Challenge number 3: Rock climbing

I decided that this summer would be a summer of self improvement. I would try lots of new sports and see what things suited me so I could becomes a super active person with lots of hobbies. Weights and crossfit were my first experiments and now I have started another new challenge: Rock Climbing

Rock climbing, like crossfit, has a lot of elements that I think are very important. Taking part in rock climbing will improve your overall fitness.strength, balance, co-ordination, flexibility, strength but most of all mental focus. I am ever so slightly afraid of heights. Nothing dramatic but its something that I want to push through. I want to be fearless and the best all round athlete that I can be. 

My course consists of 3 days of 2 hour teaching sessions on inside walls.

Today I learnt about the harness

How to tie in (rabbit goes around the tree and down the hole!)

And how to belay. 

Everybody got the concepts pretty quickly and our teacher was awesome at explaining so at the end we got to climb our first wall and then belay for our partner. I was pushed to the front of the class when everybody decided I should go first.... In case I fall to my death? Well with a deep breath, I made a rough note of some good handholds and ascended the wall. My heart was pounding so hard and all I could think about was how high I was. At this point, our instructor told me to lean back, trust my partner and let go... LET GO?!?

As good as his word, I stayed swaying where I was. No falling to my death!

I quickly scaled the rest of it and grinned down and my partner. DONE! Time to sail back down. Now thats fun. I am really going to enjoy the next 2 sessions of my course and I can feel that I am going to be addicted very very soon :P

"Technique and ability alone do not get you to the top -- it is the willpower that is the most important. This willpower you cannot buy with money or be given by others -- it rises from your heart."

Junko Tabei  after becoming the first woman to climb Everest in 1975 

Baptism of Fire

My training partner decided yesterday was the day he would brave his first visit to Crossfit Britannia and my goodness, what a day to arrive.
The crossfit main site declared a "rest day" meaning only one thing.... they could be as evil as they wanted and make us do anything they wanted!


5 rounds of:
50 Jump - touch 18" above tip toe reach
40 Squats
30 Sit ups
20 Press ups
10 Pull ups.


At first Rob thought it as just one round. Oh no, you will learn quickly that this is not how this works around here :P


In the end me and rob both managed 35min doing a scaled version of
4 rounds of:
35 Jump - touch
30 Squat
25 Sit ups
15 Push ups
10 Pull ups with the green band


Quotes of the day include:


Michelle: So Rob, do you mind pain?
Rob: No?
Jenni + Me: WRONG ANSWER!!!


Cycling downhill out of Port Purbrook, looking at the stunning view.
Rob: Do you know, I feel like I have just gotten out of prison. Freedom!


And yet Rob has said he will be returning with me on my next trip :)


I am definitely in DOMS hell today. My calves are on fire, my ribs feel like they have been pulled apart and my abs hurt when I laugh. It was obviously one hell of a good WOD... yes I am insane :P

Silence!

I am in total heaven. As a member of a student gym, there are certain times of the day/year that are busier than others and today... was empty.
Abandoned
Quiet
Deserted....
I managed to get my whole set done in good time and without any hassle. There were no curl bros, no grunting men, no whiny women... It was silent. Well apart from the overly chirpy dance music in the background!

I have changed my routine lately, switching to 5x5 to see if I can improve my overall strength, and I have surprised myself.
I did my first real pull up a couple of weeks back but now all of a sudden its 2! Where did that come from!? Now that first pullup is... well... easy! I always wondered how my partner made them look that easy but now I understand. If all of his feel like my 1 then thats why. Things are starting to make more sense to me as I see more improvements in my workout.
For example, I shocked myself by being able to squat 60kg for 5 reps. Something I thought was waaaaaaaaay off in the distance for me. But not just that. The more weight I add, the more I realise how important my form is in preventing injury, keeping my balance and working my muscles to the max.

After so short a space of time, I have come so far. I have achieved half of my original goals

- Squat half my body weight (35kg)

- Bench half my body weight (35kg)

- One un-assisted pull up

- Run 1.5 miles in under 14 min

- 10 real push ups

- Took the big brave jump and joined a crossfit gym

- Started thinking about nutrition, especially paleo

- I found my bicep too ;)

But I am so close to completing the rest. I only need another 10kg and I will be able to squat my own bodyweight. And that will be a very very proud day. But when I reach that point, all this work will not be over. It will be time to think of new goals and work towards them. 

"It is never too late to be who you might have been." 

 ~George Eliot

Clowns to the left of me, Jokers to the right....

