If motivation was given in bucket loads, today I 've had gallons. As you may have read last time I had a difficult few days with stress and tensions but today I was at Manor Park, Brockenhurst so it was bound to be a good day.

I did the Mini Triathlon. The swim went quite well I am picking up speed gradually. The distances were twice as far as the last Minier Triathlons. I am in awe of anyone who does the full amount. Someone was on the bike when I got into the Gym so I went on to the Treadmil instead. I walked at 5.9-6.2k per hour and walked for 2k. I really wanted to do it in 20 mins and did a little sprint (in walky joggy kind of way). Then on to the bike. I did 8k but I found it really hard. Wil was really cool feeding me bits of apple and water as I went round the bend in the Alps. He also had something that the proffessionals use, a gel which you take a swig of and it gives you a quick energy burst. It really helped. I was going to give up at 4k but I did the whole 8. I think it might be the hardest I've ever pushed myself physically to do. I was so chuffed I got to the 8k

300 meters swim - 11 mins 30 secs
Treadmill 2k - 20 mins 37 secs
Bike 8k - 22 mins 44 secs

I had yet to do the session with Wil in the Gym, he suggested I went for a relaxing swim and time in the pool and then come back . I don't have to be told twice with my new, one size smaller than the first one, I went to the stream room and the bubbles mmmmmm heavenly.
Back in the Gym we had a visit from Wil's sister and nephew. That was a lovely surprise to meet them. The Nephew is cute and Wil was helping him to have a little go on the Treadmil and the bike, so sweet. Wil's sister has just got her place confirmed for the London Marathon, now that's really exciting. Wil's done, it her husband has done it so she'll get loads of encouragement.

I did some sit ups on the gym ball and then Wil and I had a chat about food and life. Having a bit of a change - no longer thinking of the food I'm eating as 'Diet' , something you start and then come off. It's going to be more - this is the food I'm going to eat for life with a capital 'L' . Going to eat more often and as natural as possible. I think this will really help with the tension headaches and mood swings.

I felt so boosted and motivated at the end of the session

Walking Back To Happiness Wapbopeeayayay

Today has been really strange. It was a really hard day at work and got really upset about losing a swimming costume - how trivial is that.

Work is still very tense and I'm getting headaches so I need to work out some standing up destressing exercises. Went to do some shopping at lunch time and I think I came the closest I've been to thinking about getting a Macdonalds, mainly because someone walked past me with chips and a shake and I had a sudden yearning and a weakening. BUT......... I know that I would feel even worse after I had eaten that junk and I managed to resist. Close call though!! Comfort eating. That's not me anymore.

Just shows I still got to work at this I don't want food to be the first port of call again when I get low.

Just been for a long walk to work it out. Getting all that extra oxygen in me has really helped, I feel so much better. So this could be a way of working out frustrations and worries.. STEP IT OUT.

I got a new swimming costume same kind Speedo Endurance mark 2 . Need to look after it this time.
It will have it's debut tomorrow on my Mini Triathlon

Another good session with Wil last night and had a bit of swimming direction too, which is good because I am self taught and I am sure there are ways of being more stream lined to go faster.
Although at the moment I seem to have mislaid my costume, have to make a decision to get a new one or shock the nation when I go swimming. Feeling really sad about it cos it was my first proper Speedo one, money is a bit tight so I'm fighting between eating and getting a new costume. Oh well who needs to eat!!! I can't bare the thought of not swimming till after Christmas

I think I have had my cake making chip removed I think it fell out when I was swimming. I used to make loads of cakes and stuff people until they could no longer walk. I think it is the Jewish roots side of me that has, deep with in me a Jewish Mama lurking.
I tried to make a number of healthy type cakes but apart from Flapjacks they've not been too good. Poor Wil has been guineapig for a while but it maybe well to leave baking cakes as in the past that has been one of my big down falls. The cake mixture sometimes never got into the tin!!!

Jogging Over Spitfire Bridge

Today I went for the Sunday long walk. I set out for the walk not really sure where I was going, but ended up walking out of Winchester about 2 miles along the Alresford Road to Morn Hill.
Morn Hill is where the main Graveyard is.
My Dad is buried there so I went to see his grave. It would have been his birthday tomorrow.

