Wednesday 27 January 2010

Another light dims........

This is not a fatty post but a post to remind me to live life to the full and to make sure I make the maximum use of every waking hour.......

Today another light dimmed – another star went up into the sky – my beautiful and fabulous Susan – a life whisked away too quickly by Cancer.

Susan who lit up a room and had a delicious laughter taken at 47 by breast cancer – a long a slow death which robbed her of looks and vitality.

But I’m still carrying in my head the night of your 40th when this was not on the horizon – when your snow blonde hair tumbled down your back, you had a beautiful green chiffon dress on and the highest heels a girl can wear – way to go girl – you literally had heads turning as we entered the restaurant – we danced the night away afterwards.........

So Susan I know your now sat with the other honourable roll call of Eileen, Julie, Nicky, Helen Lynn and Doreen free from pain and worry – as much as I’ll miss I’m so not ready to join you – but do tell the girls I’m having a ball doing all the things they never got a chance to do .........

Have fun ladies and Eileen I will soon be back to the old Vicki just for you xxxx

Cheers ........

We all have ideas about exercise..........

My idea is its hell and should be avoided at all costs – so doing my daily 5K walk has been torture and has taken every ounce of motivation to get my feet on the floor and in trainers day after day.

Walking is good but in reality I would like to tone everywhere and feel a bit less jelly and flabby but I hate gyms due to past experience so I was thinking what should I do.

In 2003 I did the big annual charity Race for Life which is 5K and it’s a huge fund raiser for Cancer Research – being the competitive minx I actually joined a running club as I was no way coming in last and the park closed or a guy sweeping up the crowds rubbish up when I hobbled past the finish line. I did the running club two nights a week round Hyde Park which was great but so not me and I had a specific goal in mind – I did my race it took me 25 mins and I collected my medal – handed over the money and lay down on the sofa – never to run again.







So I have read all the PR/hype about Power Plates – my idea was you stood on a huge vibrating plate which wobbled the fat off and toned you up..........

NO






You actually work out around the plate so you do leg lunges with one leg on the vibrating plate - you use rubber bands and do bends on the plate – you lie on the floor with your feet up around the plate doing sit ups – you do press ups with your arms on the plate .......... your exhausted.

Yes I loved it – first reason was the instructor was very clear with her instructions – second each session lasts for a timed 30 seconds – third I could feel the immediate impact.

I also loved I was confided to one area and just concentrated on one piece of equipment and not having to remember each piece of equipments uses and how many pounds weight I needed and the sequence order – you do use props like a ball and hand weights and a Pilates ring but it’s with ease.

It was a full 30 minutes and for £20 excellent value – I’m hooked – oh and you don’t need expensive gym outfits – I had track suit bottoms, t-shirt and my socks ...... plus I walked from home.

I would highly recommend everyone have a go ....... I used Powertone Studios Battersea and Naydne is a wonderful instructor.

Wednesday 20 January 2010

Lent.


Easter is early this year – yes a movable feast on the religious calendar. So I have just been working out the dates for Lent – Ash Wednesday the first day of Lent is on the 17th of February – normally I do something extra not forgo something during Lent .

So I’m now trying to think of a 40 day challenge which will stretch me and also make me a better person.

I have been doing a number of 21 days challenges which have worked as they are now part of my normal routine – like drinking 8 glasses of water – doing a brisk 5K walk – so 40 days is a natural next step and making me focus.

I think I might actually join a gym and get some one on one training which would really kick start me. I have decided to take up all the offers of the free one day trails – so I can actually see the gym in action and the faculties, plus the level of trainer standards. I have joined several gyms and paid a hefty sum of money and then had some pert size 0 girls / boy race through the programme and the next time I attend the gym is busting at the seams and the trainer does that rolling eyes look when I ask for assistance.......

Oh, trust me I will be giving up the obligatory chocolate for Lent but hopefully this year will not gorge on Easter Sunday with the mountain of Easter eggs.......

Sunday 10 January 2010

January – the first month of the year.......

Plus the month of new / faddy diets and the buzz word detox.
In the major national papers over the last ten days I have counted at least 23 different diets – from just calorie counting to buying the latest rave book which guarantees you shed around 20lbs in two weeks if you follow their bizarre rituals!
I have noticed almost every night time advertisement on the TV is for some diet company, slimming bar / shake or gym or exercise product.......plus an upsurge in hypnotise tapes/ podcasts for slimming.
I know come June they will reappear again as we all attempt to get beach fit!
So I now think in my next life if I wish to make shed loads of money I need to get into the faddy diet business as people spend fortunes on the miracle cures which drop the weight in the quickest amount of time .........or maybe I need to work on getting a voice which doesn’t sound so girlish and more calming and has more authority “you will love your thighs and your lardy belly” ....... “move away from the fridge NOW!”



The weight didn’t appear overnight it piled on gradually mouthful by mouthful so how can it disappear quickly – so we want a quick fix because we have everything thing so instantly in this modern age –so weight loss should be the same.

Friday 8 January 2010

Kick up the butt............

