Category: General ramblings

Although it has not been that cold recently, so more like walks in the winter.

Since discovering the new route through the fields close to my house, I have been there for both runs and walks. I love walking but when I am at work might only squeeze in a short walk a couple of evenings, so I have been making the most of time off this week.

I have also been trying to keep my step count up, as I tend to walk around a lot at work, but our house is tiny so I don’t clock up that many steps. After a weekend of parkrun, walking around the shops, then a 10K run on the Sunday, my step goal for Monday was fairly high (it increases if you meet your goal). I had been out early on Monday to visit a friend and pop to the shops to collect a few bits, and later in the afternoon realised I needed to post something. I set off (in the rain), but as I got there the rain eased off, so I walked up to the supermarket, a mile from the post office (as Andy needed some bananas), and then decided to walk the long route home, through the fields.

Thankfully the rain stopped, and although it was muddy, it was great.

Very muddy in places!

I had a Starbucks offer for a free bakery item, so I had my bit of the cinnamon roll when I got home.

In the evening I made some of Laura’s peanut butter chocolate dipped dates (while listening to episode 2 of Serial). They are delicious!

Instead of using the microwave, I used my school trick of using a bowl of warm water, with the chocolate in sealable sandwich bags, to melt them.

On Tuesday I walked up to the local shopping centre (got some tracksuit bottoms to wear for PE lessons), and then made some gingerbread in the afternoon. Then we had our regular Tuesday evening club run, although by then the rain and wind had set in and, despite us singing Jingle Bells (helping our breathing as well as making it festive) it was not the most festive of runs. We did an out and back route, and as we turned the wind hit us and the rain was fogging up my glasses. I was glad of the company, but I was soaked through by the time I got home. I then decorated the gingerbread.

They puffed up a bit in the oven so they are rather chubby!

And look at my gingerbread house! I was very pleased with it.

Today I was visiting friends, and then after lunch had a walk with Andy, but as I had no run planned and the weather was good, I had a walk on my own across the fields again.

This time I listened to some podcasts as I walked.

So relaxing.

Now I just need to finish decorating the Christmas cakes- I can’t decide on a design for our cake. I have made some little gingerbread men and trees (using icing) for our parents cakes, but I have seen reindeer ones, and little Christmas owls, but they all seem a bit complicated so we shall see what I manage!

Tomorrow I plan on making some Christmas pudding fudge to take around on Christmas day too, and maybe some maple roasted nuts- I love how the house smells when all these foods are cooking.

We had planned to put the decorations up on Sunday evening, after my afternoon tea, but then we booked cinema tickets (Sisters) and by the time that finished and we had walked home it was gone 9pm and we hadn’t even had dinner, so it was put back to another day.

On Monday I went for a massage after work (I am constantly told off about my awful stiff shoulders when running and after the sports therapist I used to use moved away, I really needed to start sorting them out again) which was “no pain no gain” according to the therapist! I was rather achy and ended up having a bath with epsom salts.

On Tuesday I felt awful- I didn’t sleep much and had a bit of a dodgy tummy which I hoped would be better later in the day, but it wasn’t, so I missed my running club and didn’t fancy decorating.

But, on Wednesday, after a gentle run outside, we had time!

Hooray! We have our his and hers Disney ornaments!

And a windowsill full of candle holders.

Despite an early-ish night on Wednesday, I woke up on Thursday with a headache (the day of the children’s Christmas party at work- not the best day for it!), and my stomach still felt a bit off, so I didn’t go to pump and just had a walk in the evening instead. I still managed 9,000 steps at work (before the walk)!

Friday, glorious Friday, was the last day of term. The children go home early, but the staff can’t leave until the normal children’s home time, but I made sure I was ready to leave at 3.20pm on the dot. When I got home it was not quite dark, so I headed out on a run across the fields (the new ones I have recently discovered, not the dog walker/ cow ones where  was freaked out by the weird man). It feels like such a treat. I love running, but all the roads near me are quite busy, so it gets noisy and also smoky, and isn’t always that relaxing. Running through fields and away from traffic is just so much better- that is the running that I really look forward to (another reason why I love parkrun so much), and even though it was getting dark, I decided to risk it.

The route was an out and back. I could have done a loop, but one part of that is by a very busy road which defeated the object really.

