What I've Learned in 50 Days

For those of you just joining me, I started a challenge 50 days ago. The challenge is to walk/run/cycle 5km a day for 100 days. It started off as 50 but in a moment of madness I decided to increase it! Today is Day 50. I'm halfway there. I felt this was a good day for a pause to evaluate and reset goals. The initial purpose was to lose weight and to make activity a part of my daily life. I decided to raise money for charity at the same time which you can read about here.I originally joined up with the 5x50 team but as I started early I have been doing the last 50 days on my own. Today I join the other 4423 challengers for the last chapter of my challenge, the final 50!

What I've Learned About Myself

• I like planning what I am going to do but I'm not that enthusiastic about actually doing it. 
• I have an 'inside' voice that tries to sabotage me by telling me things like; "Nobody would know if walked to a café and sat there for hour, just run for the last 5 mins to get home and arrive sweaty". Resisting this inner voice is really difficult. 
• Finding an hour in the day for myself is nearly impossible. 
• The biggest obstacle to my weight loss and fitness is my utter lack of endurance and consistency. 

Just back from a walk together

What I've Learned About Walking

• I like it. It's my favourite activity! I find that for an overweight person I am actually quite good at it and I'm reasonably fast paced. 
• My favourite time of day for walking is either sunrise or sunset. I like to take photos on my walk and this is the best time of day for it. 
• Blisters are awful and the type of socks you wear really make the difference. My feet eventually adjust to the trainers and the pain of blisters reduces. 
• It's easier to do the hilly part of the walk first and get it over with. It's a great warm up then the rest seems like a breeze. 

I just love walking/running when the sun is setting

What I've Learned About Running

• I'm not awful at it but I am most definitely a beginner. I am amazed how quickly my body adapts though. I went from not being able to run for more than a minute to running for 15 mins by the end of the week. 
• My pelvic floor muscles are not what the used to be. Running is like the equivalent of sneezing for me.
• Carrying the amount of weight that I do is not great on the joints when I'm running. I think running will be something that will be easier for me when I'm lighter. 
• Blisters are worse when I run compared to walking. They appear in different places so my running feet technique must differ from my walking feet. 
• Running downhill is easy, running on the straight is manageable, running up a hill is stupidity. 

What I've Learned About Cycling

• Bum Sores - need I say more?
• Any women who have had a baby really need a bigger bike seat or it simply disappears. 
• Cycling is much harder than walking or running but you can complete the challenge in much less time.
• Despite it being quicker, the pain last twice as long. 
• If you find it too hard you can get off and walk but you look like a loser and you should really come up with an excuse like "My bike has lost it's pedals, that's why a walking, I'm not a lazy git". 
• There is nothing quite like the exhilarating feeling of zooming down a hill on a bike. It releases the inner child. 

What I've Learned About Weight Loss

• It's 70% diet and 30% exercise. On the weeks I only exercise I lose less or stay the same. It really takes both. Exercise is brilliant for tone, fitness and wellbeing but alone it won't shift the pounds. 
• It shouldn't be a diet, it should be something that fits well with your life. If I exercise regularly and show some self restraint around food I'd be thinner. 
• I don't feel better after I go on a food bender.
• My stomach is flatter when I eat more protein than carbs. 
• I've lost a stone in the last 50 days but it's been really slow. I jump from one diet to another which totally confuses my body. I find it really difficult to be consistent with a food program. 

Where Do I Go From Here?

• I am really excited about the next 50 days. I am going to focus more on walking faster and increasing the periods of running. 
• As I like the mornings and the evenings for walking, I aim to walk at these times. I think if I walk before work I will have more energy but this means committing to going to bed earlier at night.
• I'm going to eat well and make positive choices towards food. I am going to think less about dieting and more about fuelling my body effectively. I am going to eat things I know make me feel good, cutting back but not eliminating carbs and increasing but not overdoing the protein. 

Run! Run! As Fast As You Can!

You can't catch me, I'm the ....

Well I'm not the Gingerbread Man and I'm not much of a runner but I'm still managing to take part in my charity challenge of 5km a day for 100 days. I wrote about the motivation for my challenge a few weeks back, at which point, the 5km a day was for 50 days. I decided to up the challenge after reaching my target of £100 in 2 days!

Just back from a walk together

So gluten for punishment I made it 100 days and I started last Sunday. Tonight was walk number 8 and I've trimmed 10 minutes off my time. I average round the 5km route in about an hour but I have started running  jogging part of the walk, admittedly, it's the down hill parts but we all need to start somewhere!

I've been walking with the dogs and with JC. The dogs are great as the pull me round most of the route but taking JC in the buggy adds an extra dimension of difficulty. At this rate I might have arms like Terminator by the hundredth day.

My walking music of choice this week was recommended to me by my next door neighbour and is 'Now That's What I Call Reggae'. Okay, it's probably a little laid back for this type of challenge but then that's me all over! 

7lbs lost and things are tightening up nicely. Send me positive thoughts this week as I'm going to my Dad's in Czech Republic on holiday this week so avoiding the pivo and forcing myself out walking will be a real challenge.

Laters ;)

pssst
If you want to sponsor me or just browse my just giving page you are more than welcome
Click Here

You'll be old one day too you know!

I remember my Mum saying the phrase 'You'll be old one day too you know' every time I moaned about dottery old folk walking slowly or driving carelessly or forgetting things. She was right, I am getting older. I'll be thirty next year!

I'm starting to feel my age a bit these days. My knees are creakier, my boobs are further south than I'd like them to be and it takes a lot longer to shift the excess weight but a lot less time to put it on. I only need look at a cupcake and it's appearing on my thighs.

One of the other worries I have about getting old is my memory. I had a brief encounter with memory loss during my pregnancy. It's not fun feeling like you are losing your marbles. It's uncomfortable when other people look at you like you are falling apart at the seams.

My Grandad has Vascular Dementia. He has been progressively getting worse over the past 6 years. My Gran was his main carer at home until a few months ago when things got so bad that he had to be admitted to a care home as an emergency transfer as she could no longer care for him. She was devastated. She had cared for him for 6 years at home on a measly carers allowance of £11 a week. Yes you read that right, £11 a week. She is now struggling through a period of grief and loss. This transition period is most definitely just as stressful for the family as it is for the patient.

Alzheimer Scotland are a charity who provide services to people with dementia and their family and carers in my community. They are a friendly voice on the other end of the phone, a smiley face at the door and a source of information and support to many people. We are an ageing population and charities like this should be supported to continue and extend their services.

I am pledging to walk, run or cycle 5km a day for 50 days to raise money and awareness for this charity. I start on the 9th of September and it ends on the 28th of October. I hope to increase my own fitness in the process. If you are interested in finding out more, check out my Just Giving Page.