Somebody please pass the botox....

Welcome back readers, and well done for the bravery you have shown by coming back after I threatened to post photos of my thighs.  Lucky for you that disgusting sledge of a swampwater masquerading as cellulite eliminator juice has shockingly not worked overnight.  Damn, I was so hopeful.  Anyway....

Ahhh how I hate teething.  Yet another night of broken sleep and at least five new wrinkles as of this morning.  As well as crying and whining, and the Little Princess cried and whined too.  Oh how mommy envy is kicking in for those of you who have babies who actually sleep through the night and who teethe with relatively little fuss.  Each new tooth is usually a two week nightmare for the Little Princess which ends when those little white spots finally break through and more wine than usual has been consumed by mommy and daddy.

On a positive note I made it to the gym last night and managed a full hour of a bit of cardio and my complete resistance training program and have lived to tell the not very exciting tale and (knock on wood) am not suffering too much.  Going back again this morning, this time for a longer cardio session (likely the treadmill) and some abs.  Thought to ponder - are they still called abs when they're covered in fat? Should I just call them flabs for now? Hmmm... today's healthy recipe coming later.  I've decided to give up coffee and tea, so am looking for an alternate source of a temporary energy boost before I can type more.  My head says "go to the kitchen and have a banana with some almond butter and a huge glass of water".  My heart says "go find the nearest crack den and buy a few grams".... stay tuned later for which will win out!

The Benefits of Resistance Training

 Well today I had a fantastic session with a personal trainer at my gym, with my specific request being help with resitance training.  Unfortunately, as I have learned, all the cardio in the world does not give you a lean, toned, peak performing body.  Just to clarify, resistance training will not make you look like the moustached, hairy female gymnasts of the old East Germany (but if you happen to like that look than go for it...) or give you the massive thighs of cyclists.   Resitance training also does not mean a resistance to any kind of physical training, something I do occasionally (or often) suffer from.   Here is one definition of resistance training....

Resistance training is a form of strength training in which each effort is performed against a specific opposing force generated by resistance (i.e. resistance to being pushed, squeezed, stretched or bent). Exercises are isotonic if a body part is moving against the force. Exercises are isometric if a body part is holding still against the force. Resistance exercise is used to develop the strength and size of skeletal muscles. Properly performed, resistance training can provide significant functional benefits and improvement in overall health and well-being.

The goal of resistance training, according to the American Sports Medicine Institute (ASMI), is to "gradually and progressively overload the musculoskeletal system so it gets stronger." Research shows that regular resistance training will strengthen and tone muscles and increase bone mass. Resistance training should not be confused with weightlifting, powerlifting or bodybuilding, which are competitive sports involving different types of strength training with non-elastic forces such as gravity (weight training or plyometrics) rather an immovable resistance (isometrics, usually the body's own muscles or a structural feature such as a doorframe). Full range of motion is important in resistance training because muscle overload occurs only at the specific joint angles where the muscle is worked.

A bit wordy, but you get the point... the benefits of resistance training are huge.  Strength, increased bone density, fat reduction/muscle increase, pain reduction, and on and on.  Personally I am interested in it for strength, improving my core strength and stability, increased flexibility and to aid in the healing of an ongoing shoulder injury.  Obviously secretly my number one goal is the reduction in size of my ass and thighs, but I dare not speak that dream aloud in case it never comes true ;-)

So I now have an easy to follow, 20 min/3 x per week program that I am really happy with.  I will keep you all posted on my progress assuming I do not pass away suddenly from previously unused muscles seizing up or from the rare disease CWD (Cadbury's Withdrawal Disorder). 

Big Steps for Small Steps

Just a quick update on my last post.  I've just heard back from Small Steps, and it looks like I will be able to run for them, so my running campaign will soon be renamed Big Steps for Small Steps :-)  You can check them out at http://amyhanson.co.uk 

Happy running!

How much do we do to help other people?

