By Virginia Winder
Easter was hard.
I blame the chocolate and with that came the blue cheese and brie we offered guests. I couldn't help myself. On top of that was Alan Scott pinot gris and apple cider.
Perhaps it was frustration over my bike, which kept having chain problems, or the chocolates stacked up everywhere, but to be honest I think it was the hotcross buns, which are my absolute downfall.
Whatever happened at Easter, the scales showed the damage.
So, instead of shedding the extra 1-2kg I was needing to sneak under the 90kg mark into the wonderful 80s, I actually put that amount on!
That was despite running, swimming and trying to bike (it's fixed now).
It's time to follow my own wise advice and not beat myself up for my first failure in seven months and, instead, realise I am only human. It's time to think ahead, regroup, train harder and fit everything in.
Went for my first walking lunch with fellow garden writer Sarah Foy and it was brilliant.
We chatted, brainstormed ideas, snooped on a tropical inner-city garden and felt good about working up a sweat. You see I've been researching information about how getting moving helps our brains work better, so have decided to put it into practice.
Even wrote an entire feature on it in my weekly sustainably column, Your World, which appears in the Taranaki Daily News each Tuesday.
This week, I've focused on the power of water for performance. Did you know a lack of water is the No 1 trigger for daytime fatigue? Check out: Drink lots to stay above water for more H20 info.
So now I'm drinking more water in earnest, trying to move more each day inbetween writing to prevent computer-related problems and doing my best to keep my brain in order.
As for the food, I have replaced chocolate eggs with feijoas. Yum!
I have decided that my absolute favourite meal of all, even above chicken mole, is bircher muesli soaked overnight in water, topped with freshly scooped-out feijoas, a handful of fresh walnuts and Biofarm bush honey yoghurt.
Sorry whanau in Aussie, who may now be craving feijoas, but they are oh so delicious. Especially from the farmers market and grown by Marion and Gavin Struthers! Mmmm.
Other new things... have been training quite hard for my second Contact Tri Women's race, which is on this weekend in Auckland. Feel quite confident that I'll be able to run rather than walk this time!
Also, have decided to give up alcohol for good. Yes, forever.
You're probably wondering why.
Well, it's to do with sleep mostly. I'm not a big drinker at all, but when I do have a glass or two of wine or cider, I suffer terrible insomnia. In fact, the more I drink, the less sleep I get. So, if I have a glass of wine or even two a couple of nights in a row, that's it, I may as well not bother heading to bed. Annoyingly, I can't concentrate on anything either, so am unable to write, read, watch a movie or do art. It's just nightmarish.
Even though I do love a glass of wine, a cider or margarita, it's just not worth it any more and seems to be getting worse with age. So, from now on, my lovely husband has a permanent sober driver.
For life.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Saturday, March 31, 2012
On course for Taranaki
By Virginia Winder
There's been a change of venue for my half-ironman dream next year.
It's home and hills I want - so I will be tackling the Wells New Plymouth half-ironman in February. Can't yet find the date online, but will be writing it down in ink and telling you all when it's announced.
The other day I had lunch with Irena Brooks, who's done the Mt Maunganui race (my original aim), and she said riding 90km on a straight flat course meant no respite for the leg muscles.
My favourite parts of any biking course are the hills and, believe it or not, the ups. I just love the hard work, the gutsy power of it, the digging deep and the achievement when you get to the top. It's beyond these mantras I tell you about; it just taps into the core of my being.
Now I'll be able to constantly train in reality - not a distant place and a distant dream.This is solid ground stuff. I have to bike 90km, so now I can map out the course and aim to do 30km of it, then 40km, then 50km, then 60km - you get the idea.
Also love the idea of training at Ngamotu Beach from spring through to tri-time in the place I'll be racing.
In between all that, I'll be training for the Taranaki Daily News half-marathon.
Idelle Hiestand is one of my main inspirations for doing the home-grown race because she talked to me about supporting local. She also did the race and did it well, so I know it's possible for me.
Had lunch with my sponsor and co-conspirator Bryce Barnett yesterday and he's all for the switch in venue, so am feeling buoyed about it now and can put plans into action.
Yahoo!
