FST Academy

...and a few other bits and bobs!

We'll start with my session at FST Academy, I got talking to Danny who runs FST Academy after the Carat Blog Shop event (write up still in draft form.....). He offered to assess my running technique and give me some pointers on improving it. I jumped at the chance, I've always been interested in having this done. I went down to the gym on Friday and was really impressed with the set up. First off the gymnastic rings... We'd hardly been talking for 5 minutes and I was like a kid in a new park... Oooooh they look fun... Can I have a go! Well.... not sure fun would be the right way to describe them... but they are a new challenge... one I intend to master!! Well.... not sure I'll manage to master it but I'd like to be able to do one!

Anyway back to the running for now, incidentally, if you like the facebook page there are instructions on there how to get a free assessment, not limited to people in Manchester. Well worth it in my opinion. His advice was a lot to take in even though he did keep it simple... sometimes the simplest things are the hardest to get right.... It made a lot of sense though, I can just see it being hard to put into place as it's basically altering something which is very drilled in to me as I'm sure most of you will be able to relate to.... He showed on the slowed down video just how much my trainers compress when I heel strike and also explained cadence and showed how I could better angle my legs and where my feet should strike for more running efficiency. It was really interesting, hopefully I'll manage to put it into place.

We also had a really good general chat about goals and fitness, he gave me some advice on my clean and press..... not sure I can call it technique as I now realise watching him I've not been doing it right at all. I was really impressed with his knowledge and attitude and decided to join the gym to do twice weekly strength routines. I feel I need to add that is not why he offered me the running assessment I just felt really at home there and as the weights I used to use were Mike's I no longer have weights to use at home and chatting to Danny I felt like I could learn a lot from him and also that we had similar opinions regarding training and goal setting. I'm really looking forward to going on today fine tune my goals, get some measurements done and hopefully start seeing results. (ETA this post has been in draft for too long, I went first on fri, back yesterday for a chat and I'm starting today... Sorry for any timing miscrepancies, I've probably forgot to edit some!!)

Right back to my workouts for the week! I had a pretty good week! I went boxing Monday, Tuesday and Thursday... The hill sprints on Tuesday battered my shins a bit and I felt like it was a bit risky to run on them again so I didn't do any separate running... So I've not exactly stuck to my plan but I'm pretty happy with my activity lessons since the gym sessions were really full on sessions and I'm still easing myself back in a bit!

I had some rest over the weekend my shins were still feeling a bit battered and both wrists, especially my right one were really sore... not sure why, maybe it's my tendons just getting used to the boxing again.. I did end up having an unplanned drinking sesh on Saturday.... Thanks vodka for reminding me how much I hate you, and hangovers!!

As I feel my diet needs some work I started doing a food diary on Saturday, with my past history this is something I'm going to be really careful with. I can find food diaries triggering but I think at the moment the potential gains from doing them outweigh the negatives, if they become triggering I will stop them straightaway. I'll have to be careful to look at the whole picture with the food diaries, I was disappointed that I'd had a bad day on Sunday... too many calories including crisps and chocolate... I completely ignored the fact that most of my food on Sunday had been quite healthy, if a little calorific, and that I'd majorly under-eaten on the Saturday due to ending up drinking instead of eating... I had also super-compensated for my perceived bad day on Sunday by not really eating enough on Monday... it had started to slip in today too and my calories weren't quite enough so I've just had an extra protein shake!

I had a really proud moment yesterday too :-) While I was chatting to Danny about my goals so he can write my plan up he told me I was the only non-professional athlete he's worked with who didn't have weight loss as one of their top three goals! I'm really mega pleased with myself about this, especially since I am the heaviest I've been in a long while and really feeling quite uncomfortable about my weight... It just shows how far I've got in recovery. I care about my performance and I know my weight will end up in the right place for me to perform best once I'm back into a fitness regime!

I'm going today to get measurements done and a few other assessments and start my program. We had a chat about whether I wanted measurements done and my body fat percentage done and I decided it will be a good thing to monitor it. Danny said I might gain weight as my muscle increases with the program so I feel like it's going to be a good thing to have that backed up with hopefully seeing my BF decrease so I can think logically about any potential weight gain and justify it. Also, I can't see this happening right now, but if my BF becomes too low I'll be under strict orders to go eat some cake.... and that seems like a win/win situation to me!

After I left the gym I popped back to town to get a gumshield (lost my old one then bought an unsuitable one.. ooops) and ended up spending far too much time (and money) in SportsDirect... Went in for a gum shield, came out with a new sports bra, 2 new tops, new running shorts, some capris, some compression socks and a pack of cards?! I am hopeless keeping hold of my money... I just love shopping.... I also bought some heels, a skirt and 3 new tops in Republic, spent £40+ in Boots on various essentials such as hairdye and a sandwhich... and spent a small fortune in GNC! Somebody take my card off me!

So anyway, you can imagine, I ended up in an absolute mad rush to get to the boxing gym! I had a pretty good session, we worked on technique alongside some explosive 20-30 second all out sprints on the bag and some freestyle rounds... I felt tonight like I'd forgotten how to box, it wasn't coming together very well and I felt a bit clumsy but I think this often happens when you deconstruct something and concentrate more on it... kinda like with the running.... Hopefully it will all click back together soon... halfway through when I was suitably red and sweaty I had some pictures taken by a reporter and I've forgotten what for now but she's ringing me for an interview to accompany them so I'll know then haha... you get quite a lot of attention being a female boxer and I always try and promote it as I think it's a great thing for women and girls to do for fitness and confidence so I like the opportunity to show there are girls out there in the gyms and let people know they're friendly places.... Anyway, I've digressed (again)... We finished the session with a rather brutal circuit!

20s press-ups (done on knees as speed was the aim)
20s boxers squats
20s burpees
20s tuck jumps
20s squat thrusts
20s sit-ups

x 3 rounds

The coach timed us for 6 seconds after each round so we could take our pulse then times by 10 for an estimate of our bpm, mine came out at 200, 210, 200.... Yep, it felt like that too..... I did a quick plank before I left then walked home.... oooooh the nights are getting cold... must bring more layers!

*Disclaimer... I've given FST Academy and Danny a glowing report, he has not paid me, and I will be paying my own gym membership there. All the opinions stated above, and in further blog posts, are my own!

Also a quick note to say my blog is hungry and it's eating the comments so if I've missed a comment I'm sorry, I usually get an email then it doesn't show on my blog... I'm working to get this resolved, I'm using intensedebate atm, any suggestions?

Fitness, or Lack Thereof, and Some Goal Setting

Weekly Fitness Round Up!
Well, I'm jumping back in the deep end feet first... I think I've caught the fitness bug back... least I hope I've caught the fitness bug back!

Running

Steady jog with Roxie I liked this run as I got that feeling afterwards that reminded me why I train! No stats unfortunately as I am without garmin :'( gutted! I need to buy a new one but losing my job makes that a little hard!

