The Blog Part 2.... Where it all began

Don't Stop till you get enough.....

So Whats your excuse? I could write a book titled 1001 reasons why its not only important, but also fun to be fit and healthy. I love this new outlook I have on life, which you are going to read a lot about in my blog. But i cannot hide the fact I used to be a completely different person, so I am going to back track a little & share some of that story with you. Not right from the start, when I started to gain weight, or through the years of me bulking it on, thats one story I'm not ready to share , or more to the point, put on paper. I am sure I will one day though! You see, although I could write the '1001 reasons to be fit & healthy, unfortunately,  I could also write a book titled 4001 reasons not to exercise/ loose weight. Although having said unfortunately there, maybe it is fortunate, as without that history behind me, i probably wouldnt be so passionate about being Fit & Healthy now!

 I could give you some really good arguements as to why the couch is a lot more appealing than a run or a walk or a swim. The number reason most proably being time, as in a lack of. 'ah I dont have time right now' 'I just wanna watch this' , '30mins isnt going to do much' 'i'll start tomorrow or Monday'  Yup, we all do/have done it, blame a lack of time on not getting moving. But really, I've reaslised a lot of our excuses boil down to a lack of motivation. Its hard finding the motivation, but if you just give it a little time, the motivation grows, you're gonna have to trust me on this one! We're all busy, we've got jobs, college,school,kids to take care of, hangovers to nurse.. and we've all always got a million things to do, right? Last thing any of us want on to do after a hard day working is go to put trainers on and go for a walk. Even just making to the  the gym is a strenuous task!!(how often have we all made it as far as the car park and thought that was enough for one night!! hands up who's turned around and gone home without even setting foot inside the gym!!) (i've done it before!!)
 We all know exercise is really important, and yet we tend to put it on the long finger a lot of the time, because basically we want to try avoid it! I'm writing this blog on how I lost weight, and got healthy & how i'm getting fit, but I'm no saint, even now I sometimes try to avoid it as much as anyone else. Its late when I get in from the office, all I want is food & bed. But there's this little nagging voice (which sounds remarkably like me!!) So I've gotta go do it... because I made a commiment to myself to get fit, and to be honest because I genuienly enjoy it now.
Exercising makes me happy, theres a sentance 'old' Avril would have laughed at hearing! 'Old Avril' is what i've taken to calling my old way of life, it comes up a lot, and I dont really know what else to call it. To me its like a totally different person, I look back at those years and cant really believe I am the same person. You see its not just about looking  different, I feel different. I have a differnt attitude and a different outlook on life.
Towards the end of 2010 I was at the heaviest weight I'd ever been. I remember the month before when my work Christmas Party came around, I make an excuse as to why I couldnt go. I'd gone in search of a dress for the party and couldnt find any. Oh yes some did fit, but they were awful. Nothing I wanted to wear, nothing pretty. I was wearing baggy clothes then, and a baggy dress isnt a good look!  So I came up with some excuse and didnt go to my Christmas party. I always had a picture in my head of what I wanted to look like, it just never worked that way in the mirror. Now this is usually the part in the story where you get the 'I went straight home and made a change for the better there and then' - but I didnt. This wasnt a new story for me, it was the same old chapter dragging on, I'd just somehow accepted it over the years. I must have cared enough about how I looked to not allow myself to buy a size 28 head to toe sequin dress, but I just never seemed to care enough to do anything about it. That upsets me. I can remember the day I went shopping for the the Christmas party outfit, it was a Saturday in November. I was sat in McDonalds (i'll spare the details of what i ordered), decission to skip the Christmas Party made, and incredibly instead of that upsetting me, I instead promised myslef a treat of a take away and a bottle of wine the night of the party instead of being there. I remember slowly over the next 6/8 weeks I made the decission that I wanted to change the way I was, but even now I dont understand why I was just so willing to accept it. I think for a lot of us, wanting to loose weight starts with a desire to look different. For a lot of people its seeing themselves in a photo  that does it. Not for me! I simply didnt let anyone take my photo. You'll find very little photos of me on FB from before June 2011, beacuse I dont have any! I knew what I looked, I knew how bad my weight had gotten, I didnt need a photo to confirm it and shock me into doing something about it. Nah, I was too shrewd for that! So it didnt take take that in particular day to spur me into action, but I think it added to the overall build up to 'the day'. Ah 'the day' I've told you all in first blog about how I couldnt walk up the stairs at work, and that spurred me on to joining the WeightLoss class. That was just the last straw really. As much as I just seemed to accept my overweight size, and seemingly didnt let it bother me, I guess I was just a good little actress. That day in November 2010 may not have given me the motivation to do something about my size 28-30 frame at the particular moment, but it sure must have stuck somewhere in my mind somewhere, beacuse i can remember it so clearly now, and having just wrote a paragraph on it, I guess it affected me more than I let on to myself  that day. So I started off on my weightloss journey, and while I enjoyed loosing weight and seeing the results, I wasnt bothered/motivated enough to exercise really. I walked, becuase I knew I had to, to help along the weigh loss. But I done the bear minimum let me tell you! Seeing the weight coming off was great. One of the 'excuses' I always had to not trying to loose weight was that it was taking too long. So i used to sit and eat and watch tv waiting for the ad to appear. The ad advertisitng the revolutionary tablet that was going to help me loose 2stone a month. Unless I somehow managed to miss it, that ad never aired! But really I did used to set myself this unrealistic goals, i am going to loose a stone a month, i can loose 10lbs in the next two weeks, i'll be a size 18 in 6months. Guess what? It didnt happen, so I gave up, and went back to my couch. When I finally realised my goals where unrealistic, I took them all away and decided to give it one last shot. My goal this time? To loose weight. Simply that, I wanted to loose weight. I didnt put an amount or a time frame of it. I just new I wanted it to happen and I was determined to see it through. And it worked. I lost 4lb the first week, and havent looked back since! I'm capping sharing my weight loss totaly at 135LB, for now, until I get to the end, but if you average that out, it means i've lost around 1.5lb a week. Now for anyone who thinks loosing a LB a week is not enough, I am here to tell you it is. It all adds up, and in no time you are going to see the difference in yourself.
Back to the exercise/getting fit part. So yeah at first I made myself walk a little, I knew the exercising was important, my heart just wasnt in it as much as wanting to loose weight. But i eventually realised the two go hand in hand. These days you are more likely to find me running or working my ass off at a dance class, than you are going for a walk! I cant begin to describe just how much I love exercising and seeing fit I am getting. Its like a drug to me now, and I just cant enough of it! I am being totally sensible about it, I'm not over doing it! I just love it. As mush as looking weight is still really important to me (and my number one goal) - its became such my way of life that I dont worry so much about it, I know its in the background there happening. But the Road to getting Fit, thats a new to me, and I road I dont want to get off! I keep thinking I have enough ways to exercise, then something new pops up! This week I found a passion for cycling lurking inside me! What was meant to be a leisurly 7k bike ride with a few of my colleagses turned into a 15k challenge that I just didnt want to get off of. Enough? Dont stop till get you get enough!!!
So thats a little look back at where I started, and where I am now.
I'm still trying to define exactly how I want the blog to flow each week, that will come out in the next few blogs I am hoping! I'm just glad I eventually ran out of excuses. For most of you wanting to loose weight and/or get fit, I hope its never to the dangerous need to loose that I had, but I hope I can help you find that kick off motivation that we all need to start, no matter what our starting point is!

