Podcasts and Plodding

This year I decided to set myself some new goals and improve my fitness and well being.  Most of you know who have followed me over the last 3 years I have changed my food lifestyle and lost a considerable amount of weight through following Slimming World and walking. As with all things its not easy to maintain and I need to move a little more to help it stay off. Since my accident last year some of the fitness things that I did to do this I have been a little restricted with.
With the lighter days I have managed to pull on my trainers and have embarked on a walking challenge in 2019 of walking 1000 miles. To assist me with this I have set some monthly goals on Race at Your Pace which is a fantastic fitness site where you can set your personal challenges across a wide range of activities including walking, cycling, swimming and running.
February and March I set myself a goal to walk 75 miles each month and was thrilled to achieve this with over 100 miles each month.

With this in mind I have set myself a goal of 100 miles for April which I am on target to achieve.
There is something very rewarding to receive a medal in the post (small fee) at the end of each month recognising your achievements and a great motivator to set a bigger challenge for the next month.
I haven't seen a difference on the scales but now that Easter is gone and with a short city break planned at the end of June I have lots of motivation to get back on plan and loose a few llbs
For those of you that aren't familiar with my Slimming World and Walking journey over the last 4 years - here's some highlights.

To assist with the walking I have recently discovered Podcasts, previously when I've been training for the walking marathons I have downloaded audio books or created music playlists, this year I am trying to mix it up a little with listening to some podcasts and trying to de-stress a little (much needed with the dreaded menopause!) Favourites that I have found are:

• Fearne Cotton's - Happy Place - This podcast see's Fearne talk to a range of celebrities, social media influencers and sports personnel who have supported mental illness about where they find their "happy place " - favourite episodes have been Dawn French, Alexandra Shulman (former editor of Vogue) Bryony Gordon and Henry Fraser - its a lovely oasis of calm, happiness and great conversation.
• David Tennant Does a Podcast - this is David interviewing celebrity friends, another great chatty conversation where the genuine affection for their friendship comes across in a very warm style. - favourites so far have been Olivia Colman (partners in crime in Broadchurch) which was quite raucous and very sweary! Jennifer Garner and James Corden.
• Dessert Island Discs - 45 minute condensed podcast of the radio show featuring chat, 8 favourite songs, must have item and book of choice - a game that we have all played around the dining table at some point - love that the Podcast has a back catalogue of favourite guests - my musts so far have been - Dame Judi Dench, Clare Balding, Dawn French, Michael Buble, Alan Carr, Ann Cleeves, and Cressida Dicks - a fascinating insight into their lives.
• Oprah's Super Soul - Oprah doing what she does best and interviewing the big hitters - her 2 part (1 hour each) with Michelle Obama is a joy.
• Wellness with Liz Earle
  
  - Liz not only shares her knowledge and wisdom of health, food and beauty she also interviews some amazing experts within their fields Her 2 episodes with Professor Michael Baum the world class breast cancer surgeon is insightful and informative. I started to listen to this podcast as Liz has written a significant amount about the menopause and she has a number of podcasts talking about the different symptons and is breaking the taboo on discussing something that all women will face at some point but is still not really discussed openly.

As you can see I am really enjoying the podcast library and if anyone has any recommendations please share as they are helping me tick off the miles as I walk.
Pop back next month when I share my April achievements and May challenges.

Best Bits of 2018 - Charity achievements

May saw myself and my oldest friend take on the Moonwalk challenge, 26 miles through the streets of London in aid of Breast Cancer. Having lost friends and loved ones to this disease and seen people close to both of us going through treatment for it is was a cause close to our hearts.
Accident and Surgery nearly put this challenge on hold, but (looking back now, I'm not sure how)we both crossed the finish line after 10 hours. Exhausted, Emotional and so very proud.

Having taken on the Shine walk the previous September I thought I would be ok with this, but with limited training and post accident recovery this was a huge undertaking both physically and mentally. Both of us were extremely glad to see the finish line.
The walk's theme this year was wild West so Cowboy hats were in abundance across the city. along with the infamous decorated bras.
Famous London icons turned pink for the night and were a huge boost when you saw them glowing along the skyline.
I have never been so pleased to see mile 26 sign in the early morning and knowing that I was in touching distance to the finish.