Boxing

I attended my first session at Moss Side Fire Station Boxing Club, my first impressions are I like the place and it's within walking distance from my apartment, or cycling distance! I can't remember exactly how the training went, I didn't have my blogging head on, more my oh my goodness it's been so long since I've been in a gym and this really hurts why do I do it head on... It was something like this...
Structured bag rounds interspersed with core rounds and sprints with squat jumps.... just as painful as you're imagining.....

Swimming
I went to the Manchester Aquatics Centre on Thursday before I attended the brilliant Carat Blog Shop event (more on that to come), I wasn't really sure how much I would be able to achieve I aimed for ten lengths and did it.... Slightly disappointed absolutely gutted the waterslides were closed... that was gonna be my reward for completing ten lengths.... Yes, I am a 28 year old child.....

Fitness Goals
Running - go twice a week and gradually increase my distance again... I'd like to be back up to around 6 miles by the end of November
Push-ups - Just tested my max... I bashed out 8 that's a far cry from where I used to be but I should expect that I suppose.... I want to be doing 25 in a row by the end of November... I think that's a big increase but I'm hoping to have some good muscle memory.... don't let me down muscles!
Gym attendance - go boxing at least twice a week
Swimming - go once a week, be doing 20 lengths a session by the end of November - also consider signing up for diving lessons if I can afford it and if it will fit in to my training.. may have to reconsider length goal once I know.

And tonight I've just been doing a few push-ups and plyometric holds whilst organising my wardrobe and watching Taken... What a sensible Friday night!

Sparring Recap

Hello everyone! I missed WIAW again! Oops, I actually ate pretty well yesterday too, not too restrictive and no purging incidents, hooray for good days! I spent my day off snuggling with Roxie and doing a bit of tidying in the house, lovely relaxing day! I wish I had more time to spend with Roxie she seems to really appreciate it and seems so much happier when I'm at home most of the day!

Anyway, boxing!

Warm up

Run - stayed at the front of the pack.. think they were going a bit slower than usual... I'm usually a few metres behind. I had to laugh 'cause they were talking about leaving everyone behind even though we weren't going really fast and one of the guys said I was a beast for keeping up.. it made me giggle 'cause I thought what kind of woman takes being called a beast as a compliment lol.. this kind!

5 x 3 minutes heavy bag

Sparring
First proper sparring back... I was rusty but felt pretty confident, did ok.. got plenty to work on! Got some compliments on my jab being nice and fast which was good to hear I'd been working on it with Mike before we broke up... I now have a sore nose and slightly bloody lips due to letting rather more shots in than I would have liked haha! But for first sparring in goodness knows how long I'm happy!

First off I sparred a guy the same weight as me, he's had 17 fights compared to my zero so he toned it down and didn't go as fast or hard as he was against some of the other guys. That was good sparring I was trying to cut him down and get him on the ropes which I managed once but then I was stupid and moved my back on to the ropes (!) Ermm... not my most inteligent moment!! I did land some shots though I'm starting to learn to spot the gaps and pick my shots more which conserves a little energy!

I also sparred a guy who's had around 40 fights and is a GB champ. Obviously he wasn't going full force on me! It was so frustrating sparring him! He just threw a barrage of shots and I couldn't get anywhere near him really, I landed a couple of shots but he landed loads haha. It's good practice though there's a good chance I could come accross someone in a fight who just hopes to overwhelm me by throwing lots straight off and this sort of sparring proves to me I can keep calm, keep moving and avoid as many as possible when under pressure. Then in a fight situation take them down once they've punched themselves out!

I also sparred a fairly young guy who I was a bit tentative about hitting as I knew he was lighter than me... I'm often the lighter person so I don't have to alter my power much.. The coach said I should hit him harder though lol so I did! This guy could punch anyway, and he was fast. That was good sparring, I think he took it really mainly 'cause his punch rate was a lot higher than mine and he got some nice body shots off as I was guarding my face too much and leaving my body open and he spotted the gaps! Hopefully if I wasn't as tired I would be able to even this out a bit more!

Lastly I sparred a guy who was heavier than me but more evenly matched on skills as he hasn't had any fights yet either. He was afraid to hit me and I hope he changes his mind 'cause I think we could be good sparring for each other being at a similar level skill wise. I do understand where he's coming from as I'm always a bit worried I might hit a lighter person a bit hard if I don't alter my power correctly. But if people tone it down too much with me in sparring because I'm a girl I will get in a fight situation and get a shock and that's the last thing I want! We did talk about it so hopefully he will lose his qualms about hitting a girl! I felt like I didn't do too well in this round anyway as I was really tired by this point.. To a non boxer I cannot describe the tiredness you get in sparring haha it's like nothing else, ring fitness feels so hard to acheive!

Circuit, joined by a football team

• Jumping on to the blocks with 5k medicine ball.. who got on to the top block with the medicine ball oooooh yeah!! Shocked myself there hehe
• Shrugs
• Push-ups
• Star jumps
• Elevated push-ups
• Upright rows (20kg)
• Leg raises
• Tricep dips
• Step ups
• Punches with weights
  
• Mountain climbers
• Weighted hook twist exercise (15kg on one end of olympic barbell)
  
• Calf raises
• Power drives (15kg on one end of olympic barbell)
• Sit-ups with twist

Then instead of doing the circuit again I had to bail as my dad was giving me a lift home and we were going to be late picking my mum up. I had no feelings of sickness after this workout and was able to eat when I got home. I was so happy! Maybe I've finally kicked this virus to the curb!

I'm getting really excited for my holiday! I have a holiday post coming soon with soooo many pictures in.. got a bit camera happy while I was getting some of my stuff ready for it! It's been five years since I've been out of the country I can't even tell you how excited I am! I'm off now to think about packing my hand luggage and sorting out my holiday make-up... making sure I haven't forgotten to buy anything!

What are your holiday essentials?

Strange Sparring

...and other boxing...

I did go boxing last Thursday before I woke up ill on Friday morning... I can't remember what we did anymore though to be honest! So we'll move on to Mondays... I didn't have the best workout... nutrition was all wrong, didn't eat breakfast before my early shift (gotta be there for 6.45 so not always able to eat that early..) only took a total greek yoghurt with me and forgot I was staying late so at work til 4pm on just a yoghurt after being up since 5.30... managed to eat a banana and 2 slices of toast with pb and honey by about 4.30 but it was too close to training and not enough food overall to do a boxing workout.. By the time I'd finished boxing I felt so sick I couldn't eat anything I just showered and went to sleep... Oh and there was the palaver with the escapee bunny, those of you who follow my twitter (@boxruneat) will probably know all about it... he's still running free in the garden, little b*gger!!