However, I am heading away for an event soon - the last Tri-Woman race of the season. That will be at Pt Chevalier on April 22 and I'll be heading there with my niece Rebecca and daughter Clementine, who will be a team. I'll be doing the whole thing again, but this time I'll be running, not walking!
Back to Irena - she put me on the spot about my weight, asking why I haven't updated my blog for months. That's because I've been hovering between 90kg and 91kg and I wanted to write that I'd made it to 80-something and make a big splash.
She reminded me that back when I was teering on the edge of 100kg, she said I just had to relax and let go and the weight dropped and it did.
So this is it, I'm saying out loud, well in writing, "I'm letting go!"
Let's see if that works.
Other changes - I won't be having cafe lunch dates with friends during the week.
Don't be annoyed or sad. You can still see me - at the weekends or come for a "walking meeting" with me. I'll still have time for a coffee on a Monday too, but other times I need to have shortened lunch breaks to finish work early to get to training, or meet on the move with you, which will produce energetic, creative thoughts and great conversations. Naturally, I'll make exceptions for injuries or if it's snowing.
Yes, I'm starting to sound rather militaristic. These new moves are for me because I need discipline to achieve what I aim to do, because these are big goals.
Because, as you know, I've just got 2 do it!
There's been a change of venue for my half-ironman dream next year.
It's home and hills I want - so I will be tackling the Wells New Plymouth half-ironman in February. Can't yet find the date online, but will be writing it down in ink and telling you all when it's announced.
The other day I had lunch with Irena Brooks, who's done the Mt Maunganui race (my original aim), and she said riding 90km on a straight flat course meant no respite for the leg muscles.
My favourite parts of any biking course are the hills and, believe it or not, the ups. I just love the hard work, the gutsy power of it, the digging deep and the achievement when you get to the top. It's beyond these mantras I tell you about; it just taps into the core of my being.
Now I'll be able to constantly train in reality - not a distant place and a distant dream.This is solid ground stuff. I have to bike 90km, so now I can map out the course and aim to do 30km of it, then 40km, then 50km, then 60km - you get the idea.
Also love the idea of training at Ngamotu Beach from spring through to tri-time in the place I'll be racing.
In between all that, I'll be training for the Taranaki Daily News half-marathon.
Idelle Hiestand is one of my main inspirations for doing the home-grown race because she talked to me about supporting local. She also did the race and did it well, so I know it's possible for me.
Had lunch with my sponsor and co-conspirator Bryce Barnett yesterday and he's all for the switch in venue, so am feeling buoyed about it now and can put plans into action.
Yahoo!
However, I am heading away for an event soon - the last Tri-Woman race of the season. That will be at Pt Chevalier on April 22 and I'll be heading there with my niece Rebecca and daughter Clementine, who will be a team. I'll be doing the whole thing again, but this time I'll be running, not walking!
Back to Irena - she put me on the spot about my weight, asking why I haven't updated my blog for months. That's because I've been hovering between 90kg and 91kg and I wanted to write that I'd made it to 80-something and make a big splash.
She reminded me that back when I was teering on the edge of 100kg, she said I just had to relax and let go and the weight dropped and it did.
So this is it, I'm saying out loud, well in writing, "I'm letting go!"
Let's see if that works.
Other changes - I won't be having cafe lunch dates with friends during the week.
Don't be annoyed or sad. You can still see me - at the weekends or come for a "walking meeting" with me. I'll still have time for a coffee on a Monday too, but other times I need to have shortened lunch breaks to finish work early to get to training, or meet on the move with you, which will produce energetic, creative thoughts and great conversations. Naturally, I'll make exceptions for injuries or if it's snowing.
Yes, I'm starting to sound rather militaristic. These new moves are for me because I need discipline to achieve what I aim to do, because these are big goals.
Because, as you know, I've just got 2 do it!
Monday, March 26, 2012
Losing and laughter - the skirt fiasco
By Virginia Winder
The evolution continues.
"Hello person who doesn't look like you any more," a woman I know quips as we cross paths.
"I still feel the same - just fitter, healthier," I yell over my shoulder.
But things have changed.
No 1 problem is that my clothes are getting too big. Way too big.
I know some of you may think this is a great thing, but there are two downsides to downsizing.
