Today is the hubby’s birthday! He had the day off from work, so as a treat, once the small people had been dropped off at school and nursery, we walked to the local café and both had an extremely yummy cooked breakfast – it was so good!
Mmmm, Breakfast and The Birthday Boy!
Today is usually a running day for me, I really enjoy my 6km runs, but I’ve not been feeling the greatest the last day or two, feel like I’m coming down with a cold, so instead the hubby and I went for a very nice stroll together after our breakfast – it was rather windy but the rain hadn’t started yet!
Had a slight technology mishap – MapMyWalk showed that we’d walked 1.16km in 34 seconds and as the crow flies, now I know we have a brisk pace, but I assure we are not super human!!! haha!!!
Technology Fail!!!
I checked on another map and worked out we covered approximately 2.8km and did it in about 30 minutes. It was a very pleasant walk – really did miss my run though, but the way I’m feeling it wouldn’t have gone too well!
Hope I’m on the mend soon – liking all the exercise, but it’s so much harder to do when feeling all tired and achy – and probably not a good idea to do either!
What makes you feel better when you’re under the weather!? 🙂 xxx
Well I had planned to do some weights today but I woke up with a pinched nerve in my shoulder which is rather painful and making my whole right arm ache! I am blaming it on the day of study I did the day before and all the hand writing (and nothing to do with the exercising I’ve been doing).
Beautiful Day for a Walk
So instead I went for a walk , as it was a really beautiful morning – managing over 7000+ steps by 9:30am – so with my busy day of the Blue Ones football and then the Pink and Blue Ones swimming lessons I managed to go over 10,000+ steps today! What do you like to do on a rest day 🙂 xxx
So for today’s contribution I was lucky enough to be emailed a sample session of Julie Buckley’s Ignite workout which was useful as I had no other plan for today – so a 30 minute intense work out it just what I needed! Especially as I’m completely bogged down with my OU studies, making sure I’m about for the hubby and kids and all the general life things!!!
I really enjoyed the workout, worked up a good swear and able to do it from the comfort of your own home without any travel is always a bonus! Not bad when I was only planning a star jump today!!!
Today was Parkrun – my lovely friend Kay was doing her first ever Parkrun so I was very happy to be going along to support her!
It was a beautiful day and I was quite delighted that it was considerably warmer than last Saturday – the only downside to this was that the mud was decidedly squelchy again and this makes me very careful as it can be so slippery!
See – it was muddy!
I felt pretty good this week and Kay did amazingly well and stuck with me for the most part! My time today was 00:32:55 – slowly going in the right direction – my dream for 2016 is to do 5km in 30 minutes, but we’ll see! I was very happy to see that my splits were pretty even and if I can gradually keep shaving off a few seconds each time I know I can get there! Because we good girls and walked to and from Parkrun – I’d already taken over 10,000 steps by the time I got home at around 10am and covered over 8km! Good start to the weekend!
After a spot of lunch I went and did the big Morrisons show – which is definitely a work out and whilst in store racked up another 2,000+ steps and 1km in distance – not mention all the lifting and carrying!
The Big Shop!
This afternoon (and evening) has been all about the OU study – but I initially struggled as I felt so sleepy after the mornings exertions!
Had an appointment in London this morning, so by 12noon I’d already walk 7.24km which I think is pretty good going. I also got to use my new umbrella that I got for Christmas.
Arty shot of my new umbrella
I’m off to watch my sister and niece in pantomime this evening so just a quick synopsis of my Janathon Day 22 contributions! I used my new weights for the second time. Using the 1kg weights – I did Bicep Curl, Tricep Lift, Front Elevation and Side Elevation. I did 20 reps of each and repeated the whole routine 3 times – by the third time round I could really feel it, especially with the side elevations.
What weight combinations do you like to do? I’m still very new to using weights so any recommendations gratefully received! 🙂 xxx
It was back to Boxercise with Michelle from Foxlee Fitness tonight and boy did I need it! I was in a bit of mood after my Blue One was a bit of silly bugger this afternoon and I just couldn’t shake it – he wasn’t naughty enough for me to get really cross and tell him off, but he was one stubborn sod!