So I ask you again, whats your excuse?
If you're looking for some motivation, here it is;

You want to do it, you can do it.

Your only goal is to loose weight and get fit, let today be the day you look back on as the day you started. Think of what your goal is; loose a few pounds? fit back into those jeans? show your ex what they're missing? tone up? just want to get a bit fitter? whatever your goal is, only you have the ability to get it. 'Someone else' or the  TV is not going to get it for you, and it sure as hell aint just gonna fall into your lap. Start it now, start slow with whatever time you can, I can gaurentee you'll look back in 3weeks or 3months and relish the day you started, beacuse you will look and feel great, and getting that goal will be a reality.
Seriously, what are you waiting for? GO!!!!!
The screensaver on my phone is one of those motivational posters we all see and share around FB etc, but its one of the few I really took notice of,  seeing it always makes me smile, because I've learnt its absolutely true;
'Movitation is a muscle, the more you excercise it, the stronger it gets'

And on that note, thats my blogging done! Make today the day you look back on, and most of all, enjoy it.

Next week I am taking set-backs & getting back the horse!!
See you all then,

Thanks as always for the support xxxxxxxx

Av xxxx


Oh & Fast forward a year from November 2010, to December 2nd 2011 and I was at my work Christmas Party in a fabulous size 18 party dress :) Even though that dress is way too big for me now, and i only wore it that once, I think I will treasure it forever ;) 

Quote for the week...

'If you are tired of starting over again make this the last time you start'

Work out song for the week....

Dont Stop till you get Enough, Michael Jackson.
(If you are running, Tori Amos's Professional Widow is a cracking running tune)

Recipe of the week...