I was watching a gentleman introduce his friend into the world of squats today. His advice was sound in parts but he wasnt really teaching his friend in a way that he understood. Hence why his form was shot to peices. This gentleman then precedes to start his friend on 15kg and wonders why he is leaning forward on his toes, trying to compensate for this sudden jump in weight. He tries to bang out 7 reps very quickly and wobbles his way through it. I smile and tell him to slow down a little before he hurts himself. He retaliates with:
" He's just warming up"
.... Ok....
 I was truly concerned that this guys was about to do himself a mischeif when low and behold it happens before my eyes. Having the bar too far up his neck with poor form and all his weight on his toes, the guy overbalances so that all the weight is on his neck and he falls to his knees. He almost broke his neck. And his friend simply laughed. When he told him to get up and do it again, I am afraid I lost it. I have been telling myself that it was nothing to do with me and to mind my own business but that was just too much for me. I offered to swap places with him so he could use the power rack and make it less risky with the safety bars in. Apparently he was fine where he was...
"Ok well how about you slow down with a lower weight and work on that form a little more?"
I was smiling while I said this to try and show I wasn't being a busy body. His curt responce of
"His form is fine" made me laugh. "Im afraid I disagree."

What is it with men's ego? When they have never even picked up a barbell before they are convinced that they can lift massive weights and SCREW form. As long as you are lifting as much as possible, thats all that matters. Hell injuries are just there to prove you are working hard, right?! I can bet you if I had been 6ft and ripped he would have listened to me, but HELL what do I know? I am only a woman right?
And the women are just as bad but the reverse. They lack all of the ego, all of that self belief. Instead they pick up the lightest weight, afraid to reach that scary point of near failure. Women need to learn to trust themselves and realise that they can lift a hell of a lot more than they think. But women shouldn't be doing weights anyway, get back to the treadmill for a few more hours.

"Clowns to the left of me, Jokers to the right. Here I am, stuck in the middle with you"
Thank goodness I train with like minded people or I would be drinking a bottle of whisky right now...
Rage over.

Frustration

Due to time constraints and injury, today was my second time to Crossfit Britannia.
Today we focused on the Snatch Balance and the moves needed to complete it... Oh. dear. My mind to body co-ordination is shocking, resulting in much frustration, cussing and failed attempts to complete the move successfully. I simply cannot get underneath that bar properly.
I started of with the PVC pipe and moved onto the training bar. Disaster, totally. Hey ho, I just need to keep at at it until SOMEHOW it clicks.

Todays WOD for me was AMRAP in 10min of:

• 5 Pull ups (green resistance band)
• 7 Box jumps (second one up from small?)

I completed 7 rounds. And now I am totally trashed. Time to go to bed and recover me thinks.

Do you really listen?

Recently, I decided I wanted to expand my skills to help with my work and so signed myself up to the Samaritans to become a "Listener". I have just completed my introduction and even from this brief glimpse into the world of counselling, I have discovered a surprising fact about 80% of the people I know. They simply don't listen. OK, they pause long enough to let you talk, but they don't actually care about what you have said. They are purely waiting for their turn to talk... and I dont mean that everybody is self absorbed but more that they have forgotten that sometimes, the best response isnt talking about the time it happened to them. Sometimes when you talk, you need people to TRULY listen to you and hear what you are saying.  It made me wonder if I was unknowingly committing this crime.

Active listening  requires you to try and hear more than just the words someone is saying, but also the message and the emotions that lie behind them. Sometimes you just don't know how to respond when a friend or family member opens up to you and it is easy to kill the conversation by responding with "Don't worry" or "I know how you feel". Suddenly that person that was confiding in you clams up and the moment passes. However they obviously needed to talk to someone and they chose you for a reason. We all have that friend that we turn to for advice and a sympathetic shoulder, but I bet you do so because they actually listen to you.

So how can you become a better "Active" listener?

1. Body Language is important to demonstrate you are interested in what somebody has to say. Make sure you position your body towards them, leaning slightly forwards with an open posture (no crossed arms). 
2. Maintain eye contact regularly with the speaker, giving them your undivided attention. This means putting down your book, turning off the television and putting your life on hold, even if it is for a brief moment. Most people will be flattered that you are taking even a small amount of time out for them and instantly feel like they are being valued.
3. Acknowledge that you are listening by nodding, smiling and using simple words
4. Always try to use open questions. For example, use "How are you today?" instead of "Are you ok?". This prevents them from simply replying with yes or no, allowing them to begin to open up.
5. You can keep the conversation going by summarising important points, clarifying when things begin to get complicated and providing simple encouragement to keep them talking. Even when you are desperate to talk about what is bothering you, sometimes you can get stuck on the difficult points, especially if it is a sensitive subject.
6. Try to keep your reactions neutral. Even if you disagree, sometimes people need to just get things off their chest. It may not even be their real opinion but they still need to voice it. Interrupting them will simply frustrate them and complicate issues. This includes the situations where people are complaining about yourself. Allow them to make their points fully and then defend yourself.
7. Unless that person specifically asks for advice, it is safer to assume they just need to talk about it. Do not reply with your similar situations.

All of those points are so simple, so important and so easy to forget. If you develop the skills to listen properly you will make people feel interesting, valued, respected and loved. Greater communication will improve all of your relationships by providing intimacy, self-esteem and preventing misunderstandings.

Do you actually listen to people in a way that makes people feel heard?

