One foot in front of the other...

Time to set a goal... Now, I know some people have weddings... communions... jeans to get back into ...  and all sorts of goals but try one of these... 5k... with your pals for a good cause! Over 40K women do the Dublin Mini Marathon every year, for all kinds of charities and it's great craic! 

Pick one that's closest to your heart... sign up... if you're worried about doing it on your own don't be... I'll be lurking at a few of them and honestly I need a good training buddy! You'll be surrounded by fellow walkers who are up for fun and getting fitter more than beating Sonia O'Sullivans time! Remember, it's not the Olympics, so don't fret about it and most of us can walk 5k but challenge yourself... Maybe set a small goal for yourself... 'I'm going to walk this under 60 mins... 2 hours..' whatever and go for it... you'll feel so good after I promise!

I'm never going to be a runner... unless I'm on fire and running towards a half naked fireman holding a calorie free G&T, it ain't happening... my pals from bootcamp will vouch for this... I whinge the entire time about running but I know plenty of people who are addicted to it! But I'll be walking in a good few of these this year because I need something to focus on so I keep getting out for my walks so I don't need paramedics at the end of any of them! 

It's just one foot in front of the other... and get competitive with your pals... you'll encourage each other... who ever clocks up the most miles on their pedometer doesn't pay for the cocktails at the end of it... there is cocktails right?!?! re-hydration and all...  

Put on your trainers... open the front door and walk out... keep going for 10 mins... turn around... you have to come home! There's a 20min walk! DONE! If its raining bring a brolly... look at the country we live in... it rains all the time, it really shouldn't be a surprise! C'mon you get a medal!!! 

Anyone wants to stomp the tarmac I'll be at some of them! I'm not fast, I'll chat the entire way around but if someone feels they can't do it for what ever reason... just shout out, I bet someone reading this will want a walking buddy too! I'm overweight, slow and probably gonna be the last to cross the line but at least I'll do it! AND with a smile on my face!  

A charity close to my heart, Pieta House Darkness into Light Walk is on Saturday the 9th of May a fantastic cause to raise awareness of suicide and depression in Ireland... it's all about hope... http://dil.pieta.ie 

A charity close to my boobs... The Great Pink Run is provisionally set for Saturday 29th of August and its brilliant! I stomped it out at my own pace plus you get to wear pink! There are some particularly fetching men in tutus running this! 

http://www.greatpinkrun.ie 

ALSO check out http://www.pinkribbonwalk.ie for local walks around the country... 

Run or Dye I mean seriously... channel your inner hippy... wear white and have a blast, in full blow colour! Registration is open for Galway on 12th of September! Dublin date to be announced! Mr Q are you reading this?!?! http://www.runordye.co.uk

Others to check out... 

The Great Limerick Run which has a 6 mile course... http://www.greatlimerickrun.com

The Pink Ribbon Walks http://www.pinkribbonwalk.ie  around the country... 

And of course the Dublin Mini Marathon! http://www.vhiwomensminimarathon.ie

If you know of any more, please comment below and we'll all get moving! 

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Happy new year!!! Part 2!

Nope... I haven't gone mad... I'm not drunky... today we celebrate the new year... Part 2.. the sequel... We are half way trough 2014! HALF WAY!!! Do we all remember on the 1st of January? All those promises we made to ourselves... I'm gonna be thinner... smarter... happier... less stressed... so where are we with all that?! There is 6 months left in 2014 and considering how fast the first 6 months went, hang onto your pants!!! 

Resolutions are a bit... meh... we pretty much all set the same ones... we all look at the new year with hope... 'this will be my year...' and its all so positive till we wake up with the mother of all hangovers ... get a 'full irish' then promise ourselves.. hands on hearts... that tomorrow is the beginning of the rest of our lives... sound familiar?! 

A new year can start at any time... start today... start on the 5th of august... we get so hung up on dates and schedules that we forget that its up to us to feel good and look after our bodies... no one else is in charge of you... so, start with your next meal... make it a healthy one... like my leader says... we eat 21 meals a week... just because you feck up one, doesn't mean you should throw in the towel ... so ... anyone on the fence at the moment... don't let the excuses win... 