Warm up
Run
Heavy bag 5 x 3 minute (1 minute rest)
Pads 1 x 3 minute (1 minute rest)
Felt so sick and dizzy during these rounds, I didn't feel like my work rate was good at all but I was literally dripping with sweat (sorry tmi!) Not sure whether it had more to do with the poor nutrition or the fact I was just coming back from an illness or maybe a combination of both... I felt like I was either going to puke or pass out blehh

Now, the strange sparring...
We paired off, sat on the floor opposite our partners each person had one leg over the others so you had one leg on top and one leg underneath theirs, you had to sit close so it was emulating in fighting where you couldn't use your footwork to escape an attack.. Let me tell you I was not too enthralled being so close to all the men/boys haha I felt rather awkward but I got on with it! No time to be prudish haha it's not like that anyway obviously I'm just easily embarrassed! Anyway moving on! We did about 5 3 minute rounds with 1 minute rest with a different partner each time. I really enjoyed getting back into some sparring and I think this was about the only sparring I could have coped with tonight full sparring would have been too tiring! I'm glad to say I wasn't flinching as much as I was last time we did touch sparring! I found it hard to get through some of their guards but I found myself timing shots quite well and spotting openings.. I still need a lot of work obviously I'm pretty rusty but it felt good to be doing it again!

After that we did the legs circuit... yowza, mine were like jelly after this!

• Jumping over a bench with a 5kg medicine ball
• Jumping onto steps and off again with 15kg bar bell then stepping on and off the steps on the way back..I did it with the proper squats this time, a lower weight though otherwise I think I would have been stuck sat on the floor
  
• Clean and jumping lunge press... clean to waist then to shoulders with feet together then press to full arm extension whilst jumping and landing with your feet in a lunge position.. hope that made sense... it would be so much easier to show you.. (15kg)
  
• Jumping onto blocks... I got on the big tall scary one hurrah! Granted not with the medicine ball but I didn't end up on my arse, bonus!
  
• Lunge jumps over and onto a step
• Walking lunges with 25kg barbell
• Bunny hops with 5kg medicine ball
• Power drive with Olympic barbell plus 10kg on one end
  
• Calf extensions
• Hook movement with Olympic barbell plus 15kg on one end

Thank god we only did this once, I actually couldn't have coped with a second circuit, I seriously considered dropping out 'cause I felt so sick and I do not drop out of workouts lightly, I hate quitting! We did a cool down and I was so glad my dad was giving my a lift home, I felt really rough!! I showered and went straight to bed when I got home, good nights sleep though!

Like a glutton for punishment I went back last night!
Warm up (inc 10 push-ups)
Run
6 x 3 minute heavy bag (1 minute rest)
3 x 3 minute partner footwork drills (1 minute rest)

Cardio circuit 2 mins each station 30s rest between stations

• Exercise bike
• Exercise bike
• Power drives
• Weighted punches
• Step ups with 15kg weight
• Incline sit-ups
• Treadmill
• Treadmill
• Cross trainer
• Rowing machine
• Rowing machine
• Jumping lunges on step

and collapse!! (cool down) Felt really rough tonight aswell, bath and straight to bed... I'm hoping I feel better tonight, if not I'll give Thursdays session a miss.


My Foodie Blog Swap goodies arrived from McKayla @ Green Groats.... Sadly they did not survive the journey :-( But I do have the recipe to try them myself when I have the ingredients in... Gutted, they sounded gorgeous! I'll share the recipe with you all anyway.

Peanut Butter Flaxy Fudge Protein Bars
1 cup chocolate protein powder
2/3 cup flaxseed meal
2 TBS natural chunky PB
1/8 cup water
1tsp chia seeds
1tsp cinnamon
1/2tsp maple extract
1/4 tsp stevia

Mix all ingredients together, add a little more water if necessary. Divide into 8 balls and mold into desired shapes, wrap individually and store in fridge or freezer.




What a shame, they sounded so nice!

Luckily I have a few goodies to keep me going, I bought out H&B on their BOGOHP offer over the weekend and my granola I won from Laura @ Keeping Healthy Getting Stylish arrived to keep me snacked up!

H&B goodies

Lots of xylitol (some unpictured... I love this stuff)
Maca powder
Time release B vitamins (stress depletes B vitamins and deficiencies can lead to depression so I figured with everything going on right now I could do with ensuring I'm getting enough!)
Healthy habits bars, 4 hazelnut and honey (my fave), one oat cranberry and one almond pecan to mix things up a bit!
Bear fruit yo-yo, one blueberry, one raspberry.
Bounce protein bars 2 almond, 1 peanut and one spirulina ginseng
Finally 4 tubs of natural PB, 3 smooth (for porridge) and 1 crunchy (for toast)

So... I've never used maca before? Can you share your fave maca recipes with me?

Busy Little Bee

Wooo it's been a while! I have been working like a mad woman. There has been a nasty diarrhoea and sickness virus going round the home I work at and I have been doing lots of overtime, including a 15.5 hour shift on Monday, my day off... I must be mad it was a gorgeous day should have sat myself in a beer garden and worked on my tan haha.. but the money will be good when it comes in and plus I might still end up catching this virus and having to take unpaid sick days... How bad is that I would have to take unpaid sick days for a virus I would have caught at work... Anyway... My body had been strong so far against it. I really feel like a ticking time bomb though haha. In all this I've actually just had a stonking cold... nothing to stop me working or getting to the gym though, just a bit tired and run down, probably from working too much and still not sleeping well. I'm up at 5.30am tomorrow and I'm writing this post wide awake at 11.15pm.. and that's the time now... Goodness knows what time it will be when I finish writing!! (ahhh only 11.30... is this full of mistakes?)

Anyway... you don't come here for my rants about how hard I'm working or to hear me feeling sorry for myself! I'll share with you my latest boxing workout instead!

Warm up 20 mins of the usual, jogging, stretching, tuck jumps, push-ups etc

Running team drills - this consisted of a few drills which we each did 3 times

• run to the ring (approx 50m) pick up heavy bag, run back to team then back to ring, drop heavy bag and sprint back to team.
• run to ring pick up heavy bag, run back to team, run back to ring, drop heavy bag, run back halfway to team and do 20 jumping lunge type things off a high step, sprint back to team.
• run to ring, back to team, back to ring, back to half way, step up onto steps with med ball when you reach the top fully extend arms then bring back to chest, repeat 10 times for speed, jump sideways over steps 10 times, sprint back to team.

6 x 3 min heavy bag (1 min rest)

7 mins continual skipping

Partner drills with medicine ball

• Person A throws medicine ball to person B who is sat on the floor, person B lies down, touches medicine ball on floor behind head, does sit-up and throws back to person A. Repeat 15 times then swap. x 3
  
• Person A throws medicine ball to person B who is kneeling on the floor, person B throws back, drops straight down into push-up then back up ready to catch again. Repeat 15 times then swap. x 3
• A & B stand back to back and pass the medicine ball from side to side 15 times each side x 2.

