Fatbusting was a rest day today so that was good-timing for the leg. I did 20 mins slow swimming in the pool for Juneathon and so job done.
Day 5 – How can I injure myself more…. Oh I know – Go shopping!
Why didn’t I think of that before, after all my Achilles injury stems from a shopping trip at Christmas, so why not give this hamstring a real knockabout and go Designer!
I met one of my old friends at Bicester Village this morning. I’d really been looking forward to it, we haven’t seen eachother for ages and we shop well together. We both like sparkly stuff and we’re also both honest with eachother about what looks good and what does not. Cathy and I went to New York together for our first trip there and had a ball. I needed sunglasses today and I knew she wouldn’t let me buy a pair that didn’t suit.
We were meeting at 10.00 for brunch at Carluccio’s and I arrived at 9.55, parked easily and headed to the restaurant.
Bicester Village is set out very prettily all the shops look like little clapboard houses and the “street” is paved with slightly rustic, slightly uneven paving stones.
I was hurrying along to get there on time when suddenly I tripped….. caught my toe on one of the rustic paving stones and went into a headlong stumbling dive that seemed to last for minutes but was only a couple of seconds as I nosedived towards the window of a shop. Fortunately I managed to stop myself from falling right over, or smashing my face against the glass, and righted myself, walking off in a hurry and pretending that I’d meant to do that and I hope no-one saw me because I felt so stupid.
I also felt so sore. It was my hamstring leg that I tripped on and which took the full force of the stagger. I actually started shaking because it hurt so much, but obviously I’m too cool to let on or cry, so I kept walking and got to the restaurant, sat down and took some deep breaths while my hands stopped trembling.
Cathy turned up minutes later and we had a lovely brunch and catch-up before setting out hopping, I mean shopping .
We’d sat there for about an hour which had given my leg a chance to get over the shock and so when we went out it wasn’t too bad, but I knew it was worse than yesterday. We had a lovely time and bought a few bits and pieces, and found a pair of sunglasses that she said suited me. I however wanted to look in ALL the shops at ALL the sunglasses before I made a decision, and a little later we found another pair which we said were nearly as nice.
Then I couldn’t decide at all, so we went back to the first shop which was about halfway up the “street”, but on second thoughts we decided that the second pair were better. (Are you keeping up?).
She carried on back to another shop where she wanted to try on a pair of shoes again, and I headed back to the second sunglasses shop and blow me if I didn’t trip on another paving stone exactly the same way. I probably wasn’t picking my foot up so high because my leg was a bit sore, but after this trip I actually thought I’d ruptured my hamstring. I felt sick with pain, but don’t worry, I was still too cool to let on, ( I have a remarkably high pain threshold and a strong aversion to “showing myself up” in public) so I sallied on to the second shop, which happened to be Jimmy Choo where the assistant recognised me straight away and knew I’d come back for the sunglasses, so while she was running around getting a case for them and polishing them etc, I sat down and tried to assess the damage.
There was nothing I could do about it, I had to walk back the whole length of the shopping village as I was meeting Cathy back at the other end near where my car was parked, so I just got on with it and walked. I’m sitting here now with my leg on a bag of ice and when I can manage the stairs I’ll grab one of Mike’s extra strong anti-inflammatory tablets and see if that helps at all.
I haven’t done today’s workout yet, but it will be fatbusting Phase II Furnace, which I can do in the swimming pool so the cold water will help my leg and it shouldn’t hamper me too much today.
PLEASE can I get through the rest of the month without hurting myself any more, I’m feeling a bit sorry for myself now. But I have got a nice pair of Jimmy Choo Sunglasses! Yippeeee!!!!!
What would be the point in me buying these beautiful things, I’d only trip over again.
SWAG!!
Day 4
Up bright an dearly this morning in order to be at my Dad’s house by 9.00 to meet a nurse. I will not go into any detail on this, just to say that in spite of there clearly being a problem, the person with it absolutely refused to acknowledge that fact and the nurse went away having done the “quickest assessment I’ve ever done”.
V. Glad I bought him a new washing machine recently.
Then to Mums to give her another lesson on Windows 8, aka The Operating System of the very Devil.
I have no idea how to operate Windows 8 myself, and because her new laptop came equipped with it, I’m having to learn it on the hoof via You Tube and then teach it to her.
I dislike it immensely. I can see the potential if you have a touchscreen computer but on an ordinary laptop it is a nightmare. Its just so different. Fine if you’re a youngster, but if you’re in your 80s its like learning how to use a computer all over again, and its not so easy. Every single thing is done differently. It knocks the confidence of someone who is proud to be able to use a computer then suddenly can’t.
Janathon today was a Legs Glutes and Core Metabolic Workout for the fat busting . I think I’m going to be rather sore tomorrow.
