OLIVIANIGHT's SparkPeople Blog

Know your natural habitat

Wed, 8 May 2013 10:24:44 EST

When we were at school my sister and I could never do homework in the same room. I need as close to complete silence as it’s possible to get, so I can focus my whole mind on the task. My sister needs her favourite TV programme running, her ipod on and her phone at hand to text and call her friends every five minutes.
If I had those distractions I would never have passed because I can’t think in all the noise, but my sister would have failed if she had to work without them. We both had ...

This is your (metaphorical) kick up the backside

Thu, 2 May 2013 15:38:07 EST

Today I realised I'm maintaining. I've been maintaining for a couple of months, wavering between 10 stone 13 (153) and 11 stone 2 (156).
Thing is my goal weight is 10 stone (140). I don't want to be maintaining right now, I want to be burning fat and building muscle and slimming down like I have been for the last....nearly a year.

I hoped that signing up with a trainer would help, but mostly they've just driven me to a level of irritation I didn't know I could reach without s...

Things I saw on my run today

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 18:30:02 EST

A pretty wall art that said "Just don't look down".

A girl looking terribly sad, and carrying a megaphone.

Someone drawing graffiti on a wall.

They may not sound like much, but they set my writer's mind off like crazy. I sense a story being created around the sad megaphone girl.

Now, on a slightly related note, I have a confession. I joined a gay running club (that's not the confession) even though I'm not gay because I really wanted a group to run...

The torture is over!‏

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 15:30:38 EST

Or is it?
I made it through my two weeks of gluten- and dairy-free eating. Mum even found me a gf df birthday cake! But then I met my trainer and it turns out it wasn't just two weeks to find out if I have any sensitivity. For no medical reason they were expecting me to make this a permanent lifestyle change. A few well-chosen (and quite rude) phrases passed through my mind, but thankfully I managed to keep them there.

Then we had the following conversation:

PT - ...

Cringe!

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 12:21:59 EST

I am so, SO embarrassed.
I decided to wear my new workout trousers to my training session today. They're dark grey, very comfy and breathable. Great. But it turns out they also show sweat like you wouldn't believe.
It was halfway through my kettlebell routine I noticed two very clear patches of crotch sweat. I nearly dropped the bell.
I am never EVER wearing these trousers in public again.

Rude

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 07:09:13 EST

I got a surprise package delivered to my work today - a whole gluten and dairy free sponge cake! It was a present from my Mum because I didn't have a birthday cake.

I shared it with everyone at work because it was enormous. We had a lovely time down here in the office; everyone said thank you and we talked about the taste and the texture and signing up with this cake company.

Then the managers upstairs came down, grabbed their slices and disappeared off again without ev...

'Diet' is a four-letter word

Mon, 8 Apr 2013 10:49:09 EST

My trainer has put me on a gluten-free dairy-free diet for the next two weeks to find out how my body reacts.

Things that I cannot eat or drink:
Toast
Chocolate
Sandwiches
Pasta
Cheese
Couscous
Milkshake
Spaghetti
Biscuits
Rice
Milk
Cake
Yoghurt
Soy sauce
Wraps
Stock cubes
Cereal
Whisky
Flapjack

And so the list goes on and on and on. I know it's for my health, to find out wheth...

Blood and bananas

Wed, 3 Apr 2013 17:08:50 EST

I figured out why they make you wait so long between blood donations. It's nothing to do with letting your body recover, that's just the cover story.

It's to give you chance to forget. When that letter drops onto your doormat you just think "Yeah I'm gonna give blood and save someone's life!".

You don't remember having to parrot your address and birth date 10 times to 8 different nurses.
You don't remember the tension in your shoulders and arms and back as soon ...

April goals

Mon, 1 Apr 2013 07:59:49 EST

150 lbs
5 press ups
5K in 35:30
Make 4 Christmas cards
Text/call one friend back in Crewe each week.

