24.

Inspirational Stories

Jane didn’t let being diagnosed with Stage 3 Advanced Lung Cancer from stopping her love of running, or her goals to complete the Snowdonia Marathon.
This is her story:
‘After being diagnosed with lung cancer in June 2014, I had chemotherapy and radiotherapy, meaning I had to pull out of that year’s marathon.
‘In June 2015 I had surgery to remove the upper right lobe of her lung. I signed up and ran the Snowdonia Marathon 2015 just 4 months later’.
Having run the Snowdonia Marathon three times before, 45 year old Jane was left disappointed after having to pull out of the 2014 race.
‘After being given only a one in three chance of survival. I decided that completing the marathon would be a good way to finish the year of treatment!'
Jane used it as a way to ‘raise awareness of lung cancer, and funds for continued research into the disease’.
During treatment and surgery recovery, Jane was off work which so she is ‘free to go out when I feel like it.
‘I fit it around the weather, when the dogs need to go out, or if I just want to have a solo run in the nearby Welsh hills’.

What's next?

It seems that Snowdon holds a special place in Jane’s heart. ‘Although I had to take a bit of time off after last year’s marathon. I’m all signed up for the race this year, I am now going out again as often as I can.
‘Currently my scans have been clear post surgery and so all being well I will be able to train more this year.
‘All being well I hope to be back on the starting line and can hopefully improve on my PB!’

Favourite running song:
Stereoside - Always Remember
Ultimate training tip:
Incorporate running into your day. Don't always run to your watch but run to enjoy.
I run with our dogs on the forestry trails and the miles whizz by faster.
First memory of loving running:
On a trail run in the local welsh hills surrounded by wildlife and good views!’
Must have kit:
My bandana and lip balm!
Post Run Snack of Choice:
Avocado and marmite on rye toast!

I hope this inspirational story will persuade you to go out and get your sweat on!

23.

This Girl Can:

On 11^th March at Brockington College, you should get your mum, daughter, sisters and all of your girlfriends together for a girls' night out with a twist!

This Girl Can is a national campaign, developed by Sport England and a wide range of partnership organisations. It is a celebration of active women up and down the country who are doing their own thing no matter how well they do it, how they look, or even how red their face gets.

Personally, I love this campaign, encouraging women to do what they want, however they look.

It's great!

Looks should be secondary to making yourself not only healthier, but happier and a lot more energetic.

In aid of LOROS, jump, lunge and leap yourself into this night.

What's there?

• Taster sessions including: Zumba, Legs, Bums&Tums, Insanity and Yoga.
• Mass Clubbersize – not to be missed!
• Challenge Zone
• Health/ Beauty Treatments
• Info Stalls
• Complimentary Drink and Buffet

So not only is there tasters of a new lifestyle that you could jump into, but there's free food too!

The tickets are only £5, this includes a goody bag and a t-shirt, there's no reason not to come!

This is all in aid of LOROS, a local charity, every year caring for over 2,500 people across Leicestershire and Rutland. Providing free, high quality care and support for terminally ill adult patients, their family and carers.

If you would like to book a place then please visit:

www.lrsport.org/thisgirlcan

01509 564888

info@lrsport.org

22.

Pub Grub: Yes or No

Everyone loves to eat out, to indulge themselves on something delicious.
But some pubs have been claiming that they’re changing, that they’re healthy and suitable for any diet.

I am not one to believe this.
To me, pub food is and will always be stodgy, and something to eat when you need cheering up.