R.I.C.E

My picture is misleading as I am not talking  about the useful grain that grows in paddy fields but instead the acronym for Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation...
I have sprained my ankle! I will now be out of action for a few days while I try and take the edge of the throbbing. I'm so angry at myself as I seriously wanted to go back to crossfit this weekend, and now I am going to have to wait a while. SIGH

On a side note, Adam at Practical Paleolithic has recently posted an article outlining the how much a woman athlete, who is training hard and too the max, should achieve in weightlifting. The suggestions are:

Bench Press: 165-210 pounds

Squat: 220-280 pounds

Deadlift: 275-350 pounds

OUCH! That does seem like an awful lot but not too unachievable. As I am average weight and height, I will aim for the middle of these brackets.

Bench Press: 187.5lbs (85kg)

Squat: 250lbs (113kg)

Deadlift: 312lbs (142kg)

Sad Panda

I have no real reason to be blue today other than that the little things are beginning to get to me. Let me explain...

• I bought the wrong train ticket
• Dropped my breakfast
• Cut my leg open on my bike pedal
• Almost missed the train
• Some doosh almost ran me over
• The trolley man was rude to me
• Dropped my lunch
• My back is still aching 
• Member of staff at work delights in making me realise how little I know still
• I don't like the dress that I ordered for my ball and the shoes are too uncomfortable

Yes I know... Man up... I did however manage to force myself into a cheery mood after having a good day at work and then being let home early for work. Super cheery, I decided to make a curry from scratch. I am more than likely over exaggerating this but it feels like everything I cook for my partner at the moment, he doesn't enjoy. Today was no different. Crash, there goes my mood again. It isn't his fault, after all he cant help not liking a Thai curry. As much as I would like to blame him for my blues, it wouldn't be fair. Its just me being a cow I think. So I went and hit the gym. This did absolutely nothing for my mood as it is chocker block with students all trying to get their "beach bodies" ready for the summer. I find myself hating them all. Needless to say I didn't hang around long and went to the library instead.

Sigh. What I am trying to get at is that today was just one of "those days".

Hopefully tomorrow I will roll out of bed the RIGHT way.

Welcome to "The Box"

So today was THE day - My first day at a crossfit gym. It has been a mixture of excitement and absolute terror and so its not surprising that now, I am completely drained. My hands are extremely sore, I have bruised my thumbnail and muscles ache that I was never aware of having but I am also extremely proud of myself. Today I have taken a step, that 3 month ago I would never dreamed of doing. I have managed to prove to myself that I CAN do anything, no matter how scary it is, if I just put my mind to it and summon up some determination. Never let obstacles get in the way of what you want to do.

Crossfit Britannia in Portsmouth is on top of a very big hill, and as today was particularly sunny, I could see straight out over Langstone Harbour. If I had had any breath left from cycling up that hill, then the view would have taken it away!

I owe a big thank you to Michelle Abrahart, as from the moment I entered the gym she made me feel at ease. I think I would have easily bolted straight out the door if it had been for her friendliness. I think it also helped that it was just me and her there, going through the fundamentals. We quickly ran through what I knew (very little), what I didn't (so much!) and what crossfit actually is. After this was out of the way, she asked me to perform a squat to see how good my form is.... queue an awkward laugh! I have been so worried that it would turn out that had been using shocking form the past 2 months...

It turns out that I lead with my knees and trying to correct this requires a lot of thought! However, apart from that I think the rest of my form wasn't too bad... I think! :P

Next was learning the front and overhead squat. The overhead squat has scared me for sometime now as I feel that my upper body strength cannot cope with keeping that bar up. With more than a few tips, I think I could now attempt to do this move with a lot more confidence in myself.

Fast forward to pull ups. I can now do one un-assisted pull up and halfway back up to the next one! Massive achievement for me and something tick of my list of goals :) I have also started to learn the intimidating kipping pull up - my lack of co-ordination makes this a little tricky!

And finally - Kettlebells. I can quite firmly say that, my god this is harder than it looks. It is because of the kettlebells that I hurt in place that I never knew existed. My technique is poor and I am struggling yet again with the co-ordination but I know that I will get there eventually.

Last but not least: My first WOD

Complete as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:

• 5 Chest to bar Pull-ups
• 10 Wall ball shots, 
• 15 Kettlebell swings

I am a weakling and Michelle mercifully cut the 20 minutes down to 12 to spare me from dying. If I remember correctly, I completed 3 rounds with the first round taking me 1min 30.

Not bad for a first attempt. The exhaustion that hit me after I had done just 3 rounds was unbelievable. I don't think I have ever worked that hard in my life! The pride that hit me after I had recovered (which took a considerable time for the shaking to go away) was awesome. I have really enjoyed today and will definitely be going back for more. I must be mad ;)

Time to try Crossfit

I have been playing with the idea of joining a crossfit gym for sometime now. The gym I currently lift weights is full of students - mainly women that spend hours on the treadmill and men that sit an curl for the same length of time. Up until recently, this has been good enough for me as I was happy in my own little workout bubble. I think this bubble truly burst a few weeks ago.