Eureka

Sat, 30 Mar 2013 12:37:49 EST

I haven't been myself for a while. I can't be bothered with things that used to be my burning passion. I seem to have only 3 states of being: angry, sad and asleep.
But while talking to my bf earlier today I made a throwaway comment that turned out to be a giant spotlight on the real problem.

We were talking about the fact that it's not fair my healthy, never smoked, never drank Grandma died of cancer when my 50-cigarettes a day Nan is still going. It's not fair that my 86-yea...

Fitness test

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 15:33:33 EST

Session 2 with my personal trainer was even earlier than last time, and this time it was my fitness test. Some things I did surprisingly well on, some things surprisingly poor, and some were just as I expected.

Push ups - 1 full, 10 half (he only counted the halves because I'm such a noob, and 1 is pathetic)
Goblet squats - 11
Pull-ups with TRX - 14 (I actually DO have some upper body strength!)
Barbell lifts - 5. With help. (Or not...)
Down-ups (easy version of...

Who am I?

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 17:14:05 EST

I'm the girl who's lost 20 lbs without any fad diets, pills, shakes, or detoxes.

I'm the girl who started out struggling to run more than 30 seconds at a time, and now runs for 37 minutes straight.

I'm the girl who cut out every single ready meal and became a cook.

I'm the girl who walked into a fitness studio all by herself and signed up with a trainer.

I'm the girl who's still here, clinging on by my fingernails, when the voice in my head won't s...

Today's experiment:

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 16:27:54 EST

Scrambled egg with crab meat.

I really enjoyed it, but I suspect I couldn't actually taste the crab. I was so afraid of not liking the flavour I added all kinds of other things and probably drowned the crab out.
But it wasn't disgusting so I would try crab again and maybe tone down the other things to find out what it actually tastes like.

First of ten sessions with my personal trainer tomorrow. I'm kind of nervous but also determined to give it 110%. Having a rela...

Parkrun stats

Sat, 16 Mar 2013 16:35:34 EST

Number of people that overtook me - 26
Number of marks overtaken - 7
Number of times I considered walking - 6
Number of times walking - 0
Time - 36:21
PB - No

Not too shabby.

Celebrate the small things

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 14:57:21 EST

I found muscle on my thigh today where there used to only be wobble.

I'm drifting‏

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 12:43:38 EST

I can feel it.

I skipped my run yesterday, just because I didn't feel like it, and spent the evening eating instead.
I haven't marked up my running and ST days on the calendar to tick them off as I go, and I can't seem to work up the energy to do it.
I bought a bag of cookies at the weekend to use for a cake on Thursday. They're gone.
Even walking to and from work I've not yet made it to 10,000 steps in one day this week. Between walking to and from work I just don't...

Woo hoo! And the dangers of 'just one...'

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 15:33:50 EST

For at least 5 years I've only worn one style of jeans, in one colour, from one shop. What can I say, I don't like change.
For most of those 5 years I was a size 14...just. The first week after buying them I could only wear them round the house until they stretched enough to be fit for appearance in public.

Fast forward to this morning: My size 12's are hanging on the drying rack and my size 14s are starting to look like clown trousers. So I grabbed my brand new size 12 jea...

Sum up

Sat, 9 Mar 2013 16:01:40 EST

I'm missing my grandma a lot this weekend.

Just got home from watching the rugby with some people from work. The rugby was good (although Scotland lost) but the food was a huge disappointment. I dithered between the cajun chicken and a chicken schnitzel burger. I knew which sounded healthier, and came with salad rather than chips, but in the end I decided to treat myself and go for the schnitzel.

Worst. Treat. Ever. It was so greasy I couldn't get the feeling out of my...

...

Fri, 8 Mar 2013 16:06:08 EST

http://www.jibberjabbervinyl.com/ilovemy
grandma.aspx

What to do, what to do...