'the kids are off school' ... are they force feeding you 99s? 

'I'll start after my holidays' ... why not start now and have a little splurge on your holidays? 

'I'll wait till they go back...' ah here... that's two whole months away!!! Just think of the damage you could do in two months! Plan stuff ... encourage them to eat well... have fun with food... teach them to bake... make fruit kebabs... rainbow jelly .. they're own ice pops... Dealz have the molds in at the moment for €1.49... make it a little competition ... see who makes the best ice pops... let granny play Simon Cowell... XFactor style... it's all about getting  creative ... if you really want to do it... you will... Just think by the end of the year... this ... 

0.5lb a week is 13lbs less 

1lb a week is 1st 12lbs

1.5lbs a week is 2st 11lbs

2 lbs a week is 3st 10lbs

Happy New Year The Sequel... this doesn't mean you get another Chinese new year by the way... chancers! 

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The pen is mightier than the scalpel... WEEK 3

OK... So it's tracking... I know ... I know.... 

Don't you just get fed up pointing things sometimes? Wouldn't it be nice to just get up... have your breakfast and not fret that you won't have enough points by dinner time... just to eat and enjoy food... and on holidays you do... in the past, sadly, its always led to a big fat UP on the scales... but this holiday I'm noticing I'm making changes without even trying...  strangely.. I'm brainwashed... I'm pointing in my head subconsciously... I know by looking at something how many points are in there... and without using the numbers I'm just making better choices, funny how you never switch off... maybe that's a life changing thing ... but tracking is the one thing all successful members remark on... and honestly... the weeks I track diligently, are the weeks I'm down... medication or not... so it feckin works...  

Whether its a nice notebook, try a free program online like the Daily Plate, FitDay, or Sparkpeople  or a fancy app on your phone... there are lots of ways to track your food! so excuses will be ignored!

Check out Mr. Qs post >>> HERE <<<

It's even better if you're the organized type who can plan out your meals and know you'll have exactly 5PP every morning for brekkie... 6PP for lunch... etc... because you know exactly what you're having... and how many Propoints you'll have for dinner, treats, birthday parties, date night, cinema trips... and meal planning is so economical... just sitting down before you go food shopping can make a huge difference when you've got a precise list and don't deviate from it! No supermarket specials allowed!!!

Writing everything down make you see exactly where you're going wrong and what kind of eater you are... you might think you're an angel till you track your munchies at night time... you might weigh out your pasta and see your portion sizes are way off... Write it ALL down... every bite... if you eat your kid's left over fish finger, write it! If you dip it in ketchup write that too.. if you lick the bowl after you make a cake, track it... If you taste dinner as you cook it, track it... Every single thing... If you've never done this... it will be an eye opener... and it doesn't matter if you're writing Propoints, Syns, calories.. whatever plan you're on ... it will make a difference... we can be very 'forgetful' sometimes! It will also show you how much or how little you're eating of certain foods... not enough veg? too much fruit? mid-night feasts? 

For people rolling their eyes "I do this ALLLL the time"... then write down how you feel... are you happy? sad? annoyed? angry? Look at the time of day you are eating and why? How hungry were you really? on a scale of 1 to 10? Were you even hungry at all? Think about WHY you eat what you do and see if you make a healthy choice every time... 

No chart this week but post your losses below and normal service will resume shortly ... *hiccup*... x

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"E" is for ...

ENTHUSIASM

That first week.. that first loss.. you and your pal started it together... you were going to walk EVERY day.. you were going to empty each others cupboards of all the rubbish.. yep.. full of beans! But after 5 weeks.. you're fed up.. you stayed the same this week and just looking at the tracker annoys you.. we've all been there and hit that place regularly.. but you've got to keep up the momentum! If you can't get excited about your journey to a better you, you'll never get there... yes, there will be set backs... life doesn't make it easy with cream cakes and ice cream.. but once you get that little lift.. that spurs you on... you will make it! The first compliment you receive.. you might hate hearing it.. and not be used to them... but it does stay with you.. The 'you're looking great!' is enough to spur you on for another week... meeting people who haven't seen you in ages.. and that miserable 1lb a week, which is really 20lbs but you just didn't notice, has magically transformed you so they're asking 'whats your secret?' ... that spring that pops into your step is enthusiasm! As long as its there you're on track! And there are lots of non scale victories that will encourage you too! That pair of jeans that was busting out all over.. not so snug! Channel that enthusiasm into you goal setting and you're half way there!