There are always ways to make your meal healthier when you’re eating out; some are listed below thanks to NHS Change4Life:

•         Try swapping fried rice for steamed rice, or fried noodles for boiled noodles. You could take this one step further and go for steamed dished on the menu containing vegetables, chicken or fish.
•         Dishes made of tomato or vegetable sauces usually contain less fat than ones with creamy sauces. Try swapping your usual curry for a madras or tandoori dish when you’re eating out.
•         When you’re having pizza, swap your usual cheese stuffed crust with a thin, crispy crust instead and choose lower fat toppings such as chicken, prawns and vegetables.
•         When picking a starter, change your usual fried starter like prawn toasts for something like soup. Soup will contain less fat and will fill you up, which means you’re less likely to eat your entire main course.
•         If you usually have an alcoholic drink with your meal, choose the smaller size! This way you will most likely drink less, which means less calories, and you might save a few pennies too.
•         If you’re eating out, some restaurants offer free refills of fizzy drinks with your meal. This makes it easier for you and your children to consume more calories and more grams of sugar. Try asking for a jug of water on the table instead of refills, this is free too!
•         You don’t always have to miss out on your favourite take-aways. When you really are craving good grub, swap for the ‘low fat’ option.

To explore the Pub world further I spoke to Simon Pick, the owner of the pub, The Plough, Littlethorpe.  I asked him all about his food and the health industry, our conversation goes as follows:

“Do you think that your food is healthy?”
Simon replied: “I think it is. You can always improve things, but we always try and get things like sour cream, all of our dips, low fat.
“I don’t think that when people come here for a meal they generally think about the health aspects of the food, they just want to come out and stodge."

I asked: “Has anything changed in the industry recently?”
He said: “The industry has become a lot tougher, and no one makes as much money as they would do, it is very competitive.
“Everyone has to have an angle to get customers in, our angle is that everything is home cooked, we don’t buy any of our meals in, this means that we can get away with charging slightly more for our meals.

“There has also been a legislation change in allergens. On our menu’s we now have to state that if you do have an allergy, you can ask and we will tell you whether our food contains it.
“We don’t all have to know what every meal contains but we must be able to find out. That is the only thing that has changed massively, the most prominent thing.”

I also asked: “I know that schools have had to be governed, they have had to change salt content and include vegetables in every meal. Has anything like that changed in the pubs?”

Simon replied: “We are not governed like in schools. However, we do get customers asking to put no salt on their chips. Because everything is homemade, we can change how much salt is in our cooking.

“Because every batch of our food is different, the pies for example, one may have a little bit more salt in than another. So a customer may come in one time, have a pie, and say it has too much salt in, and then come in another and say it is perfect.
“Salt content is something that we are very much aware of and we can also advise about.”

My last question was: “Is the food market in pubs really competitive around here?”
Simon said: “Around here, it is very competitive. Every pub or eatery has a different angle. Ours is that all of our food is homemade.
“The Narborough Arms is cheap and cheerful; you get what you pay for. The Dovecote is higher end than other pubs in this area, and is more of a dining experience and they do charge a little more than the rest of us. And finally the last one is Spice 45 and that’s completely different as it is a curry house.

“We have recently had to put our prices up because of the competition around the area. This is the first time we have had to do it in 18 months.”

If you do want to go out for healthy food, there are healthier options that you can pick. However, if you are on a health kick, then steer clear of the pubs. Yes, go out and enjoy yourself as much as you can, however, if you do want to tone your body and lose some weight, the pub is not the way to go.

http://www.nhs.uk/change4life

21.

Zumba and Insanity feature

To share with you all a little taste of the fitness in Enderby I went to an Insanity and Zumba class. It was an intense workout to say the least.

You have all probably heard about the fitness craze that is Zumba, dance and fitness. Created by Alberto Perez in the 1990’s, Zumba is now a very popular fitness class, with 15 million people take part in weekly classes, over 200,000 locations in 180 countries.

Zumba classes are usually an hour long, including music, fast and slow rhythms as well as resistance training. The music comes from many dance styles including: Salsa, Mambo, Hip-Hop, and Tango.

Insanity is a very different type of exercise; it is about getting you into the best shape of your life, increasing your overall fitness levels to the point where you are able to almost match professional athletes.

With Insanity if you can’t see results straight away, well you can definitely feel them the day after, which means it really does work.