Weighted hooks with olympic barbell plus 15kg (3 x 12)

Cool down, 10 mins of stretches.

Plus I biked there and back... I'm not keen on road biking (always feel like I'm going to die on the roads or be fined massively if I go on the pavements..) but I'm trying to save money on bus fares. It costs me 2 pounds a night to box but would be over a fiver including bus fares, now if I go three-four times a week thats 15-20 pounds gone when it could be 6-8... Big difference if I suck it up and bike! Plus it's an extra little workout, it's about 25 mins each way, not sure how many miles but it will be good for leg endurance so... thinking of the positives!

Last bit of good stuff, I got my Matcha powder from Teapigs you can expect a proper review but so far all I have to say is LOVE IT! I had some the day I got it and really felt energised, moreso than my beloved coffee! Shock!! p.s. ETA just noticed they have an offer on the matcha at the moment, 2 for 40 instead of 25 each (sorry my pound button doesn't work!!) it ends 30/06/11 so get in quick if you want to save a bit! Enter matchabod at the checkout!

Hope you're all having a good week, hope I get to post more regularly this week I miss blogging when I'm busy!

Yet Another Boxing Workout

How's everyone's weekend been? I'm just experimenting on my new phone and blogging from work on my break.. Not sure I could do this all the time though! On Friday I went boxing, only four including myself turned up!

Warm up (this one included squatting atg style and jogging? moving? as fast as you can along the floor in that position, moving as fast as you can in a bear hold and then in a crab hold... the first was the worst!)

8 mins continuous skipping

3 x 3 min heavy bag (1 min rest)

5 x 3 min touch sparring - working on technique - the coach seemed happy with me here but I was disappointed, I kept flinching and blinking even though it was only touch sparring and I knew I wasn't going to get hurt so it was annoying that I was flinching.. I know that will go once I get used to it again but...

Leg Circuit... Ohhhhhhhh.... Ouch!!

• Jumping over a bench with a 5kg medicine ball
• Jumping onto steps and off again with 25kg bar bell then stepping on and off the steps on the way back.. I realised afterwards seeing another guy finish it that I think this was meant to be squat jumps.. not just jumps.. think I may have ended up on the floor if I'd tried a squat jump though haha
• Clean and jumping lunge press... clean to waist then to shoulders with feet together then press to full arm extension whilst jumping and landing with your feet in a lunge position.. hope that made sense... it would be so much easier to show you..
• Jumping onto blocks... still bottling the big tall scary one haha.. I will get up there (and hopefully not end up on my arse..)!
• Lunge jumps over and onto a step
• Walking lunges with 25kg barbell
• Bunny hops with 5kg medicine ball (the WORST!! yowza)
• Calf extensions
• Hook movement with olympic barbell
  

We did it twice, once with 1 min per station then a second time with 30s per station we had a short break in between, maybe 5 mins... This was tough!

My legs are still hurting today from all of that! It's still feeling so good to be back though!

Is everyone excited about the Healthy Living Gathering? I cannot wait!

Back to Boxing

So back to boxing last night! Here's what we got up to! I'm buzzing to be back in the gym, I can't wait to get in the ring either... I could have gone to do some sparring tonight but I ended up sorting some stuff out with Mike and decided it was probably best to wait too 'cause it was at another club and I'm not quite looking my best yet... Want to get a reputation for myself for being a good, strong, gutsy boxer not a tired boxer haha

Warm up
3 x 3 min Skip (1min break)
8 x 3 min heavy bag (1 min break)
1 x 3 min pads (so good, but so tiring haha and my legs were dead but I found some power... I would like to think I'd be stronger if I hadn't run a half on Sunday!)
Circuit... this circuit has got even more awesome since I last went!

• Medicine ball sit-ups - twist each side and one in the middle
• bar bell over the shoulder (it's a barbell with a heavy weight on one end and the other end is on the floor, you kind of punch it from one shoulder to the other... couldn't find a picture and my attempts to draw one on paint were no more helpful I'm afraid..)
• Medicine ball rugby pass (to the wall and catch, 2 hands alternating each side of the body.. kind of scared I was going to drop the ball and knock someone out... I didn't luckily!!)
  
• Resistance band punches (jab)
• Resistance band punches (straight)
• Resistance band punches (uppercuts)
• Resistance band punches (hooks)
• Jumping on to blocks with 5kg medicine ball (I only managed the first two... last one was too high and since I almost bottled the first I didn't try it yet but give me some time I'll be leaping on to that thing don't worry ;-) I was so scared of falling on my bum in this one haha)
• Jumps over benches
• Jumps over piled up steps with some push-ups at the end (yeah this section FRIED my already dead legs haha)
• Front of neck press (think I used 10kg)
• Shrugs (used 10kg e/a I think)
• Bent over row (think I used 10kg...)
• Back of neck press (7.5kg for this I think...)
• Squats and lunges (25kg I think)
• hook type thing with barbell (this is similar to the other barbell exercise I couldn't describe haha weights on one end, other end on the floor and hook from one side to the other)
  
• Raised calf extensions

and collapse! We did a minute on each station and I must admit my heart sank a little when the coach said we were doing it again it was tough... he was joking though hehe I like to work hard but I wasn't disappointed when he was joking haha not sure I could have taken another round!

Finished with about 15 mins abs and a cool down

My body feels beat up today but in a good way! I'm still sore from the half too, bending down to get in the meds trolley at work I'm groaning like an old lady and needing to pull myself back up haha.. Don't think that will stop me boxing tomorrow night though! Thought I was on a late but on an early so get me to the gym :D

Hope you all had a happy hump day!

A Few Workouts

I'm really quite late posting this one, I'm sorry to be so sporadic at the moment, my life is a bit crazy right now. I know I'm always cryptic but the things causing me upset and problems involve other people and it's not really fair to be blogging about it - bear with me and hope it's over soon!

Anyway... this workout was done 2 days after the hill race and I experienced dead legs in a way I never have before. It was so incredibly frustrating not being able to punch with any force!

I did one round of pad work 3 minutes non-stop combinations, I love how tired this gets me! My punching remained strong in this round...

Then 10 rounds of 1 minute on, 1 minute off on the bag.. this is when I really started to feel my legs go and got so frustrated that even though I was putting my all into it my punches just weren't being executed with any power! This must be so bad when it happens in a fight or in sparring, I've heard people talk about the effect on your punching when your leg strength has gone but my legs have always held up for me!

After this I did 2 rounds of this circuit 20s on each station with a 1min rest in between rounds..

