About this Blog
One year ago I had just had my second baby and my life was just focused on getting through the day. I was feeling sleep deprived and tried my best to cope. The last thing on my mind was working out.
Now my boys are aged 5 and 1, I have just started back at work and I am doing my first sprint triathlon next week. My friends endearingly call me a nutcase and are flummoxed by how I find the time and energy. In response, I shrug my shoulders, but little do they know how much they inspire me as much as I inspire them.
About me
Growing up I had always struggled with my weight. Family meals consisted of excess food and by the time I was 13 I was a blimp. I remember keeping a record of my personal details in a little keepsake and remembering noticing a pattern, when I was 7 years old I was 7 stones, at 8 I was 8 stones and nine I was 9 stones....not a good pattern to continue. My parents were worried about my condition and my mum put me on a liquid diet and I remember suffering terribly from stomach cramps because of it. The diet didn't last long but it started my obsession with fad diets. I was desperate to be like my friends and had poor self esteem and self image….Hmmm, the typical state of teenage girl?
My Uncle went to a local gym, the dank, dirty, weight lifting kind where the focus was pumping iron and looking as lean as you can. Somehow, my Uncle convinced me to join him. After a few sessions I was hooked. My goal was to become bigger and leaner. I loaded up the weight machines and pushed out the reps with training partners screaming “just 2 more reps” down my ear. Puberty kicked in and I stretched up a bit. In truth I continued lifting weights; I even became a fitness and aerobics instructor, but I was never lean. I am 5’8” and just put my big frame as the reason behind my 12 and a half stone weight. In between phases of being lazy and fat, I was an obsessed gym rat. Yep- a bit extremist, I’m a bit all or nothing. This I was certain of, I didn’t do endurance and I didn’t do skinny.
Before deciding to start a family I had one last effort of dieting. I ditched the carbs and got down to 11 and a half stones. I was certain that my body would be ruined after having children because my mother and friends who were mums told me so. Therefore, it must be true right? I am not Victoria Beckham with her nannies to give her time to train; mere mortals don’t have time to go to the gym? Who has the energy? Throughout my pregnancies I tried to keep fit. I went to the gym and did a bit of swimming. I was adamant that I wouldn’t become overweight but by the time I decided to have a second child (3 years on) I didn’t see the point anymore and let myself eat what I want.
After I had my second child I was just under 14 stones but my outlook was changed. I accepted that there was no point striving to be like a bikini model since I had stretch marks and different proportions now. I was breastfeeding so my job was to eat a healthy variety of foods. I had developed SPD in my pregnancy which basically meant my pelvis was weak and couldn’t support things like running. Trying to do so caused quite some pain. By the time my baby was being weaned I had lost some of my baby weight and I felt ready to go back to the gym. I learnt that the local fitness centre had a crèche and I was straight onto it. My baby hated it at first and was screaming down the hall when I left for my hour session. It tore my heart apart. However I knew I had to use childcare at some point when I went back to work (in 6 months time). I also needed a break from doing chores that seemed never ending. I was determined that the hour was precious and I had to make it worth it!
I started on my usual gym routine and quickly realised that my body was quite weak. I had no core strength and my SPD related pains reoccurred. This was when I started to swim again…with my leisurely breast stroke of course. The pool advertised a swimathon whic sparked my interest. My husband convinced me that 1.5k was too easy and to train for 2.5k. I organised a 1 to 1 coaching session to look at my swimming technique and found out that my front crawl wasn’t too bad; however I still wasn’t very fit and found it difficult to maintain it. 2-3 months later I progressed to a slow front crawl and I was pleased to finish 100 lengths in 1 hr 11mins without stopping. It was my first time fundraising and I was proud to raise over £400, it was definitely added motivation. Having to train for something was so refreshing. I wasn't training to get skinny. It didn't work anymore since I always had an excuse to do less and eat more.