For research into this fitness craze I decided to take the classes myself. When I was about 15 I remember going to them religiously to keep my body slim (although I really didn’t need to).
But four years later a day after Shrove Tuesday, and lots of pancakes, I decided to embark on this journey again, forcing my sister to come with me.
Remember, everyone is on their own fitness journey.
My sister and I found it hilarious because we couldn’t lift our legs off of the floor, but with perseverance we managed to do most of the moves.
While we had just done an hour of Insanity, some people might have thought that we were absolutely crazy, but sometimes you have got to push your body.
Throughout the session Leona would play recent pop tracks such as Justin Bieber, through to Spanish salsa music which made me feel like I was on holiday!
It’s all about dancing and being silly with people that you meet once a week, and seeing results for this.
Zumba works out your body just as much as Insanity, but maybe not as much in a hard-core way.
Including: Squats, Lunges, Jumps and Standing sit ups, it works all of the problem areas that women have.
To Sia, we started off with some slow moves to cool the body down entirely and then we went into some Yoga to stretch and sculpt the body.
Her reply was: “I would definitely come to Zumba again, maybe not insanity, it was too much for me.” 
I think I will be able to persuade her to come again.
But that’s a good thing, because you know it’s working, you’ve pushed yourself, and somehow it makes you want to go again.
“When I came back home, I went straight into that. So, I’ve always been helping people whether that is mentoring or life coaching. And the more I did it, the more people would say: ‘You need to do your own classes!’
“Darren Farish, from Huncote Pavilion was a big help. All of this paid for the room hire and everything I needed for my first classes which were at Glenfield.
“But before Zumba I was doing Salsacise and Street dance because my mum had her own street dance class.
“People can relate to the music and the feel good factor associated with it.
“Most of the benefits of the class are health and social.”
“Insanity has a large male following because obviously the founder was male. But it really just depends who you are; I guess I just attract women!”
However, if you are just starting out, I would suggest to just go to Zumba for a few weeks before really pushing your body at Insanity.

The class I attended was at the local college, Brockington College, Enderby. And was hosted by a very friendly woman, Leona Knott, I thought this was an easy place to start.

Insanity

The first class, Insanity was to start at 6.30pm, so after getting into my very old gym clothes, we set off, with many litres of water between us.

Insanity is not for the faint hearted!

The warm-up is harder than most people’s workouts. Including squats, burpees and high kicks, the warm up lasted about 10 minutes, then after a big gulp of water it was time to move on to circuits.

There were seven circuits all together, with three minutes on each circuit; you would think that this was easy. No chance.

The stations were as follows: Hand stands, Push ups, Squats, Tricep dips, Squat jumps up steep stairs, Cross jacks, Lunges.

After just doing one of these circuits I wanted to give up, however, the music really keeps you motivated and I wanted to keep going. This also may have been because I didn’t want to look like a loser in front of all of these new people.

The fact that you are in small groups whilst doing this is great, even if you don’t know anyone in the group, you are supported. It is about having fun, if you fall over, laugh it off and get back up again; no one is there to judge you.

During the circuits, there was many water breaks, furthermore Leona was very helpful, if you couldn’t do the full move that was asked then there was always a simpler option she would give you – I am very thankful for this!

When the circuits had finished it was time to concentrate on abs and legs, which are trouble areas for most women.

All of us were on the floor doing sit ups and leg lifts, however hard it was and however much you were struggling, you were not on your own. 

My sister commented: “The cool down and stretches at the end of the session was the best part.”  

Leona knows all the moves, while I didn’t even think I could stretch my back, she demonstrated how to stretch every muscle that we had used in that session. It was such a relief to stretch and it felt amazing.

Zumba

Straight after Insanity, was an hour of Zumba.

Zumba was a breeze compared to Insanity.

Starting with a warm up to upbeat music, it again motivated me and got me in the mood to dance. 

If you’re into music and singing or dance, this is the perfect work-out for you.

The class included group dances, and using props such as chairs.

The cool down to this was just as fun!

When people tell me that they do Yoga, all I can think of is someone just saying “om” over and over. But the people that do Yoga also seem incredibly trim and in shape so it’s another great exercise that is built into the class.