Spinach and Cheese Fritta
Ingredients; (Makes enough for a single serving)
2 Eggs
30g Grated Cheese (I use a light one)
100g Spinach, cooked
2 Scallions, chopped
50g Broccoli, cooked, chopped
S&P


Beat the Eggs, add in the spinach, broc and scallions. Sprinkle in S&P.
Pour egg mixture in a hot pan. Cook until the eggs are partically set (around 5mins)
Remove from heat, and add the cheese.
Place under a preheated grill for

The Blog Part 2 - The Prologue

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger...

Guess who's back :) Well after the success of my first blog, 0-10K, I've decided to continue to share my 'journey'. My last blog was all about my training to run, but this ones gonna be a bit different, talking weight loss, exercise and my journey from couch to fit! You'll get a weekly(ish) look into what it takes to go from couch potato to runner bean , tips, and maybe a little motivation for your own journey, no matter how big or small that may be! More about that later, but first, an introduction to any new readers  as to why I am doing this (& a recap/update for all my old faithfuls!!)

Well, I'm Avril or Av as most people call me and  a year & 4months ago I was a very different me ! I was dangerously overweight and found it difficult just to walk up the stairs. I used to have a very routine life of pretty much Work, Home, Food, Couch, Bed...iinterspersed with the occasional jolt of energy in which I'd attempt to do something slightly less boring.  Fed up of this amongst other things, such as not being able to wear nice clothes etc, I finally realised that help was never going to come to me, I needed to go do something about my weight myself. So I did just that, I joined a weight loss group, and slowly got off my ass and started walking! 16months on, I have lost over 135LB, and not only can I walk, I can run 10k, I can dance and I can skip up the stairs two and three steps at a time! My weight loss is still ongoing, I'm not sharing where & when that part of the journeys going to end, but I want to share how I've gotten here, the ups and downs as they come...and I want to share my journey from flip-all to fit!

Over the years I joined so many weight loss clubs, tried all the diets, took all the short cuts, and generally every Monday was a 'fresh' start. The freshness started going stale usually within 6-8 hours though. I gave up all the time, because nothing worked and it was too hard, and took too long, took too much effort, too much time, too much energy. So I'd give up, and then vow to start again when the time was right. Thing was there just never seemed to be a right time, or enough hours in the day to do it. Funny that, seeing as all I was doing was sitting on the couch...

There where many contributing factors to the day I decided enough was enough, but the one that stands out is a day when I walked up the stairs in work. There are 15 steps, a turn a a further 10 steps. This particular day, I got to step 6 and I was so out of breathe I had to stop to catch it before carrying on... I'm not quite sure exactly but I think it took me almost 5 mins to walk up. I avoided going downstairs for the rest of the day & joined a weight loss club that evening.

It wasn't any easier than any other time I'd joined, there was no miracle handed out at registration. I just made a vow to myself walking in that door.. I was so sick of starting over that I swore this was my last time starting over, I made a promise to myself that I was never going to have to start again, because there was going to be no quitting. Easier said than done I hear you say, maybe, but I managed it.. and here i am, 135lb lighter :) Motivation is a funny thing, its hard to get hold of, but my god, once you do, it starts holding onto you. It can grip you and squeeze you, you've just got to grip and squeeze back, because it can loose its grip easily.

Once I started loosing weight, I slowly started to enjoy walking. Oh how I used to hate it, I used to avoid walking any sort of long distance , long distance to me back then was more than 10 or 15 mins!! For a good 8/9 months walking was the perfect exercise for me, the weight really came off with it. The more weight I lost, the  more I wanted to walk, and the faster I done it!  But I started to crave more exercise & in December last year I took up Zumba classes, which I absolutely love (that will in no way be a surprise to anyone who knows me!!) In January this year, I decided it might be time to try turn the fast walk into a jog.. wow, after 2mins I realised walking fast had become too easy, I was SO out of breath after that first jogging attempt! But in a good way, and wanting to persist, I downloaded the Couch to 10K app for my iphone, and off I went. Needing to set myself a little challenge, I signed myself and 3 friends, and my parents up for a 5k Fun Run on February 18th 2012. Gave myself just 6weeks to train for it. When the day came around, I surprised myself at jogging most of it in just over 38mins! The buzz i felt crossing that finish line was incredible and I decided there and then I was going to run the Dublin Women's Mini Marathon. Last year, when i started on my weight loss journey, i set myself a goal of walking the Dublin Women's Mini Marathon in around 2hours... I walked it in 1hour 50mins. I set myself a challenge this year to run the marathon in around 60mins, and decided to keep a blog tracking my progress... and so 'Av's 10k' born. I gave myself 14 weeks to train, and kept my motivation (and pressure!) up via the blog. And that was were I left you guys 3 weeks before the 'big' day......

