So my hubby kindly let me have a lie in this morning, after feeling decidedly ropey the day before, the small people don’t start back at school and nursery until tomorrow and he’s taken some holiday so doesn’t have to go back to work until next week!
When I got up (and had eaten breakfast), I got on with some Open University study, as I have thoroughly neglected it over Christmas and the New Year, with the intention of going for a walk later, due to the fact that thankfully I was feeling better than yesterday but still rather tired and didn’t want to over do it. Typically whilst I was studying the skies were blue and the weather was dry, as the morning became afternoon I could hear the tell-tell sounds of raindrops on our conservatory roof! Such joy, this made me feel rather less enthusiastic about venturing out (venting my frustrations on Facebook).
Networking studies
Eventually I got ready to go, finally getting out of my PJs and into some clothes – and I dressed appropriately for the possible weather, which for the time being had stopped raining, but I took my umbrella and wore my waterproof jacket to ensure I was prepared for the weather to turn again. I also wore my Buff, which kept my ears lovely and warm! I needed to take my watch to the menders for a new battery, so used that as my reason to get out – I hate being without my watch, and the battery in my spare had also stopped. So I took a the normal route to the repair shop and then took a longer route home. A very pleasant walk as the weather was kind to me and it didn’t rain, though I did have to avoid a few puddles here and there – in total I covered 5.55km! Not a bad effort in the end after all my procrastination!
Don’t get too excited, more precisely I’m in a Buff, but more on that in a moment!
Ok, not a massive amount of exercise today, felt really iffy with a grumpy tummy, but still managed to get up and out, with the hubby, for a 9am showing of Star Wars: The Force Awakens! It was awesome! Everything I’d hoped for and so much more – highly recommend it – a good few nods to the originals (4, 5 & 6 that is – we’ll just let 1, 2 & 3 slip from our minds…).
After the film, I noticed that Bluewater now has a Buff shop, oh the excitement, I was like a kid in a sweet shop, so many beautiful ones to choose from, I really like some of the Star Wars ones, but opted for a fuschia one for my first Buff! I’m sure I’ll be buying more!
I’m in the Buff!!!!
Then we went into the Speedo shop and had a look at their swimsuit sale and managed to get new ones for the kids (the Pink Ones was in the sale, the Blue Ones unfortunately wasn’t) but they’re lovely swim suits and they look so cute! 😊
Ready for their swimming lesson… tomorrow!
Still feeling lacklustre with a grumpy tum, my exercise contribution today was 10 leg lifts with each of my kids (20 in total) – that was enough for me today!
Proof of exercise!!!
Blue One Leg Lifts
Pink One Leg Lifts
Hopefully for Janathon day 4 I’ll be feeling better! 🙂 xxx
So today was mainly about the walking for exercise! My hubby and I were lucky enough to have a childfree day (courtesy of the kids having a sleep over at Nanny & Grandad’s) so we had a day roaming around London – even though it drizzled with rain all day it was just lovely to be out together!
Yay – Childfree – can you tell he isn’t allowed out much!?!
We covered about 11km – walking from Blackfriars to the Strand, to Covent Garden (perused the market),called into Forbidden Planet (I really want to start collecting Pop Heads) and then on to Tottenham Court Road and Oxford Street – a visit to Primark (this included walking down four flights of stairs) – amazing how we came out with more bits for the kids then ourselves… Though I did see these fab t-shirts – I want the Little Miss Social Media one but they didn’t have my size! 😔
I want these t-shirts… please!!!
Then a stop in a Starbucks for a drink and then started wending our way back to Blackfriars – with a quick pit stop as I could see from my phone that my sister and one of my brothers were near by!
Shopping and a Drink!
Then walked back to the station – saw our train was departing in 3 minutes – so a quick run up the stairs!!! I think a pretty successful Janathon day 2!
Lovely London at night!
My hubby and I are going to relish a couple more hours of peace and quiet – we may head up to bed early and…sleep!!!! We’re off to an early showing of Star Wars: The Force Awakens tomorrow before getting the kids back!
Now to think what to do for Janathon day 3!?! 😊xxx
After a fairly gentle night in for our New Years celebrations (my hubby and I are hard core, comfy clothes on, sat on the sofa watching a film!), I’d agreed to go with Helen to Greenwich Parkrun followed by Bexley Parkrun. All these running ideas always seem great when you’re planning them – but then the morning dawns and you suddenly realise that you have to go through with it!!! 😛
So on the 1st January 2016 I left the house, to have to come back in to grab some bits to defrost my car! Not had to clear frost in ages…
It was really cold, but I collected Helen, and soon it was 9am and we were in Avery Hill Park and after the briefing we were off. It was cold and slippery, I ran the first two laps with numb toes and taking it carefully on the mud, but I was happy to complete my 5km in a time of 00:34:48 – which is faster than my Parkrun on the 1st Jan 2015. Though towards the end my ankles were hurting, which made me think I would probably have to walk my next Parkrun.