The route runs through fields close to a motorway, so the street-lights were helping to light my way a tiny bit. I did end up in a few puddles though, as I could see the huge ones but not the smaller ones! This tree was close to where I turned around.

As I turned around I could see the oncoming traffic, which meant that when a cyclist came the other way, I didn’t realise at first as I thought the light was coming from the road! It was such a lovely contrast to be outside running instead of stuck in a car, and apart from the cyclist I didn’t see anyone else. It was so mild I had on capris and a t-shirt and was absolutely fine. Crazy weather!

This morning I was off to parkrun. I chose festive colours (green capris and my red 50 top, and a green buff to keep my hair back), and packed my “Merry Christmas” headband (it even has lights that flash).

But it was so windy on the walk there that I left it in my bag as it kept blowing off. I did wish that I had packed my trail shoes as it was so muddy. By the end my shoes felt so heavy with all the mud stuck to them. The trouble is, my new trail shoes are a teeny bit big, so they rub the skin on one of my toes, so I generally just wear my normal shoes. I felt like I had run quite hard, but my time was 28.50, which although still under 30 minutes (my normal aim) isn’t close to my fastest. But then I told myself off- I have been under the weather and so very tired, and I still enjoyed it which is the point.

And it was week 3 of the Virtual Runner 5K December series, so this time I got to wear a Santa medal when I got home.

Also, in case you missed it, the second series of Serial has started! I am very excited about this, although I had to re-listen to the first episode as we listened to it on the drive back from Bath and I kept falling asleep!

I also have nearly managed to sort all my Christmas presents now. I had ordered a few “deliver to store” so picked those up this afternoon, but before I wrap them I am going to finally marzipan the Christmas cakes. I am feeling all festive now!

Did you listen to Serial? Are your decorations up? Do you have a work Christmas party?

This post has been contributed by Beth Jones.

Your New Year’s resolutions for 2016 are just around the corner.  And we all start January with so much enthusiasm for the new year, and a determination to reach our goals.

However, it’s incredibly common for those good intentions to quickly fall by the wayside.  And then often the goals we really want, are never quite reached.

But don’t let that happen in 2016!

So whether your fitness goals are to lose weight, or perhaps to increase your stamina.  Or perhaps it’s to develop muscle mass.  Well, it’s important to note that just having a resolution isn’t enough.  Doing only that is what most others do, and how does that work out for others?  Exactly.

Rance Costa on Flickr

So it takes a little more to overcome obstacles, and get the body you really want.  Here’s a few tips to keep in mind:

You Must Plan for Success

The first step is simply writing the goal down.

Get that goal, that resolution, out of your head and onto paper.  Yes, paper!  Not your computer screen.

Write it out by hand, and even better if you can pin it up on your wall.  That’s a great start.

People who actually have written goals are far more successful.  Really.  Rather than just thinking about them, you’re far more likely to actually reach them.  That simple act helps take your focus and motivation to a whole other level.

And one question you need to ask yourself – is the goal realistic?  What you can achieve is amazing.  Don’t shrink your dreams, but you’ve also got to keep your feet on the ground.  Otherwise you’re setting yourself up to fail right from the start.

Then, what actions specifically will you need to take to reach the goal?

When will you take those actions?  For how long?  And how often?

It’s important to keep actions realistic too.  Two hours of exercise a day if you have a very busy work and personal life probably won’t work!  So you have to figure out a way to reach your goals, within the limitations your life puts on you.

Sometimes joining with others when exercising can be helpful.  A boot camp like Prestige Boot Camp has helped many reach their intended goals.

Keep Track of Your Gains

As you start to make gains through your fitness work, it’s often easy to overlook them.  There’s a simple reason for this.  When getting better at something, that positive progress can sometimes be overlooked entirely.

So find a way to keep track of the benefits you’re receiving.  This could be as simple as weighing yourself regularly.  Or perhaps it’s seeing how your fitness just keeps on growing.  This could perhaps be that your running time keeps improving week by week, and month by month.

Reward Yourself

Life isn’t all work and goals, it’s also fun!  So reward yourself for staying on track.  But that said, the biggest reward can be actually reaching your goals.

So picture having your goal, while you’re still working on it.  And soon enough the day will come when thought becomes reality.

Do you have any fitness goals for the coming year? I am hoping for a half marathon pb, but mainly I want to keep on enjoying running, and maybe get a bit more involved with parkrun.