After the excesses of Christmas and the lead up to it I realised I actually only had about 7 days off the wagon. I know I haven’t piled on all the weight I had lost so to get my mojo back I was wondering what I needed to do.

At the moment we are having very bad weather – snow , ice and frost so not really conducive for ramping up the exercise as I don’t want to fall or injure myself ......... plus I’ve never found a home exercise DVD I want to try out.

So I have just been watching a TV programme called My Big Fat Diet .......

There is a group of women trying to drop a dress size in two weeks by restricting their diet to 1200 calories a day – so I’m doing this and they have a very helpful website with calories etc and meal plans.

So tomorrow we are starting the kick start diet in this house – I thought if I start before the weekend it will help me avoid being “naughty “over the weekend.

The programme also opened a “pop up “ supermarket which had all the food as a 100 calories fresh and readymade – when you saw what proportions are actually 100 calories next to the container which is a meal for one which is actually called low cal/ low fat and equals around 800 calories !

Seeing the food in 100 calorie proportions was a big eye opener........

Sunday 3 January 2010

Grazing...........

After the excess of Christmas we all embark on a detox/ diet/ exercise routine........ I’m sure #Detox will be a Twitter trend through January then #ifellofthewagon

I know I used to over indulge over Christmas with the idea come January 1st I would become a complete health nut and start a healthy eating regime but since I have hit forty without fail all my good intentions have fallen by the wayside come the end of the 1st week.

Partly because I was so unrealistic and also because I looked at the scales and thought “OMG how much have I got to lose” plus when I have tried the gym it’s busting with other folk all doing the same thing so queues a mile long – short but crappy explanations by spin dry gym bunnies who have that sneering look of skinny 20+ who think “I’ll never get that fat or let myself go that far” so all the new gym clothes/ shoes go in the new gym bag under the bed and gather dust.
So what’s different for 2010- first I started my diet in September after taking stock of my life and where it was going also not having the pressure of January and a definite start date the 1st!

Also I looked at what makes me put on weight and I realised normally I still have a mountain of excess food in the cupboards and fridge so waste not want not and either try and eat it all before the 1st ......... or try and ignore it !
So after all the buzz and disrupted routine of the festive break and going from gluttony to starvation and this delicious food calling from the cupboard or staring at me from the fridge when I go in for my lettuce leaves – no extra buying – none of the “just in case food” .........

Plus as it’s cold at night and suddenly all the new TV series start that’s when the grazing starts – in the adverts you jump up and put the kettle on and then you open the fridge for the milk and hey a small slice of cake isn’t going to kill the diet ....... or maybe two biscuits – or a bowl of trifle ...... the list is endless.




So no excess food = no grazing ............ the down side is I now have a ton of excess energy so at 7pm on a Sunday night I have just cleaned under and behind all the domestic appliances in the kitchen – you could eat your dinner of the floor under my dishwasher ......... just need to channel this energy !

Friday 1 January 2010

Bored, bored, bored............

Out of my tiny mind ...... in August I had a month of work – I just shut down shop and reflected and thought about my life.

I’m bored and unhappy and overweight – nothing like going away and seeing yourself in a long mirror in your bikini – I stay in a beautiful apartment with a very private balcony so no one else can see my blubber – besides the resort is aimed at the older more discerning visitor – so for around the last 4 years I have joked well it’s younger and slightly firmer than the other residents...



So Giens is where I have my light bulb moment – drawn breath and plan my coming year – I do my New Year resolutions in August not January – always ahead of the pack. August is a dead month nothing happens so instead of waiting for something to happen – going away allows me time to think of things I want to happen.

So first off why am I bored – well life is not challenging and because I’m not stretched but drained – drained by loads of passive aggressive in my life – drained by toxic folk leeching off me – drained by no excitement ...... also drained by feeling not myself.

So I embarked on a long term plan and since then life has got better. I’m a girl who always has to have a Plan A B C D E and so on – taking the helicopter view.

Plan A – remove the toxic folk and the passive aggressive people who have those tinny voices which just drone on about why they can’t do anything but always seem to put the damper on your natural enthusiasm and thoughts – so if you’re about to do something exciting, nerve wracking you can’t have folk whinging on how you could fail before you have started.

Plan B – get my life back so to this end I have retired from my former life and I am about to start on a new and exciting retail venture. I’m on day one technically and after walking the dog and making some soup ...... retirement sucks much over rated.

Plan C – must look good as I have decided as no one speaks directly to or sells to women over 40 about fashion/ beauty / accessories then I will – but if you’re going to stand up and shout your mouth off you need to feel good.....and know you look your best. So knowing that trying to shift around 28lbs wasn’t going to happen overnight I started in September and then really got my mojo going in October.

Yes over the last eight days as I kissed good bye to my former life and embraced Christmas I did eat Betty Crocker French Vanilla cake and eat Quality Street – well Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without the green triangle but I’m back on track and raring to go ........ because deep down I’m vain and yes being vain makes you lose weight and I know if I feel good I’ll make a success of my new business .......



So life is precious so on with the diet and exercise and as Mark Twain said "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So, throw off the bow lines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in you sails."