All has been going relatively swimmingly on this journey to 'buffness'. Over the last week, however, a dramatic twist in this tale has occured...
My local Minor Injuries Unit in Ipswich.
I've been diagnosed with... Tonsillitis! OK, so it doesn't sound life threatening, but believe me it completely knocks you out! For a couple of days this week I haven't even been able to get out of bed. My immune system is down and I haven't eaten a full meal for around 5 days now, so it must be serious! As a result of course, I haven't been able to do any training the last week, but I'm determined to make up for lost time as soon as I'm fully recovered.
It's completely ruined my final week of the year. I couldn't DJ on Wednesday, I couldn't go to an awards night on Thursday night, and I couldn't go to The Summer Ball either! I was supposed to come home tonight after the ball but you know the feeling when you're ill, all you want is home comforts and to be in your own bed, so I came home on Thursday night and was taken down to my local Minor Injuries Unit where I was diagnosed with the condition.
It's only April, and what are we seeing here in Suffolk (not so much in Stoke) but lots of sunshine and warmth! Recorded temperatures here in Ipswich of nearly 20 degrees, looks like Global Warming isn't such a bad thing after all perhaps. With all this glorious weather comes a negative side though, as sunshine makes people want to indulge on the finer things in life, such as Pimms or summer parties consisting lots of food. The first one of the year was today at my friend Alex's house (spending £175 on food; what an idiot) and let's say even getting the party started was a bit of a mission as is demonstrated below...
The Tesco Value BBQ is proving to live up to its title.
With the Pimms flowing and the sun beaming down on me laying in a deckchair I got lulled into a false sense of security, forgetting all that I'd been trained not to do in social situations like these. The call came that the food was ready, and without a moments hesitation I sprung up to see what spread had been laid out. Natually I thought it'd be rude not to sample the quality produce that had been bought, so I delved in to the mound of burgers; sausages and chicken thighs that lay across the table. It was like I hadn't eaten in a few weeks, I couldn't stop myself and got a bit carried away, resulting in my plate towering high with mostly unhealthy food.
This has been a bad day for the healthy eating programme, but I made up for it when I got home by doing a solid hour workout in the lounge which made me feel a lot better about myself. No I'm not excusing what I did earlier at the party, but at least I tried to redeem myself. I promise it won't happen again...
Tomorrow, I'm back off up to University where there won't be as many oppourtunities to 'pig out' on junk food as I'll be working hard on the upcoming deadlines. That'll hopefully get me back on track, but I need to also make sure that I leave time to do 45 minutes exercise everyday, and not let deadlines be an excuse to not do a vigarous workout!
And this is what you've all been waiting for. Evidence of me struggling and sweating away not only for my own personal satisfaction, but for your entertainment too no doubt.
So here it is. A clip of one of my training sessions taking place in the gym, well, the conservatory was the next best thing. Filmed by my very own personal trainer, well, Mum.
As you can see, the fitness side of my challenge is going well and although it's hard work 'no pain, no gain' is a motto that sits in the back of my mind when getting ready for yet another gruelling workout. I continue to struggle with the healthy eating side of this project. Tempation is too easy to give into especially when I'm out with friends; I can't help but go for the most appetising option, rather than the healthiest. My friends however have helped me from not having a dessert every time, and have been quick on the mark to remind me of what I'm not supposed to be doing! My parents have also stopped buying multi-packs of Coke and chocolate which has also made a difference so far. All I've got to do now is to work on the eating plan, and continue with this 'Insanity' Training, and believe me, it does what it says on the tin!
Make sure to check back here for the next update as the holiday of a lifetime gets closer...
I'm getting there. No, honestly, I am. Believe it or not, from doing just a week of excersise I feel slightly more uplifted and refreshed almost. The sun's been shining the last few days so me and some chums have already pitched our spot for the Summer at the best bar along the Waterfront, Isaacs. I live only about a 1 minute drive away from the Waterfront so, natually, you would assume I would meander down on foot as would most people do. Unfortunately, I have a different approach. I drive. Yes I can hear the gasps now of disbelief but only the people who know me well will understand that I hate walking, anywhere! However, yesterday I plucked up the courage to look a little bit of a tit and I got on my bike and cycled down to Isaacs to meet my friends, who of course burst into howls of laughter (especially when I rang my bell to signal my arrrival). If you still don't believe me, here's the evidence...