It's easy to get caught up in our daily lives and trying to get things crossed off of our never ending, ever expanding to-do lists (or our honey-do lists, the lists we give our husbands to do...which reminds me, I have about 5 things to add to my honey-do list...).  I've been inspired by my cousin's 15 year old son, who is busy trying to raise $2000 and shave his lovely long red curls off for the breast cancer campaign "shave to save", breast cancer being a cause close to his own heart.  I thought teenagers were supposed to be the best example of selfish, disinterested in society behaviour, so this strikes me as a fantastic thing to do and has left me with the question, "What can I do for an organization other than Myself, Inc?"  Being a tired, overwhelmed new mom is a great excuse for not doing much for the greater good, but in the end it's not really a great excuse is it?

So I'm busy trying to come up with a plan.  As I'm currently already training for both a 5k here in England, and next summer's midnattsloppet 10k midnight run in Stockholm, I believe I'm going to do them for a charity other than Improve the Size of my Own Ass (which is a good cause in itself, believe me).

I'm waiting to hear back from a charity I would really like to run for, called Small Steps, which buys shoes for children who work on dumps around the world as their feet are especially exposed to harmful toxins and chemicals.  I'm also debating organizing a group of local moms together to run a 5k for a childhood obesity charity as I thought that would be a great example for our own kids, and hopefully others.

Would love to hear what you all are doing for the greater good of the world... or if you would like to make a donation to Tim's Shave to Save efforts, drop me a line or it's on facebook at the following link:

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?cropsuccess&id=731800343#!/group.php?gid=113705828679407&v=info

Running gear & Twitter!

Thanks to the suggestion by the fabulous LadyV, Little Princess and I headed for our local running shop this morning which does gait analysis for runners (thankfully the video playback does not show your butt, just your running strides!).   This involves running a few seconds on a treadmill while it's recorded and analyzed and then again whilst trying out various new shoes.  It was highly useful as my previous strategy for choosing any fitness gear was purely brand, fashion and colour based.  Definitely would recommend this analysis to any other new runner! Ended up with a highly comfortable adidas, which is not something I normally would have chosen based on previous strategy.  The bonus - £100 pounds off the normal price so I really couldn't complain!  I'm also kitted out with a fabulous New Balance running jacket to beat off that British drizzle as well as running socks, so I'm good to start the outdoor training.

The shop also acted as improptu babysitters for me as Little Princess decided that her usually comfortable Quinny Buzz was more like a Turkish prison cell today and she was having none of sitting patiently.  So I was able to have a good look around at the gear while she was carted around like the Queen of the shop by the owner while managing to completely mangle his sunglasses when his head was turned for all of two seconds.

Please do follow me on twitter (mummygetsyummy)...if I get 10 followers by the end of today (Friday) I will add an extra outdoor run to my schedule this week and head out tonight (looks like in the rain!)

Happy running!

Fitness Update # 1

Ah, you may be saying, it's all well and good to be posting about The Little Princess, but how am I doing on my journey to achieve the body of Katie Price (but please god not her face or her perma orange skin tone)?  I hit the gym again yesterday and managed 3km in 30 minutes, as well as close to 10 minutes on the galileo vibration plate.  If you've not tried the galileo, I highly recommend hightailing it to your nearest gym - they are FAB.  I find them particularly useful for pain reduction as I have an ongoing right shoulder/neck injury that has proved resistant to most therapies so far.

Next up: starting the outdoor running this weekend (if you happen to be driving through Surrey in the coming days/weeks and spot a red faced and gasping woman curled over or seized up in pain while screaming like a banshee, be a good samaritan and toss a bottle of water or a family sized cadbury's bar out your car window)

Am also going to start resistance training this weekend when I have my first session with a trainer at my gym (who is hopefully, blonde, Scandinavian, 6'2 and called Sven) and really need to work on my core stability and fitness, which has never really recovered yet since having the Little Princess. 