Day 3 Done
Phase Two Metabolic Blaster in Julia Buckley’s 12 week Fatbusting Course
Yes it’s as diabolic as it sounds.
Day 3 blog – Done.
Me – Done in.
Juneathon Day 2
I did say I’d explain why the aqua work yesterday instead of a run.
I am so buggered!
I seem to have pulled my hamstring.
I ran the other day for the first time in 3 months because of the Achilles problem I’ve had and I actually loved it.
The following day the back of my thigh really hurt but I thought that was fine just a bit of overexertion, but it’s got worse and worse and yesterday when I tried to run, I actually couldn’t. My left hamstring hurt so much that I couldn’t do it.
I didn’t believe it at first, got off the treadmill for a few minutes then decided that I was being a wimp and tried again, but no, I can’t run. On the first day of what is supposed to be my best ever Juneathon!!!
AsI had to do something, both for Juneathon, and for the Fatbusting, I did HIIT in the pool which was actually very good as it worked my wimpy arms a lot.
What was not so good is that while we’ve been away, the ducks have taken full advantage of the swimming pool and it was covered in floating duck poo and slime.
So don’t anyone say I’m not dedicated because I still got in and did it. (Can you get Typhoid from duck poo?)
I’m a physical wreck today. I seem to have been bitten by a mosquito on my lower eyelid. It started to feel sore yesterday morning, and by last night it was quite red and swollen. I wondered if it was some sort of infection, then when I went to bed I noticed a couple of other bites on my arms and so although it sounds like a rather bizarre thing to wish for, I hope that I do have a mosquito bite on my eyelid, rather than anything I need to go to the Dr. for.
When I got up this morning, I put my right foot on the floor, (Grumpy Achilles always sore first thing), hobbled, put my left foot down, (Hamstring leg) and lurched sideways across the room to the bathroom, where I glanced in the mirror and noticed my half closed, red-looking eye. A fairly passable imitation of Quasimodo.
The mosquito eye is not being helped by what I saw out of the window of the plane yesterday as we were descending. England’s Yellow and Pleasant Land!
If you have not seen this country from above lately, let me tell you that it is bright acid yellow there is so much Oilseed Rape in bloom.
I am v. allergic to Oilseed Rape pollen and we have a field of the stuff right next door to our garden. There is no hope for me.
This morning I *swam lengths for Juneathon, I lost count of how many but I swam for 20 mins, quite gently because of the leg. I had to give the fatbusting a rest today as I need this leg to get better.
(*Duck poo gone because v. good husband cleaned pool yesterday afternoon)
If you don’t watch Britain’s Got Talent, then you will have missed the most beautiful act that was on last night. They are called Attraction. Here it is. Do watch it, I defy you not to cry.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOZS_Vq6eKw&feature=share
Juneathon!!
1st June!!
This can mean only one thing – JONATHAN!!! No No NO Stupid Autocorrect – JUNEATHON!!!
Typing this on the return flight of our trip to Spain, I am smug in the knowledge that this year I am CERTAIN to do Juneathon properly for the first time, because of the Fatbusting!!
As following the Julia Buckley 12 week fatbusting programme causes me to exercise 6 days out of 7, this means that I only have to force myself to do one extra day a week to meet the demands of Juneathon, i.e. Exercise every day of June, log it and blog about it.
(For the sake of everyone’s sanity, I’m not going to post my blogs on Facebook every day as they can get a little tedious during the ‘athons, but I will Tweet and #Juneathon them so my fellow Juneathoners know I’m doing it).
So, how is the fatbusting going? Well – hmm. We’ve been out to eat every day this week, and at home I’ve eaten a lot of fruit. For the first time ever, I have been in Spain for 9 days and have not once had an alcoholic drink at home. Not one bottle of wine was opened in the house, but I did share a bottle with Mike each evening when we were having dinner. It was his holiday too and it’s not so fun having a meal out with someone who isn’t drinking if you are. I did however stick to fizzy water or diet coke for aperitifs while he had Spanish Sized G&Ts. He liked this because it meant that I had to drive everywhere!
However, due to the meals out, even though I stuck to the basic principles of lowish-carb, highish-protein and no processed foods, I have actually put on a few pounds.
I’m not particularly worried though, because my clothes are still looser. (Don’t ask me how this happens but it’s happening).
It’s quite easy to stick to the healthy eating in Spanish restaurants so long as you leave the patatas fritas (chips/french fries). I’ve had steak, fish, chicken, prawns, Jamón, cheese, melon, assorted tapas, salads galore, grilled vegetables, and barely any desserts.
