Hi nice to meet you, welcome to my page

23/4/2013
I've just covered 20k cycling in an hour and worked up a real sweat, showered and feel AWESOME!!!!!!!!!

That is not the cause for celebration.

The reason I'm so upbeat is because doing that hour is the norm for me now and it's all because of what happened 6 years ago today on St George's Day (23/4/2007), the Saint's day for England.

I underwent a life-changing brain operation for ...

Hi nice to meet you, welcome to my page

23/4/2013
I've just covered 20k cycling in an hour and worked up a real sweat, showered and feel AWESOME!!!!!!!!!

That is not the cause for celebration.

The reason I'm so upbeat is because doing that hour is the norm for me now and it's all because of what happened 6 years ago today on St George's Day (23/4/2007), the Saint's day for England.

I underwent a life-changing brain operation for dystonia and the moment I woke up I just knew it had worked.

I have a set of metal rods embedded in my brain now connected to a battery pack in my upper chest, very small- similar to the way a pacemaker works, which cuts out messages to my muscles that caused some severe and painful tics or spasms.

I was unable to walk 100 yards without help some days and spent my time at home having been medically retired in 1989. I was on a cocktail of spasm and pain relieving drugs before the op and the side effects caused depression and weight gain (allegedly…at least that was the excuse I hid behind. Portion control wasn’t the half of it!) My life was, looking back, HELL.

Fast forward to 2007 and after the op.
I could now stand up straight instead of doing a Quasimodo impression and could walk around the hospital the following day, up and down stairs and be able to see my feet- I could not look straight down b4!

I could do housework without getting tired and ironing was so much easier- no shoulder and neck pain. Yes folks I relished trying everything I couldn't do, or do with difficulty, just to try out this new gadget.

I made my mind up that once I was fully recovered I wasn’t going to waste the surgical team’s efforts; I was going to live life well and get out and enjoy myself.

Confident that I could do more I resolved to ditch the extra 34 pounds I was hauling around because of not being able to exercise and having joined SP in the September 07 I decided to research nutrition and exercise and make 01/01/08 my start date.

I tracked everything on the nutrition tracker; every morsel that passed my lips, did regular weigh-ins (and took measurements) and what little cardio exercise I could do. Talk about out of shape-5 minutes was enough to knacker me!! I set myself mini goals and rewarded myself for each goal met.

By mid March 08 the 34 pounds were gone and I was exercising daily, eating much more healthily and my palate had changed beyond recognition.

Gone were the pizzas, burgers, cakes, deep-fried fish and chips and takeaways.

In came grilled fish, oven baked chicken, masses of raw veg and fruit , brown rice, whole wheat bread and pasta and a fondness to try something new to eat every week.
OMG the contents of my fridge now are SO different!

I conquered the agoraphobia, finally facing up to that in the spring of 08 with Cognitive Behavioural Therapy….which like the op has been successful and I’ve travelled on the London Underground on my own- never done that b4 EVER.

My other half supported me by buying me the ankle weights and dumbbells I wanted and went on to surprise me with a stair stepper, stop watch and pedometer for my 51st birthday bless him and for Crimbo 2008 Pete announced that he’d be treating us to a multigym as a Christmas present to us both from us both, which is in our spare bedroom along with the bike. WOW my own gym LOL. He then surprised me with extra “stocking filler presents” as he called them of a stability ball, resistance bands and a yoga mat (much needed as our floor was getting too hard for my smaller, less padded body lol).

Feb 1st 2011 saw another operation to replace the failing battery with a rechargeable one which will last me til I'm 62-or there abouts- and once a week for an hour I sit with a portable recharging unit and recharge myself. I thought it might keep reminding me I still have dystonia but it hasn't, I usually spark and catch up on blogs so I'm distracted and the hour soon goes!

So 5 years on you can see where I'm coming from;

Why my maintaining weight is still stable at around 125..coz I look GOOD “girlfriend” ...any lower I’d be scrawny…not attractive in your 50's!

Why I love ironing.......well almost.... coz I can!