1. I love the clothes I had and they were chosen with love and care.
2. When clothes get too big it can be downright embarrassing.
Let me paint you a scenario of a hapless, hurrying woman on her way to a meeting last Wednesday morning...
The lift doors open and I rush out, pen and folder in hand heading for a gathering on the top floor of Puke Ariki. I am a few minutes late, so I break into a light jog.
If this was a movie, that jog would turn into a slow-motion scene so you, the audience, know something disastrous is about to happen.
Hold that thought... me jogging in slow-mo strides, and there you can start to see what's happening, see the slip of the material, see my eyes open wide... switch to the woman manager in the glass office, see her look up from her desk in astonishment, then there's a shot of a woman in the lift putting hand over mouth in gleeful horror, and then back to me...standing there in a puddle of black cloth.
Yes, my skirt fell off, straight down, on the floor, leaving me stranded in my black underpants! This is the stuff of nightmares.
I whipped it back on and headed to my meeting, hot-faced and guffawing inwardly at the absurdity of my life and terribly thankful the boss wasn't having a high-powered meeting in her office.
"That's one of the funniest things I've seen in years," the woman in the lift told me later.
We laughed together.
So, yes, I've still been training, especially biking and running.
I've also been eating well - mostly. But when I'm busy, and overworking, I crave carbohydrates and sugars, especially chocolate. That's when I try to have unroasted nuts on hand because protein staves off those cravings.
Drinking water still isn't easy. I forget. My husband, Warren has even taken to texting me "drink water" messages, which works. It's all about reprogramming.
It's amazing what the mind can do, what changes can take place, one step at a time.
Just remember to laugh at yourself on the way, because if you don't, everyone else will.
Live lightly if you can.
The evolution continues.
"Hello person who doesn't look like you any more," a woman I know quips as we cross paths.
"I still feel the same - just fitter, healthier," I yell over my shoulder.
But things have changed.
No 1 problem is that my clothes are getting too big. Way too big.
I know some of you may think this is a great thing, but there are two downsides to downsizing.
1. I love the clothes I had and they were chosen with love and care.
2. When clothes get too big it can be downright embarrassing.
Let me paint you a scenario of a hapless, hurrying woman on her way to a meeting last Wednesday morning...
The lift doors open and I rush out, pen and folder in hand heading for a gathering on the top floor of Puke Ariki. I am a few minutes late, so I break into a light jog.
If this was a movie, that jog would turn into a slow-motion scene so you, the audience, know something disastrous is about to happen.
Hold that thought... me jogging in slow-mo strides, and there you can start to see what's happening, see the slip of the material, see my eyes open wide... switch to the woman manager in the glass office, see her look up from her desk in astonishment, then there's a shot of a woman in the lift putting hand over mouth in gleeful horror, and then back to me...standing there in a puddle of black cloth.
Yes, my skirt fell off, straight down, on the floor, leaving me stranded in my black underpants! This is the stuff of nightmares.
I whipped it back on and headed to my meeting, hot-faced and guffawing inwardly at the absurdity of my life and terribly thankful the boss wasn't having a high-powered meeting in her office.
"That's one of the funniest things I've seen in years," the woman in the lift told me later.
We laughed together.
So, yes, I've still been training, especially biking and running.
I've also been eating well - mostly. But when I'm busy, and overworking, I crave carbohydrates and sugars, especially chocolate. That's when I try to have unroasted nuts on hand because protein staves off those cravings.
Drinking water still isn't easy. I forget. My husband, Warren has even taken to texting me "drink water" messages, which works. It's all about reprogramming.
It's amazing what the mind can do, what changes can take place, one step at a time.
Just remember to laugh at yourself on the way, because if you don't, everyone else will.
Live lightly if you can.
Monday, March 19, 2012
Womad wildest workout of all
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| Dobet Gnahore |
Dancing at Womad has to count as a major workout.
All up, there was probably about eight hours of up-the-front wildness over three days and lots of chilling out with friends in between.
Add walking around the site, including hill climbs and Womad adds up to a lot of exercise.
Best of all no ACC claim this year. Oh the weird ones I've had.