Lying in the sun without a drink and some crisps has been a little bothersome, but fizzy water helped, together with that most baffling of Spanish snacks beloved of ageing Spanish men, and children– Pipas.
Pipas are salted Sunflower seeds in their shells.
You do not eat the shells. You have to crack them with your teeth and spit out the splintered remains then eat the miniscule seed inside, which creates a disproportionate amount of work for a very tiny reward and hardly any calories.
Wherever you see groups of Spanish men deep in discussion about their pigeons or the general state of Spain in ‘El Crisis’ or the shortcomings of their wives, which they would never dare to mention at home, you will find a carpet of broken sunflower shells.
I’ve done all my workouts except for yesterday when I for some bizarre reason just completely forgot. How did I forget? I’ve been doing this for 4 weeks now, I work out 6 days a week, and yesterday I just forgot! I worry about my brain sometimes. It doesn’t matter, yesterday will have to be my day off for this week which I suppose has turned out well as I can’t take a day off after today due to the abovementioned Juneathon.
Luckily we arrive home today at lunchtime, so I’ll have plenty of time to get yesterday’s workout fitted in this afternoon.
9 days ago when I left the UK, I was pleased with myself because I had upped my dumbbell weights to 2.5kg. Now I’m at 6 kg!!! This is such a significant difference I’m astonished. Even though there are other people on the course lifting far higher weights, for me this is a massive amount and clearly it’s only going to keep on getting heavier. I don’t want arms like Madonna, but Jennifer Aniston has the loveliest arms and I’d like them to be as shapely as hers.
Jennifer Aniston – soon you will not be able to tell us apart!
We move on to Phase II of the fatbusting on Monday. The new exercises have yet to be revealed to us but I’m intrigued to discover what we have to do next.
Some of you may remember my Running Pants Crisis of a few months ago. Well I have sorted it out. I’ve bought a pair of RunBreeze Runderwear Running Pants. I like them! They are substantial enough to be worn on their own with a decent sports bra if you’re working out at home, and they also work well under running tights or capris, not riding-up or chafing anywhere I’ve noticed so far.
If you are not familiar with RunBreeze gear then I strongly recommend it. Their anti blister socks are the best I’ve found so far, thick, double skinned and reasonably priced. I find them far better than 1000 mile socks which I used before.
Their tops and tights are also very good and excellent value for money.
Between today and 10th June, RunBreeze.com are doing a 50% off sale on their Tees, Vests and Shorts so now’s a good time to try them out. Enter the word ‘SUNSHINE’ in your basket at checkout.
On the subject of Sports Bras, HelsBels wrote an informative piece on the subject recently specifically relating to the larger bosomed lady.
One more thing that I am going to mention today is Matcha Tea Sugar Destroyer Bend.
When I started the fatbusting, I resolved that I was not going to buy into any crazy food fads, just do healthy eating. So I bought the Quinoa and we all know how that turned out. Resolve hardened, I then received an email relating to Matcha Tea, which is supposed to be extra high in antioxidants and particularly effective at aiding weight loss. The company that emailed me is quite fashionable and their product was very expensive, but my interest piqued I Googled ‘Matcha Tea’ and found this blend.
I still don’t particularly believe that drinking any type of tea will help you to get slim, but what this does is something special. It takes away your sense of taste of ‘sweet’.
The tea comes in a green powder form, and you mix half a teaspoonful with a small amount of hot water in a bowl and then drink it down in one like a shot.
After I did this the first time, I then sceptically took a grape, bit into it, and actually spat it out into my hand, it was disgusting. Unable to believe it, I dug around in the back of the cupboard and found a bag of Haribo, popped one into my mouth and……… yup, spat it right back out. I could sense the sourness, but no sweet and so no fruity flavour. It was fascinating. I spent an amusing 15 mins spitting things out.
I tried it again an hour later, and I could begin to taste the grape but it still wasn’t nice and the Haribo had started to taste fruity but still no sweetness.
It’s not actually the Matcha that creates this effect, it’s the herb that it’s blended with, ‘Gymemna Sylvestre’ which is also known as The Sugar Destroyer.
The genius of this is, that if like me, you really do get sugar cravings, especially after a meal when you haven’t had a dessert, then take a shot of this stuff, and fill your bowl with ice cream or whatever you fancy. I guarantee you won’t eat it because it won’t have any taste at all. Psychogically if you try to eat something sweet but it has no taste, or a horribly altered taste, then sooner or later you’re just going to stop wanting to try it.
I’ll have to finish this later to add in what I did today for Juneathon in order to fulfil the requirements.
LATER
Today for Juneathon, and for my fatbusting, I did HIIT in the swimming pool for reasons I will reveal in tomorrow’s blog as this one is going on a bit.
Laters!
High-Fiving Palm Trees 