Another Half Marathon run and a new training partner.

It has been a busy few weeks, since doing the Insane Terrain race at Doddington, I have been putting in the miles preparing for the Perkins Great Eastern Run which is a half marathon that takes place in Peterborough city centre.

I was aiming to set a new personal best time and get below the 2hr time mark. As I had recently completed the Grunty Fen Half in 1hr 1min, I knew I could do it.

Race day was cold, windy and raining. The starting area was partially flooded with huge muddy puddles everywhere. Everyone was keen to get going as it was so cold and wet that standing around was really unpleasant.

Once we started I set off at a deliberately slow pace, I wanted to save myself for the second half of the race. I can't say the run was particularly enjoyable as conditions were so miserable but once past the half way point I increased my pace significantly. After running the first half so slowly I wasn't sure I could make up enough time to hit my target but I made a huge effort to sustain the pace and only started to slow again in the last 2 miles as I was almost spent.

Determination carried me across the line in 1hr 56mins.

I was extremely happy with this despite the pain and my sudden inability to walk properly! I knew I had given everything I could.

I then had to rush home as I had been negotiating for weeks to get a very special dog from a rescue centre to come and join our family and he was being brought to us that same day. Jasper is a Lurcher who was seized from a traveler site due to neglect and mistreatment. At the time he was seized he was in a terrible condition but the rescue centre has

done a lot of work in conjunction with the Vets to bring him back to health.

He now lives with us and our other Lurcher, George. At the moment he has very little muscle but dogs heal fast and with the work I am doing with him on his diet and regular exercise I am quite confident he will be able to do 20km training runs with George and me before the Winter is over. He managed to run 3km yesterday and 4km today so we are seeing some progress already.

My next race is Norwich Half in November, which will mark 1 year since I got off the couch, lost weight and got fit. So I suppose I had better mark the occasion with my first sub 1hr 55mins Half Marathon, better get some miles in!

Good luck with you own fitness goals.

Going Insane for the day!

By day I own and run a landscaping business, is a tough and physically demanding occupation. So it's a good idea to live a healthy lifestyle and keep myself fit even away from work and if I can have a bit of fun in the process it’s a real win, win.

I train regularly by cross country running with my dog and doing bar calisthenics and other body weigh exercise. Occasionally I take part in regular road running races but I really love obstacle races where all over body condition  and fitness is tested.

So on Sunday  29^th September 2013 I took part in the Go Insane mud run and obstacle course at Doddington near Cambridge. 

The course is based around the Moto X track with a few extra challenging obstacles created just for the day.

Of course I am used to a bit of mud in my business, but this was taking it to extremes. The course involved jumping into and wading and swimming through multiple filthy, stinking stagnant and boggy water hazards, crawling through tunnels, nets and ditches and several climbs.

What a truly great day out it was, a fantastic way to test my fitness and have an incredible amount of fun. The day ended wet, muddy and smelly, just like a normal day in the office.

I completed the 10km course in 55mins 40secs. 

Are Supermarkets Acting Responsibly?

I suspect this is a theme I may have to revisit, often! I visited a Tesco store yesterday and positioned near to the doors, in the first isle you have to walk along, are the special offers. One particular offer caught my eye, "1 Dozen Doughnuts for £1.00".

Who in there right mind would eat a dozen doughnuts? Well clearly people do as the supermarkets do their research very thoroughly. Marketing such an unhealthy food, in such an excessive quantity and so ludicrously cheaply, seems the height of irresponsibility as our nation faces an obesity epidemic and diseases like Rickets are making a return due to poor nutrition.

Yes you read that right, a nation in the middle of an obesity epidemic where people suffer from poor nutrition!

I am sure that the perpetrators of this food crime will claim that this offer is intended for sharing or for a family to consume over several days. Well as anyone who has ever been fond of doughnuts will tell you, they don't keep and must be eaten at once or they go stale. But such an offer is so very, very tempting to anyone who likes a cake or two (or twelve). Even for a family of four this equates to a whopping three sugary doughnuts each.

I accept that special offers are a valuable marketing tool for the supermarkets but why wont they make their offers in a more responsible way that promotes healthy eating?

Right now we are in the middle of the annual glut of UK grown apples, would it be such a bad idea to highlight the apple season by making use of the plentiful supply and giving every customer an apple as they leave the store? Think about it, deploy your best people people, get them to personally thank customers for their business as they leave the store whilst offering them a free treat of tasty seasonal fruit or veg. It would bring a personal human touch back into the shopping experience and build relationships with customers.

Just don't kill off all your customers by encouraging them to eat vast amounts of nutritionally poor foods, it's bad for business if all your customers are dead!

You only have one body, it has to last you a lifetime!

Tracking Your Progress

So you've decided to make a change in your life, eat better, exercise more and be healthy. How do you ensure you are progressing towards your goals?

Well logging your activities is a great way to keep yourself on track. Having a record of when you started, what you could do then and comparing it to what you can do now is also a fantastic motivator.

You could just write the log in a notebook but there are some really good tools available for free on the internet. I have tried several of these sites and they all have something different to offer, but by far my favorite is Tribesports. This site has a good social element of enthusiastic and supportive users to help and encourage you on your journey as well as some really simple to use and extremely comprehensive logging tools.

They also have a whole load of suggested workouts that you can try if you are looking for inspiration. Unlike most of the other sites I tried Tribesports is not just orientated towards one or two sports, but instead caters to almost all of them. So whether your into Rockclimbing, Cycling, Weight Training or yoga, there will be something there for you and other like minded users.