Last year, I raced off in the middle of the Topp Twins to use the loo in the VIP area, went over in pothole and fell, saving myself by grabbing on to the front of a young security guard's belt. I was mortified, he looked terrified. My ankle was badly sprained, my embarrassment even worse.
At an earlier Womad a friend wrenched my shoulder while we danced to Hava Nagila and at another festival I hurt my left Achilles jumping to Blue King Brown.
Tonight I was desperate to get back out on my beloved bike, but the wind ruined that.
Biking is now officially my favourite of the three triathlon sports, running is second and swimming third. Do you hear that - running!
This life of fitness is wonderful, especially because it means I'm getting out there in nature. The other day I biked along the coastal walkway to Hickford Park at Bell Block and then back the other way and up to Paritutu and home.
So when the wind gets up, I not think about all the people who have orchards or those who might lose a roof or fences, but I also selfishly think, "blow it, no biking for me".
What I have been doing too much of lately though is working - way too many hours.
That's taken its toll on ... this blog, but not my body.
Now it's time for sleep and to recover from Womad.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
'Love this life!' yells the crazy woman
By Virginia Winder
My blogging may have gone off the boil, but my training hasn't.
Went biking for more than an hour yesterday, the day before I went for an even longer walk and ended up running and on wild-wind Saturday did a gym workout.
Have decided that I need an indoor alternative when it's just too nasty out there. Also bought some long lycra tights that will help when winter sets in, because I refuse to be a fair-weather athlete. Wind, however, does put cycling off the schedule for safety reasons.
I have been clocking up the hours and the kilometres on our roads, parks and streets, have been walking to work and have added a sign by the lift on my stairs. It reads: "No Virginia, use the stairs."
Why? Because I need to reprogramme myself. "I'm not going to use the lift today," I announced to my floor at Puke Ariki.
Thirty seconds later, I pushed the button and was rising mechanically to the next floor like an automaton. The sign changed that.
Today, I noticed I've slipped again so the sign will have to go back up again tomorrow, much to the amusement of my work colleagues.
You see, I'm trying to be extremly active in my daily life and have been trying even harder on the food front.
Every now and then I find myself slipping into bad habits, like buying iced coffee. No, not the stuffed with cream and icecream kind, but the type you get from the dairy in a plastic bottle. Not a sensible choice.
Better to make a cup of tea and have some fresh fruit and nuts, to sustain me through an afternoon.
Have been doing some research on low-carbohydrate diets and while they work for losing weights, you do have to be careful what protein you eat. Check out this story, I wrote using research from Harvard University.
Now, here's another confession - I haven't got the work-life balance thing going so well.
Have had some days where I have been back to my old appalling habits of working 13 hours.
Don't for a second think that's a good thing.
It's not admirable. It's obsessive, self-centred and unhealthy on all fronts.
I've still managed to fit in training sessions on those days, but nothing else. I've been exhausted and it's my poor family that misses out.
So from this moment on that stops.
Oh, I sound so serious, so earnest!
It's all so much fun though, this exercise journey. The joy of it! The freedom of biking, the flying of running, the meditation of swimming...
Last night, I was biking along the walkway, the rolling Tasman Sea on my right and the snow-dusted Mt Taranaki on my left and, like a crazy woman, I yelled at the top of my voice: "I love this life!"
My blogging may have gone off the boil, but my training hasn't.
Went biking for more than an hour yesterday, the day before I went for an even longer walk and ended up running and on wild-wind Saturday did a gym workout.
Have decided that I need an indoor alternative when it's just too nasty out there. Also bought some long lycra tights that will help when winter sets in, because I refuse to be a fair-weather athlete. Wind, however, does put cycling off the schedule for safety reasons.
I have been clocking up the hours and the kilometres on our roads, parks and streets, have been walking to work and have added a sign by the lift on my stairs. It reads: "No Virginia, use the stairs."
Why? Because I need to reprogramme myself. "I'm not going to use the lift today," I announced to my floor at Puke Ariki.
Thirty seconds later, I pushed the button and was rising mechanically to the next floor like an automaton. The sign changed that.
Today, I noticed I've slipped again so the sign will have to go back up again tomorrow, much to the amusement of my work colleagues.