• Shrugs (2 x 10kg)
• Push-ups
• Star Jumps
  
• Rows (2 x 10kg)
  
• Dips
• High knee DB press (2 x 2.5kg)
• Lunges
• Punches (2 x 2.5k g)
• Mountain Climbers
• V-ups
• Push-press (2 x 10kg)
• Leg raises
• Burpees
  

On Tuesday I went out for a poorly fuelled run... I managed just over 3 miles with a break in the middle to dry heave at the side of the road. Not good. My body is not happy and I need to try and give it better nourishment. I went out yesterday and stocked up on wholefoods and 'safe' foods in the hope of upping my calories. I've also started logging them on the Alpro soya vitality app on facebook I've often shied away from such things thinking when I'm eating 'normally' they can be a bit of a trigger but at the moment it's helping me to realise how little I'm eating at the moment and how much I need to make an improvement... Anyway, check it out, I'll be properly reviewing it once I've used it a bit longer.. It looks like a great free resource for people wanting to watch their weight or just be a bit more aware of what they're eating on a day to day basis. It also includes stuff like time spent with family which is pretty cool as it takes into account the fact that health and vitality isn't just about nutrition and exercise.

Well I've just managed some breakfast and ate fairly well yesterday in comparison to previous days so I'm hoping to head out for a better run soon... as I said in my last post I've signed up for a few races so it's time to get things in order!

Double Workout

That is what I had to leave at home to go for a run yesterday.. I was sad, we were having a nice time chilling on the bed waiting for Mr Parcelforce to deliver a table for our new house... Mr Parcelforce didn't come all morning and I gave up waiting knowing if I didn't go then I wouldn't be able to go and make boxing too.

3 miles in 25.33 (I deleted the 0.01 lap... I'm finickity like that...)
Mile 1 - 9.32
Mile 2 - 8.30
Mile 3 - 7.32
Average pace 8.31

I was intending to go for a slow run of about 3-4 miles so a) wasn't out for too long in case Mr Parcelforce came while I was out and b) wasn't too destroyed for boxing. Since I wasn't running for speed or doing a specific run I decided to take my camera out with my in my armpocket.

This little bridge comes right at the end of mile 1, I refer to it fondly as the pace destroyer as I always lose some pace here!

View from the bridge.. Not exactly spectacular, I know...

Then I ran past some horses

This picture doesn't do it justice but these horses are housed behind the shoddiest fence I have ever seen, it is just barbed wire in some parts, it's a wonder they don't get out! I stopped for a few seconds to stroke this one, he's a friendly guy!

I took this picture to try and show the long hill here, it looks almost completely flat though... I promise it's not!

I completely gave up running slow on the hill... I'm not sure if it was the boost going down or the fact I was really, really hungry but I flew home. I started mile 2 off at a 9.30+ pace and was still at that at my turnaround point of 1.57, in the less than half mile down the hill I had sped that mile up to 8.30 and mile 3 when I checked it about a third of the way through was flying along at a 7.30 pace. Well when I saw that I kind of wanted to keep it there, even though it wasn't part of the plan, so I did! It's probably a good thing I did, as I neared my house I saw a Parcelforce van... Thought to myself I hope it's on the way there not on the way back!!

Believe it or not I actually look significantly less red than usual..

After I took this picture Parcelforce rung me to say they couldn't deliver today, and did I know that my parcel was at a local post office. I explained that even though it was local I didn't drive and did not think I could single handedly carry a heavy, bulky table home from the post office so please redeliver.. They showed up a few minutes later.. Bet they thought I was just lazy! hmmph!

I got a bath on the go and made myself something to eat and then chilled out and did some tidying and cooking before Mike got home.. Then we went boxing!

4 x 2 min skip 30s rest
4 x 2 min heavy bag 30s rest
Circuit - first round 45s per station, second round 20s per station

• Kettlebell squat to clean (10kg)
• Bench press (20kg)
• Medicine ball hold 45 degrees (5kg)
• Wrist roller (can't remember weight low though)
• Medicine ball hold 90 degrees plus squat (4kg)
• Military press (10kg)
• Elliptical
• Low leg raise
• High leg raise
• DB punches straight shots (0.5kg e/a)
• Push-ups (22)
• DB punches uppercuts (1.5kg e/a)
• Kettlebell figure of eights (5kg)
• Jogging on the spot with punches
  
• Incline sit-ups

Cool down

I've never done a proper bench press before.. I was slightly terrified I was going to drop the weight on my head! Pleased to say I didn't squash myself and was able to lift it! In fact I felt pretty kick ass 'cause a lot of the guys there were slacking and I was managing to push through a lot of the weights when they were giving up.

Well today I'm pretty achy so I'm having a rest day I think... Unless I manage to find a few push-ups and chin-ups in me before work!

Hope everyone's having a great day!

Moving House is Stressful!

Tia looks like I feel right now... I could sleep almost anywhere - so tired this week!

I went boxing on Monday and I've only just got round to posting about it :-( Not good!! I've just had one of those weeks, our internet has been on and off all week and we've been chasing up house stuff. We were all ready to go this Monday, everything was in place to go with our money and solicitors and our vendor's solicitor had implied to her that everything was ready for her. However, all of a sudden it turns out the house she is buying is not ready at all, despite being empty. The solicitor selling the property she is buying is doing so for someone who has died and is not rushing at all. We have to be out of our house by a week on Tuesday so things are getting a bit stressful. I always wondered why people said buying a house is one of the most stressful things anyone can do. Now I know!! I really hope we get stuff sorted soon. I can't believe our vendor's solicitor didn't tell her her house would not be ready. I believe she is being truthful to us. The estate agents we are buying through have been really quite rubbish and they pursuaded her to use this solicitor which makes me think the solicitor is probably quite rubbish too. I really hope we get some answers on Monday!

Tia is unimpressed by recent house revelations... or by being woke up by me taking pictures of her.. not sure which...

Anyway - back to Monday's workout.

Boxing
Heavy bag 3 x 3 min (30s rest)
Circuit 1.30 on each station, 30s rest between stations

• Heavy bag
• Heavy bag
• Kettlebell squats + clean
  
• Bike
• X-trainer
• Push-up/sit-up (9 p-u)
• Incline sit-ups w punches
• Med ball
• Leg raises

Technique sparring 10 mins - worked on body shots and combinations, getting in and out.. My problem is boxing on the back foot.. I tend to just keep going forward, which is fine when I'm the stronger boxer. But like last Thursday when I came across someone who could hurt me I needed to be moving in and out and taking less shots so this was useful. I'm looking forward to putting it to the test next week.

We finished the last of the mule bars the other day. I'm going to order some more for lunch boxes for us both.
Apple strudel.. This one tasted a lot like an apple pie nakd bar, the texture was really nice again and so was the flavour.

I loved the mango bar, it had a really strong mango flavour, I can't seem to find the picture I'm sure I took though, but they all look pretty similar. I think this might have been my favourite bar.

Unfortunately neither of us liked the licorice flavour bar. It was too strong and for me had the added yuckness of coconut which I just couldn't stomach.

