Goodbye gym

Today was the last day of my year's gym membership, and I didn't even go to the gym!

The incident yesterday upset my stomach a bit more than I thought. Couldn't sleep well last night due to feeling a bit off then felt a bit weird all day and decided not to push myself when in a weird state.

To be honest I'm a bit nervous to be gym-less (who am I?!). I've been awesome at getting to the gym so far in 2013 and now I have no gym on the way back from work, well, hopefully I won't have no exercise on the way back from work!

On the other hand I'm excited to break free of the oppression of the chain gym and explore what other gym classes are out there i.e. I'm excited to go to Frame and be a megacoolandslick dance star, weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee, I love dance, but oh wow I'm bad at dance haha.

This weekend Frame have a Basic Barre a Beginner Music Video class on Sunday. I'm intrigued by Barre but more excited by Music Video, hmm. At the moment I think I will try Barre out of intrigue and do the Music Video one next Wednesday.

Other places on my class "to investigate" list are Golden Lane fitness centre in the Barbican, for some cheap classes, and the Runner's Yoga class (and possibly their other classes) at Good Vibes.

I will review places here as I visit them I guess and do comment with more London class recommendations if you see this!

In which I get told off at the gym

So today my body taught me a lesson...

and then a gym instructor gave me a lecture...

OK body, I get it, no crisps before the gym! (Yes I should have known that already but coldness and hunger led to poor choices...sorry body)

It had been a long day at work, got a couple of big things out of the way and was happy to get out to my street dance class to relax a bit. But this week was not the week for relaxing, oh no no no. Our instructor was in the mood to push us hard so instead of the usual, learn a bit, watch a bit, copy a bit, it was BAM learn this BAM do it, now do it again faster!

Although dance classes like these are awesome (the class pace varies a lot from week to week), I was kind of hoping it was going to be a slower song this week so I could do some running afterward, but I ran anyway. Big mistake.

So, tired and sweaty from dancing, I made my way to the treadmill, convincing myself to do the second mission on Zombies, run!. This was fine until about 20 minutes in when I started to feel slightly queasy. A bit odd as I very rarely get nauseous, even after insane workouts. I slowed down to a quick march and finished the mission, then slowed down and stepped off the treadmill...

"oh god, I'm actually going to throw up"...two steps, deep breath...two more steps...

I shuffled across the gym floor hoping I'd make it to the changing room, jaw clench, stomach contents rising, and an instructor eventually approaches (it feels like everyone in the gym is staring at me by this point)...

"Erm, I feel a bit sick".
"Right lie down, feet up against the wall."
"Is it your first time here?"
"Er, no." (Erm, actually I've been a member for a year and I've run a half-marathon, so put that in your first timer pipe and smoke it!)
"Right, have you eaten something today?"
"Well...(don't admit to the crisps, do not admit to them)...I think I had some crisps a bit too soon before coming."
"CRISPS?! Crisps aren't fuel! How can you expect to get results by eating CRISPS!"
"Er, well yeah, I know"

So he did go on to, more gently, give me his name and tell me I should find him on the gym floor if I felt ill in the future. But oh god the shame. Why did I eat the crisps? Why didn't I just say I'd had a banana?! Why didn't I lambast him for calling me a first timer?!?!

Fortunately I am now fully recovered and had a nice dinner (which involved potatoes in another guise).

Lesson: don't eat crap before working out or that crap will come back to haunt you/haunt the gym floor.

Anyone else ever had any near vom misses or other shameful gym moments?

My first running date

On Sunday I met up with my friend L, who I haven't seen for aaaaages to go on our first ever running date!

So I knew it would be tough running with her, she's very much an all or nothing person so I knew she'd be fast but LITTLE DID I KNOW she's actually already built up to 15km (9 miles), whereas little old me has scaled back to 4 miles!

I'm not sure why I'm so surprised, when L really sets her mind her to something she seriously goes for it.

Anyhow she dragged me round a 4.7 mile river run, definitely upping my pace and forcing me to talk to her most of the way. And truth be told I had "such fun" as she would say AKA bare fun blad!

However one dangerous thought she's planted in my mind is doing another half marathon...and soon. In response to her gentle suggestion continuous arm twisting I'm going to see how I go with running this week (badly probably as I already skipped a run today because it's TOO COLD). If I can handle a week three level of the half marathon training programme I used before, I might just sign up for the Madrid Rock n' Roll half marathon at the end of April...OMGcan'tbelieveIjustwrotethatdownwhyamIevenconsideringthisbleeeuuuurgh!!!