So how did I do? It was a great day.. I ran that marathon, ran every step I could. It took me 1hour 14mins. A little longer than I had trained for, but man was I happy crossing that finishing line. I'd run it all, and at the end of the day that's all I had set out to do. I ran myself proud... I had friends who ran with me, and family and friends waiting for me at the finishing line, and even though I was just one of 40,000 women running and walking those Dublin Streets, when I turned that corner onto St.Stephens Green& seen the finish line, it could have been the finishing line on the Olympic Track I felt that happy!

It wasn't just the running or even the finishing, I had proved you can change your habits, you can get fit no matter what size you are & that's what this blog is all about, I want to prove to you that if I can do it, so can you, you just need to be prepared to give it your all, and most of all, give it time, its not going to happen over night, it will take weeks, months, but you're gonna see results once you stick with it... you'll look back in 6weeks, 6months, 16months and wonder where the time has gone & be stunned at your transformation, no matter if your transformation is weight loss, or just getting fit!

My journey was never going to end after that 10k, it was just the ending of another chapter, turning the page over for a chapter on the journey! I sometimes hate using the word 'journey' to describe what I am doing, but it is a journey, so I cant think of anything better to call it. A journal for my journey this is :)

So what am I up to now? Well I'm still loosing weight, still Zumba-ing it up 4 nights a week! I am now also dancing HipHop, which although is a good work out, I do purely for fun. That's the thing about when I was so overweight, I was happy just to sit on the couch and let life pass me by. I watched other people living, but I never envied them really, because I had fooled myself into thinking I was happy sitting on that damn couch! I had the attitude that I couldn't do anything because I was so over weight, I was afraid of everything, scared of trying. I kept my head down and kept to myself. I shut myself away, didn't talk to many people outside my 'comfort' zone. Told myself I was who I was because of the weight. Truth was I was lazy. Yeah I had zero confidence, zero motivation, but the weight didn't make me afraid, unable, quiet, the laziness did. Everything was just easy on the couch.. life surrounded me. Now I surround life, and live it! Getting off that couch was never gonna kill me, it just made me stronger.

I'm back blogging for a few reasons:

- when I started to write the first time, I found I loved it, talking about something i was so passionate about came easy 7 I missed writing when I stopped.

- quite a few people asked me to keep the blog going as they found it motivating etc

- but mostly because I still have a way to go & although the support and encouragement i get is unreal, i've found sharing my story as it unfolds helps me to remind myself why I started the journey, and why I should keep going even on the days its gets hard...

So there you have it, my 'introduction' and update! And now its over to you guys, I have a million topics I am going to cover off on the blog, but what do you want to hear? Let me know if there is anything you think I can do to make the blog stand out from the crowd. I'm going to give a weekly update on how I am doing with training etc, i'll talk about the weight loss 'before,during,after', i'll give you tips, recipes and everyweek i'll give my favourite motivation quote of the week :) oh and my workout tune of the week too of course ... but please do email me feedback on what you guys think, because as much as I write this for me, Its for you too :)

Some people have asked me for eating plans etc, and while I am more than to send you a mail helping you kick off your own journey,  giving any tips or help i can, please just remember i'm not a qualified nutritionist, weight loss leader or personal trainer. I'm just a girl who's made a big difference in her life, and is writing to show you that you can make even a small one in yours too! The only thing I am qualified in is shoe shopping.. I 've got a masters in that!!!

I'm back blogging .. and here to stay, watch out for the first proper edition in a few days.... '10K & beyond' (thanks Lorena... I picked that title for my come back blog!)

Thanks as always guys,

Av xxxx

Oh and now on the stairs at work? ............Depending on the size heels I am wearing, I take the stairs between 2 and 4 steps at a time, and it takes less than 30seconds to make it up :)

Quote for the week...

'Will power is a muscle, the more you use it, the stronger it gets'

Work out song for the week....

'Stronger' - Kelly Clarkson

Recipe of the week...

Salmon & pea Fishcakes

(makes 2 servings)

Fresh Cooked Salmon - flaked, or 200g tin Pink or Red Salmon

200g mashed potato

4 spring onions

100g frozen peas

chopped parsley

1 egg, lightly beaten

4 tablespoon semolina or breadcrumbs

2 tablespoon olive oil

S&P

In a large bowl, mix together the salmon, mash, spring onions, peas, parsley , salt&pepper.

Add enough of the egg to bind everything together.

Using wet hands, shape the mixture into 1/2 inch thick cakes. Lightly coat each one in the semolina or breadcrumbs.

Cook the fishcakes in the heated olive oil for a few mins on each side until golden brown!

Serve with veggies and rice for dinner, or a salad for lunch :)