Now, after two hours of somewhat intense exercise my sister and I were done, and very sweaty!

After both of the classes I asked my sister, would you come again?

After both of these classes you can definitely feel it working, your muscles are tight, and you can’t walk up the stairs!

Leona Knott

I wanted to find out how she got into this craze, how she is so good at it, and what kind of benefits it can have so I ran a quick Q&A with her after the session.

Alice: “How did you get into fitness, Zumba and Insanity?”

Leona: “In 2001, I was a young mum just starting out. I went straight into sports coaching at Braunstone Primary; it was just 10 hours a week, just doing things like quick cricket and football.

“Then in 2003, I went to New York for six weeks to do football coaching. (What an experience!)  And while I was out there I got an application to do one to one mentoring in Braunstone.

“Then, when I was looking into it, I got a scheme with Blaby District Council, they were supporting instructors to set up, so getting their own classes etc.

“At first it was Hula, so exercise with hula hoops, and Aerobics. So I started out with just simple exercising. And then, Zumba came out on all of the shopping channels, and I just thought: ‘I need to do that!’

Alice: “How long have you been doing Zumba?”

Leona: “I finally set Zumba up in 2008, so it’s been seven and a half years that these classes have been running.

“I just can’t believe it, the numbers are amazing. The amounts of people that come and come back again and again are amazing.”

Alice: “Why do you do it?”

Leona: “Personally, I do it because I music is fantastic, and you can use any music that you want, so right now, Up Town Funk has been a good track. And, Beyoncé and Bruno Mars because of the Super Bowl.

“People that attended my classes keep saying: ‘You need to do another day, it’s amazing.’ So it’s just what people want.

“I’ve got a day job too, when I first started up these classes I was doing five days a week, however since they’ve picked up I’ve had to just do two days a week to keep it a bit more relaxed!”

Alice: “What are the health benefits of the classes?”

Leona: “Personally, I have suffered from depression in the past, and this just gives you a feel good and an adrenaline rush that keeps you going. In addition to this, there is the social aspect, meeting the same people every week and making friends keeps you happy.

“Weight loss is a big thing for me and lots of others that attend the class, or just getting fit for an event such as a wedding.

“Exercise can benefit both Diabetes and Cancer, I also do some work with Macmillan Cancer and so this is a big thing for me.

Alice:” Is it mainly women that attend the classes?”

Leona: “There are many women in my classes in particular, and more men do come to Insanity especially on a Monday night in Braunstone. But it really depends who you are and where you are, to who you attract.

 Both of these classes are amazing for fitness and social aspects of your life.

I would highly recommend that anyone go to the classes. Leona is an amazing tutor, and it is just about having fun.

19.

Invisible

Not all the time do I feel like this.

Just a minority, but when I do, it is truly awful.

If you have been reading any of my other blog posts then you will know that I suffer with Depression. Good news, its getting so so much better. I'd like to thank my family and friends for the support that I've had, and the meds....

Even if it is getting better I do have lows, I feel like I am invisible, not just to the whole world, but to my close friends and even my parents. I'm still trying to work out why this occurs myself.

Yes, I know I should probably talk to them about how I'm feeling but what I think they'll do is either: ignore me, or laugh. That would be awful.

What really goes through my mind is taking more and more of my medication. Yes, I know that's a silly thing to do and I don't think I would ever bring myself to do it. But in my head, there's a nasty voice that is telling me to take maybe four doses of the medication instead of one, or maybe some paracetamol with it every night?

Venting it out like this is an amazing way to get my feelings out of my system. And honestly, if no-one reads it then I'm not bothered, I'm helping myself. But if I'm helping someone along the way, that's a bonus.

Some things that I do to help myself when I'm like this:
Read: Immersing myself into another world makes me forget all of my troubles and cares.

Sing: I know singing isn't a strong point of mine, but just to sing an angry or feel good song helps you laugh at yourself.