Well, I'm going to get off for a run soon.. I might give this energy gel a try while I'm out there..

Tough Sparring!

Every time we go to a new club I seem to come out thinking, wow I've never been tested like that before. Last night was no exception! For the first time I got out of the ring knowing I would have lost the fight. I feel really happy about it though, I'd rather be tested to my limits in sparring than go into my first fight unprepared and get a shock.

The training went like this;
3 x 2 min skip
0.5(ish) mile run
3 x 2 min bags
4 x 2 min sparring

Round 1
I started off strong and felt like I looked good. I was cutting him down and landing shots, he wasn't landing too much. And when he was, it wasn't too bad.

Round 2
I think at some point during this round I hurt him and he must have thought bring it on! This is when I really started to feel the shots and he started getting more through my guard.

Round 3
He hit me with a strong backhand and bust my lip. Annoyingly he must have known he hurt me cause he asked if I was ok. (I hate showing hurt as if it was a fight it would fire her up!) I said yes and we carried on. He definately took this round, now he was cutting me down and it was me on the ropes. Dammit! He didn't land much while I was on the ropes 'cause I was covering up well with my gloves and arms. I think he gave me a nice big black eye in this round too!

Round 4
Unfortunately by this time I was really tired, and he wasn't as tired. Or he didn't look it as he was still throwing lots of punches. I took quite a lot in this round and got stuck on the ropes again... Need to figure out how to get off the ropes. No-ones really got me on them before, and if they have I've been able to escape! I like to be the one trapping them on the ropes haha, got by my own game plan!

After the sparring the coach said she'd never seen that much heart from a girl before. That was a massive compliment! :-)

Unfortunately I have to get off to work now, TGIF!

New Boxing Gym

It feels like I've been away for ages! I have still been reading blogs though! This week just seems to have been so busy and flown by, this post has been half written since Monday. Coupled with the fact I've had a few too many 5am starts and my brain stopped working at some point on Tuesday this post might be a bit jumbly... Apologies in advance!

Mike and I made an important descision about our boxing this week. We decided the club we had planned to go to to was too difficult to work around.. It's two bus journeys away from our house which would make the travel time there over an hour each way, probably closer to two on the way home as the buses aren't frequent. That meant we would have to be reliant on family members for lifts. This has proved difficult in the past as we've ended up having to train at home on days when we've thought we would be going, missed runs etc.. You know how I get stressed when my plans change!!

So, although we really liked the coach and there were plenty of boxers at our weights for sparring we decided to try out a club closer to home. Our previous coach had slagged this particular club off and we listened to him and hadn't tried it out. It had been made out to be a lazy club with poor skills.. We decided we should give the place a try anyway, the fact we can get there ourselves is a massive bonus.

The coach seemed really up on her skills. I think there were some lazy boxers there a few of them lit up cigarettes after the session, so perhaps it's those giving it a bad name. It's not something that will get in the way for us. So long as they keep those nasty cigs away from us!

I'm hoping this will be a good move for us as we can get there ourselves which will mean we can go whenever we plan to. The training doesn't finish too late either. At the other club we wouldn't be getting home until 10pm which if I was on an early the next day would be hell as we eat tea after training!

I hope we've made the right descision.. We won't really know until we've been a few more times but I know I've said this a few times but I hope this move will be the one that gets us back into boxing as much as we were when I started this blog!

Anyway, enough of my rambling.. The training!

4 x 3 min skipping (inc 30 push-ups)
2-2.5 mile run (guess 9-9.30 pace..)
3 x 3 min bag rounds
2 x 3 min shadow boxing
Partner drills
Cool down

I was nervous for the run.. All I could think was please god don't let me be the slowest person out there! They had a long route and a short route and the coach sent us out on the long route. As it happened only Mike, myself and one other person ran the long route but luckily the pace was really comfortable for me and I was able to chat with Mike and the other guy, the other guy even said we did it fast so I feel confident for future runs!

Anyway, that was way back on Monday night! We're going back tonight, I'm going to jog there from work so I'll get there a bit late and miss the warm up, hopefully they won't mind.. Other people came in quite late on Monday so I'm hopeful it will be ok. They spar on Thursday nights so I'll get my first taste of what that's like at the club.. hopefully it will be good for me! And hopefully I won't be too tired after work.. Cross your fingers for me!

On another note, I recieved another Graze box... Unfortunately for me Mike decided he likes them too so I had to share! We're trying to work out if we can fit them into our budget as we really like them. I have another half price box (due to my 2nd not arriving, they refunded one and gave me another half price one) and two with a pound off so we have 3 boxes to decide if we're going to carry on getting them. You can still try one for free with this code KVRTFJ1B if you want to, enter it at Graze.

Hope you're all having a good week - roll on Saturday for me!

Back to Boxing

Did you read my last post? Go check the comments, there was some interesting debate in the comments section - thanks for all the responses.

Also, I have a little confession... I didn't eat that pizza last night.......... Mike's dad bought us a chinese takeaway on the way home from boxing and who am I to refuse yummy chinese food! We shared salt and pepper bean curd, pancake rolls, boiled rice, noodles and kung po bean curd. I have lots of leftovers for today, it was a lot of food! By the way.. I didn't realise pancake rolls were the same as spring rolls until last night, I was expecting some random new food I hadn't tried before when Mike ordered them haha

So, as you've probably already gathered, last night we finally went back to boxing!! I hope this is the start of something regular.. It's such a shame neither of us drive cause we're so reliant on others for lifts as public transport to the gym (and almost all the other local boxing gyms) is not good! It was a short session last night just 10 3 minute bag rounds but it was good to be back. Annoyingly we got the start time wrong and missed the warm up run! I could have really done with the run as I've gone and pulled something in my right leg where the thigh meets the hip.. not sure what but I did it in the first round and it's been niggling since. It was so painful this morning but once it loosened up it's not feeling so bad now. Still I've decided not to run today as a little test jog when I was walking Roxie was a bit painful. Shame as it's perfect running weather now, sunny but not too hot.

I always find it frustrating to miss a workout but I'd rather miss one or two than a whole month or something by making it worse. I do sometimes wonder if I should have worked out though, I'm never sure when I'm feeling run down or have some kind of pain, do you push through it or play it safe. I generally try to play it safe but I do get fidgety doing it that way!

Hope everyone's having a good day, I've had a nice relaxing morning reading blogs and doing some not so relaxing cleaning. Must go get ready for work, I'm on a late today and the morning is rapidly disappearing!

Is it Healthy?

