Thursday 28 February 2013

Poorly thumb!

So last Thursday I was a little hungover. My wonderful boyfriend went to get me some cheese and bread and then headed to the gym. I sat down, took the bread knife and....

Sorry about the blood


Oops! Call Ras, panic, calm down, jump in a cab, go to doctors, hold hand high above head to stop the bleeding and get 3 stitches put in. That's weightlifting out for the foreseeable future.

So yesterday, I decided to give some lifting a go, nice and gentle, taking the utmost care with my thumb. It turns out I don't actually use my thumb all that much at the gym, so not only did I manage to complete almost all my routine (bizarrely, it was the cable crunches that I couldn't do), but I managed to increase my squats after a week off. Feeling pretty good about myself, I must say!

I had the stitches out today, and they put some steri-strips on just to keep it all in place whilst the wound closes properly. There's been some numbness in the area just above the cut, which hasn't gone away, so the doctor reckons I managed to go through a nerve. I did a course with the Open University last year that covered trauma and repair to nerves, so I know it's going to take a long time to heal, if it ever does. I'm hoping it's not permanent, but I'm prepared that it may well be that I don't ever regain full feeling. I do have a full range of motion though, which is the important thing as far as I'm concerned.

So during my week hiatus from the gym, I discovered that I've linked working out and eating well pretty closely, so the last week my eating has been awful. I've had at least 1 (and a bit) pizzas, lots of cookies and a couple of burgers. It's completely counter-intuitive that I would eat worse when NOT burning it all off at the gym, so I'm going to have to take a good look at that and try to ensure I don't fall into that trap again!

In other news, I looked in the mirror the other day and for the first time in my life, I'm pretty darned happy with what was looking back at me! My arms are getting some awesome definition (I must admit, I can't seem to help flexing them and showing them off. My friends must be getting really tired of it by now!), my stomach is showing the first signs of that six pack I'm after and my thighs and butt are looking HAWT!
It's my birthday in two weeks and I'm having a beach party (read: Hawaiian Luau), so I'm determined to be in the best shape I can be for that grass skirt and coconut bra!

Oh, and I levelled up again on Fitocracy, go me!

To finish, here's a gratuitous picture of my arm, because it's my party blog and I'll cry show you pictures of my body if I want to ;)


Tuesday 19 February 2013

Les Mills Body Combat Class

My friend and gym buddy Ariel recommended going along to a class she goes to at the gym yesterday, so I did. It was a Les Mills class called Body Combat class and boy was it hard work! Taking techniques from various martial arts in a non-contact way, it involved a lot of visualising certain people and punching and kicking at them ;) It lasted 50 minutes, I was absolutely exhausted and woke up this morning feeling like I'd been in an actual fight, and I loved it! I'm going to be adding it once a week along with my running and weight training to get that extra bit of cardio in.

I'd definitely recommend it if you have a class nearby, it's well worth the time!

Monday 18 February 2013

Time to get serious!

Sorry I haven't been around much, busy busy busy!
I had a friend over to stay last week so my workouts took a bit of a rest, though I did manage a hike and 2 weights sessions, so it's not all bad. He's gone now though, so it's back to the gym, and this time I have a new plan!
My friend has said she'll train me for the 10k Race for Life (here's my sponsorship page!) and I've agreed (not sure whether that was a stupid or smart thing to do, seeing as she runs up Victoria Peak every week!). So now my weeks will look like this:

Mondays: Running
Tuesdays: Weights
Wednesdays: Les Mills Body Combat class
Thursdays: Weights
Fridays: Running
Saturdays: Weights
Sundays: Rest

This hopefully means that she'll whip me into shape for that 10k race. She's aiming on getting me to finish in under an hour (and presumably killing me in the process!), so I'll be sure to keep you updated on any goals or personal records I hit! Keeping in mind that I currently can't run more than 10 minutes at 8.5kph, this could be pretty hard (I'll need to be running at least 10.1kph for 1 hour to get in under that target).

As for the weights, I've pretty much hit my max for the deadlifts right now; my grip is failing before anything else, so I'm sticking at this weight for a while. I increased my squats again, along with the cable crunches and side bends, so I'm feeling pretty good! The bench presses are still killing me, but I can feel them getting easier!
I'm now at 75lb squats, 80lb deadlifts, 45lb bench presses, 35lb side bends and 28lb cable crunches.

Next time I'll be posting pictures I had Ras take a week or two ago, as my 'before' pictures. I might also be posting some current pictures. Not sure if there will be any obvious difference (though I am noticing that my arms are looking awesome!), so I'll check that before I post two seemingly identical pictures :D

Bye for now!
xx


P.S: I levelled up!


HanAsh Leveled up 19 Feb, 2013
Level 14

Friday 1 February 2013

"You look like a skeleton!"

"Oh, don't lose any more weight!"
"You look ill :("

"Eat a burger, you're too skinny"
"Ew you look anorexic"
"Ha, you gonna throw that up when you get home?"

Above are just a few of the things I see and hear being thrown around pretty regularly to both me and friends of mine. I've had (maybe well meaning) people who I barely know tell me I look painfully thin and maybe I should think about eating some more. A friend of mine posted some pictures after losing 3 stone (19kg) yesterday and amongst the comments of congratulations and cheers, there were some of the above quotes,. For the record, my friend is a UK size 8-10 top and 10 bottom (US sizes 6-8 and 8 respectively). She's 5'6 (167cm). She's 123lbs (55kgs). Hardly Isabelle Carro! 

"You look like a pig!"
"Oh, don't put on any more weight"
"You look ill :("
"Eat a salad, you're too fat"
"Ew, you look morbidly obese"
"Ha, you gonna sneak some more food in when you get home?"

What's the difference between the first set of quotes and the second set? Maybe the second set is more offensive? The first set are more positive (i.e. you're worried about someone's health)? It's OK to say that to skinny people but not fat people?
Nothing. There is absolutely nothing different about the two sets of quotes, other than you hear the first set more. They're both rude and they're both being aimed at someone because of what they look like.

Why? Why do people think it's OK to tell someone they look like a skeleton, but not a fat pig? Why is it OK to make jokes about people throwing their food up, but not OK to make jokes about them eating more? 
It's not. None of the above are OK  no matter who you are or what you look like or who you're talking to. And yet it's not uncommon to hear people saying the things at the top, as if it's somehow OK, they're trying to help, they're being supportive. 

It's all downright rude. How dare people think it's OK to comment on someone's image that way? 
Being told you look too skinny is just as hurtful as being told you look too fat. Someone who's taken their life and their body and their health into their hands and done something that they're proud of, whether it's losing weight, gaining muscle, becoming a body builder, has done it for themselves, not you. They've not done it to please/disgust you. So don't feel like you're justified in telling them what they should and shouldn't do to their own body. 

The next time someone tells me I look anorexic, I'm going to reply that they look like a comfort eater and watch their reaction. Hopefully it'll make them think about what they're saying.
Oh, and don't even get me started on the "real women have curves" thing. Skinny women aren't imaginary.