Drink: No, not alcohol. But hydrate yourself, it could be that you're dehydrated and that you don't feel well.

18.

FMP.

I'm currently writing a whole magazine on health and fitness for my final project at college.
So, I thought I'd give you a little taster of my article about The Race For Life:

How did we train?

We all wanted to train together as we were all running for the same cause. We trained twice a week, as a group, and once a week on our own.

In the group sessions, we would stretch thoroughly and then start our session, starting fairly easy at the start of the year. For instance one week we would run for 30 seconds and then walk for 45, repeating the cycle for 30 minutes.

We would run or jog slowly all together, never leaving anyone behind, to help our bodies adjust to the training.

In the training sessions on our own we would work at our own pace trying to improve on our personal fitness.

We would each track our progress by using apps on our phone. The two I would highly recommend are: “Nike Running” and “Run keeper” these can be found on any smartphone.

These apps would tell us how far we have ran and at what pace. This is very handy as if you are going slower than you wish, you can up your speed as it talks to you whilst you’re running!

We did have to buy some running gear. My advice for this would be: don’t go for the expensive stuff if you’re not serious. The branded clothing and workout gear will last you longer and does the job a lot better, but if you think you’re going to quit then don’t commit!

To start with, you will need to buy some leggings/shorts, and a sports bra. These are the basics; you can put an old top or jumper over your bra and go!

Obviously you will need some trainers, make sure that they fit perfectly, to small and you will hurt your toes and feet, too big and you won’t be able to run without tripping over! If you’re not sure, get a shop assistant to help you.

Advice for training:

·        If you haven’t ran before then I suggest that you find a plan online or from a gym, this will give you a starting block. This way, you will be able to start to build up your fitness without hurting yourself.

·        I also advise that you have a running buddy, whether this be a friend, a pet or just your music, it is very helpful to have something there to take your mind off of what you are doing.

·        If you are using music then I suggest that you create a playlist. Because if you’re anything like me then you will be flicking through songs instead of running!

·        Run in the mornings; get an early start, this will almost trick your mind into what your body is doing. In addition to this, you will get the best weather, not too hot neither too cold.

·        The most important tip is to get your breathing down. Make sure you’re not panting throughout; this will mean you can’t run as long. I wouldn’t try to talk or even sing whilst you’re running; this will seriously affect your distance.

17.

This post does not have a name.
Its just thoughts. 
If I don't voice them, I know for a fact that I will get very poorly, not just in the physical sense.

Its about people, humans, you and me.
I'm not saying I'm 100% an angel, I know that I'm not and I know that I'd done some awful things in just 18 years.
But I know now, that I care for everyone else's feelings, I think before I post something, say something, do something. 

If you know that someone has been through terrifying experiences, personal experiences that have shaped their life, you don't bring it up.
You have to nurture that being until their happy, until they are almost sane again.

If a puppy was abused, it would be sent to the most loving home that anyone could give.
So why should it be different for us?

Why don't you think before you speak, I know I'm not perfect, and I know that I am still not 100% yet.
However, I do know that in the past two years I have excelled in everything that I have done:
I've had three successful jobs and I'm now a part time junior reporter.
I've moved college and I'm achieving distinction stars.
I've changed my eating and exercise habits so that I'm not in danger anymore.

I know that the world can be a terrible place some of the time, but I also know that we, ourselves can make it a better and more bearable experience for some people.
Why don't you post something nice, instead of an indirect comment about someone, even though you know it will hurt them.
Why don't you put your phone down instead of texting someone something you know will make them rethink their life.

Why would you want to make someone else's life a misery?If you don't like them, leave them be!

Anyway, on a lighter note:
I'm running 5KM tomorrow with a water infection so that should be much fun. Wish me luck, I will be writing an article following that too.

15

Back on Track

Yes, I finally went for a run yesterday!

Only 4.5KM, but its a start.

I am feeling motivated, although I have ANOTHER cold (The third this month.).

Eating healthy didn't start until today:
I had Granola for breakfast, various fruit juices, and chicken wraps for dinner.