It would be hard to write a post today without mentioning the recent article featured in Marie Claire. I'm not going to ramble on about it, I'm sure you've heard enough about it. I just want to say how insulting I found it. The healthy living blog community has actually really helped me in my recovery from an eating disorder. Some of the girls mentioned and lots of the people who read my blog have given me inspiration and a sense of normalcy around food which I had lost. It's not the only factor which has helped my recovery but it's certainly played a part. I found the attack on those girls and the community quite upsetting and just plain awful journalism, badly researched and badly put forward. That magazine along with all those magazines actually could have a negative effect on girls and add fuel to the fire of an eating disorder, I find it so hypocritical that they published such an article. There are pro-ana blogs out there actively encouraging girls to starve themselves or to purge meals, I know because one of them tried to follow my blog before. I blocked them, I have no interest of reading anything like that and never will, furthermore I don't want someone writing a blog like that reading mine. Those are the sort of blogs which should have been targetted if they wanted to write an article like that.. I hope everyone moves on and that the article does not have a negative effect on such an awesome community which I'm really happy to be part of.

Moving on, here's my workout from Sunday, I can't believe I'm only just getting round to posting it, I only have one day off this week (today) so time is short but yay overtime! Here's what we did;
Headstands/ handstands - I actually did a semi alright handstand, then I tried to do it again and totally fell on my head!! My shoulder just decided to buckle, it was one of those half laugh half cry moments I just ended up in the funniest heap on the floor.. good thing I had Mike there to pick me up!
L-sit progressions - These were a bit wobbly today... my core was so sore from Fridays sadistic workout!
Back lever progressions - I really surprised myself with these! I have found getting my legs up to the bar really difficult and could not do it in a controlled way, I'd have to swing them up there so forcefully I'd be swinging backwards and forwards on the bar when I got up there so much that Mike would have to steady me.. I didn't need him this time! Woooooo
Frog Stand - Not much to say about these, they're about the same as last time!

After the gymnastics we did a boxing finisher - 15 minutes on the bag, random times each ranging from 20-30 seconds on then off, you didn't know how long you would be working or how long you would be resting so you had to go all out and just hang on! It seemed to last way longer than 15 minutes. I felt good on the bag though, felt like I was hitting hard and technically well. I'm excited for boxing tonight!

And by the way, I'm off to make pizza now, it isn't low calorie but it will be healthy. I'm making a wholemeal base and it will have plenty healthy balanced toppings, and after I've been boxing tonight I'll be sure to refuel with plenty of it! - So to answer the question in my title, in my opinion it is healthy, this community is positive, healthy and friendly and I'm sure it will remain so.

It's All in the Head...

My leg was still feeling a bit iffy today so I decided to hold out on the running a bit longer. I hope it clears up soon, I definately must be injury prone! Mike's not running this week either as his legs are not great so we did a boxing workout instead.

10 x 1 minute rounds/1 minute rest

Although you get the same rest time as work time it just means you have to work harder in the work time! We're pretty tied to doing workouts where the rest time is the same as the work time or where we incorporate another exercise into our boxing workouts as we usually do them together and we only have one bag up! On the last round Mike said to me imagine you have to beat someone to save me cause I'm in danger.... The bag never stood a chance ;-)

After we'd done the boxing we did about 20 minutes of core work which got me thinking. Do I really need to quit when I think I do? I mean yeah it hurts but when I think I can't do any more is that really the case? I always think I can't carry on but if I really, really had to I'm sure I could push through the pain.. It's all mental isn't it!

Well it's just a quick post today.. Going to see if I can keep my eyes open long enough to watch a film... It's probably a no!

A Good Run and Some Sushi

Yesterday Mike and I had planned to go to the track for our speedwork until we realised some money hadn't gone in to my account so we couldn't afford to go. Then we decided we'd do it on a field again with our garmins. We were all dressed and ready to go when I turned my garmin on to no battery! I must have left it turned on after I'd charged it... yes I can be that dizzy from time to time! After that we decided we may as well switch up the workouts, Mike would go first and do his long run then I would do mine.

Asside from my lack of headphones this run was pretty good! The first half was really tough but I got a really good second wind for the last 3-4 miles :-) I had to conciously slow down in the last half as I didn't want my legs to burn out and ruin the rest of my weeks workouts.

7 miles in 1.01.33 pace 8.48 (prescribed pace: long tempo, 8.53)
Mile 1 - 8.51
Mile 2 - 9.25
Mile 3 - 8.30
Mile 4 - 8.41
Mile 5 - 9.01
Mile 6 - 8.31
Mile 7 - 8.37

Today we did some boxing
1 round = 30s bag/30s lateral jumps x 2
x 10 rounds with 30s rest in between rounds.

This workout was messy! I was so sweaty haha

We made ugly sushi tonight! Has anyone made it before, we need some practice on presentation but it tasted lovely :-)

Sweet potato rolls and egg sheet rolls with cucumber and carrot

Cream cheese and roasted red pepper

Egg sheet rolls

Cream cheese and roast red pepper rolls

Sweet potato rolls

Yummy! We'll be making these again, but probably in slightly larger amounts since it was pretty labour intensive but is disappearing fast from the fridge!

Boxing dilemma

Mike and I went back to our very first boxing gym today.. we thought we should give it a go because for the most part we were happy there, we trained regularly and enjoyed it, it's also a lot easier to get to from our house and would mean we would be out of the house for a shorter period of time giving us more time with the pets.

Warm up - jogging and stretching 15 minutes
Skipping 6 x 1.30 rounds 30s of alternative exercise in between
Heavy bag 6 x 2 minute rounds 20s rest
Sparring 5 x ?? minute rounds
Light dumbbell circuit x 3
Core work 15 minutes
Circuit 30s each station

• Leg raises with medicine ball
• Weighted lunges
• Bag slams with medicine ball
• Sit-ups with medicine ball
• Medicine ball slams (above head to ground)
• Chair dips
• Lifting bag above head from shoulder to shoulder (could not think of a short or good way to describe that one...)
• Alternate dumbbell press
• Stair run
• Raised push-ups (12.. jelly arm syndrome...)

Cool down.

I'm not sure we made the right descision today. All the old problems were still problems. I guess we should have known really... The sparring sessions which were always few and far between were out of control when you got it and today was no exception. They really let the lads go too rough on each other. I know boxing's not a gentle sport but someone with 15+ years of experience should not be allowed to go full force on someone who has not been boxing more than a few months and who is considerably lighter. This was always a problem at the club for the men, they were a lot more cautious with the girls so it never affected me but I didn't like to see it. It happened several times today and it shouldn't. I was put in with someone about 10+ years younger and 15-20kg lighter than me, that was fine because I didn't try to really hurt her (and she's a good little boxer) but it's not the case with a lot of the lads, put in my situation a certain few would have taken advantage and the coaches let them. Several times today I think the sparring should have been stopped. I don't really know what to do. I did love the place and have a huge soft spot for one of the coaches there but I think today just confirmed it's not the right place for us. Problem is now that we've been back and they will expect us to go back, it seems like a real let down to them if we go to another club, and they will know cause the boxing clubs are actually really gossipy!

