curry.

Maintenance Weeks Twenty-six, Twenty-seven and Twenty-eight

Well, I have stayed at or under my goal weight for more than twenty-six weeks now, otherwise known as six months! I'm really proud of myself and hope I can keep it up for a lot longer. Eating healthily and exercising has become a habit, although I'm well aware that what leads to me putting on weight is being under stress...all the more reason to live a simple, stress-free l Not much to report on the weight front, back down to 8st 9lbs, body fat somewhere in the region of 26% last time I measured it. I resolved that after my race I'd start circuit training twice a week to try and get it down a bit. I'd ideally like to be in the region of 20-24%, and also like to put on a bit of muscle. I finally got round to doing this this week, one session was a DIY one in my bedroom and the other was at the sports centre. I liked mine better! I think I'm exploring whole new realms of anti-sociability, I definitely like to be on my own when I exercise, with the exception of my training buddy Jules of course.
I was going to pair my increased strength training with a break from running before starting half-marathon training, and did indeed have a running break, during which I did two fantastic bike rides with Alastair. Bike-rides turn me into a highly efficient eating machine - I don't stop for two days afterwards (which is a great reason for doing bike-rides in my book!).
Last weekend we took the train to Northallerton and cycled back to Littletown, stopping at Yarm for lunch. It was a lovely ride - 46 miles (for some reason the man in the bike shop calibrated my bike computer in kilometers which makes it look a lot more impressve!) and I was sad when it was over, I wanted to do another 20 miles!