Check with this very blog on Sunday to see just how mental I am. EEEK.

Now and then

Managed to turn my mood around yesterday by scoring a ticket to one of the sold out Sigur Ros London shows. Should be incredible.

But more importantly my work today reminded me how lucky I am to have my health and happiness and of the importance of using your own situation to improve other people's lives.

I hope that focusing on improving my own health and fitness for a while will give me the confidence to be that kind of person, someone who can help other people but in a way that is not detrimental to my mental or physically well-being. Hopefully that isn't too selfish a thing to ask from life.

ANYHOO back to less intense thoughts! Whilst I was running I was thinking how life has changed since I started running and came up with some fairly cool and amusing comparisons...

Music

THEN: "Great song"

NOW:"OMG this is going straight on my running playlist"

Yes I am a terrible indie-loving-wannabe-hipster ;) but never thought my appreciation of music could be extended to a whole new category of "can I run to it". However new albums/aongs now get extra bonus shiny points in my mind for being run-able.

Friends
THEN:  "Hey L, let's spend quality time getting drunk on Halloween" 

That's me on the left...Jack Skellington style. L's costume was "some hot, dead lady" haha.

NOW:


Fingers crossed we get places in the ballot! I am so excited for my second half marathon (whether this one or another) and hopefully running it through lovely, autumnal central London parks.

Lols
THEN:

 

NOW:

Why?

I was going to write about week two of my virtual training group (VTG) but instead I want to ask a question. Why?

Why do I tell myself I'm not hungry but go into Tesco and buy food anyway?

Why do I buy and eat food I don't even really want let alone need?

Why am I like this? Will I be like this forever?

Why can't I just be happy and healthy?

I hope one day I can look back on days like this and feel a success not a a complete failure like today.

The end of January

And so another month passes in another year and I edge ever closer to the grave...but in less melodramatic news my legs hurt from running and body pump which must be a good sign.

So how has month one of year 2013 gone? Let's take a trip back through the blurry mists of time to my 2013 goals and see how they are going:

Weight loss
I have not yet achieved goal one (180lbs) obviously and I'm in the same place I was in three weeks ago. At least it's not a gain.
Lesson? Keep trying, stop buying big packs of things and saying "I'll only eat one now".

Running
I did not attend a local park run last month, to be fair I did neeeearly go one week, but then I stayed in bed. I have started running again and it feels GREAT. I am offically un-mentally fatigued from half marathon training.
Lesson? Get off your bum on Saturday mornings.

Non-running exercise
Have found a possible replacement for my current gym and attended loads of three bodypump (strength) classes and also totally gone to the gym loads. Also I went to my first ever mornign gym class.
Lesson? Keep up the good work you legend.

Creativity
Bought a sketch book. Haven't used it. Have booked a sewing dress-making class. Good progress.
Lesson? Fill that sketch book like a boss!

Languages
Haven't even spoken any German, let alone a class or starting a new language.
Lektion? Eine deutschsprachige Gruppe oder ein Kurs finden. 

Travelling
Erm, nope. Although my parents have suggested I go with them to Tobago this month. Unfortunately I already have plans and, although I love them dearly, a week with my parents and aunt and uncle would drive me insane. Dad has offered me air miles for a city break this year though (he runs all his entire business through a card that collects air miles = super air miles for all!)
Lesson? City break in February?

Sleep
Trying hard with this and doing better than I have done. Although arguably this blog would have posts a lot more frequently if I wasn't trying so hard on the sleep front.
Lesson? Sleep when you are tired, seriously, listen to your body. Do not sleep all weekend and destroy your pattern.

Room
Ahahahaha my room is a tip at moment. Massive pile of laundry was on my bed last night (I was at my parents') and my friend came over for superbowl and crawled under that pile of clothes to sleep. Poor boy!
Lesson? Don't say we can have the superbowl at our flat when you won't be here. Put a weekend aside for side-table painting in Feb, ok this weekend then.


I will report back on Virtual Training Group week 2 in a post tomorrow I think. Exhausted from running Saturday and Sunday then body pump today. Let's just say, week two is not great news but it's not a wipe out.

Toodle pip.