Well that's my dilemma! I did enjoy the training today it was great to be back in the gym. but it bothers me that people really seem to be out to hurt or that their egos are so big they cannot tone it down and make it responsible and safe so others can enjoy and learn too.. Why do descisions have to get so complicated?!

Running, Gymnastics and Boxing

How's everyone's weeks going? I've had a big change this week, I had to give up my job. I had been having less and less money every month and when I worked it out I was substantially worse off working than being on benefits.. I don't know what is going on there. The whole experience has been so stressful, I can't understand why the government make it easier to be on benefits than to be working. But anyway, enough of that! I have my interview to go back to uni to study mental health nursing on Wednesday. I really hope I get on the course, when Mike is a qualified social worker and I'm a qualified mental health nurse hopefully we won't have trouble finding work the way we have with our current qualifications.

Yesterday I had a good easy run. I resisted the urge to do a slow and fast one since my 10k training begins next week and I want fresh legs... I'm sure I'll be fed up of speedwork soon enough even though I'm missing it lately! Since my headphones broke in the half marathon I've been running without music and I hate it! Can't wait to get my music back on my runs.

5 miles in 49.02, 9.49 per mile
Mile 1 - 9.45
Mile 2 - 9.59
Mile 3 - 10.08
Mile 4 - 9.54
Mile 5 -9.17

I enjoyed a sneaky sprint towards the end, overall this run felt surprisingly hard, I didn't realise how much the half took out of me, but it could be lack of sleep from taking our lovely little pup out to go to the toilet in the middle of the night. Can't complain though as she's been wonderful at toilet training we've barely had any accidents and she's really good at letting us know when she needs to go out :-)

Today Mike and I did some gymnastics, I did the usual routine minus the handstands as I just didn't feel up to them, I tried 2 but felt dizzy so I gave up and did the other things. It was a bit rubbish really I don't think my head was in it today... We did a boxing finisher which was tough! 5 x 1 min power boxing 1 min rest, I was laid out on the floor after the last round!

Right I'm off to go watch some TV and relax with Mike, have a good night everyone :-)

Running and Working

As you all know I've been struggling to fit in workouts around work and struggling to find the right balance. On Thursday I decided to run home from work, it's 4 miles, well, just under so I ran around my street for a little bit to top it up hehe! Mike was worried the roads might be too busy but I just paused the watch to cross them and was extra careful! My only problem was carrying my work stuff home in a rucksack, in future I'm going to leave my uniform at work and carry my money and phone home in my handy arm pocket. The run home started off fast but the rucksack soon got annoying, I've got a wierd blood blister thing on my neck where it rubbed yuck! I'm definately going to make this a regular thing though :-)

4 miles in 36.39 average pace 9.10 per mile
Mile 1 - 8.50
Mile 2 - 9.43
Mile 3 - 9.23
Mile 4 - 9.02

Friday was my day off so I got a good workout in in my own time, it was soo hot! I'm looking forward to the cooler weather in terms of my workouts! We did some boxing;

7 x 3 minute rounds, 1 minute rest.

Each round consisted of 1 minute shadow boxing, 1 minute skill work on the bag, 30s shadow boxing, 30s fast power punches on the bag.... was tough!

Today we did gymnastics, we did ;
Handstands... I'm still terrible!
Tuck l-sits
Skin the cat
Frog stand

It felt better this time, I can't believe I managed to do the skin the cat haha, when I flipped over on the pull-up bar and saw the carpet it was wierd, glad I didn't fall on my head! I did have Mike standing there ready to catch me cause I wasn't sure!

I've been taking loads more Roxie pictures! She's growing!! She's learning really well, yesterday I got her to sit, paw, lie down and wait until I told her to eat the treat all with hand signals! She can do it when I say it too, I sound like a proud momma cause I am hehe, Mike's taking her to a training class tomorrow night with a neighbour who has a doberman, I wish I could go too but I'm at my first trustee meeting with SEED, which I'm also really excited about.

This is Roxie last week at my parent's house

Chillin' with her daddy

playing with my little bro and her teddy

Dad trying to play... Roxie was all wiped out after too much excitement!

Struggling to stay awake

Getting to know Tia (she's just been spayed)

her favourite ball...

chillin' again!

Cuddles!

Tired pets

getting a treat for playing nice with Tia

This one was after Mike had told her off for something and then turned his back to her, she then lay down next to him mirroring him, I thought it was really funny/cute!

Hope everyone's had a great weekend!

Boxing and BBQ Food

I'm on a weeks holiday from work! We're not going anywhere but I am loving getting some rest in before we run our first half marathon on Sunday! Aaarrrgh! It's been gorgeous weather the past two days but I can't help but hope it cools off a bit for Sunday, I wouldn't enjoy running in todays heat, it was sweltering by 10am.

I did my first proper boxing workout in soo long yesterday morning and it left me so sore today. That's the only bad thing about having a week off before the half is I'm scared to overdo it because I want to be fresh on Sunday, I've never tapered for anything before so I don't know whether I'm doing it right haha, time will tell! The workout we did was good but tiring, I think I'm still feeling the throat infection a bit I've been sleeping a lot! I hope I've kicked it for good by Sunday.. We did

3 x 3 minute pad rounds (3 minute rest in between as I padded Mike in my rest)
20 minutes technique work
4 x 3 minute interval bag rounds (1 minute rest)
15 minutes of core work

It felt so good to get a workout in without rushing it! I can't wait to get back in the boxing gym after Sunday :-)

We made the most of the lovely weather today and went for a walk, we had to cut it shorter than intended because we got too hot! While we were out I bought some hairdye, it didn't quite go the colour I wanted but I like it! - Not the most flattering photo but you can see the colour..

We ate outside since it was so warm and Tia wanted to play outside, we can't let her out unsupervised anymore as I think she was scratching the rabbit when we weren't there. She knows she shouldn't but that cat is naughty.. Anything she shouldn't do she does and then stops as soon as you see her! Last weekend I was making the greek yoghurt desert and whilst getting rid of the excess water that had settled on top of the yoghurt in the fridge I managed to dump half the tub in the sink :-( Anyway, for some reason I didn't wash it all away, we came down to find Tia covered in yoghurt leaping out of the sink and hiding! I wish I'd had my camera out!



I also snapped one of Trudy relaxing in the shade
We had BBQ food for tea, nut burgers, quorn goujons, coleslaw, potato salad, new potatoes dipped in hummous, veg dipped in hummous, salad with pomegranate dressing Mike's mum bought back from Turkey a huge feast!



I think Mike caught me dipping some potato...

There may also have been a few sailor jerrys and beers consumed ;-)


Off to watch the Dog Whisperer, we're looking into adopting an Akita at the moment so we've been watching it loads. I always thought it sounded rubbish but it's really quite good! Anyone else like it?