You see, I'm trying to be extremly active in my daily life and have been trying even harder on the food front.
Every now and then I find myself slipping into bad habits, like buying iced coffee. No, not the stuffed with cream and icecream kind, but the type you get from the dairy in a plastic bottle. Not a sensible choice.
Better to make a cup of tea and have some fresh fruit and nuts, to sustain me through an afternoon.
Have been doing some research on low-carbohydrate diets and while they work for losing weights, you do have to be careful what protein you eat. Check out this story, I wrote using research from Harvard University.
Now, here's another confession - I haven't got the work-life balance thing going so well.
Have had some days where I have been back to my old appalling habits of working 13 hours.
Don't for a second think that's a good thing.
It's not admirable. It's obsessive, self-centred and unhealthy on all fronts.
I've still managed to fit in training sessions on those days, but nothing else. I've been exhausted and it's my poor family that misses out.
So from this moment on that stops.
Oh, I sound so serious, so earnest!
It's all so much fun though, this exercise journey. The joy of it! The freedom of biking, the flying of running, the meditation of swimming...
Last night, I was biking along the walkway, the rolling Tasman Sea on my right and the snow-dusted Mt Taranaki on my left and, like a crazy woman, I yelled at the top of my voice: "I love this life!"
Saturday, February 18, 2012
To the zoo and back with Heather
By Virginia Winder
Poor Heather.
She's my friend with a road bike who agreed to go out for a ride with me today. It was an uphill climb and she was way ahead of me all the way.
At times she had to wait for me and she greeted me with kind words.
"You're doing great," she said when I caught up to her.
Despite my slow speed, I loved it. The burning thighs, the pounding heart, the sweat, the countryside...
Downhill was even better.
We cranked up our gears and sprinted. "Thanks for letting me bike in your slipstream," she yelled, directing me when to change gears.
Once, we got up to 40km/h, but now I want to go faster. Much faster.
Definitely, I want to go faster uphill, but reckon I need to do a bit of practice working those gears. And yes, I'm going to have to get those biking shoes back on.
This evening I swam 30 lengths in the outdoor pool and my shoulder felt OK.
Swimming is all about cruising for me at the moment until I feel good again. Need to go back to my wonderful physio Jacinta Harrison who has made me a gym programme. She, by the way, won a trip to a Tahiti at the Wells Taranaki Ironman last weekend. Fantastic stuff!
Met with Coach Clint this week and am now going to focus on long, slow bike rides and long, slow walk/runs. Still going through the transition phase, but definitely picking up the running.
If you've been wondering why I've been so useless at my blog writing, it's because:
A: Family has come first lately - and I wouldn't have it any other way. We've had my sister and brother-inlaw here for just 10 days, had my father-in-law's 80th birthday and our daughter Clementine's 18th birthday and party (including a visit from noise control at 10.22pm!).
B: I had too much work, but have now cut back to a normal workload and have a wonderful position doing marketing and communications at Puke Ariki. I love it! Yes, I'm still doing my freelancing feature stories, but finally I'm getting some balance.
C: I have been focusing on illness not wellness. After getting sick with that sore throat, which lingered and lingered, I decided I was not well enough to train. It's probably true to be honest, but my energy has returned now and I'm back in to it.
Life is good, the weather is fine, training is great and I have a patient friend called Heather.
Today, I:
Biked about 20km
Swam 1.5km
Ate 3 fantastically nutritious meals
Drank lots of water
Drank 2 coffees
Drank 1 protein shake with a banana
Worked for 2.5 hours
Slept for 9 hours (deep wonderful sleep!)
Poor Heather.
She's my friend with a road bike who agreed to go out for a ride with me today. It was an uphill climb and she was way ahead of me all the way.
At times she had to wait for me and she greeted me with kind words.
"You're doing great," she said when I caught up to her.
Despite my slow speed, I loved it. The burning thighs, the pounding heart, the sweat, the countryside...
Downhill was even better.
We cranked up our gears and sprinted. "Thanks for letting me bike in your slipstream," she yelled, directing me when to change gears.
Once, we got up to 40km/h, but now I want to go faster. Much faster.
