whooop

yay

busted

So, despite doing spinning at the gym on Friday, a couple of hours out on the bike on Saturday and the Manifold Valley thing on Sunday we find that sundry puddings, dollops of cream, lemon drop cocktails and chocolates WILL prevail and put weight on me!

Oh dear .. a sorry one pound put on this week. I blame my friends .. they bring these things into my house and I can't refuse their generosity, can I now!

I am currently boiling bones to make a thin soup to eat today in a bid to undo the lost ground ...

carrot soup

Personally, I'm not usually a great fan of carrots, and will avoid eating them, especially if they're not organic ... I'm extra fussy about wanting to get organic carrots because I guy I once knew worked for a chemical firm and he told me carrots had more gunk poured on them than any other veg, and he reckoned they carrots ae like sponges for it all .. so that put me off ...

anyway .. blah blah .. In pursuit of eating the rainbow I bought some Sainsbo's organic carrots a week or two ago and they were so nice, tasty and tender that I went out and bought more the next day.

Looking for them again yesterday they had SOLD OUT .. hmmph but they DID have organic batons on offer .. i.e. pre-chopped and 1/2 price so I got them instead, well two bags of them! I have to say they DO make a very nice soup, simply boiled up with a good stock, bit of celery and onion, bay leaf and thyme .. munch with the whizzy blender thing and stir in a dollop of cream ..

oh .....

and what are we doing with cream in the house? making a surprise second appearance in this week's blog? well you see .. our dinner guest bought it for us on Sunday, and ( some of it) was still there yesterday .. .. got to say if you're not on a low-fat diet a little bit of cream makes carrot soup a very yummy thing! aaaaaand, it's probably better to have cream with carrots than feel obliged to do another pudding thing cos you've got some cream in the fridge .. logical!

Personal Best

It was quite sunny here this morning so we decided to go out on the local canal along towards Hanley Park .. it's amazingly scenic along some of that stretch ... then we decided that instead of going back the same way we'd go to the canal junction and pick up the other canal towards the Britannia Stadium and then drop back through Heron Cross and Fenton on the road..

We've been out on the bikes for nearly 2 hours adn I ahve totally jelly legs now cos we veered off the canal path and took in a few hills on that route - ARGHHH what was I thinking! ? !

I feel really tired but smiley too - need a radox bath now.

B has bought me one of those heart monitor things so I can see my heart rate - it pootles along "in the aerobic zone" on the canal but shoots up alarmingly when I go up a slope .. it's good cos it makes me realise how hard I'm working and I allow myself to go slower and recover more!

spinning

hi
have been busy this week, but not really clocked up many steps, too long in the car.

Today, though, I was back at the gym. I'd hoped to do a circuits class, but cos the teacher had changed it was a different routine and I thought it was to technical for my stage of progress .. so I went and did spinning instead ... this is like being on a bike, but harder work than what I've done on the real one, cos no free-wheeling and no down hill!

I was definitely sweating quite hard quite early on (yes Jan, I am keeping up my fluid intake!) I enjoyed it and felt right pleased with myself afterwards and had a chicken baguette in their cafe for lunch.

As for other food and drink this week ... hopeless I reckon. Free lunch out yesterday led to eating a fair bit, and generally I'venot been not sticking to the plan which means I've probably not lost any more weight yet! hey ho ...

One thing I did think, tho, wheeling my trolley of veg around the supermarket today, I HAVE stuck to the resolve of not buying any more of those GU puds .. small consolation when I think I ate apple crumble and cream at Mark's for tea-time and then again for BREAKFAST!
ARGHHHHH !

Manifold Valley

We had the most lovely day out in the Manifold Valley yesterday .. B running and me on the bike again. We did ten miles in 1hr 30 minutes, so we're both pleased with ourselves.

This page has some representative picutres: http://www.snapthepeaks.co.uk/Walks/Thors/thors.htm

We actually went along this bit, under Thor's cave:

I was also slightly amazed to find I lost another two pounds this week, despite eating rather more than the diet plan most of the time .. I guess mid-week D+V helped!

haha

Then today I did my first aerobics class at the gym. Not quite as exhilirating as being ouside on the bike, but it was a great moment for me, and I really enjoyed it.

tissington trail

B and I went out to Tissington yesterday and did 5 miles to Alsop and back - ten in all .. ! It's an old railway track and has more of a gradient than the canal ... it was lovely, sunny and fresh with a great open aspect on most of the trail. My (stoopid) stepper counted this exertion as 3000 steps, so I'm not taking its photo today - that'll larn it! HA!

I have lost three pounds this week, which is nigh on miraculous considering I ate the usual health food fare of pie and chocolate at the football on Saturday and a goodly dose of cocktails with Sam last night, how does this work?

Off to the gym later to get my health assesment .. always good for a laugh, and likely to be more comical than usual this time ... my flexibility gives a wooden spoon a run for its money these days... and I bet my heart rate soars under pressure now .. we'll see!

Fottball

Walked from Kasia's to the football ground and back .. a decent distance.

I observe that Kasia stays slim by saying she's going to get chips at half-time, and then saying "oh I cant be bothered" when the opportunity arises .. where I get fat by thinking I'll make a lean turkey sarnie to take with me, but eat a pie and chocolate instead ..

Artists Date

Logged up a reasonable walk today - out taking photos on my weekly artist date thingy - walked from Hanley down to the Marina, and there abouts ... taking pictures