My Dad
I was very lucky to have had the best Dad - Geoffrey Browning. He spent most of his working life in the RAF. He was amazing, a wicked sense of humour, so patient, brilliant artist and had a great love for theatre, Christian in the truest sense. Loyalty was very important to him. He also very active while he was able. He ran Cross Country for the RAF and entered into some quite big competitions. In the RAF Ely hospital he was one of the patients in the pioneeering hip replacement operations. I think he would be quite chuffed to know what was going on with me at the moment. Maybe the Cross Country Running Gene maybe passed down!!! He died over 15 years ago, I miss him loads but so grateful I had such a great start to life with him

The Signs of Jogging
On the way back I had a go at jogging. I'm aware I need to be careful of joints especially knees, so I did little bits. I found a horizon point of a road sign or a lamp post and jogged towards it. I've got past the idea of being worried about what people think especially as I got a boost today as some encouragement was shouted out of a car window as they drove past. "Ooooeeee Go for it", well I think that's what they said. Different from what people used to shout at me!!!!
About half way down the road there is a bridge that goes over the motorway . It's called the Spitfire Bridge, named after a bridge that used to be there, a Spitfire was have supposed to have flown under it during the war.
I jogged over it and it is a wierd experience, you can see the traffic going underneath, it made me a bit dizzy.

I think I walked about 6 miles, on my feet for about 2 1/2 hours.
This week is the Mini Triathlon. 300m swim, 8k cycle, 2k walk (all done in New Park) I may have to start about 6 o'clock in the morning to be ready for session with Wil by 12!!!! LOL

OOOOOOOh another fab thing has happened. I went into BHS and brought some Jogging Bottoms. Ok not world shattering, but to me it is a minor miracle cos they fit!! I have always wanted some especially with the 'go faster' stripes on the side.

And they make you do this kind of thing!!!!

This is me the Sunday before our first weigh in at Radio Solent

Claire of Team Wil suggested I took a look at one of the first pictures that were taken as we started off at Radio Solent's Daisy Appeal. Sometimes you forget how much things have changed over the months. So thank you for that tip Claire I can see a difference. Lot more to go but not as much

At Radio Solent July 2006

Above Gosport Half Marathon

In Brockenhurst doing exercises (i think!!!)

I Did Jogging!!!

This Sunday again at the Gosport Half Marathon. This is the medal I won for beating the Olympic record........
and she wakes up...... well , really this is Wil's medal (he's the one on the left,looking cool after just running 13 miles)he let me hold it!!!
I have more pictures to come but at the moment I am having difficulty getting them through the wires. Hopefully they'll appear soon


Been to New Park tonight. Did a session of Aquarobics with Wil, (other) Claire and John (new PTat New Park). I love being in the water. The exercises are not easy though, they are fun. Before you know it you are using all sorts of muscles that never usually see the light of day. Time goes really quickly and before I know it's all scramble to get ready for the gym.
Sometimes when I get out of the pool have a shower and I am all clean and warm in my leggings and T Shirt which feels like pyjamas it feels like I should be getting under a nice warm duvet with hot chocolate watching TV... but that didn't seem to be on Wil's chart of things to do in the gym today!!!

I have a secret ambition to do something I've never done before..... dance with the Royal Ballet? Nah.. Parachute out of a plane...Nah too easy..... I really want to be able to run/jog. I have never done it before, unless you count 'toddler jog'. I remember as a child being entered for the 100 meters and deliberately falling over. in a comic way, at the start line to be disqualified and to make people laugh, so diverting the fact that I couldn't run to save my life... well I probably could if the adrenalin took over

Tonight on the Treadmil Wil acted as Midwife to my labour into jogging!!!! It's a small step for most athletes but a giant leap for Sukind. I can't tell you how excitied I was to start the journey into jogland. I know I have to take it steady as my joints are still under strain carrying excess weight but I started. I still need to learn the lesson of taking things slowly and not be disappointed when I've not entered into the Marathon next week. But I started!!!