Both of us have been plagued with injuries this year pre and post accident and have struggled to get back into a fitness routine. I hope that 2019 is a little kinder and I find my walking feet again.
However October saw me take on another challenge with my first 5k run.
This one was in aid of the Poppy appeal for the British legion. In and around Victoria park in East London  and accompanied by M,  I pulled on my running shoes and completed my first 5k.
Lets see what 2019 brings ....

a little planning ......

February has certainly felt a little like a hibernation month for me. With a cold blast freezing most of the country for the first 10 days it only now 3 weeks in does it feel like there are signs of spring and that winter is very slowly falling back to sleep. This has given me lots of time in between working and walking to think about what I would like from 2017 and also some small things that I can give back.

I have definitely found that I do like to have one lovely thing to look forward to each month and that kind of makes up for the weekend working and juggling of calendars with friends and loved ones to see everyone and fit things in. I now have planners for planners and also a lovely countdown app which helps me countdown that days to the lovely things booked, which currently include trips to the rugby, opera, holiday and concerts.

2016 was a huge year of change for me with a new job, weight loss and lifestyle and  I hope to continue with those during 2017, although not planning any big changes, I'm still on a path of discovering and lots of new things in my life.  One of the things that I am continuing is my fitness, it has been an instrumental part of the weight loss (especially the last 3 stone) and I know that to maintain the loss that I need to keep active. I have finally invested in a Fit Bit and have spent an hour last night setting it up and I am already having little competions with myself J

I am hoping that it will also aid my last stone of weight loss that I have set myself along with track my training and activity for some challenges that I have set myself for this year.

As some of you know actively took part on the 10,000 steps a day challenge in September for Cancer Research and will be taking up the challenge again for March. Here are some of my memories from last year. I am looking forward to this again and I hope that I have as much fun with it as last time.

I have also signed up to a 10k walk and a 10k run (although I am having serious doubts about my capability to run 10k – still struggling to run 10 minutes) and then later in the year I’m  planning a big walk with a friend of mine. Here's to a fitter February and 2017. I will keep you updated on my progress.

My SW journey in 2016....

As previously shared with you my Slimming World journey has been a significant part of my lifestyle changes within 2016, and what a journey it has been. I started the year having lost 2 stone on the plan and finished the year with a further 3 stone loss. This brings my total with Slimming world to 5 stone in 16 months and 6 stone since I made the decision to become a better me.  I am now working towards my Target loss with SW of 6 stone and hope to achieve this before I go on holiday in May.

Lots of people ask me how I’ve done it and is it easy; the honest answer is no ‘diet’ is easy, it’s about willpower, planning, motivation and support. I couldn’t have done this without those, but the biggest thing is that you have to do this for yourself and no-one else, otherwise the will is not there.  What I did set out to achieve when I started was that this became part of my life and not consumed it – it wasn’t a race and I am happy that I have taken the loss slow and steady.

This lifestyle change has overhauled me completely and allowed me to take on new challenges in work and life that I never expected to do 18 months ago. I’ve found a whole new network of friends through social media and group that are also on this journey, some of whom have been invaluable in my achievements. I am now probably the fittest that I have been since leaving school and actively exercise at least 2 or 3 times a week and have fallen in love with walking. ( The running is still up there for me in line with Chinese water torture!) and Zumba is my chosen high impact activity weekly.

I am now 4 / 5 sizes smaller than when I started (dependant on brand) and have completely overhauled my wardrobe, it has given me the confidence to change jobs, socialise and date! (hence the slowdown & lack of blogging!)

Along the way I have started to ‘inspire’ others which I’m struggling to get my head round but hope that I can help in any small way once someone makes the decision to change their lifestyle and lose weight. One of my closest friends wrote this on her instagram feed this week. 😊

❤ Things that have helped for me:

  Plan your weeks meals before food shopping.
    Set yourself monthly / 3 monthly goals – this makes the weight loss more manageable

 REWARD your goals & weekly losses. (something I never did to begin but was taught this my someone who lost 7.5stone)
 1lb may not seem much but over a year this = 3.5 stone
  Do something lovely for every 1/2stone loss.

❤   Find an exercise that is right for you.
Walking – I use audible books and would find myself going around the block one more time to finish a chapter.
Commuting – get off one stop early and walk (tube / bus)
 Escalators – Walk never stand – this is a really easy way to see how far you have come – you will soon be able to climb without stopping / out of breath.