I met an inspiring lady who was retired from the RAF and I learnt that she wanted to do the Richard Burton 10k run. She was in her 40's, new to running but she wanted the challenge and decided to get a coach and train for it. For some reason I didn't know that anyone could sign up for races and that person could be me. This was when I signed up for the Llanelli 10k. I am not a natural runner, 10 minutes of running was usually like murder. My face would be bright red and I would be gasping for breath and turning back as soon as I could. I think the maximum I would have done was 2 miles. In fact I remember having to do 1500m at school and I was so unfit I had to walk it after 100m and it took over 10 minutes. I also had experiences of flashers in the Birmingham subways when I was at Uni. Eew!
Putting my demons aside, I started at a steady pace and turned back after 15 minutes. It felt like an achievement because it wasn't too bad and I didn't have to stop. I started to enjoy running and ran further and further. I loved the flexibility of it. I didn't need to leave the house at a set time, the days were getting longer and I could run when the children were sleeping. It was great to be outside. Beautiful views cleared my mind and were breathtaking. I don't know why I didn't do it sooner. I thought about setting my next challenge when the 10k was approaching and started to consider triathlons. Chance conversation with a collegue established that as well as running she was also interested in triathlons. I was also toying with the idea since I only needed to practice cycling....and you don't forget how to ride a bike right? Since I was on maternity leave I used my evenings to research and found a local tri club. We joined with a notion of learning how to swim in open water. I bought a cheap wetsuit (surfing type) and was good to go. It was great to be able to train with a friend. Meanwhile I gradually increased my running distance and ran the Llanelli 10k. I probably started off too fast as I struggled to maintain my pace and each kilometer became desperately painful as a gullped for air, I eventually finished it in 1hour and 6 minutes. I was gutted because I worked really hard and I wanted to complete it in under an hour. I wasn't too disheartened and quickly signed up for more races.
So is this me? I barely recognise myself. I didn't do outdoors, I had never even dipped in the sea, I don't particularly like to go fast on a bike and I didn't like running. Yet I am embarking on a sport that requires me to do all of the above! It is a massive challenge for me. However I am taking little steps at a time. I can't believe how far I have come already.....Oh and the side effect to all this excercise is that I am now the skinniest that I have ever been. I have a good self image and setting a good one for my kids. I have stopped being obsessed with diets and my weight. I feel great! I am motivated to stay fit and to never end up where I started, I have worked too hard to start at square one again.
One year ago I had just had my second baby and my life was just focused on getting through the day. I was feeling sleep deprived and tried my best to cope. The last thing on my mind was working out.
Now my boys are aged 5 and 1, I have just started back at work and I am doing my first sprint triathlon next week. My friends endearingly call me a nutcase and are flummoxed by how I find the time and energy. In response, I shrug my shoulders, but little do they know how much they inspire me as much as I inspire them.
About me
Growing up I had always struggled with my weight. Family meals consisted of excess food and by the time I was 13 I was a blimp. I remember keeping a record of my personal details in a little keepsake and remembering noticing a pattern, when I was 7 years old I was 7 stones, at 8 I was 8 stones and nine I was 9 stones....not a good pattern to continue. My parents were worried about my condition and my mum put me on a liquid diet and I remember suffering terribly from stomach cramps because of it. The diet didn't last long but it started my obsession with fad diets. I was desperate to be like my friends and had poor self esteem and self image….Hmmm, the typical state of teenage girl?
My Uncle went to a local gym, the dank, dirty, weight lifting kind where the focus was pumping iron and looking as lean as you can. Somehow, my Uncle convinced me to join him. After a few sessions I was hooked. My goal was to become bigger and leaner. I loaded up the weight machines and pushed out the reps with training partners screaming “just 2 more reps” down my ear. Puberty kicked in and I stretched up a bit. In truth I continued lifting weights; I even became a fitness and aerobics instructor, but I was never lean. I am 5’8” and just put my big frame as the reason behind my 12 and a half stone weight. In between phases of being lazy and fat, I was an obsessed gym rat. Yep- a bit extremist, I’m a bit all or nothing. This I was certain of, I didn’t do endurance and I didn’t do skinny.
Before deciding to start a family I had one last effort of dieting. I ditched the carbs and got down to 11 and a half stones. I was certain that my body would be ruined after having children because my mother and friends who were mums told me so. Therefore, it must be true right? I am not Victoria Beckham with her nannies to give her time to train; mere mortals don’t have time to go to the gym? Who has the energy? Throughout my pregnancies I tried to keep fit. I went to the gym and did a bit of swimming. I was adamant that I wouldn’t become overweight but by the time I decided to have a second child (3 years on) I didn’t see the point anymore and let myself eat what I want.
