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 :)