I was setting up my last set of 55kg, when I noticed a woman walking into the normally male filled environment of the weights section. I paused, interested to see if she was coming to do some weights training but was disappointed to discover she was just here to talk to her boyfriend. As I started my set, the man greeted another friend and started discussing his recent injury in front of me. I am fully aware that listening in to other peoples conversations is rude however, it is a little hard not to when the are speaking loudly and directly in front of you. Trying hard to zone out, I ignore them and struggle to finish. Absolutely exhausted, I then lean on the bar to recover and tune back into the conversation. Her bf's friend is asking her if she does weights too...
The woman loudly scoffs, declares "Dear god no! I wouldn't want to end up like him. Girls don't do weights." and pats her bf's huge arms. It is at this point she happens to glance in my direction to be greeted with my incredulous open mouthed stare... Girls don't do weights?
Here I am, sweating like a pig and pretty damn proud of the fact that girls DO do weights, and heavy ones too. At least she had the decency to blush!

I am so tired of the opinions that the average women hold about weightlifting.
"I don't want to get bulky". Oh my goodness, if I had a pound for every time I heard that...
I am tired of the men that stare at me as if I shouldn't be there, even though in some cases I am lifting heavier and with better form than they are.
I am simply tired of my gym.
Angry and frustrated, I posted on the Strong Is the New Skinny Facebook page and received an interesting response.
Change your gym and preferably join crossfit. Well why not?
Firstly, although crossfit looks so amazingly good, it is also a little bit daunting to someone like me. And although I have been fascinated by it for such a long time, I have been too damn scared to take that jump.
Secondly, there are no "nearby" crossfit/power lifting gyms. SINS took these two points and figuratively stomped on them. Crossfit would be perfect for me and even though they are far away, I could easily travel to it once a week... After a few tentative emails, I have decided visit my nearest crossfit gym and see how I get on!

This is a massive step for me. I am so excited and so nervous at the same time. I just hope that crossfit is everything I hope it to be and that my form isn't too shocking ;) Anyway, I join tomorrow...
Wish me luck.

The Spartan Race

Oh. My. Goodness.

I have never seen anything that looks as COOL as this in my LIFE!!! (apart from cross fit...)
And the best thing about it is, they have them in the UK :)
Now all I need to do is get training ;) Easier said then done. But I believe that once I have done one or two 5k marathons and been weightlifting/crossfitting for a while then I think I would be able to complete it.
So to celebrate the new goal of  finishing a spartan race, here is video. Enjoy

Catch up

It has been a while since I last posted and the last few weeks have been full of ups and downs.
I have been so snowed under with exams, revision, essays, placement of 38 hrs a week and a part time job just to survive. On top of this I developed a awful cold and it has taken until this point for me to step back and re-evaluate things...
I have slipped and lost a bit of ground due to being so damn distracted and unwell. I took a week out of exercising so I could recover a bit faster and I have been eating just what I wanted for a while purely because I lost all of my appetite. And I am paying the price. I feel so sluggish and have put the weight I lost straight back on.
Today I looked in the mirror and remembered what I was working towards. Time to get focused again.

However it isnt all negatives. I went to the gym today and even though I havent been a in a while, I havent lost any of my newly gained strength. In fact, I was very proud that I was squatting more than very nice gentleman to my left. I am now maxing out 50kg  (110lbs) to 12 reps, which happens to be a larger more impressive yellow coloured weight in my gym. High five to me! My training partner has gone home for easter so I feel a little lonely in the gym atm and I am finding it hard to work out how long to rest in between sets as normally I just weight for him to finish.
Another amusing turn of events recently was a friends reaction to my new found strength. I was casually talking about my weight training and he asked to see "the guns". I obliged him and was rewarded with a genuine wow. That felt pretty good!

My exam is over, the revision gone and I have a break from placement for 2 weeks. That leaves me alone with essays and getting back on track with my fitness.

Excitement!

Ok, I know this is prettttty sad... BUT! I managed to do my usual set of squats without any pain in my hip! I didn't work out to my max but I am just so glad to be able to get back to my normal routine. I have really missed having squats in my routine and my training partner has really had to hold me back from doing it anyway. Instead I have been looking longingly at the power rack while I work out my upper body grudgingly.

Another awesome development is that I have noticed a few changes in my body. You know that awesome line you get down the side of  your thighs when your muscles start to develop (Like the lovely lady below) - I have started to get it :D My abs have become much more noticeable, as when I tense I have a very definite line running down my tummy. My partner says that my back and shoulders have much more definition so all in all, I think it is coming together. It might be time for a few pictures to see if I actually have changed at all.

Improvements and set backs

It has been a while since my last post and I just wanted to say I haven't given up on my goals, I am still hard at it! So, a quick update from me :)

Original stats from 1 month ago:
Max push ups - 4/5
Benching - 35kg
Squatting - 30kg
Assisted pull ups - on 60 kg 8 reps x 3
Weight - 68.9kg

Todays:

Max push ups - 8

Benching - 40kg

Squatting - 45kg

Assisted pull ups - on 50kg 8 reps x 3

Weight - 68.4kg

I haven't actually done that much cardio at the moment, I have been so into my weights that I have almost totally forgotten about it. However I will be cracking on with that as my new job requires 60 mins of cycling daily... If that doesn't get me onto the road of fitness nothing will! 