Ah yes, and also need to invest in some new gear.  First on the list is new running shoes (have been recommended the brand Minuzo - any thoughts on this?) and a sports bra, and have been recommended the following, carried by John Lewis.  Going to check them both out this weekend and hopefully decide soon....

http://www.johnlewis.com/26471/Style.aspx

Happy exercising, whichever your sport/activity of choice!

Every Little (bit of exercise) Helps

I've had a revelation that I do not have to start off at marathon level running.  I can take small, daily actions that over time will add up and help me to achieve my health and fitness goals.  With a husband who works very long hours and travels a lot, there will be days when I simply can't get to the gym or out for a run and will have to take small steps and get creative.  Things such as long walks with The Little Princess and stopping to do a few squats or lunges while she admires the ducks in the pond, keeping a skipping rope on our patio, and who can resist a few good old fashioned aerobics DVDs full of big hair, sparkly legwarmers, and shocking pink leotards a la 70s?

This morning I had booked a creche space at my gym, so once I had pried a diamond earring and a blue ball point pen out of The Little Princess's hand (mental note to look for the other earring...hmmm) and pretended I didn't notice the blue streaks all over her face, I dropped her grumpy (lack of sleep) self off and prayed she would last more than 10 minutes without full blown shrieking demanding mommy's return.  Then I stopped worrying and realized that even 10 minutes exercise is better than nothing!  Unfortunately I chose a treadmill with a broken TV that wouldn't change channels and rather than change treadmills, was forced to endure 20 minutes of P. Diddy's Starmaker (how he ever became famous is a rant I'll save for another post on another day) and vowed to remember my iPod next time.

Success - 35 minutes of cardio (a mix of walk/run and elliptical trainer) followed by some stretching and abs and creche booked for tomorrow morning as well.

Anyone else have any tips on how they fit a bit of exercise into a busy life?

What the hell happened?

The first of hopefully many blogs! I say hopefully as I am a serial "starter" and serial "non finisher" (or commitment phobe as I like to call it).  I am great at trying new things and coming up with sometimes crazy plans, but not the best at seeing them through to completion.

Life has done a complete 360 in the past year when I became mom to my fabulous, fun, beautiful and unfortunately virtually sleepless daughter, The Little Princess.  Fitness and healthy eating somehow went out the window as large meals, sugary cups of tea and not-the-healthy-kind granola bars saw me through sleepless nights, feedings, the days where the crying and fussing seemed never ending, and the days when the baby cried too.  My long ago adopted and much loved vegetarianism disappeared out the window along with any hope of wearing a bikini as I just grabbed whatever was quick, easy, and sadly, calorific.

As my fellow new moms gasped in surprise as they were fitting into their pre pregnancy size 10 skinny jeans within hours, days, or weeks after giving birth to enormous 11lb babies, I was gasping in surprise as my weight went up and my maternity clothes gave way to new clothes in a size much larger than I would have liked.  Oh how I longed to visit said skinny friends with boxes of krispy kreme donuts and secretly pinch their sleeping-through-the-night-already little cherubs.

I had plenty of excuses at the ready..."they have their families nearby, mine is thousands of miles away so I get no break"..."I'll start exercising when she sleeps through the night and I'm not so exhausted" (um...I will likely be arthritic and collecting a pension when that happens)..."I'm breastfeeding, the weight should just drop off."  (who knew that a newborn doesn't consume more calories than are in an entire pack of chocolate digestives?!) The simple truth is that there is no good excuse for not eating healthily and exercising moderately.

Fast forward ten months and my plan is simple.  No quick, overnight fixes.  No fad diets of eating only cayenne pepper on Wednesdays during a full moon.   No surgery, botox, or cheek implants made from the semen of rare red squirrels (or whatever the current fad is).

1.  Healthy, non packaged as much as possible food, in moderate portion sizes
2.  Exercise and work towards my goal of completing a 10k race within a year
3.  Return to vegetarianism and my love of vegetarian cooking
4.  Scales are evil - the fit of my clothes will tell me just fine how I'm doing
5.  Share my journey

Happy reading, and I would love your thoughts, feedback, experiences, criticisms....