Boxercise was the best medicine for a bad mood!
We had a good warm up (which included jump lunges – ouch!)
First round we gloved and padded up – and in our pairs stood orthodox (which is right foot forward) and then 10 jabs starting with the right hand and alternating, then 10 jabs with the right hand. Swap feet – so left foot forward, and 10 jabs starting with the left hand and alternating, then 10 jabs with the left hand. Boxer’s bounce for 90 degrees and repeat – we did this four times.
Then to raise our hard rates we had to do jump lunges – they burn, after a while my legs wouldn’t jump anymore!
Next, back to orthodox but now it was 10 alternate hooks starting with right hand, then 10 hooks with just the right hand, swap feet 10 more hooks starting with the left, then 10 hooks with just the left. Boxer’s bounce 90 degrees and repeat, so again four times. After which we did 15 tuck jumps three times (I may have done some squats instead – but shhhh)
We were now finished with the pads and gloves, and Michelle set us up in four groups – we were going to do circuits. I started with Chair kicks – so, no, we didn’t actually kick the chairs – we stood behind a chair and then brought a leg up and over – 30 on each leg (I have to confess, I actually quite enjoyed this one)
Next up, ladder squats, jump in squat, jump out squat – then there were cones setup where you had to jump two footed into a squat – we had to go round as many times as it took for the other groups who were doing the counting activities to finish.
Activity three were bench lunges, one foot up on the bench and then 30 lunges, swap legs and repeat – this was the one I liked doing least – the burn was quite incredible!
Final activity, chair hurdles, small hurdle on the floor, facing the chair, hold the sizes of the seat and jump over the hurdle from side to side and keep going till Michelle said stop! It was hardcore – but so good! Though I must admit, as we did this circuit twice, on my second lot of chair hurdles – I did stop and do some tricep dips instead!
Then a cool down!
All in all, a wonderful, intense workout and my mood was greatly improved! Got to appreciate exercise for making you feel happier don’t you? Not bad for Janathon Day 21! Tomorrow will be somewhat more subdued me thinks as I wait for the aches of tonight’s workout to catch up with me! Haha!
How is everyone else’s Janathon going? Would love to hear – I’ve enjoyed reading some of your blogs, which I had time to read more! 🙂 xxx
Being that I have a diagnosed General Anxiety Disorder to say I have fears is an understatement – I have way too many to count!!! It’s exhausting I can tell you.
Due to Janathon, and being bitten by the exercise bug with my running, boxercise class and I have even bought weights, I got into my head to face one of those fears and that would be swimming!
My friend who is a swimming teacher kindly said she’d go with me and help me.
I was so nervous, you see I am ok in the water as long as I can touch the bottom. Having watched my two children flourish at their swimming lessons, and we made sure that they were deep water lessons, I thought I needed to be as brave as my children – which is what I am trying to do!
It was tough, my stomach was in knots the night before. I am not sure you can truly understand the affect of anxiety unless you are a sufferer – but my anxiety levels were very high, but I was excited too. My dream is to be able to swim lengths is something I would love to crack in 2016.
My friend was very patient and encouraging, she even managed to persuade me to the deep end, which did take lots of deep breaths and trying to find an inner strength – whilst I clung to the edge like a limpet. Eventually getting me to let go and touch the bottom with my feet and come back up and also do a star float on my front for a few seconds, still not quite brave enough to try and float on my back.
Really working on my breaststroke – need to improve my technique, trying to alternate arm strokes and kicking my legs, whilst also working out my breathing. I can swim 15 metres and then it’s at that point I can no longer touch the bottom and panic sets in, I tense every muscle in my body (I seriously ache this evening)! It’s really tough, but I have taken the first steps and I feel rather proud even if I do say so myself.
The fact I managed to get myself running, which when I first started I could barely run for a minute after which it felt like I couldn’t catch my breath and now I regularly run 5 to 6km makes me realise that with perseverance and practice I can do this…
Thank you Janathon for getting me doing this and my wonderful friend putting up with me and my nervous energy! Hopefully I’ll carry on and succeed and one day feel confident in the water, all being well going back next week! 🙂 xxx
Shocking selfie because I felt an idiot taking a photo of myself at the swimming baths!