Take Photographs –
For Yourself:  however much
you hate the way you look
 they are a good tool to remind you how far you have come and help you see the loss
(something that I still struggle with)

 Food: - photograph what you eat – if you have a good week look back on what you ate / not good then look at what you didn’t photograph and why!
Dont beat yourself up if you have an off day.

    

So here we are in 2017 and I am a stone away from Target , its time for me to set some new goals as all those that I set in 2016 I’ve achieved …… so here they are:

Target – get to Target by May and then find a weight that I am happy with.

• Wear a  pair of size 10 jeans
•   Complete a 10k race
• Continue to challenge myself with walking 10,000 steps
• Buy a Bikini – I have never worn / bought a Bikini and would like to wear one at least once before I am 50!

 Thank-you to everyone who has commented and ❤ on my Sw posts and Instagram feed it really has helped my journey along the way. Here's to the final last push of which I will be updating you along the way.

TCakes SW adventures ....

A couple of months ago I shared my journey with SlimmingWorld over the last year. Since that post I am happy to share that I have lost another stone and  my total weight loss over the last 13 months has now reached 5 stone in total, 4 of which have been with SW.

I am thrilled and feel like a completely new person. I have one and a half stone to go until I hit my target, which will mean a loss of 5 1/2 stone with SW and 6 1/2 stone in total, which I hope to hit before Christmas.

I can honestly say that although it hasn’t been easy, it equally hasn’t been hard; it just requires planning and making the right choices. The hardest part of the journey has been stepping up the fitness as for me it was as much about feeling fitter as it was feeling fitter.

I have a great friend, who has been on this journey as well who has been the most amazing support and has encouraged me daily, as well as got me running around the park. ( the only thing on this journey that I hate!) I have discovered that I love the walking and even after I have completed my 10,000 steps challenge in September I  hope to continue through the winter (weather permitting) with my London walks. I have also discovered the fun that Zumba can bring and are now attending a class each week. I have never sweated so hard on 60 minutes in my life but can really see a difference since I have been going.

As we head into autumn I now need to buy a new wardrobe of clothes as I have now dropped 4 sizes and have no winter clothes!
Shopping trip planned and an update to come on progress ....

10,000 steps in September

September see's me take on a small challenge and continue with my healthier living lifestyle.
 I have signed up to Cancer Research's 10,000 steps a day in September. I have already shared how I have fallen in love with walking and I am currently averaging this most work days, hopefully with a little more focus I will maintain this over the weekend and raise a little for such a worthy cause.

 If I complete the challenge I would have walked a minimum of 150 miles in September which ironically I am looking forward to!

I dont know anyone who's life hasn't been affected in some way by Cancer and by taking on this challenge I hope that the small steps I take in September will lead to giant strides in the eventual cure of this cruel disease. I will be sharing my progress throughout the month and updating my Just Giving,  Facebook & Instagram pages daily.

Walking myself happy

Earlier this week I shared my lifestyle changes with my slimming world adventures. Thank you to all that commented on instagram and on here and also text with such lovely messages of encouragement, it really does make a difference. Having shared my eating changes, over the last couple of months I have stepped up the healthier lifestyle with a little easy exercise!.

Exercise doesn’t come naturally to me and I could easily have been a sloth in previous life, however I knew that I needed to do something. With a twin that runs daily and can run a marathon sub 4hrs, genetically I knew that something was possible, although I am unable to run a bath so pulling on my trainers for a jog around the park wasn’t on my agenda! However I have pulled on my trainers and have completely fallen in love with the big long walk.

I started with walking to the station from home 3 mornings a week (weather permitting! I am a fair weather walker when commuting) It’s a 2k (1.4miles )walk which on a nice day through the park is a pleasant way to start the morning and less stress than trying to find a parking space at the station and ticking off a 3 mile walk (to & from station to home.

This built up gradually until I decided to take on a bigger challenge Bond Street (Selfridges) to Liverpool Street. I have now mapped 7 routes which range from 7k to 10k (4.6 – 6.3miles) which I am walking at least twice a week and can honestly say I love it. The feeling at the end is fantastic, I'm less stressed and have a real sense of achievement.