ENERGY

Its the one thing people always notice when they lose weight.. they can run upstairs and not need a cardiac unit at the top! They can chase and play with their kids.. once you start walking.. and you realise you've gone further this week than you did last week.. and it didn't feel any different... that's what I'm talking about.. you sleep better.. your skin is clearer... the positives outweigh the negatives twenty fold! You will lose toxins and fell less sluggish... The red bar on the energy rating is at the bottom for a reason! Overloaded... By not carrying that excess weight you're making your body a more efficient machine... and that's basically what it is... its your personal machine to take you through life, you don't get a second one.. parts are pretty hard to replace .. so look after it!

My fav quote at the moment.... 

EMOTIONS

GAWD I could rave on this one for years... happy - eat, sad - eat, angry - eat.. and throughout a weight loss journey you'll feel them all... and many more.. that girl in class who's down EVERY SINGLE WEEK... pffft! < Envy! It'll make you open your weight watchers bars and tuck in....  When you get that look when you're up... < sad - which turns into a bottle of wine and feck it, a pizza! OR... I'm down... YIPPEEEEE lets celebrate all the hard work with a bottle of wine and feck it, a pizza! We've all done it! Eaten our emotions... and whilst a bottle of wine and pizza won't ruin your efforts... you've got to learn to deal with the emotions.. yes that might mean a few tears... or a soppy movie but associating emotions with food is just not good... when you're happy.. be happy.. be content in your success.. and by all means celebrate but don't associate losing/gaining weight with a food reward! IF you're not happy... talk it out with someone.. geez even a whinge on twitter can make you feel a bit better sometimes... Let off some steam with some kick boxing or just dance about and shout.. Whatever you need to do to deal with them.. emotional eating can set you back on your weight loss journey... 

EXERCISE

nag... nag... I know.. but one last time for the people in the cheap seats! As humans we are suppose to move about. It's only in recent decade that a sedentary lifestyle has become the norm... my gran used to hand wash everything.. Now I chuck everything into the machine press and button and turn on corrie! Our cave grannies were out killing animals, and god knows what else, aside from keeping the cave nice and tidy and an eye on cave granddad! We are meant to move, not sit still and watch the telly! No one is saying you need to become a marathon runner.. a 10 minute walk out the front door turn around and come back! done! repeat.. everyday... and you'll notice every walk... is a little farther.. and a little easier... and walking is free! With the nice long evenings now 

EASY

Yes.. easy! You can make the entire process much easier on yourself if you stuck to your plan! When you go shopping.. bring a list.. do not deviate from it! Unless there's a mega deal on apples.. stick to the piece of paper!!! If you have crap in the house.. you will eat it! If you have the low PP treats you like.. then if the bad stuff isn't there.. you can't eat it! Simples! 

I missed my class with all my galavanting but will catch one in town on Saturday... 

Everyones doing so well!!! You're all so motivating!!!! 

If I missed you or am still muddled up after last week just let me know!

Have a great week and a Happy Bank Holiday to the Dolls in the UK!

Doll x

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Being S.M.A.R.T.E.R!

Being S.M.A.R.T.E.R 

about the way I approached 

my weight loss & health

by @quinlivan

It has been 35 weeks since I re-joined Weight Watchers and my life has flip turned upside down. I am healthier, happier and more confident in every part of my life. I got my 75lbs weight loss cert in class last week and have added an 11th Silver 7 to my Weight Watchers collection.

I have a lot of work done, but I still have a lot of work left to do. I am still 28lbs off my Weight Watchers goal weight. How do I plan on working towards that? Using my SMARTER goals. As The Skinny Doll is covering in her excellent challenge that is on-going at the moment, we know what SMARTER stands for and I have found using the approach since January has helped me keep track & be realistic about my fitness levels and goals. As you may know from my February post, I made a decision back in December that over the Christmas period I would be active every single day over the holidays even if it meant a 20 minute walk, I had planned on doing something every day I had off work as I had no excuse not to.