Why I love to clean..........coz I can and it's a great workout

Why I love to do gardening...........coz I can and I get fresh air for free

Why I love to exercise.......coz I can and I feel alive and sexy afterwards (and my sex life is awesome!)

Why I love to eat healthy food....coz it feeds my body and fuels me to be active

Why I love to go walking in the park with music blaring on my Ipod..........coz it feels good to feel my hips move freely and I know Quasimodo has gone for good.

Why I love to go shopping for clothes and going out to theatres…coz I can and I'm not embarrassed any longer by spasms or tics.

Why I love to use weights..........coz I never had muscle strength at all before and it's given my curves and contours in all the right places and muscle definition

And why I love to Spark...........coz I have had an amazing journey and you, my spark friends, you've been there supporting and encouraging me all the way to push until I can say now that I am a healthy specimen and that my cup is 99% of the time FULL if not overflowing

I’m stronger, fitter and more confident than I was in my thirties or teens and feel happy with my body shape- a UK size 8/10 but I am now interested in keeping definition- not bulging muscles just definition and increasing my fitness further-I love to revise my exercise plan every couple of months or so- keeps me motivated and focused(see below).

Cardio
At least 4 x a week with but one day resting; either cycling, walking (make the most of the changes of the seasons and getting some fresh air), aerobics DVD, stair stepping or kettle bell.

Strength Training
50 mins of supersets with various weights or multi gym for the whole body, twice a week and a 40 min concentrated core workout twice a week

Multi gym supersets;

Multi gym Outer leg rise 4 x 10 @ 15 pounds
Multi gym Inner thigh abduction 4 x 10 @ 15 pounds
Multi gym Lateral pull downs 4 x 12 @ 29 pounds
Multi gym Lateral pull downs 4 x 8 @ 42 pounds
Multi gym Leg curls 4 x 10 @ 15 pounds
Multi gym mid rows 4 x 12 @ 29 pounds
Multi gym mid rows 4 x 810 @ 42 pounds
Multi gym Pectoral Fly 4 x 10 @ 15 pounds
Multi gym Seated leg extensions4 x 10 @ 15 pounds
Multi gym Bench press 4 x 10 @ 15 pounds
Multi gym Decline press 4 x 10 @ 15 pounds
Multi gym Seated leg extensions 4x 10 @ 29 pounds
Dumb bell biceps curls alternate 4x 8 @ 11 pounds
Dumbbell Wrist Curls 4x 8 @ 11 pounds
Dumbbell calf rocks 4 x 8 @11 pounds


OR:
The Metabolism-Boosting Superset from Fitness Magazine; alternate every 2 exercises 3 times using a variety of weights from 5 pounds to 11 pounds.

12 x Bent-Over Row
12 x Decline Bench Press
12 x Forward lunges with ball at back
12 x wide leg squats (plies)
12 x Preacher Curl
12 x Diamond Push-Up
12 x Quadrupeds
12 x One-Legged Calf Squat
12 x crunches with twists
12 x Roll-Up
12 x shoulder press
12 x Forward raises
12x dumbbell side bends
12 x advanced wood chops

FEEL STRONG AND AWESOME AFTERWARDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!


CORE WORKOUT FROM May 2011 onwards lasts about 40 minutes

3 x 15 crunches on ball
3 x 15 bridges on ball
2 x 15 kneeling roll out using ball
2 x 30 back extensions on ball with side waist twists
2 x a5 combined chest press and crunch
2 x 15 reverse crunches
2 x 15 clamshell crunches with ball
2 x 15 crunches with twists
2 x 15 crunches with twists OR2 x 15 crunching (side bend and touch ankle)
2 a 15 roll ups
2 x 15 swimming
2 x 15 classic wood chops
2 x15 dumb bell crunches
1 x to "muscle failure" dumb bell crunches
1 plank (I try to do it for the duration of whatever record is being played on the radio at the time of my workout taking it most times into 4 mins) any variation (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqzH3JfI9h
I&NR=1)

And I wind down EVERY night b4 bed with some yoga ending with the full Plough position.