Thu, 7 Mar 2013 13:18:07 EST

Actually no, I already know exactly what I'm going to do.
The problem is I'm second guessing (and third and fourth) whether it's the RIGHT thing to do.

I was planning to try out a running group tonight. One of my friend's invited me a few weeks ago but I still haven't made it yet. So tonight was supposed to be the night, but now it's not for the following reasons (excuses?)

I am exhausted. Is jet lag supposed to last this long? If it is I don't think I'm ever going ...

I went to China and I bought...

Wed, 6 Mar 2013 03:18:42 EST

Panda earrings

Rose earrings

A teeny tiny hair clip

A scarf

A dress (flipping XXXL.) ...

Back home

Mon, 4 Mar 2013 15:42:48 EST

I arrived back in my flat around 11:30 last night, and I was so glad to be home I could have cried.

The Wall was amazing, and I loved seeing the Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven and everything, but Beijing is not the city for me. There''s nothing major; it's not like it's a terrible place that nobody should ever go. There were just lots of little things that added up a bit too much for me.

And I didn't even get to see my friend : (

But still it was lo...

CHINA!!!

Sun, 24 Feb 2013 04:54:56 EST

I'm so excited!!!! In just over 6 hours I will be on the plane!
And...I haven't quite finished packing yet (only things I need to use today) so this has got to be quick.

My Fitbit is going with me, which means that my laptop is too so i can keep Fitbit charged. So hopefully I won't have to disappear from SP for a week. I'm planning to walk as many places as possible rather than risking getting lost on public transport so I should have some serious step badges by the end of ea...

I well and truly did it!

Sat, 23 Feb 2013 14:38:37 EST

Yeah, sorry about the tizzy fit yesterday. I'm reeeeeeally not sleeping well this week AND it's TOM. What an excellent mix.

Thankfully I didn't let my exhaustion stop me getting up and going for Parkrun this morning. If I had I would have missed out on beating my best time by 98 seconds and completely smashing 37 minutes! What a different mood I'm in compared to last week!

This miraculous result was partly from using my new 5K to 10K podcast. the C25K ones were good, but...

Fat Girl

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 17:17:12 EST

Today I feel like I am still the Fat Girl. Like no matter how skinny I get, there will always be that Fat Girl inside me screaming eat the cake, eat some toast, eat a biscuit, eat another biscuit, it's just one, I want ice cream, chips and cake and chocolate and MARSHMALLOWS AND SNICKERS AND PEANUT BUTTER AND BROWNIES AND CHEESE!!

Every time I see an advert for food, or a wrapper, or someone mentions something they ate, I instantly want it.

Tonight I've had at least 3 s...

I should feel bad...

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 15:00:21 EST

The poor guy was only doing his job. But they've phoned me 6 times today, never leaving a message, and it was starting to get annoying. And then there was the fact that he never said who he was calling from until about 5 minutes into the call. And that he was clearly speaking at 100mph just so I wouldn't have chance to say no thank you.

So I let him carry on, as I couldn't get a word in edgeways anyway, and made appropriate 'uh huh' noises when he paused for a millisecond. 8 minute...

I love my Fitbit already

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 05:55:20 EST

And it hasn't even arrived yet! But it should within the next hour, which is why I'm at home, blogging in the sunshine rather than at work. Ah bliss.
Of course I have to go back when it arrives, but let's not think about that just yet.

When I arrived home I discovered that two of my other fitness gadgets also arrived in the regular post! Although the stability ball is 65cm when I specifically asked for 55cm so I'm going to have to send it back and ask for a smaller one. Sigh....

Got to run

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 14:12:59 EST

Just a quick one, I'm meeting my friend to watch Les Mis for her birthday.

Today I picked up my slow cooker (it's bigger than I expected!) and I'm sooooo excited I don't know where to start. I know I want to try it tomorrow so i can just come home from work and eat without having to work some more at preparing something. But I don't know what to make! Two people have suggested chicken so far so I reckon that's what I'll go for. EEEEH! Excited.