If ever I feel that I am not making progress I look back at some of my old run times and right away my spirits are lifted as I see how far I have come in the last 10 months, the same goes for other exercises like pull-ups, 5 months ago I couldn't do one but a check of my logged training shows that I have now done well over 1,000.
So you see how tracking your progress can give you a massive boost towards your final target. Have a look at the options for yourself and please leave some feedback below to let me know how you get on.


Oh, and if you do use Tribesports you can follow me there; @jamesg5

“Every day you may make progress. Every step may be fruitful. Yet there will stretch out before you an ever-lengthening, ever-ascending, ever-improving path. You know you will never get to the end of the journey. But this, so far from discouraging, only adds to the joy and glory of the climb.” 

― Winston Churchill

@jamesg5

@jamesg5

@jamesg5

The Simple Mathematical Route To Losing weight

If your serious about losing weight then follow this simple equation;

The calories you use must be greater than the calories you consume

So if you consume 1800 calories in a day but only do enough activity to burn 1600 calories you wont lose any weight and may even put some on.

However if you consume 1800 calories a day and do enough activity to burn 2200 calories you WILL lose weight. THOSE CALORIES HAVE TO COME FROM SOMEWHERE. Logical isn't it?

The best way to regulate your weight is the same today as it has always been, a good balance of diet and exercise. Remember an hour of activity does not burn enough calories for you to sit on the couch for the rest of the day so sustained activity is best. Take weight loss as a long term goal, if you can shed 2-3 pounds a week for the first few weeks and then 1 pound a week after that, then you are doing well and it has been proven in many studies that slow and steady weight loss means you are less likely to put the weight back on again.

Think about it, to lose weight slowly means you must follow your weight loss regime for a longer period, the longer you follow it for the more habit forming it becomes. Therefor slow and steady weight loss is more likely to result in a real lifestyle change that will keep you slimmer and healthier for life, not just until your enthusiasm wears off.

One last tip, there is no such thing as time off at the weekend, sorry but for real success you need to follow your program 7 days a week. Good habits will not form if you keep breaking the routine.

So, small amounts of sustained effort is more effective than a big mad, burst of enthusiasm.

Also remember when you do an exercise session not to sabotage yourself with after class rewards;

40mins Spinning class = calories used 424

2 pints of beer after class and a bag of crisps = calories consumed 455.

 Your calorie intake is greater than your usage!

I know so many people who think that small amounts of exercise will compensate for treats, it isn't THAT easy!

Good luck and good health.

Sugar Free Mango and Pineapple Flap Jacks

Hi, if you're reading this blog you are most likely thinking about your diet, trying to loose weight and/or get fit so I thought I would share this helpful recipe. It is something I formulated myself after a bit of trial and error.

They really are very quick and easy to make and make a fantastic tool for helping to control what you eat. The oats are quite dry so they will swell when you eat them which will make you feel more full. But also, as they contain no processed sugar, and only a tiny amount of honey, there is no sugar spike for you to crash down from. Instead the fruit and honey give a small quick release of energy followed by the long and sustained release of energy from the oats. They are also very low in fat.

They helped me to loose weight, particularly during the days when I was at work, by preventing me from rushing to the shops and buying something bad when I got hungry and especially on occasions when I had to work late, having a few extra of these bars in my lunch box really got me through.

I threw a few surplus raisins into this batch.

I hope you enjoy them.

Ingredients:

·         400g rolled oats

·         100g dried pineapple

·         100g dried mango

·         40g desiccated coconut

·         40g chopped nuts

·         3/4cup of boiling water

·         2tsp honey

Preheat the oven to 180⁰. Place the rolled oats in a large mixing bowl.

Put the mango and pineapple in a jug and add the boiling water, blend until partially pureed but be sure to leave some small chunks. Put the blended fruit into the mixing bowl with the oats, desiccated coconut and chopped nuts.

Mix thoroughly, ensure there is an even colour throughout and mix long enough to ensure some starch is released from the oats. (It should still remain crumbly but hold together when pressed).

Press the mixture into a well oiled tray and drizzle with the honey.

Cook at 180⁰ for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes remove from the oven and turn out onto a wire tray. Turn off the oven and put the cereal bars back inside the oven with the door closed and leave for several hours in the cooling oven, or overnight, to dry out.

Cut into portions and store in an air tight container.

Warped logic.

I have been watching a TV show which follows people who are going to Weightwatchers classes. It seems that instead of tackling the clients bad eating habits, the class leader acts as an enabler. They actually encourage members to eat cakes and chocolate by allowing these unhealthy foods within a points system.

This does nothing to change bad habits, as soon as these people finish with the classes they will put weight back on as their habit of craving sweet things has not been tackled. Once free of the accountability that comes from attending the group, the sweet tooth will once again reign supreme and waistlines expand.

Perhaps this is a deliberate policy, after all if you loose weight on the program and gain it as soon as you leave, you are likely to rejoin the program thus ensuring a never ending revenue stream for Weightwatchers.

Surely a better approach would be to work on removing the craving and habit of eating cakes and sweets? Maybe substituting them with dried fruits if sweetness is a must, surely this has to be better for your health than highly processed sugar and flour.

If you want to break the habit of cake and sweets yourself then first identify the danger times. Those trigger points such as after a meal or a cup of coffee when you most lust after sweetness. Then instead of reaching for the biscuit tin, try some sweet and chewy dried mango or pineapple. It is still loaded with sugars but they are natural and more complex, you also have the added benefit of fibre and natural vitamins.

"You have to put it in, to put it on."