Went for a run this evening as soon as the hubby got it in.
It was a bit brass monkeys to say the least but I managed 6km and was pretty chuffed as tonight’s 6km was pretty much two minutes faster than my last 6km on 9th January! I’ve shaved 20 seconds of my pace too! Hoping I can keep up this improvement… Hopefully something different for tomorrow! 🙂 xxx
Today was a more relaxed effort, I went to church in the morning with the small people and then this afternoon the socialite that is my Pink One had a birthday party to attend. It was a really good party, where the kids had about an hour to play on gymnastics equipment – so again doing her own bit for Janathon!
My contribution today was playing with the new weights that I purchased yesterday! I used the 1kg weights and did the following four exercises from the recommendation list: Bicep Curl – 20 reps each arm
Front Elevations – 20 reps each arm
Side Elevations – 20 reps each arm
Trapezius Muscles – 20 reps
I repeated this work out three times – at the moment I feel ok – tomorrow I am sure I will moan every time I move my arms! Haha!!!
Just for your viewing pleasure a blooper too!
In the meantime for a bit of fun – a competition to win some vouchers with farfetch.com – coming up with your must have workout outfit… this is what I would have (purely for aesthetic reasons for the majority of it – I wanted some colour) if I had an
unlimited budget… 1. Buff Headgear Nia – this one is gorgeous, may very well be my next Buff purchase and at £15 it’s pretty reasonable!
2. M&S Tropical Print Cropped Leggings – £22.50
3. M&S Tropical Print Vest – £19.50
4. M&S High Impact Non-Padded T Back Crop Top – £16
5. Saucony Women’s Peregrine 5 – adore my current Saucony’s – love the colour of these ones, but don’t know if they’d suit my running style! – £59.99 (normally £100 – 40% off)
I’d quite like this very cute bag off of Farfetch too but it’s a smidge out of my budget at £823 – haha!!!
It was an exceptionally cold, but very beautiful Parkrun at Danson Park today! It did take all my effort to get myself there, especially as I had to clear ice off my car and the thermometer in there said it was -2, but get there I did. For the majority of the run I couldn’t feel my feet – and it took finishing and being back in my car to get any feeling in my fingers! I am a bit of a plodder and seem stuck at about 7 minutes a kilometer, really hoping over time my speed will increase, but with how icy the conditions were today I was extremely happy to stick to my plod! Though least with the ground being slightly frozen it had hardened up some of the muddier patches, which made them easier to run on. Danson Park is a two lap Parkrun, and after the first lap my right ankle did give me some pain, but not excruciating so I was able to keep going and fortunately it did ease.
By 10am I was back in the warmth of my car and heading hope. Not my fastest 5k by any means, but a respectable 00:34:42 which makes for a new PB at Danson Park, so I’ll be happy with that!
I then had a quick, but delightfully hot shower, dried my hair, got dressed then out again to pop to Bromley as I had an appointment with the Benefit makeup team at the Boots in the Glades, sorry I mean Intu (it will always be the Glades to me), which was part of my Christmas present.) I enjoyed my half an hour of pampering, and do like the Benefit makeup, and the lady dealing with me was very jovial and helpful, though I do feel she put the make up on a bit heavy for my taste!
I then did lots of walking to various shops, picked up a few bits in Primark – managed to get a t-shirt I’ve been after and picked up a lovely jumper dress in the sale, my final visit was to Argos – I am now the proud owner of my first set of dumbbells! A set of 2 x 0.5kg weights, 2 x 1kg weights and 2 x 1.5kg weights – carrying 6kg of weights, plus my additional shopping was a second work out in itself!!! My arms were burning by the time I made it back to the car park! I look forward to using them!
Lifting some Weights
I am currently feeling absolutely exhausted, though do need to get on with some OU study and sorting receipts for my sister – I think the reason may be that I have in total today (well whenever I was carrying my phone to record the information) covered 12.44km (16,014 steps) – don’t think tomorrow will be quite as active, but happy with my efforts for Janathon Day 16! 🙂 xxx
Jog on Mum 