Its coming to get me

I've had a couple of near mosses with lurgies recently and there have been some blunders going around. When others have fallen, my body has soldiered on and I have been really quite proud of myself.  I have attributed this success to my clean lifestyle and the cutting out of all refined crap.. And then, boom; I have a couple of weekends drinking and inevitably eating crap and it has come to bet me. I have a feeling that it is well and truly going to get me too.. Sore throat, which sends men under at the best of times and now the headache is kicking in.

I have got up to 'medicate'. The reason I say it like that is that I have been trying to cut the amount of painkillers and rubbish I take as normally when I am ill I nail the lemsip drinks and end up feeling really sick. I have taken some paracetamol, drunk some warm honey and got some warm salt water. I'm fighting a blocked nose too which always disrupts my sleep and drives me nuts, I'm not sure where my sudafed is but that may have to be dug out unfortunately.

We were supposed to be cycling home last night but Tom got a puncture, which we repaired and then he got another one which we couldn't repair, so train it was.  I won't be going to the gym tomorrow or prob for the rest of the week now; just to top off a crappy health weekend!

On the flip side, we had a great night out in manchester and it was worth falling off the wagon for, when we got back I had the most amazing pizza and cheesy chips binge ever! That's where abstinence makes everything worth while, when you indulge it tastes out of this world!

Growing up is a strange thing

I never expected it to be such an obvious transition; it's like I'm witnessing it happening to someone else and it touches pretty much every area of my life.

The commitment I have shown with my lifestyle choice and the drive to achieve my goals is the one that I share mostly on here, but there are other ways too.  The fact that I can now mostly reason with myself when I encounter irrational thoughts, something most people encounter and handle their entire life but things that used to consume me with negativity. 

When having discussions with people, I have the ability to recognise a person who is open to a discussion and one who has no interest in your opinion but loves the sound of their own voice.  I used to get really frustrated with people like that and insist on pushing my point of view, I have learnt that this is a fruitless task and I stand to gain nothing of any use so just nod when necessary and let them get on with it. 

Its a shock for me, it wasn't how I expected it and there are loads of other ways but these are the two that have sprung to mind whilst sitting, soaked to the skin from riding in the rain and now waiting for Olivia to come and massage Mills.

I have started finishing at 4.30 two days a week, its great that I can have a couple of evenings where I don't feel I am rushing my girls just to get home. I love it, I hate not spending quality time with them and lately, they just seem to have been cast aside.

My back is doing well, went to David yesterday and it wasn't giving up any tension but he worked all around my shoulders and shoulder blades. It so much better than it was, I just need to start working on the stiffness now and doing more riding will definitely help there.  I could feel it working it out tonight.  I guess because riding is something I have done for years and years so my body has hardened to this in particular. 

We are aiming to cycle in tomorrow, works night out after though so they will be locked up tight for the weekend and we will cycle home on Monday evening.  It will be interesting to see how the night out goes, I didn't really enjoy the drink last weekend and decided my relationship with alcohol was changing... I do however, feel a bit of a thirst coming on!! Eek

its a revelation!

I learnt a couple of things this weekend, both good but really quite strange.  It changes a couple a core things about myself really and came with quite a significant slap in the face.

On Friday evening we had a theatre trip to see The Mouse Trap at the Lowry. We had some time to kill before as we were going directly from work, this was killed by going for an amazing meal at a restaurant at media city, called Damson. The food was beautiful, I had scallops to start and fillet for mains but then this is where the revelations began... I finished off with a dessert!! I just decided I was going to have one and I didn't care that it had sugar in it.  That's not the revelation, the revelation is that I didn't get anything from it particularly.  That is nothing on the quality of the dessert, it was amazing but I felt it totally unnecessary and not worth it to what it brought to the entire meal.

Whilst this may seem like nothing to a lot of people, I have always been a massive dessert fiend so this is defo progress.

Revelation number 2, off the back of another load of naughtiness is thay my relationship with alcohol had totally changed. I decided I would try drinking again as I needed to find something I could drink at the wedding that wouldn't kill my indigestion or get me too pissed. I also wanted something lower carb and less bloating than lager. So, wine it was and I opted for a fairly good Syrah red. Whilst it was lovely, there was no enjoyment there really. I need to switch the engrained opinion that I simply must get rolling drunk when I drink and I think I can merrily progress from there. As far as what I am going to drink at the wedding, I am undecided. We have some fantastic port for toasts so may just nab some of that! Ease myself in gently ;-) 

Happy spring!