This is Claire in a Team Wil session looking very fit. She had a 'sports injury' last week so we missed her.

Here are some pictures of Wil doing the Gosport Half Marathon yesterday in super-quick time.

Radio Solent today, great fun as usual. We were looking at the results of the Cholesterol tests. Jon Cuthill and I eventually managed to get a drop of blood out of our fingers (not an armful) to test. Both of our results showed our levels had gone down. Mine helped by including more seeds and nuts in my diet and Jon's by eating Marg!!!! Lowering cholesterol type, not something he would normally eat. It was lovely seeing all the Radio crew again. Wil came too to give advice on fitness.

It's the big weigh-in on 11th December so time to pull out all the stops + some.
Christmas is approaching and I am a little apprehensive with all the gorgeous food on offer, but my family and friends are incredibly supportive so I think I can have a good time without going completely off the rails like I normally do. Maybe a bit of planning will help.

Tomorrow I'm off to the gym and a session of aquarobics.......how cool............

What an amazing day I've had today. I went to watch Wil run in the Gosport Half Marathon. Wil's mum ('marathon Mum') came too. She is a very experienced sports competition watcher. Wil has a sister who was doing a Duathalon today and other members of the family who are also into racing.
There was a buzz in the hall as the runners registered and changed into their running gear. It was so exciting to be in amongst it all. Wil suggested that I did one lap of the two lap course, so I set off a bit earlier to get a head start.

On my way out to find a loo I asked an innocent bystander ''do you know where the loos are?" I said it three times as he didn't understand me. Then I said it really slowly "Do you know where the LOOS are", suddenly he twigged...he thought I was saying to him "you're a loser!!!"...so funny . The thought of going up to a runner and saying "You're a loser" before they had even stepped onto the starting line.

Wil's mum also went for a walk along the side of the sea, which was beautiful.
I walked for just under 2 miles before I saw the car with the big clock on the top closely followed by the lead runners. I knew Wil would be in the front group so I stood till they came past and clapped and took photos (hopefully some will appear on the blog at a later date)
I carried on with my walk dodging runners , stopping every now and then to clap and shout encouraging things.
When I got to the bridge Gorgeous Stu gave me a call on the mobile to talk over stuff which was really helpful and encouraging, if not slightly surreal because I was surrounded by people doing heavy breathing and wearing lycra.
People of all ages and sizes were mid and in the latter part of the race. I got a real yearning to get in there and have a go but I need to do it slowly -
but wouldn't it be fantastic for the next year's race to be a goal.

This is Wil running it isn't, but just imagine it's Gosport and wearing Votwo strip


I had my Black gear of cleverly concealed sports wear in disguise as leggings, T shirt and skirt. As I walked around the course I must have looked as if I was part of the event cos a few people clapped ME!!!! Then Wil past me again on the second lap, it was quite warm,the sun was really strong and the wind got blowy towards the end. It was a good walk unlike many of the runners when you're walking you take in some of the sites. I went past the Royal Haslar Hospital and saw the Spinnaker Tower.

I hour 17 minutes and 28 seconds was Wil's time which is amazing for 13 miles.
I did just over 1 hour 30 for walking 7 miles. Just starting though!!!!!

Loved every minute of it
Well done Wil

On the radio tomorrow to do the long awaited Cholesterol test
It will be good to see if it's the same as last time as I have upped the seed and nut intake. It'll also be lovely to see the Radio Solent Breakfast show crew again

Hi I'm back in Blogland. Had a great couple of days in the New Park Manor Spa, which I really needed. Life at work has become so tense it's so nice to escape to the Oasis of Steam, Water, Bubbles and a good dose of Motivation from our Wil.

I am gradually realising the importance of the detail in exercise. Doing press ups on the gym ball, it's important just to use those stomach muscles rather than using other bits for leverage. And keeping hips straight, knees and shoulders relaxed etc.......then you can really feel the muscles doing their stuff!!

I get tension headaches/migrains and over the last few days it's been constant, exercise really helps so I think I must do some exercise at the end of each day to work it off and out.

Today is the 1st anniversary of Bath Spa and New Park Manor. So CONGRATULATIONS to everyone there.