Basically, I am feeling pretty chuffed with myself. I am steadily increasing and that fills me with a lot of hope. It wont be long until I can proudly lift 2 large yellow 15kg weight onto my barbell and do some real squats. I cant wait until I can do the cross fit motto of "Your workout is my warm up" some real justice.

However there is a big BUT with all of this positivity. I have had a real set back lately. I massively hurt my hip/groin. I think it was a combination of spending 2 hrs in a childrens play area, lifting some heavy weights with poor form the day after and then cycling on top of it. My body was just pushed past its max and my god am I paying the price. I have only done upper body workouts on my last 2 sessions as the pain was so intense. I literally had to hold myself back from getting in the power rack and doing some real work but my training partner reminded me of how much longer I would take to heal if I kept pushing it. I needed to let myself recover.... I am off to the gym again tomorrow, so I will see if my hip is any better, but I am tearing my hair out not being able to do my beloved squats.

Ok back to positivity! Because I have been focusing on my upper body a little more, I have noticed a big increase in my pull up ability. I have also done my first 4000 meter rowing session taking 19 min. There is something really methodical about rowing that allows me to just get into an awesome rhythm. I think I will have to add a little bit more rowing to my current work outs.

So there you have it, the highs and the lows of the last few weeks. Onwards and upwards :)

This made me smile

My friend came to the gym with me today and saw me lifts weights for the first time. Later on in the day, she sent me this video. Apparently it reminded her of me...

I would like to think she was reminded of me because I have 2 pet rats or my determination not to give up and not that she thinks I am overly hairy :P

Happy Pancake day btw. I just ate 5 nom nom nom :D For lent, I am giving up all bad things so no crisps, no fizzy drinks and no sweets/chocolate... Wish me luck! And good luck for whatever you choose to give/take up :)

Go hard or Go home.

I was nearing the end of my squat set in the power rack when a rather large man asked my training partner how many more sets we had left. He politely replied "1 but then we are using it for benching". The large man scowled and walked away. This may seem petty but he had already set my back up by asking me first, purely because there are 2 other racks but they have men using them. So of course he comes over to ask us. Lets try and intimidate the girl. I ignore it and carry on...
He returns now that I am resting and my training partner is working, to ask us again. I politely replied with the same answer to which he replies with "well how long is that going to be then?" he looks arsey at this point. "about 10 minutes?" "OK well come find me when you are done" and he walks away. OK now my feathers are getting ruffled. Come find you huh? What am I your serving girl?
He suddenly catches onto the fact that there is only one bench left to use, which we will be needing for our sets of benching. And so he picks it up, moves it away and half heartedly does some bicep curls (Yes, he is definitely a curl bro!)
When I realise what he has done (either on purpose or accidentally) I concede defeat and tell him I am finished for now. His smile is a little too smug for my liking. However I am still not that annoyed. Irked maybe but after all I can just work on my pull ups and dips.
Now for the cherry on top. He spends 5 minutes looking at the power rack, sets up a massive amount, manages to squeeze out 2-3 reps and then pheww. he rests. He rearranges his stuff on the floor next to him, contemplating the angle of his water bottle and manages to take another 5 min just loitering. He hasnt even broken a sweat yet. This routine is repeated twice more and then he just sits there....
I mean really. You kicked me the power rack for that! I wouldn't have been bothered if he was actually going to use it but please! He was just taking the piss. Either go hard or go home.

I have learnt 2 lessons from this.
1. Do your benching first to so no-one can steal your bench.
2. And do not EVER rush your set just because some arsey big shot is pressuring you.
Screw him, I have every much right to be using it, so you can just wait your turn like I had to and suck it up.
Its a real shame that there are so many men like him in the free weights section, but at least I am now beginning to work out who are the gaukers, who are the talkers and who are the helpers. Even a few of those men who are worth talking to are beginning to smile at me. I guess I am not doing so bad after all.

Ouch!!

You know you've done a really good work out when those stairs to get down and out of the gym are a cause for concern. I decided to push myself towards the end of my squat set to see what I am truly capable of. I managed to push my squat weight up to 42.5kg for 8 reps. I was so worried that the last one would be the death of me. That horrible feeling when you get as low as you can manage and your legs just cant push up any more. You are stuck in that limbo of not going any lower but not pushing up either. I began to panic, would this be my first fail? Luckily for me I managed to push through the pain and stand up straight. Queue massive relief and considerable pride. I almost felt like saying to the man that had been staring at me the whole time "That's right, I am squatting more that you after 1 month of work!" I like to think that his leery staring changed to one of respect when he saw me struggle and defeat that last rep. Getting down those stairs was another challenge. My legs were shaking so much I was truly worried that I was going to fall down a flight of steps. But the worst of it is today. My goodness! I am majorly feeling it today but I am kind of enjoying it. Does that make me wrong?! Its not painful in the way that I have injured myself but in a way that tells me that yesterday was a good training day. To quote my training partner, "it is an ache that is like a really good stretch". However it does make me walk a little bit like a duck... I will let you imagine that one!
On another note, my hands are developing some pretty impressive calluses. A friend said I should pumice them down, but I quite like them. They are a produce of my hard work and if they stop my hands from hurting during a work out then damn, they can stay. And anyway, my hands are almost the same size as my partners, they might as well have mirror image calluses too ;)
I would love to work out today as well but my body is telling me to keep it easy today. So instead I am going to crack on with cleaning my house. Considering I live with 6 other students, you can imagine the destruction.