This is without a doubt, my favourite time of year. Everything has emerged from the winter and is feeling happy; fluffing their feathers, oiling their songs, skipping around and generally being quite literally full of the joys of spring!

I'm not quite skipping around unfortunately, I tweaked my back a little bit again on Monday in the gym... Damn it.  Its not as bad as it was and I know to lie flat when my psoas starts cramping up which helps. I have done what I can at the gym to ease it off and I seem to be managing it pretty well. Tom has cycled in today and I daren't risk it, so pretty jealous about that. I'm loving the bike, it so great to be outside and be able to use the time I always feel I waste in a car, yo get fit and enjoy the fresh air.

There has been a campaign going on on Facebook. People are taking makeup free selfies in order to raise awareness to cancer. I think everyone is all too painfully aware of cancer and I think the message should've been to raise awareness to your own body and get regular checks where available and check yourself regularly too.  I was having my yearly mammogram yesterday coincidentally. I think I have mentioned on here before that we are part of a genetic study run by Genesis on families who, in our instance, carry the hereditary gene BR-CA1.  In fact, I did mention it on here because it was highlighted in the news when Angelina Jolie announced she had had a double mastectomy as she carried the gene and her mother died of breast cancer (or her gmother)

It has also pushed me to book in for a smear, can't remember if I have had one recently and it is such a simple and effective way to keep an eye on yourself.  No excuses!

Plus side, I'm down to 139lbs today... Woo. I think I have a balanced and thought out opinion on the protein debate, I will have to take my time writing it rather than whilst I am on an exercise bike.. Which is how this is being written!!

3 days

3 whole days I've been trying to update my blog and not getting chance. I'm going to bullet point everything as its irritating me now! I just seem to get busier and busier, I don't actually know what to do with myself.

• Didn't cycle again Friday as had sore spots from Thursday. Going to build up from once a week to begin with.
• Had crazy breakfast in town, I had soya latte which was amazing and Tom was defeated by a mahoosive plate of pancakes
• Cycled to my dress fitting on Sat, bet there aren't so many brides that can make that claim. Dress looks amazing and had come in at the grand total of £225¡
• Feeling more confident on my bike already
• Visited my mate Nic on Sat night.  She cooked us an amazing tea. She is helping coordinate wedding so we were chatting about that.
• Ride out early Sunday morning, tidied the house and did some wedding bits
• Tom is getting used to salmon, as long as wild caught sockeye! Progress though
• Difference in colour and texture of wild and farmed is insane
• Gym this morning as we are both exhausted
• SI joint is being a twat and getting sick of it

Pictures: 

I've earned my oats this morning

Yesterday was quite a rubbish day, it was high stress and volume at work and then driving home on the motorway, I managed to run over a piece of metal and puncture my back wheel.  Brilliant! An hour later and we had been retrieved by a tow truck and dropped back off at home.  As with most new cars these days, the manufacturers don't see fit to provide you with even space savers any more! oh no, you get a foam filler and then you cant get the tyre repaired if it is repairable.

So, options today were to work from home, which I really didn't want to do.  I had a new starter in my team yesterday and he was kind of ignored as it was so busy and I don't want him to feel ignored today. Call out a tyre fitter, which I don't think you can do as an emergency or wait until the tyre places open and get my mum to take myself and the tyre to be sorted.. Again, didn't want to waste working time on doing that... Never thought I would say that in my life!

And the other choice.. bring forward my commute to work on my bike! wooo, bring it on. That's just what we did.  +Tom Burgin came with me as he is working just up the road which is perfect and we took it easy as I have no idea how my body will cope.  It was 17 miles and we weren't particularly quick, part of the route was along the canal and the road bikes arent exactly in their element there.  The true test will now be what stiffens up, obviously my back still isnt perfect so, only time will tell!

Either way, that definitely beats sitting in a car of a morning!

Not that i want to jinx myself

But I'm starting to feel so much stronger again. I managed my first headstand since injuring myself, I felt pretty good, although I am still really weary of the slightest twinge I feel. I didn't dare to move into anything other than a plain, straight legged headstand though in case I over corrected and hurt myself.

I also did some messing about with my balance on the medicine ball, I had got so that I could get my head on my knees before my injury, I just have to resist the urge to push it whilst I'm still healing though.

I now have a photographer in the gym with me in the shape of Tom.  He started his new job this week so is going to be coming to the gym with me. Once he has settled in he will be doing 2 days with me, cycling in 2 days with me and then running on the other. Nice to mix things up a bit