Definitely, I want to go faster uphill, but reckon I need to do a bit of practice working those gears. And yes, I'm going to have to get those biking shoes back on.
This evening I swam 30 lengths in the outdoor pool and my shoulder felt OK.
Swimming is all about cruising for me at the moment until I feel good again. Need to go back to my wonderful physio Jacinta Harrison who has made me a gym programme. She, by the way, won a trip to a Tahiti at the Wells Taranaki Ironman last weekend. Fantastic stuff!
Met with Coach Clint this week and am now going to focus on long, slow bike rides and long, slow walk/runs. Still going through the transition phase, but definitely picking up the running.
If you've been wondering why I've been so useless at my blog writing, it's because:
A: Family has come first lately - and I wouldn't have it any other way. We've had my sister and brother-inlaw here for just 10 days, had my father-in-law's 80th birthday and our daughter Clementine's 18th birthday and party (including a visit from noise control at 10.22pm!).
B: I had too much work, but have now cut back to a normal workload and have a wonderful position doing marketing and communications at Puke Ariki. I love it! Yes, I'm still doing my freelancing feature stories, but finally I'm getting some balance.
C: I have been focusing on illness not wellness. After getting sick with that sore throat, which lingered and lingered, I decided I was not well enough to train. It's probably true to be honest, but my energy has returned now and I'm back in to it.
Life is good, the weather is fine, training is great and I have a patient friend called Heather.
Today, I:
Biked about 20km
Swam 1.5km
Ate 3 fantastically nutritious meals
Drank lots of water
Drank 2 coffees
Drank 1 protein shake with a banana
Worked for 2.5 hours
Slept for 9 hours (deep wonderful sleep!)
Monday, February 6, 2012
On to the next goals... Pt Chev here we come
By Virginia Winder
It's a new week and a fresh focus.
Oh and the things I have learnt on the way...
No 1: It's not a great idea to train or compete if you aren't feeling well. It took me four days in bed to recover from that nasty sore throat and it's still lingering. When you are pushing your body to the limit you have to be kind to yourself. Listen to those symptoms - don't be so focused on the end result that you have a hideous journey. That "no pain, no gain" saying doesn't work when the body needs time to recover.
No 2: Be kind to others - always. This has nothing to do with exercising, but everything to do with life balance and not judging others. Here's an example. You might get a check-out operator in a supermarket who's not so friendly to you, but there may be a reason - they have just been dumped by a boyfriend, found out their mother has cancer, or lost a loved one. Or a grumpy customer might be stressed about something in their life and preoccupied by their own thoughts. Think about that for a moment and then let it go. Treat those under stress with great kindness and warmth - there's always a reason they are like that.
No 3: Say thanks with grace - then change the subject. When you lose weight people constantly tell you how amazing you look. Thanks so much for the kind words! However, I'm beginning to think I must have looked hideous before. But I didn't feel ugly and that's the truth. I love the compliments, honestly I do, but I'm still just me.
No 4: Always have a goal. Once, when I interviewed Sir Edmund Hillary I asked him what he was thinking when he stood on the summit of Mt Everest. His reply was something like: "I looked around and thought what mountain am I going to climb next." OK, so my tri wasn't Mt Everest, but Sir Ed was right about always having something to aim for.
No 5: Always remember how far you have come. Pollyanna, one of my childhood role models, used to play The Glad Game by counting all the things she was glad about. Do that in your life, especially if you are on a path to health and fitness.
No 6: Have a fan club. They are your close friends who text you (thanks Spike, Callie and Susan), others who turn up and cheer for you (Cheryl and Irena) and, of course, your family members, who back you all the way and boy, do I have a heap of them - they stretch from here to Wellington and across to Perth in Australia. And then there are all my mates on FB, like Kim in Sydney, my namesake in Kansas and the dozens of people who tick the "like" box and make comments. Those uplifting comments are as good as endorphins.
So, on to the next four fitness goals.
No 1: Go to Auckland to compete in the Contact TriWoman race at Pt Chevalier in Auckland on April 22. (My daughter and niece are in the draw for a car, so we have to go!)
No 2: To be able to run properly for that race.
No 3: To be down to 80kg for that Auckland race.
No 3: To start a serious cycling regime.
No 4: Get back into full pool training.