Thankfully this is not my house!!! But I am a clean freak and even the slightest amount of mess distracts me. I am celebrating my birthday tomorrow, and I have enough pride that I don't want my friends to see my yucky house. So I am slapping on the marigolds and tying my hair up like a war time house wife, armed with anti-bacterial spray and a hoover. So now I am off to work a miracle on my house... and woe betide anyone that destroys the peace before tomorrow!

Training like a WOman

Ok so if you have seen the film "So I Married an Axe Murderer" with a very young Mike Myers, you will get that my title is from his poem. "Woman! WOman! WOOOOOAHman.... She stole my heart and my cat!"
And if you don't get that, then you are now thinking that I am a little bit random.... ok! Moving on to the real topic of training like a woman.

When I first took an interest in weight lifting I said "I want to train like a man, you know, in the man's section". Please forgive my naivety, as I had only ever seen men in the free weights area and hadn't yet begun to do my own research. Once I had done this and been shown the basics from my partner, I began to realise that a lot of these men that I had been staring at in awe previously, were actually doing it completely wrong!
I'm sure you have all seen that man with the massive arms and the hilariously little "chicken legs". My partner affectionately calls these men "Curl bros". Pretty apt if you ask me. They spend the entire time that I am doing my work out doing isolation exercises to make sure that their "guns" are as huge as possible. They forget to train their body as a whole and develop their muscle unevenly across their body. Surely they must realise that they are going to do their body an injury? It would seem not. There are few men that I see training their legs and back, but these are usual the ones that grunt and squeal like a pig in an attempt to attract the most attention as possible. My feelings of admiration have rapidly dissolved. Give me functional strength over massive muscles any day!

Nia Shanks wrote an article about "training like an athlete" not a man or a woman. Just simply someone that is focused on training to become faster and stronger. Aiming to improve your performance is a much more positive goal than aiming for fat loss or calories burnt. Instead of being unhappy with yourself and getting wrapped up in the way you look, you instead push yourself towards becoming a better you, but in a healthy way. There shouldn't be a difference in the way women and men train, but sadly that is the reality of it.

However I feel that when training as a woman you need to be a little bit more than just an athlete. I like to think there are plenty of women that have looked at the weights section and thought to themselves "I would like to try that" but that every time they have summoned the courage to edge over there, they have been scared away by the men that gawk at them or pressure them into cutting their sets short. Training as a woman in a male dominated section requires self esteem, confidence and a little bit of attitude. The strength that you acquire as you work out, can be applied to so many other areas of your life and you become a stronger person as a result. Some times it just comes down to having some backbone and  faking it, until you make it.

Watch your thoughts

Watch your thoughts, for they become words.

Watch your words, for they become actions.

Watch your actions, for they become habits.

Watch your habits, for they become character.

Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny

Home Sweet Home

That's it. I have had enough of home. My quota of patience has been used up and I would like to get back to my own organised life now. I love my family dearly, but there is only so much I can take of them. I am just simply fed up of biting my tongue. I have bumped into every man and his dog in my local town and my small village and I  have had the same conversations over and over and over... I should just get a tshirt with the answers printed on it to save me time :p
So tomorrow I will be going back to MY house, with my bike in tow, ready to hit the gym and take my bike for a spin around the park.
I just cant wait.
* I know I sound like an ungrateful bag... but I do know its because they love me really*

Brushing off the bike

One of my goals when I escaped university for a much needed break, was to go through all my remaining clutter that still resides in my childhood home. Needless to say I managed to get rid of 4 black sacks of rubbish and 5 bags of clothes/shoes/odds and ends. And yet, it doesn't seem to me that I have even made a dent in my old room! My room is very deceptive at holding more than you think it can... or maybe I have just always been good at cramming :p

To cut my post to the point, while I was in the swing of things, I also decided to have a little rummage through the shed. This was probably a bad idea as by the end of search, although I had found what I was looking for, I was covered from head to toe in spider webs and dead bugs. *Shudder* What I was looking for was my bike. A rather small, green and rusty bike that had 2 flat tyres. The poor thing was still covered in mud from the last time I had used it, and only god knows when that was. I suddenly felt very guilty for using and abusing this poor bike that had brought me considerable freedom and many memories. I have only abandoned my bike once before, for the new trend of scooters. I can quite safely say my love affair with the new trend did not end well. I decided to go down my local hill on it whilst wearing a hat... as I reached the fastest part of the hill, my hat flew off and instinctively my hand shot up to rescue it. Now anyone who has ever ridden a push scooter will know that steering requires both hands, especially at that speed. Needless to say, I ended up head first in the nearby hawthorn hedge and was forced to walk home in tears and very shaken up. I returned sheepishly to using my bike for high speed adventures.