Hit the dieting doldrums a bit today. I haven't fallen off the wagon but sometimes when you've been doing something for a while you sind yourself surfing rather than swimming. So today was a good day to get recharged and re-envisioned.

Some Goals to work towards in the near future.

------------------------------------------------

30th Nov - Mini Triathlon

Swimming 300 meters/cycling 8K/walking 2K

11TH Dec - BBC Radio Solent Daisy Dieters Weigh In - Goal to have lost 5 stone

-------------------------------------------------

Had a gorgeous day in Dorset for the Iona regional meeting last Saturday. It's such a lovely group of people. We had two of the chaplains in Bournemouth talking about their work. John who is the chaplain to the night clubs of Bournemouth and Stu chaplain to Bournemouth and Poole College. Both incredibly inspiring and honest about the work in Bournemouth and Poole.

Oh It's Such A perfect Day...I'm Gonna Share It With You

Had an absolutely fabulous day at New Park Manor today. Haven't been for ten days and it seemed ages. Had to stop myself skipping with excitement up the road to the Spa.
Did half hours swim, and a steam.
Right- this is Wil trying to keep up with me!!!!
Then a session with Wil. As it was such a lovely autumn's day we went for a walk in the New Forrest. It was a very vigorous walk but I was still able to give Wil the traditional Thursday list of questions. He answered them all with flying colours. It was so good because when I asked him which is the correct way to start jogging, or how to run correctly on the foot, or stretching the muscles after exercises he showed me as we walked.

Have seen other Personal and Fitness trainers on TV recently, I think we've got a real goodun(I'll pick up the fiver next week Wil!!!!!!!!!!!LOL)

Another sign of fitness progress is that I can actually talk and walk fast at the same time. That would have been impossible a few months ago.
I think there maybe some funny pictures coming of me soon on the walk!!!

Then back into a gym for some press ups and world record cycling!!
Claire came in for her session and I was just about to sneak off but Wil said I could stay and do some work on the Treadmill. So I walked for 1/2 hour and did a bit on the Cross Trainer. We had a good catch up chat with Claire who is doing remarkably well considering she is going through a bit of a rough time.

We have a challenge on our hands - it's the next Daisy Dieters Weigh- in Day on the 11th November. I lost some more weight and I am now 16.10 st if I could lose another 5lbs for 11th December I might get to the 5st lost for the Daisy Appeal. It may sound any easy target but it is getting harder as it's no longer fluid loss, getting to the hard stuff. But I will try. If not I'll have to cut something off!!!

Been watching Channel 4's 'Too Big To Walk'. It followed a group of seriously obese people as they set about a challenge of doing a walk from Devon to Edinburgh. I found myself getting really frustrated with a few particular characters for not really trying and projecting the blame for how they were on everybody else but themselves. I think I was probably irritated because I could here myself talking the exact same way a few years ago. Only 4 out of the 8 made it but the sense of achievement on their faces when they finished the walks was lovely

Just had an e-mail from Radio Solent to say we have a Cholestral meeting on Monday so that'll be good to meet up with everyone again. It'll be good to see how Jon, Lucy and Ken have been doing.

There is a stunning art installation in Winchester called Luminous Motion by Peter Freeman. It has been there for about 2 years but at this time of year in the evening it is gorgeous. It is an interactive artwork where you can text a number and design your own light show. It is a fairly controversial work but I think it really gives a sparkle to the cold autumn evenings

EeeeeeeeeeeOooooooooAhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Last Saturday we went to the Winchester fireworks. Had a fab time with Nieces Jenny and Catherine and Paul, Jenny's husband and Spud ( who you may remember has the nice hair). We were told there were 10,000 people on the field.
Picture 1. L to R -Spud, Jenny, Me and Paul. We were all wearing loads of layers except for Paul who is a walking radiator. It was bloomin' cold.
Winchester Fireworks always has a good atmosphere and people on the whole are fairly good natured. Although we were in a huge crowd of people everyone who wanted to get nearer the front chose us to push past. Picture 2- Spud and Catherine

Jenny's pregnancy is coming on well 22 weeks!!! Bump is called Gerald and he decided to sleep through the event which is quite amazing because it was quite noisy. The Bonfire, once it was lit was huge and the flames must have gone up 20/30 feet. Gave everyone a nice glow. We stayed warm by dancing to the music(Is This The Way To Amirillo - I ask you!!) and by standing next to Paul.