To begin with I stuck close to the route of the central line in case I needed to jump on the tube, but now verge off to explore hidden streets and green spaces. Along the route I capture images of my walk alongside me 'map my walk' route. It’s a lovely reminder, fun and keeps me focused. So far I've explored the city on a Sunday, ambled the banks of the river – embankment & south bank, royal parks and knooks and lanes of Bloomsbury & Holborn.
I am loving my walks and have now started to look at setting myself some bigger goals, I've even downloaded the couch to 5K running app, so maybe running a bath may just be in my sights! ......
thanks again for the lovely comments, pop back next month and I will update you on my progress.

TCakes SW adventure ...

12 months ago I started on a journey to a better me, my plan was to include lifestyle, health and general well-being. I was at a point where I was genuinely unhappy about lots of my life, but feeling constantly tired, listless and low was something I wanted to change.

My first goal on my plan was diet, I didn’t tell anyone that I was doing it as there is nothing worse than telling people that you are on a diet and then them pointing out all the calories, fats, and things that you eat that are wrong. I managed to loose 14lb (1 stone) on my own before I realised that I probably couldn’t do this solo and would need some motivation and support to assist. I had tried many 'diets' before and failed after the first couple of months due to the restrictiveness of them. I had until then followed a couple of people on instagram that had been following slimming world and had lost lots of weight, they instagrammed their daily meals and I was amazed by the volume & variety of food that they could eat.  SW looked like a food lifestyle plan that I could follow and not feel like I was on a 'diet'.

I joined SW last August and have over the last 11 months slowly lost lb.'s and inches, and this week I crossed the 3 stone goal, which means that in 12 months I have now lost 4 stone. I am thrilled with my progress. I have had slow weeks and a couple of low weeks, small gains but overall a steady loss which has culminated in 3 stone gone.

Things that I have loved about SW over the last year:

•          I have fallen back in love with cooking – ready meals are a thing of the past.
•          My weekly shop is more planned and I no longer run into M&S on the way home because the fridge is empty
•          Its flexible, I have still gone for my weekly Indian with the golden girls on a Saturday.
•          Virtually and Socially I have met some lovely people who are also on this lifestyle change.
•          I have a sense of pride and worth that I lost.
•          The shy social butterfly is becoming more confident.
•          Become more active!
•          I've eaten more food daily that what I ate before!

So what does SW look like for me! –

Breakfast
·         Breakfast is usually at my desk – weekdays are usually Weetabix / oats, fruit & yoghurt. Weekends are cooked breakfast / poached eggs. – as you can see I have lots of fun with my breakfast styling!

Lunch

      Lunch is as creative and colourful, often using leftovers from the previous night dinner or opting for salad / jacket potato.

Dinner

·         Dinner is predominately chicken, fish, or a recipe from the slimming world books, favourites include; curry, lasagne, chilli, and pulled pork. I try to cook a roast on a Sunday, using fry light instead of oil (still makes great roasties)

Eating out

I try to save my syns for treats and eating out as you have less control over the hidden dangers of fats / sugars but as you can see I still have a varied menu and genuinely enjoying this food lifestyle change. Whether I am out eating breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner.

Each month I set myself mini goals which keeps me focused, which make the monumental lb.'s that I want to lose more achievable. Along with loosing lb.'s I have lost inches and have dropped 3 trouser / top sizes, and I'm the smallest clothes size & weight that I have been in 12 years. I feel better, people have noticed the weight loss, although it is something I am only beginning to see for myself in recent weeks.  think it's going to take a long time before I look in the mirror and not see the fat girl but I am loving the wider variety of clothes shopping. I now feel better, more active and have more energy. The only thing that hasn’t got any better is my terrible insomnia, I'm hoping this improves with a job change in the coming weeks. -

So what's next – ideally I would like to lose another 2 stone and drop another dress / trouser size but would be happy with a stone and a half. My next goals will include a wider fitness programme. Pop back later this week when I share my Walking myself happy roadmap. If you would like to follow my SW adventure on instagram you can fine me here.

Fitness & Well-being...