The first time my bike had seen the light of day for a few years.
My friends were only too happy to the capture the moment of my arrival at the Waterfront.
Funnily enough, it was quite relaxing meandering along the Quayside with a gentle breeze blowing to keep me cool. My journey down was actually pleasant and made me realise for the first time that perhaps alternative methods of transport, such as cycling or walking, could possibly be a permenant alternative when travelling short distances. However, this was my feeling on the approach TO the Waterfront. You see, I live on a road called Cliff Lane, and there's a clue in the name as to what kind of a road this is. Yes, it's a long steep incline which is fantastic when you leave my house, which is situated half way up, and travel down on a bike to either the town centre or the Waterfront, but getting back home again is quite a different story.
You see, once you've had something to eat (and perhaps one or two drinks) you suddenly become rather lethargic. So when the time comes to go home and everyone starts walking to their cars to sit in luxurious seats with air conditioning and ample leg room, I'm left with the thought of the demon; that is Cliff Lane. I trundle along adjacent to the water, knowing what lies ahead, and before long I'm at the turning of my road, and what a horrific sight it is. When I was younger I used to go to the football with my Dad, and we used to cycle down and at first he always beat me to the top, with me struggling behind. As I got older, I caught up with him more, and eventually my Dad was catching up with me! This trend stopped when I was unable to go and watch Ipswich play anymore because I was away at University, and along with stopping cycling, stopped excersise of all kinds. Yesterday I felt like I did when I first started cycling with my Dad, absolute pain and agony, forcing myself to make it home without getting off. Believe it or not, I triumphed! The 'Insanity' training I've been doing has actually started to pay off already.
I know what you're all thinking, you want to see some footage of me attempting this training programme. That will follow...
Hello there *stretch* have you been anticipating the arrival of this post? *breathe in* I've been gearing up for this daily workout routine *breathe out* and I've been at it for the past week now. Before I talk about how I've been getting on with the exercise, a small digression on the healthy eating.
As the weeks have gone on, I've found it easier to fall into the mentality of not wanting to scoff a bar of Cadbury's Crunchy Nut, or a pot of Ben & Jerry's chocolate fudge brownie. Mmm...
I've actually enjoyed eating relatively healthily, it doesn't make me physically feel any fitter or happy, although I would like to point out that some people (and no, not just my Mother being kind) have actually noticed a difference in my physical appearence, to which I'm very satisfied.
Tuna jacket potato with salad has tended to be my favourite lunchtime meal, along with chicken ceasar salad (without the fatty dressings!) and lots of Mum's home cooking which only ever uses the freshest ingredients.
Anyway, so I've been following this 'Insanity Training' programme, and believe me, it is in fact, insane. I'd be telling porkies if I told you all that I was doing a great job at doing the required elements. It's been a struggle, but I have been doing some of the programme every other day, so it's a start. I think the video below can really explain why this excersise plan is so difficult...
That's what I'm confronted with, but I'm going to persevere with this, and see how much more I can take. I'll post a video soon of my excersise attempts, something not for the faint hearted I'm sure...
Before I start on Pancake Day and how my second week is going, I feel I should conclude how my first week went to give you all some perspective on what I've achieved... (or haven't!)
To round up my first week on this regime, I have to say, I've found it hard not to resist my cravings, and occasionally, I've given into temptation, but not as much as I thought I would. Being in London for a few days really gave me an inspirational insight as to what life would be like working in the City. Even though at times I felt lonely and disconnected with the world, on the whole the vibrant nature of the workplace at Global Radio and the City itself when with company made me realise that this is what I aspire my life to evolve to.
Anyway, with my week in London complete and with my healthy eating plan going relatively well, I was set to come back to Mum's home cooking, to which I look forward to every week!
Friday night saw chicken breast with new potatoes and green beans whilst Saturday lunchtime took me to Nandos with my friend Hannah, where I had half a chicken, mashed potatoes and a perritema sauce (getting lots of protein in this weekend!)