 It was time for me to dust off the bugs and give my bike a well earned clean up in an attempt to say sorry for its long neglect. Now when you consider that I received that bike for my 10th birthday and I am soon to be turning 20, she didn't look too bad by the time I was finished with her. Even if I do say so myself! I was now just faced with 2 small problems... both tyres were extremely flat and I had grown a hell of a lot since my 10th birthday. That seat definitely needed a raise. Aha! you say, those problems are both fixable.... well not when you are me (have absolutely no idea where to start), live in an all female household who know just as little as me concerning bikes and have nothing useful to fix it. It was time to call in the cavalry. My childhood friend of 12 years was more than willing to give me a helping hand out of my predicament. But on one condition. I was to go out for a cycle ride with him.

Considering my newly set goals, I knew that I had no choice but to accept... however a nasty feeling settled in my stomach. Not only did my childhood friend cycle regularly and so was miles more fit than me, I also live in an area of "outstanding beauty". That could also be known as "bloody great hills everywhere". I knew exactly where he was intending on going, we had cycled it together plenty of times as youngsters, and in its 10.5km length it has at least 4 hills. Of which, 2 of those are vertical. Ok, ok, I exaggerate!!! More like a reasonable incline, but still! I am nowhere near being able to cope with these yet. Or so I thought...

I summoned up my courage and managed a convincing  enough smile and said "Let's do this thing!". Fast forward 15 minutes to me, red faced, sweating like a pig and swearing enough to make a sailor blush. Plenty of times I was offered a rest and I declined the luxury. There was no way I was wussing out now, especially not in front of him. I have way to much pride for that. And so I slogged on and damn am so glad that I did. 20 minutes later I got off my bike, extremely triumphant, covered in mud and looking an absolute wreck. The last time I attempted that route, I never quite finished it. It just goes to show that my recent gym work outs have done more than I thought had. In the process I also recovered my childhood love of cycling - the insanely hard struggle to reach the top is more than worth the joyous ride downwards, with the wind in my hair and a stupid grin on my face. I am not ashamed to say I had to resist the urge to woop like my 10 year old self!
If I am philosophical about cycling and almost every exercise I am beginning to grow to love, I have to say that it is a lot like life. That uphill struggle, pushing your body to its maximum and cursing why you ever started is all made worthwhile by reaching the top, seeing that view and knowing that it was you that got you there.

"It never gets easier, you just go faster." - Greg LeMond

Who do I want to be?

That is a big question that deserves a reasonable amount of thought. It is almost as important as the question of how am I going to get there? But before I can get there I need to know where I am. Its a little like getting google map directions but for my health!

Current Statistics:

Height - 5ft 6

Weight - 68.9kg

BMI - 24.5

Body Fat - 29%

Bench weight - 35kg

Squat weight - 30kg

I have trouble running 1k continuously let alone 5k! I cannot do unassisted pull-ups and I can barely do 1 well formed push up. Pretty pathetic to be honest BUT the only way is up. I can't get any worse (... surely!?)

And this... is me (After previously having lost 1 stone, woop woop). 

OK, OK... I know that sports bras and stripy pants just don't go... :p

Oh bicep, where art thou?

If  I am honest, taking pictures of myself was a daunting task. I really didn't want to see what I truly looked liked, after all the camera doesn't lie. So I gritted my teeth and asked my partner to "Just do it"... and I was surprised with what I saw. "Damn, I'm not that bad after all!" I must have a really messed up sense of what I look like because this certainly wasn't what I was expecting to see staring back at me! I am not satisfied with what I see, but I am not totally grossed out by it either. And that, I think, is a good place to be. I am comfortable with my body (enough so that I am willing to show you, which is a big step for me!) but still passionate enough to think that I can make this OK looking body into something strong, capable and hot ;) Well I hope so! 

Now for the WHAT part of the equation. I have modest aspirations for myself in the next few months (or however long it takes me to get there but preferably by July), just to get myself started.

• I want to be a healthy 66kg minimum, maybe eventually getting down to 63kg. This would push my BMI into the healthier bracket of 22-23 However I am pretty easy going with how much I way as long as I feel good and can still fit into my size 12 jeans! 
• I would like to reduce my body fat by at least 4 %.
• Be able to run 5k and participate in my first marathon for charity.
• Be able to do 1 unassisted pull up.
• Be able to do 10 non "girl" push ups with good form.
• Be able to bench and squat my own weight.
• And finally to begin to see some definition in my muscles. I want to find my bicep ;)

So, now that I have decided on my starting goals, HOW on earth am I going to get there?

• I will shift that last little bit of excess weight by maintaining a 500 calorie deficit, cutting out the crap in my diet and eating healthier foods. I apparently need 2113 calories a day to maintain my current weight, so that leaves me with 1613 calories a day to play with. I would love to attempt a paleo diet, however I don't think that at this point in my life I would be able to keep it up. So for now I will settle for small healthy changes to my diet.
• I will be using the couch to 5k to improve my cardiovascular fitness
• I will also be following the weights routine recommended by stumptuous 3 times a week
• I will be starting this coming Sunday, once I return to uni from home

And that, is my master plan *queue evil laughter*. It may end up being too much, or maybe not enough. However I won't know until I try.

"Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss you will land amongst the stars" - Les Brown

It doesn't matter how big your bones are

 I have never been athletic. I feel that first reason for my lack of athleticism would be that I suffered from childhood asthma. Even the slightest exertion would reduce me too wheezing and frantically reaching for my inhaler. As a small child, I almost drowned in the middle of swimming class due to having an asthma attack... From then on I became anxious of everything that could possibly set off my attacks and obviously, exercise was on this list (Along with cats!) My mother and my teachers were indulgent, allowing me to sit out classes and to only take part in the easier exercises.
  Luckily for me, I grew out of my asthma but by this point the damage was done. I was miles behind my fellow classmates and still terrified of setting my asthma off by truly pushing myself to work hard in PE lessons. Teachers don't want to waste their time on children that are not enthusiastic or naturally talented in their subject and so they didn't encourage me either (I knew only a handful of super teacher in my short time of education, sadly none of them taught PE) . I constantly compared myself to the other girls of my class; the ones who could do a handstand, glide effortlessly through the water, do a lap of the field without collapsing in a heap and had infinitely long slim legs. I would look down at my own body and wonder what was wrong with me.
  When I confided in my mother about how I felt about myself she told me not compare myself with them. I was "Big boned and academic". I know that my mother meant well and to a point, she was right about me. I am not a petite girl who is delicate and slim but instead I am tall with broad shoulders, wide hips and capable hands. My skills were academic not athletic. However, her words stuck with me. I am big boned.
   I subsequently stopped believing there was any point in trying to fight genetics. I was never going to be one of those girls. I decided to give up on exercise and focus on the things that I was good at. For a while this worked for me and I did well at school, getting into my first choice of university. I was happy with how my life was and where I was going...

Well that sounds wonderful Tilly, so why on earth have you started this blog?
Like a lot of students that go to university, I gained an awful amount of weight. My unhealthy lifestyle combined with my total lack of exercise (not to mention the booze...) had caused me to start sliding down the slippery slope of obesity. I was horrified to find myself not being able to fit into my usual jeans. It was time to take action.
   I joined a gym, I ate healthily and I lost weight. But it didn't stick...I totally lacked the motivation to simply keep at it. Having absolutely no fitness to work with, I found everything an absolute mission. I hated every single minute I pounded away at the treadmill. Consequently, I always gave up... until the weight started to creep back and I would hit the gym again. During this yo-yoing, I noticed two girls that were regulars in the weights sections. It would be hard not to notice them considering how absolutely stunning they both looked,  exactly how I wanted to be. Green with envy, I whined at my partner about how I would never be like them. He simply responded with "Rubbish". He then began the tough job of convincing me that I could be anything I wanted and achieve anything... all with a little bit of hard work.
   With his help, I began to research how to permanently change the way I live and the way I look. This research ended up at women lifting weights. I was fascinated by the amount of misconceptions and myths that surrounded women and weight lifting when there is so much evidence that girls that lift weights are hot! I stumbled across various websites that provided me with masses of information and motivational pictures of  people who looked just like me becoming something so much more. I realised that it didn't matter that I wasn't petite or skinny. I could become a better, faster, stronger version of myself  no matter my current level of fitness. All I needed was time, determination and the courage to stop hiding behind my excuses.

So me and my partner hit the gym. Luckily for me, he had been one of those kids that I had envied  so much at school and so knew exactly how to start me off. Under his patient guidance, he introduced me to the world of weights. And oh my god... I freaking love it! I have finally found something that truly excites me and has me wanting to go back for more. When you combine that with all the amazing, motivational websites and blogs that are out there on the internet, I was and am hooked.
One of the most inspirational blogs that helped me to believe I can change is strongisnewskinny. I simply cannot summarise the morals of this blog any better than Adam from practicalpaleolithic

"TO ME, “Strong is the New Skinny” is about women deciding FOR THEMSELVES what they want to look like and who they want to be.

TO ME, “Strong is the New Skinny” is about women being STRONG and TRAINING HARD and TRAINING “LIKE A GUY.” 

TO ME, “Strong is the New Skinny” is about increasing EVERYONE’S awareness that WE – us as individuals – have a serious level of control over stereotypes and norms and what is accepted and what future generations see. We – each and every one of us – has the ability, tools and OBLIGATION to lead and inspire future generations and create a better world."

To me, that is everything I want to be and be part of. And so here I am, like so many others, joining the SINS body transformation blog challenge
I will be documenting what I want to achieve and how I am going to go about doing it. Hopefully, my motivation will stay strong and soon I will be on the road to becoming better shinier version of me. And of course, it doesn't matter how big my bones are ;)

 I would like to leave you with a quote that has now become my motto.

"Strong is dedication, desire, perseverance, passion and acheivement of the goals you set for yourselves. Strong is a state of being attainable by every body"

From  StrongIsTheNewSkinny facebook group