Finishing my Greenwich Parkrun – Photos courtesy of Helen
Then we were back in the car (heating on full to warm up) and on to Danson Park for our second Parkrun. We were there a little early, so stayed in the warm of the car and munched a few jelly babies – Helen had the last green one, I was disappointed, I wasn’t…honest… 😛 And I didn’t throw mud at her, well not intentionally!
Then we got out of the car and made our way to the start of the course, as we walked past the lake, I very helpfully told Helen that water is at it’s most dense at 4 degrees Celsius (information from my dad) – if she wins a quiz with that answer you know where she learnt it from!!!
After a quick briefing we were off again. There was a lot of people at this Parkrun (a lot doing the double) and so there was a bit of a bottle neck and it was slow going over the first kilometre, but my ankles felt ok which was a relief.
I kept with Helen most of the way, but there was bit towards the end when she was able to go ahead and I got slowed down by a little girl on her scooter! I was beginning to feel a little disheartened, but then I saw a robin, and there’s just something about a robin, makes me feel someone is watching over me and gave me the ability to go on and get to the end in 00:35:11 – which I was rather chuffed with after already doing one 5km!
So, it was done! 10km! I feel a real sense of accomplishment! Not bad for the first day of the year and the first day of Janathon!
After dropping Helen off, it was home for a very wonderful hot shower there’s nothing more amazing after running – no photos for that, so here’s a screenshot of my step count for the day!!!
Happy New Year to you all!
Not sure rest of Janathon will be as energetic, but we’ll see… until tomorrow! 🙂 x
Wow, I cannot believe it is the final day of Juneathon and I have managed to write a post (how ever brief) everyday for 30 days! Unfortunately I haven’t logged all the activity in Running Free Online as yet… *sigh*
So today I have been on my feet quite a bit, I was involved in doing a talk for the sixth formers at my old school that I left in *incomprehensible due to a loud noise* – it was great to go back and see some of my old teachers and to try and impress on the sixth formers that it doesn’t matter if you don’t know what you want to do yet. Look at me, I am old (in the eyes of an 18 year old) and I have gone back to study and I am doing a degree!
Then this evening Helen and I decided to go for gentle walk – far too warm to run, well for me it was!
Walk with Helen – bumped into another friend too and stood still for a little bit!
I also did my final 30 toe touches, 30 sit and reaches and 30 sit ups/tummy crunches! Yay!!!
So a bit more exercise was actually done for my Juneathon Day 29 contribution!
This morning I did about 3 hours of house work – I actually broke a sweat! Cleaning down of sides, washing up, putting away laundry, sweeping floors and vacuuming! I even bleached round the bath!!!
There was the walks to and from school for the Pink One
I did my 29 toe touches, 29 sit and reaches and 29 sit ups/tummy crunches!
It’s been a lovely but busy day! Saw the Minion movie with the family and it was fab. BAAAANNNNAAANNNAAA!!! 🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌
Then visited a few shops afterwards so walking was involved – so that counts for Juneathon Day 27!
Did some OU study when I got home and then my sister and her family came over for the late afternoon/evening! The kids had loads of fun playing with their cousins but have only just now (10:50pm) fallen asleep!
I’m off to bed now too – so walking and a token star jump for today it is then!!! 😊xxx
Going out to my friend’s house this evening so getting this completed early, and just a short one for Juneathon Day 26.
After yesterday’s grumpy/ranting post (from which I received lots of nice supportive messages and advice – so thank you!) todays post has something happy to share with you – I managed to log back into MapMyRun!!! Yay!!! Woohoo!!!
Didn’t try until this afternoon – so no step count for today, so below I share yesterdays one with you!
Yesterday’s Step Count
My exercise today:
The Big Shop in Morrisons – with the Blue One in the trolley along with all the shopping (heavy!)
26 toe touches, 26 sit and reaches and 26 sit ups/tummy crunches – can’t believe I forgot to do these yesterday!!! Wallowing in my own world of self pity instead!!! haha!! 😛 My son joined me – which was very sweet, but he kept tooting which was rather whiffy!!! Sorry for TMI!!!
It’s just been a bit of pants day for Juneathon Day 25.