Tomorrow my Fitbit should a...

Grandma's gifts

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 16:10:42 EST

Grandma left me some money in her will and I decided to use it to look after myself even better.
This is what I bought:

2 different levels of resistance.

Oh no, quick get ready! Except I can't find my running bra. I lost another 20 minutes looking for it, even going down the back of the sofa (why would it be there??) in...

Final self-love

Sat, 9 Feb 2013 09:47:03 EST

Today I love my overall body shape. I'm a pear and I know it, love those sexy hips. Actually I've always kind of liked my shape, from the front at least, I only wanted it to get smaller not change completely. But now I accept it any size at all.

We went to the farmers market again this morning and got all adventurous. In my kitchen there is now a tray of quail eggs, a celeriac (got it for free, it's remarkable what a smile can do : p) and a couple of squid.
The squid were th...

I said "no" to a Pusher today

Fri, 8 Feb 2013 17:11:24 EST

I didn't even realise she was a pusher, I thought she was just being friendly and not leaving me out after offering the sweets to everyone else.
But when I said no she shook the tin, making the sweets rattle. "Go on, just one."
I said no again.
So she walked over to me and shook the tin right in front of me.
I said no thanks, I have gum at the moment.
She hovered there for a few more seconds. Then finally took the tin away.

Why do people do that? What coul...

Today is....a day

Thu, 7 Feb 2013 16:09:47 EST

I am very tired.

Today I love my ability to read ridiculously fast. Stories are just so exciting when they rush along at breakneck speed.

I'm going to bed now, don't even care that it's only just 9 o'clock.

No sense, no feeling

Wed, 6 Feb 2013 15:34:57 EST

Around 11.30 this morning I was washing my hands and realised that the base of my little finger felt a bit strange. So I looked at it and saw a massive blood blister. Then I saw the one next to it below my ring finger. Then I checked my other hand and found a wee one under my other 4th finger (is it still called your ring finger on your right hand?).

This was, of course, the work of the elliptical last night. What got me was the fact that I didn't even notice for over 12 hours! Bi...

4-mile run

Tue, 5 Feb 2013 14:42:08 EST

I did it. Kind of.

I had no idea how long it would take me to do that distance so i went to the gym straight from work to make sure I finished before they closed. But of course, everyone else also went straight from work, and there were no treadmills free.
So I did it on the cross-trainer instead. Does that still count? It certainly feels like it should count.

Looking for my funnies today, I found a picture that popped back into my head when I was about halfway thr...

Well I find it funny

Mon, 4 Feb 2013 14:57:21 EST

It's possibly just my bizarre sense of humour, but the first time I saw this picture

I could not stop laughing for about 5 minutes. Still makes me chuckle today. So yeah, enjoy the (possibly not) funny!

Today I am loving my work ethic. I had my review at work and my manager said she's really pleased with me. I pick things us quickly, I'm flexible when they suddenly drop different things on me, I've aske...

I have beautiful eyes

Sun, 3 Feb 2013 17:06:41 EST

No, I'm not completely narcissistic. This week's FFF challenge is to share something we love about ourselves every day.

I decided to start with my eyes because they are the only part of me that I've always (even at my highest weight) been able to say is beautiful. Even when I felt like the biggest, lardiest, laziest most useless blob on the planet, I could still tell myself that my eyes are beautiful. Cuz they are.
See

That's motivation right there...

Distribution of labour

Sun, 27 Jan 2013 14:15:17 EST

I think I need to start doing some chores during the week, because the last two weekends it feels like that's all I've been doing. It's good that I feel like I've had a productive day, but then it gets very awkward at work on a Monday when everyone asks what I got up to over the weekend.
"Er sweeping, mopping, cleaning the bathroom, baking..." just add in 'knitting' and I'd sound exactly like a 70-year-old. (Sorry if that offends any 70-year-olds)

I don't know, I'm just a bi...