Then, ah the Sunday Roast. However, Mum decided to stray from the traditional beef, roast potatoes, yorkshires etc, but went for a hearty sausage casserole with mashed potatoes and leeks. Yum!
Mum's home cooking!
So then, today is Pancake Day, and what better way to celebrate this joyful day of cooking than to, well, not cook anything at all! Fitness extremist Dave who used to live in my house up here tells me pancakes aren't healthy, (surprisingly!) Therefore I was banned from partaking in the kitchen activities this evening and summoned to cameraman instead...
But with me being refused a treat after a long day in the Newsroom and with just under 2 weeks without any junk food, my patience was wearing thin. So when an opportunity arose to go the Student Union bar, I couldn't resist. What you're about to see, may upset you...
Let's put that little mishap behind us shall we and move on. My friend Rik has just started doing a home workout plan. It's called 'Insanity Training', and for 60 days every day for 45 minutes, you do a rigorous workout designed to give you the body of a fitness God! He's going to give me the videos so that I can start doing this as soon as possible, and for your viewing pleasure, I might even put a couple of clips of me on here doing it, so you can watch me struggling. Fantastic...
Following my video diary update on Tuesday lunchtime, I said I'd show you all what I had for dinner that night. Well, it was a Whetherspoons job, and what I had I think was quite a nutricious meal. Let me know what you think...
Chicken, mashed potato, peas & gravy
That was my healthy(ish) dinner, so with me feeling good about my first day on the healthy eating plan, I went to a house party with some people on my course. Little did I know what I was about to be confronted with...
Cakes! The worst thing that could've happened to me on my first day on the lifestyle change challenge. This was a spanner in the works. I couldn't help myself, I had to have a chocolate cornflake crunch cake. There wasn't much chocolate on it though, so that's not as bad surely... Honestly!
Then came the biggest challenge of all. Everyone had ordered Dominos Pizza! Oh no! I used to thrive on them at least once a week whilst at University, but over the last month or so, I haven't had a Dominos which I was very proud about. This was to be my toughest challenge yet, and could I resist a sneaky slice?
I only had the one slice, I swear!
This week has been pretty manic, I was in Birmingham yesterday afternoon seeing a friend, and then travelled down to London to work at a radio station in Leicester Square for a few days. So with my healthy eating regime in mind, yesterday afternoon I went to an Italian restaurant for lunch, I thought I'd better get some protein in my system, so this is what I went for...
Serloin steak, cooked medium
I had Calamari as a starter, which wasn't very nice, too rubbery! Anyway, for a shock to the system, I didn't have a dessert! That made me feel good about myself, it felt like I'd made a start on this challenge to myself. So next on the itinery for the day was the cinema. Now I'm usually a person that if I go to see a film, I have to have an American sized jumbo bucket of Coca Cola, and maybe some Ben & Jerry's ice-cream too. I say maybe, almost certainly! This time, I managed to resist the temptation of all the fatty products glaring at me from behind the entry barrier, the chocolate packets and ice-cream displays were teasing me with their glossy colours. However, I managed to resist the urge and strolled right past all of it! Remarkable! I'd made up for my moment of madness from Tuesday night and redeemed myself! Sort of...
I'm in London, and I'm working on the Breakfast Show at Heart, meaning a 5am start, and a 9.30am finish, leaving me the rest of the day to ponder around the City on my tod, which isn't much fun when you're on your own. I think this place can be one of the lonliest places to be, which is ironic seeing as there're millions of people living here...
Anyway, I've decided not to venture out into the City Centre and squander vast amounts of cash on rubbish, but to come back to my hotel room, get a power nap, and do some research like I said I'd do this week. I want to find out how to excersise without paying ridiculous amounts at the gym, so I've been onto Youtube to see what videos people have posted on how to excersise at home. Surprisingly, it looks quite easy, (by watching the videos anyway!)
This is what I think I'll start doing, for 45 minutes, every day, and hopefully with a balanced diet I should see good results.
I'm in London until tomorrow, so I'll post a video diary update on here after I've been for lunch and dinner in the City tonight, showbiz eh!
So, more research to do, and to start my fitness regime, as well as continuing to eat healthy...