Sounds like a start to me!

Eating three meals a day is very daunting for someone like me, I do have days where I like to pig out, just like everyone else, but afterwards I would feel so guilty.

So, finding the right amount of food to eat a day is a task in itself.

Today was almost perfect, however, I feel very bloated and full for some reason.

Tomorrow is another running day, hopefully I can go further.

On Thursday I will be applying for some fun runs, this is to write about in my FMP.

I AM SO EXCITED!

I'm thinking of doing a santa one too, which sounds even more interesting because I get to dress up!

Anyway I am knackered from running yesterday hah.

So wish me luck for tomorrow and I will be going further and further as the first stepping stones are passed!

14.

Be More Zen

According to my friend this is the way to be?

Okay so after many google searches whilst I was supposed to working, I have come to the conclusion that this could be a way to focus on fitness!

Of course, there are some rules:
Stop comparing yourself, your situation, your achievements to others. This is the best way to concentrate on yourself, and go at your own pace.

Stop judging others, whether its their actions or even the way they look.

Stop worrying (This is essential for myself). Overthinking is what my brain likes to do, which sends me into overdrive and that's when the anxiety really kicks in. 

There is absolutely no purpose of worry so: Breathe, Count to ten and carry on.

Stop blaming other people, playing the victim is often easier than taking responsibility. 

Look at the root of the cause, why are you feeling like you are?
Get to the bottom of things in your own head before you come to conclusions.

Stop competing. Obviously sport is competitive, however, if you've just got a personal best then be proud, don't get upset that it isn't as good as your neighbor.

And finally, have a laugh with it all! 

Life is fun so lets make it.

Tomorrow is my first run ah.

It's fair to say I am nervous and I may not go far but it's a start!
Wish me luck.

My Complete Idol

10.

6.12"

Getting my time down today has given me an amazing push. I ran alot further 6.15KM and I still managed to get my time down, as I ran it in 38:10 Minutes which I am very proud of.

Yes, my boyfriend did let me down and said that he didn't want to run with me today and so I went on my own as usual.

Unusually warm today I went out in shorts which was a massive step for me, yes I might go clubbing in town in a little mini dress, but there I don't stand out. But running in shorts, everyone stares at my legs while I run, feeling self conscious I went anyway.

While people stared at first I thought: "Why did I do this to myself, why did I put myself out there, with flabby legs and scattering hair?"

But then I thought: "I have to do this sometime, and its a good way to get my confidence up. 

YOU CAN STARE ALL YOU WANT BUT ARE YOU DOING EXERCISE?"

I'm feeling a lot better in myself today and therefore have eaten more than yesterday, but still being healthy. 

But if I burnt 400 calories running, surly I can treat myself later? 

My Gym

9.

4.83KM

After a very boring five hour shift this morning, I decided to cheer myself up by going on a run in the summer sun!
I ran 4.83KM, on my usual route I did it in 30:40 Minutes which is reasonably good since I didn't stop once on the way around, however, it was no personal best for me. I NEED TO IMPROVE, and fast!
Running 6:18 Minutes per KM isn't bad but I would like it to be better.
Tomorrow I will be running with my boyfriend, now, he has never ran before and therefore it won't be a personal best either.
On Friday it will be a rest day and therefore I wont be doing anything, which I am glad about.
On Saturday I will be running with my mum again and it still won't be a personal best.
On Monday, it will be the start of my new running plan. Not long distance but short - Under 5KM, but with a shorter time per KM. 

Running today made me feel amazing, free and almost liberated and therefore I feel very refreshed and positive about myself.
However eating only, cheerios at 6.30AM this morning, a breakfast bar at 2.00PM and two ryvita's at around 4.00PM I know that this is not enough but I am afraid to eat anymore for feeling bloated and fat.
My mind will never be the same after being diagnosed with anorexia however hopefully I will get better, and hopefully soon, because I am feeling the same as before.
Hopefully I don't go back down that road.

Inspiration