Goals Met/Achievements along the way;

29 March 08
Weight down to 125
The weight sometimes plateaued and then I’d loose 3 or 4 pounds in one week, averaging out 1˝ pounds a week over 3 months (which is what Spark People recommends). I rewarded myself for every 5 pounds lost with inexpensive chunky and unusual jewellery and eventually some new size 10 clothes having got to my goal weight.

29 March 08
I’m now flexible enough to get into the Yoga Plough position-a mini goal I’d set myself.

5 July 08
To do the plank for 2 reps of 1 minute.

27 July 08
Have slimmed my thighs and calves enough to get into some skinny pedal pushers. I feel like a teenager! I treated myself to some bikinis- LOOKING AND FEELING AWESOME” I never envisaged me, at 50+, being able to wear a size 10 bikini AND have Pete tell me what fabulous abs and thighs I have!!!!

29 Nov 08
1st 2 hour straight cardio workout

14/12/08
To try out HIT (HIGH INTESITY TRAINING).
IT WORKS WOO HOO! Going to incorporate this as a bench mark now. .

1/17/09
Try out resistance bands and stability ball to add interest to work outs. Now regularly sit at my computer on the ball to work my core muscles.

1/27/09
Re-evaluated workouts………

2/22/09
Got one 80 minute continuous cardio session in for each week of Feb

May 09
At least one continuous 90 minutes cardio session each week

June 09
Wanted to do at least one continuous 90 minutes cardio session each week......I did 8!
Continued to vary the weights on the dumb bell routine and took exercise outdoors when possible- did that 3 or 4 times the weather was good enough for me to take my weights into the garden and have the radio with me to work out to.

July 09
Lost my MOJO for a few days and blogged about that.
Fortunately for me with the help of my Spark friends and a stern talk with myself MOJO returned with a request that now and again she needs a breather and will disappear without warning if I don’t turn it down a tad.

August 09
I said at the beginning of August that I felt my physique is where I want it now (even though I’ve been at goal over a year I’ve been working on my “shape” and toning up) and although I shall continue to exercise I’d be trimming back and want to add variety.

September 09
Aimed for 1x 60 minute cardio every Sunday (and just 5 shorter ones during the week)
1 double session on the multigym a week
At least 400 crunches a week
Reintroduced some 2 minute planks

October 09
As for September and added side planks and side planks with twists

November 09
Now do 2 reps of 15 with 3 kilo (6.6pounds) dumb bells and each rep takes 20 minutes or I mix up the weights doing 1 or 2 reps of 8 at 4 kilo (8.82 pounds) where my arms allow- lateral raises are my weak spot.
I’ve also added between 5 and 10 reverse squats with bicep curls (pinched from Jillian Michael)

Feb 23 2011 reviewed exercise plan

May 2011 new scales bought weighed me higher than the old ones but I knew I could not have gained 5 pounds in 3 days so I'm keeping my weight around 126 ......I am not defined by the scales alone, my clothes fit just the same and I measure the same!
More over I am fit!

November 2011 and into April 2012

Adding supersets once a week to my fitness;

The Metabolism-Boosting Superset from Fitness Magazine; alternate every 2 exercises 3 times

12 x Bent-Over Row
12 x Decline Bench Press
12 x Forward lunges with ball at back
12 x wide leg squats (plies)
12 x Preacher Curl
12 x Diamond Push-Up
12 x Quadrupeds
12 x One-Legged Calf Squat
12 x crunches with twists
12 x Roll-Up
12 x shoulder press
12 x Forward raises
12x dumbbell side bends
12 x advanced wood chops
AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!

FEB 2013; STILLL HERE AND MIXING IT UP; a rotator cuff injury put paid to UB ST for a while.........but that's no excuse not to workout. I've been working other areas and now (25/2/2013) I'm gradually getting some UB work done. Low weight for now, but I'M BACK

April 5/4/13 First full Multi gym workout since injury. YESSSS! Loved it!

Thank you SP it’s been some journey WOOHOO and one I’m so please I’ve made it and continue to be slim, fit and healthy!

Read More About NEW-CAZ (Updated May 14)

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