After I had my second child I was just under 14 stones but my outlook was changed. I accepted that there was no point striving to be like a bikini model since I had stretch marks and different proportions now. I was breastfeeding so my job was to eat a healthy variety of foods. I had developed SPD in my pregnancy which basically meant my pelvis was weak and couldn’t support things like running. Trying to do so caused quite some pain. By the time my baby was being weaned I had lost some of my baby weight and I felt ready to go back to the gym. I learnt that the local fitness centre had a crèche and I was straight onto it. My baby hated it at first and was screaming down the hall when I left for my hour session. It tore my heart apart. However I knew I had to use childcare at some point when I went back to work (in 6 months time). I also needed a break from doing chores that seemed never ending. I was determined that the hour was precious and I had to make it worth it!
I started on my usual gym routine and quickly realised that my body was quite weak. I had no core strength and my SPD related pains reoccurred. This was when I started to swim again…with my leisurely breast stroke of course. The pool advertised a swimathon whic sparked my interest. My husband convinced me that 1.5k was too easy and to train for 2.5k. I organised a 1 to 1 coaching session to look at my swimming technique and found out that my front crawl wasn’t too bad; however I still wasn’t very fit and found it difficult to maintain it. 2-3 months later I progressed to a slow front crawl and I was pleased to finish 100 lengths in 1 hr 11mins without stopping. It was my first time fundraising and I was proud to raise over £400, it was definitely added motivation. Having to train for something was so refreshing. I wasn't training to get skinny. It didn't work anymore since I always had an excuse to do less and eat more.
I met an inspiring lady who was retired from the RAF and I learnt that she wanted to do the Richard Burton 10k run. She was in her 40's, new to running but she wanted the challenge and decided to get a coach and train for it. For some reason I didn't know that anyone could sign up for races and that person could be me. This was when I signed up for the Llanelli 10k. I am not a natural runner, 10 minutes of running was usually like murder. My face would be bright red and I would be gasping for breath and turning back as soon as I could. I think the maximum I would have done was 2 miles. In fact I remember having to do 1500m at school and I was so unfit I had to walk it after 100m and it took over 10 minutes. I also had experiences of flashers in the Birmingham subways when I was at Uni. Eew!
Putting my demons aside, I started at a steady pace and turned back after 15 minutes. It felt like an achievement because it wasn't too bad and I didn't have to stop. I started to enjoy running and ran further and further. I loved the flexibility of it. I didn't need to leave the house at a set time, the days were getting longer and I could run when the children were sleeping. It was great to be outside. Beautiful views cleared my mind and were breathtaking. I don't know why I didn't do it sooner. I thought about setting my next challenge when the 10k was approaching and started to consider triathlons. Chance conversation with a collegue established that as well as running she was also interested in triathlons. I was also toying with the idea since I only needed to practice cycling....and you don't forget how to ride a bike right? Since I was on maternity leave I used my evenings to research and found a local tri club. We joined with a notion of learning how to swim in open water. I bought a cheap wetsuit (surfing type) and was good to go. It was great to be able to train with a friend. Meanwhile I gradually increased my running distance and ran the Llanelli 10k. I probably started off too fast as I struggled to maintain my pace and each kilometer became desperately painful as a gullped for air, I eventually finished it in 1hour and 6 minutes. I was gutted because I worked really hard and I wanted to complete it in under an hour. I wasn't too disheartened and quickly signed up for more races.
So is this me? I barely recognise myself. I didn't do outdoors, I had never even dipped in the sea, I don't particularly like to go fast on a bike and I didn't like running. Yet I am embarking on a sport that requires me to do all of the above! It is a massive challenge for me. However I am taking little steps at a time. I can't believe how far I have come already.....Oh and the side effect to all this excercise is that I am now the skinniest that I have ever been. I have a good self image and setting a good one for my kids. I have stopped being obsessed with diets and my weight. I feel great! I am motivated to stay fit and to never end up where I started, I have worked too hard to start at square one again.
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