Picture 3 - Guess what...The Bonfire

They had to wait till the fire had calmed down before they set the fireworks off. It was a shame there was no music during the fireworks this time but I think our eeeeeeoooooooooooahhhhhhhhhhhs compensated quite well. There was a little boy being held by his dad next to us, I was expecting screams and crying but he loved it, shouting 'Bang' back to the fireworks that were noisy....he was so cute. Picture 4 - Jenny

Next Pictures The Fireworks

Fireworks were spectacular they did create quite a cloud of smoke which made it difficult to see the lower ones but the high ones were very good and the finale, when it looks like what ever they have left they throw up into the sky, got a round of applause.

Leaving the park was interesting with a few bottlenecks being created by the 10,000. It took us about 20 minutes to leave. Not for the faint hearted or if you suffer from crowd phobia. We warmed up at the flat with a nice cup of hot chocolate

All in all a good evening's entertainment with very good company.
(Thank you Spud for the pictures)

SUNDAY

Went for a long walk. I met crowds of runners runnig in the World Run Day 'Feed The World'. So I was quite inspired by seeing people of all shapes and ages running, even the 'Men in Lycra' were out. Felt sorry no one was cheering them on so I stood at the top of the high street and did my rent a crowd job and clapped some of them as they went past. They seemed grateful LOL. I am open to offers as cheer leader!!!

Walked for about one and a half hours and then did another hours walk in the afternoon!! Just can't sit still these days!!!Wore the wrong trainers so knees were a bit stiff

Reading a book will lent me about Optimum Nutritition. It's really interesting. I have been looking at Omega 3 and 6. As a vegetarian I can't have fish oils but a prime source is nuts and seeds. So I have taken to having 2 desert spoons mixed seeds a day. It will be interesting to see if it makes any difference to the weight loss.

I haven't weighed myself, we decided it was best just to be weighed at the gym with Wil to avoid getting paranoid about the natural ups and downs of weight

So life's long question what happens to all the fat you lose is there a parallel universe where creatures made of fat live. Does it evoporate
into the atmosphere. Are there fat islands floating in the channel. I feel a Dr Who script coming on.
Interesting question!!!



Tonight it's time to make the never ending Quinoa food. It's so good coming in from work and having something really healthy and hearty to eat. More people seem to be catching on to the benefits of Quinoa.

Tomorrow is 'eeeeeee ooooo' night as members of my family and I are off to watch the fireworks in Winchester. They are usually quite spectacular

St Wifred's Cowplain raised £1125 for the Daisy Appeal which is brilliant. 32 artists joined together for a combines effort to make a copy of Monet's Water Lillies.
I love Community Art there should be more of it and I love this version of Monet

No Spa day today as PT Wil has a well earned holiday. Was going to have a lie in but had a sudden urge to clean the kitchen Why does it always happen on your day off!!!

My Mum phoned at 10 and said she was off for a long walk would I like to join her. So we set off on a beautiful Autumn Days walk. The sky was such a beautiful blue and all the trees are changing colours we both waxed lyrical. We walked through the most beautiful part of Winchester, the Water Meadows.

Christine from work gave me a lift home yesterday, she is moving house and is having a great sort out. She gave me what looks like an instrument of torture but is some kind of exercise machine. I think you sit on it and it rocks or something, at the moment it's in bits in the hall way. May need to bring in the experts. Also when I got home another friend from work had dropped off a Step Exerciser out side my door. My home Gym is growing... I had a go on the Step this afternoon, balancing and aerobic exercises.

Gorgeous Stu seems to have survived his Yoga class and like me the myth of it being a relaxing way to spend an hour was dashed (well as beginners anyway, because it uses a lot of stretching of muscles and balance that you are not used to).


This is week 2, Stu!!!