I don't blog lots about work but today the home of Mr Selfridge expanded its retail space by an additional 37,000 sq ft. The Body Studio opened today embracing fitness, well-being, lingerie, lounge-wear and hosiery all under one roof and what an impressive roof it is. Flooded with natural light from skylights and courtyard windows, the body studio is stunning.
With fitness and healthy eating part of my new lifestyle, this space is the perfect motivation to keep me focused on my SW journey.
The activewear space is full of fabulous fit wear, tech and equipment perfect for any activity. I love the boxing bags hanging from the steel beams, creating theatre and great visuals.
Its hard to visualise as I walk around this space that 15 months ago this was my old office and desk area. The Body Studio also houses the biggest collection of lingerie along with the most gorgeous fitting room spaces.
Aside from the gorgeous apparel, Body Studio also houses a Daniel Galvin studio, perfect for every hair. Adjacent to the hair salon is the cutest healthy cafe that you will see. The Hemsley sisters in partnership with Selfridges have opened a bistro cafe with a menu straight out of their healthy lifestyle cook books.

Yesterday I was lucky to sample lunch and also get to talk to the girls who were present. Both are trilled to be part of this new space and the opening of their first cafe. All this and the launch of their new TV series in a couple of weeks. All ingredients are sourced from amazing suppliers who absolutely compliment the sisters ethos of eating and lifestyle.
Lunch yesterday was a Bacon and Spinach quiche with almond flour, dressed side salad of rocket, coriander & cucumber and home-made tomato sauce. The flavours were amazing and the quiche just melted in the mouth. Accompanied by the most perfect little pot of mint tea.

 Dessert was a flour-less, beetroot & chocolate cupcake with yoghurt frosting. Dense chocolate flavour, the cupcake was moist and delicious.
The cafe is bijou, and tables can't be booked, but don't panic the queuing system is great and allows you to browse the store whilst waiting for your table They message your phone when the table is available.(so much better than waiting about in a Q!)
I know that this visit wont be last to Hemsley + Hemsley and look forward to trying the breakfast menu over the next few weeks.
Thanks to Jasmine & Melissa for stopping to chat, good luck with the new venture and a big well done to all the team involved in the Body Studio... it really is a gorgeous space.

A new Lifestyle....

Six Months ago I embarked on a lifestyle change of which I've now decided to share with my blog readers….. the lifestyle change is Slimming World.  When you tell people that you are going on a diet; they instantly either become your biggest friend or foe and you suddenly find yourself under this big food spotlight. Equally I have tried diets of sorts before and have never really clicked with one and I needed to see if this worked for me before telling everyone that I am on a diet! My inspiration came from a lady that I follow on instagram (becky) who's slimming world journey has been amazing and featured in the Daily Mail. She made Slimming World look relatively straightforward and more of a lifestyle change as opposed to a 'diet'.

Having made the decision to give it a go I knew that I needed to join a group to help me along the SW journey. My first month was really feeling my feet on what I could eat freely and what I needed to account for in my daily 'syn' allowance. Six months in and I'm still learning, but apart from a couple of 'no loss' weeks and a 2 separate weeks of gaining between ½ & 1lb over the December/ holiday period I have maintained a steady weight loss over the 6 months. I am now 2 ½ stone lighter and beginning to see the changes. People are beginning to notice and I have dropped 2 dress sizes and nearly 2 trouser sizes.

Meal planning is the key for me and the weeks that I haven’t planned well is the weeks that I see minimal weight loss / gain. I am now becoming more adventurous with cooking from the SW recipes and love their pulled pork, spaghetti bolognaise, cottage pie, and sweet & sour chicken. Here's some of what I've eaten on my SW journey….

Breakfast is my easiest meal – Weetabix, fruit & Müller yoghurt are my staple's for my desk breakfast; I try to mix it up daily so that it's not the same and it's become a regular instagram feature. Weekends are cooked breakfast or poached eggs.

I still have a long way to go and would like to loose another 2 stone, but I have set myself monthly goals and 3 month targets;  when I started I wanted to loose 1½ stone before going to New York and 2 stone by New Year which I have achieved.... Thank-you Becky for the inspiration.

March will see me step up some basic exercise and with the mornings and evenings getting lighter I'm going to kick start my walking commute to the station. I have fallen into a bit of a rut since early January due to work and stuff but I am staying for the meetings now and the support and fun that the group bring is really beginning to help on my next chapter….. so my next big goal is 2 stone by the end of July…. Watch this space