No 5: Do gym work to strengthen me for pool work. This is recommended by my BounceBack Physiotherapist and swimmer Jacinta Harrison.
Today, I:
Went for a 25-minute walk/run in Pukekura Park
Went to the movies
Worked for 5 hours
Slept well for 6 hours
Ate two great meals (breakfast and dinner), but had some popcorn and jaffas and had spaghetti on toast for lunch with grated cheese on top (need to take care not to fall into old ways)
Drank 2 coffees (now for those people thinking I am cutting down - a big coffee day for me has always been 3, so trust me, I'm not trying to cut down my coffee)
Drank a moderate amount of water
Yesterday, I:
Ate two great meals (but missed lunch, so not good)
Worked for 6.5 hours
Went for a long brisk walk
Slept badly, for hardly any hours
Drank 2 cups of coffee
Drank some water
It's a new week and a fresh focus.
Oh and the things I have learnt on the way...
No 1: It's not a great idea to train or compete if you aren't feeling well. It took me four days in bed to recover from that nasty sore throat and it's still lingering. When you are pushing your body to the limit you have to be kind to yourself. Listen to those symptoms - don't be so focused on the end result that you have a hideous journey. That "no pain, no gain" saying doesn't work when the body needs time to recover.
No 2: Be kind to others - always. This has nothing to do with exercising, but everything to do with life balance and not judging others. Here's an example. You might get a check-out operator in a supermarket who's not so friendly to you, but there may be a reason - they have just been dumped by a boyfriend, found out their mother has cancer, or lost a loved one. Or a grumpy customer might be stressed about something in their life and preoccupied by their own thoughts. Think about that for a moment and then let it go. Treat those under stress with great kindness and warmth - there's always a reason they are like that.
No 3: Say thanks with grace - then change the subject. When you lose weight people constantly tell you how amazing you look. Thanks so much for the kind words! However, I'm beginning to think I must have looked hideous before. But I didn't feel ugly and that's the truth. I love the compliments, honestly I do, but I'm still just me.
No 4: Always have a goal. Once, when I interviewed Sir Edmund Hillary I asked him what he was thinking when he stood on the summit of Mt Everest. His reply was something like: "I looked around and thought what mountain am I going to climb next." OK, so my tri wasn't Mt Everest, but Sir Ed was right about always having something to aim for.
No 5: Always remember how far you have come. Pollyanna, one of my childhood role models, used to play The Glad Game by counting all the things she was glad about. Do that in your life, especially if you are on a path to health and fitness.
No 6: Have a fan club. They are your close friends who text you (thanks Spike, Callie and Susan), others who turn up and cheer for you (Cheryl and Irena) and, of course, your family members, who back you all the way and boy, do I have a heap of them - they stretch from here to Wellington and across to Perth in Australia. And then there are all my mates on FB, like Kim in Sydney, my namesake in Kansas and the dozens of people who tick the "like" box and make comments. Those uplifting comments are as good as endorphins.
So, on to the next four fitness goals.
No 1: Go to Auckland to compete in the Contact TriWoman race at Pt Chevalier in Auckland on April 22. (My daughter and niece are in the draw for a car, so we have to go!)
No 2: To be able to run properly for that race.
No 3: To be down to 80kg for that Auckland race.
No 3: To start a serious cycling regime.
No 4: Get back into full pool training.
No 5: Do gym work to strengthen me for pool work. This is recommended by my BounceBack Physiotherapist and swimmer Jacinta Harrison.
Today, I:
Went for a 25-minute walk/run in Pukekura Park
Went to the movies
Worked for 5 hours
Slept well for 6 hours
Ate two great meals (breakfast and dinner), but had some popcorn and jaffas and had spaghetti on toast for lunch with grated cheese on top (need to take care not to fall into old ways)
Drank 2 coffees (now for those people thinking I am cutting down - a big coffee day for me has always been 3, so trust me, I'm not trying to cut down my coffee)
Drank a moderate amount of water
Yesterday, I:
Ate two great meals (but missed lunch, so not good)
Worked for 6.5 hours
Went for a long brisk walk
Slept badly, for hardly any hours
Drank 2 cups of coffee
Drank some water
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