In January, I signed up to a local ‘Zero to 5K’ group being run by Amphibian King in Oranmore and I started running. I started using a tracking app on my phone to monitor and account for any walks/jogs I had done and by the end of January I had clocked up 90.46KM. This was my base line – the amount I had moved in the month. I took this and used it to set my goal for February (see here)

“Now I know what I can in a month. 9-0-4-6… And with that, my goal for February is to beat that number!”

I set my first SMART goal at the beginning of February:

Specific - Clock more than 90.4km in the month

Measurable - Using the Nike Running App, I can record distance covered & time

Attainable - Yes – run/walk more than the previous month

Realistic – I believe so

Time Sensitive - 28 days

February came and went – I even signed up for my first 10K at the beginning of March which helped keep me focus during the month. As February came to a close, I found I had increased my distance by 38%. Yes it was a lot of dark evening jogs in the rain with a LOT of huffing, sweating and wit bright red face – but I didn’t care. My friend said to me that regardless of how slow/little I was covering each time I went out, I was still lapping everyone on the couch. Those words have stuck with me since. 

I planned to make my March goal SMARTER than February’s by adding Evaluation & Reward. My March aim was to clock up 100km by only tracking running activities, with an Easter Egg as my reward (convienently Easter Sunday was March 31st). 

The full post is here!

- but to sum it up, my March goal was:

Specific - RUN 100km this month

Measurable - Using the Nike Running App for runs ONLY

Attainable - Of course it is :)

Realistic - Considering I am running between 5k & 10k - It is

Time Sensitive - 31 days (March)

Evaluation - Aim for 25k / week (at my pace = 2 hrs 30 mins commitment a week)

Reward - A big f*ck off Easter Egg on March 31st :)

On March 2nd, I ran my first 10K in 61 minutes – I was over the moon. To keep myself focused, I signed myself up for another 10K at the end of March (4 weeks away). Looking back, this was the best thing I could have done for myself as it kept me going. I finished my second 10K in 54 minutes 30 seconds. I knocked just under 7 minutes off my 10K four weeks previous. See here!

I didn’t hit my March Goal of running 100K in the month but I still had my Easter Egg as a reward. Why? Because I felt I worked hard for it. I ran 91K so 91% is considered an A right? ;)

Coming into April I have signed up for my first Half Marathon at the end of May which gives me over 8 weeks to bring myself from 10K to 21K. Seems like a huge jump but thanks to setting myself SMART goals, I was able to break this down into adding 1K to my runs every week. So 10K in Week 1, 11K Week 2, 12K week three and so on… With this in mind I set myself two goals for April:

Goal 1:

Top March's figures:

Run for longer than 9 hours

Run further than 91K

Obtain a better average pace (5m 55s/km) 

Goal 2:

Run 15K in a single run

Applying my SMARTER goal setting strategy to April, I came up with the following:

Specific - Run further, longer and faster than March (as specified above) with at least one of those runs being 15K

Measurable - Use the Nike Running App

Attainable - Of course it is :)

Realistic - Considering I am running between 5k & 10k - It is!

Time-sensitive - 30 days (April)

Evaluation - Aim for 25k/week (2 hrs 30 mins commitment a week)

Reward - Haven't thought of one yet, but something LUSH! 

The full blog post is available here!

Now, I know what you are thinking… WTF?! I haven’t a notion of running/half marathons/walking. That doesn’t matter. What I wanted to show was how SMART goals worked for me and how each month the goal has adapted to my ability. Don’t start with a fitness goal in mind. Instead take a week/month to work out what you can do – that was my January. At the end of the week/month, look at what you covered – use time (hours spent out walking/gym/running/whatever) or distance as your baseline going in to the next week/month to set your goal.

As Doll has already covered, nothing is straightforward. There may be sabotage or mistakes along the way but it is all a learning process. I still haven’t a clue what I am doing but it’s working for me! I think it is working for me because it’s my own plan – no one elses. I am not working to some personal trainer plan or something I found online. I put the time in to set myself goals which has fed into my own motivation.

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