It all started with my dieticians appointment at St Guy’s this morning, it’s a follow up appointment as I have been on a low FODMAP (Low Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides And Polyols) diet since February, as I suffer with ‘virus induced IBS’ (I don’t know about you, but I feel the diagnosis of IBS is a bit of a cop out and really an umbrella term for ‘we don’t know what’s really wrong with you’) and I really should now be re-introducing foods, but I have developed a bit of a phobia of eating these foods now as I don’t want to have stomach cramps and feel ill, not that the low FODMAP diet has completely eliminated my symptoms, it hasn’t! The first follow up appointment I had, turned out it could have been the chips and toast (gluten free bread) I was eating that was still giving me symptoms, as this ‘retards the starches or sugars as they have already been cooked which can makes them more difficult to digest leading to the my symptoms blah blah blah’! Basically I need to make my own chips if that’s what I want to eat! Though subsequently I feel potato doesn’t agree with me anyway – along with so many other things (though technically should be fine on a the low FODMAP diet).
This appointment, when I explained what I had been eating – it turns out it’s my bloody bowls of cornflakes I’ve been eating that are probably making me bloated and have a grumbly tum! Argh!!! If you know me well, you will know that I love my breakfast, it’s my favourite meal of the day, and I have two huge bowls of cereal in the morning (I love cereal) – none of this 30g crap – and in the book it says cornflakes were fine, what I didn’t realise was the portion size!!! It’s fine if you have half a cup – this is an exceptionally measly 15g – so my lovely dietician, bless her, as she didn’t want to tell me to stop eating something else said maybe to mix that with half a cup of rice crispies, because again these would have too much oligosaccharides if you have a larger portion! I just wanted to cry! My one flipping decent meal of the day…
I could buy the gluten free cereals – but they are about £3 for a tiddly box that probably wouldn’t last me three days! It’s just all so costly! The Genius white sandwich loaf I buy is £3 a go – to put it perspective I can buy two loaves of normal bread for a £1 in Morrisons – it’s just ridiculous – and I appreciate higher manufacturing costs etc, but more and more people are going gluten free – so it’d be nice to see the price go down a bit, I make use of my NUS card and buy my bread in the Coop and get 10% off – yay!!!
This whole thing is making me miserable, as I don’t feel I eat enough to do my running anymore, my diet is so limited it’s embarrassing and makes going out for dinner with friends practically impossible – as things like onion and garlic are off the menu! Part of me wishes I’d never gone down this route, and had just given up dairy and gluten (wheat). I wish there was something out there that could truly test what I was intolerant to and not just this constant guessing game, as this brings on my anxiety issues which just exacerbates my symptoms! It’s all very much a vicious circle and rather depressing!!!
Part of me wishes I could just go “Sod it” and start eating normally again – but it just doesn’t work like that, unfortunately! So now I wait for a referral to a gastroenterologist at Guy’s, I have to make an appointment with my own GP if I feel I need some mental help with regards to the phobia I have now developed with food and I can investigate the likes of Symprove and Align – probiotics that are meant to be very good but again are really expensive!!! I, again, am also apprehensive about taking them!
The only good thing was I did lots of walking – which was good for Juneathon Day 25, and I recorded my walk home from the station as a workout!
At least this sign, outside London Bridge, made me smile today!
Then this evening I went for very pleasant walk with the lovely Helen – who kindly let me bend her ear with all the above, poor girl! I was a bit ranty and I got worse as to add insult to injury I went to my MapMyWalk app to record our walk and it’s logged me out and when I have gone to log back in – it tells me it doesn’t recognise my email – I tried signing in using Facebook to no avail – so I have no photo of my step count (which I know was already over 6000 after walking up London) or my work out walk back home from the station – I’m seriously hoping it hasn’t lost my whole account history, will be emailing them presently – hence after today I think I am entitled to feel a bit grumpy!!!
Apologies for such a rambling and moany post – but just needed to get it off my chest!
Tomorrow is a new day – praying that it’s a better one!!!
Has anyone else suffered like this – do you have a happy outcome you can share with me? Or have you used Symrove/Align or the equivalent – can you share your experience with me? Has it improved your quality of life?
In other news – I used up my strawberries that were on the turn and made ice lollies for my kids!
I needed to take my watch to the menders for a new battery, so used that as my reason to get out – I hate being without my watch, and the battery in my spare had also stopped. So I took a the normal route to the repair shop and then took a longer route home. A very pleasant walk as the weather was kind to me and it didn’t rain, though I did have to avoid a few puddles here and there – in total I covered 5.55km! Not a bad effort in the end after all my procrastination!
Jog on Mum 