Category: fitness

Moonwalk London 2017

- Californian Mum in London 2 Comments

Four months ago, one of my mummy friends emailed me to ask if I’d like to join her on the Moonwalk London. She suggested that we walk 26 miles in the middle of the night, in our bras. I don’t know if I was more horrified at the prospect of wearing a bra in public, or walking 26 consecutive miles. Before I could reply back (telling her that she had probably emailed the wrong friend), she emailed to say that perhaps we could do the half marathon instead. Upon reflection, and after looking at the Moonwalk website, I hesitantly agreed.

If you’re not familiar with Moonwalk London, it is a nightime walk to raise money for breast cancer. Wearing the bras is a way to show solidarity as well as to raise awareness and to just have some fun. Walk the Walk organise the Moonwalk challenges (in the UK and abroad) and this year was the 20th anniversary of Moonwalk London.

Read more

January Fitness Roundup

- Californian Mum in London 2 Comments

January Fitness Roundup

You may remember that last year, beginning in March, I attempted to get Fit By 40. Well, alas, I did not manage to rid myself of the three stone (42 pounds) of baby weight but did lose half of it by my 40th birthday in August. Sadly, I put on one stone (14 pounds) in the autumn. *sigh* This is the third autumn in a row that I’ve gained a stone. I think part of the problem is with my low Vitamin D levels. I get so tired in the autumn, as it gets harder and harder (to impossible) to make vitamin D from the sun, and I turn to sweets and chocolate for energy. But with January, I am feeling hopeful for spring. So now I am back on my quest to get lose weight and get healthy.

Read more

Fit By 40 – August Update

- Californian Mum in London 4 Comments

I can’t believe it is already August. When I began my healthy living regime in March of this year, it felt like I had ages until my birthday. But here we are, just two weeks away from 40. July has not gone to plan (which was why there was no update). After Dubz had to go to the hospital for an asthma attack, I was at the mercy of hospital food for a couple of days. Then I had a week of stress-eating as I waited for him to get back to his old self. Then we went on our camping trip. Not surprisingly, I did not lose any weight. Luckily, I did not put on a pound, despite all that.

But I will not dwell. June left me with a 22-pound weight loss. Although my original goal is 42 pounds, I will not give up. No, I won’t be able to lose the remaining 20-pounds in the next two weeks. But I will lose the weight (though the new plan might need to be ‘Fit By Christmas’).

I am back to healthy eatinfit by 40 - august updateg. And back to the gym. I have really enjoyed my workout sessions (though I am not able to go three times a week in the summer holidays). But it turns out I love sweating. One item that I’ve been enjoying using after my gym sessions is the Mio Gym Kit.

fit by 40 - august update

I do not like showering at the gym. So I have been using the Clean Slate workout wipes, which keeps me from feeling gross and sweaty. It’s like a baby wipe but stronger. And it has the loveliest smell. Like all Mio products. I just wipe, and then throw it away. And I can run errands smelling nice, then go home and have a shower. The gym kit also contains a muscle recovery gel in case your workout session has left you achy but you still need to do grocery shopping and pick up the kids.

I’ll be doing another update in a few weeks. Hopefully I’ll be fitter by 40. 🙂

 

 

 

I was sent the Mio gym kit from John Lewis Kingston for the purpose of this review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

 

Fit By 40 – June Update

- Californian Mum in London 8 Comments

Fit by 40 - June Update

I have been on my healthy living/fitness regime for three and a half months now. And I have to admit that I am struggling. This past month has been difficult. Rather than having one day off at the weekend, I have been having two or three days off. And I took about two weeks off during the May half-term. But despite my love of sugar and carbs, I have continued going to the gym two or three times a week so the month hasn’t gone too badly.

My last weigh-in was last week on Wednesday. At that time I had lost four pounds for the month, bringing my weight loss grand total to 22 pounds. Last month I was disappointed by my four-pound loss. But this month I am not surprised by the small loss as I don’t think my body could continue with the half stone losses each month.

And although my clothes have been fitting better (and I have been able to wear some old clothes), I don’t think I look like I have lost any weight. Obviously it is tough to notice when you have a lot of weight to lose. But I feel like this is effecting my motivation.

This week we are on holiday, so I have been off the diet since last Friday. But I hope to return to my healthy living regime on Sunday. And I am hoping to reduce my cheat days back to once a week. I have seven weeks remaining until my 40th birthday and still have over a stone to lose. Yikes! If you have any advice, I would love to hear it.

 

Fitness 4 Mamas

Fit By 40 – May Update

- Californian Mum in London 21 Comments

Fit by 40 May

It’s been two and a half months since I began my healthy living and I am so pleased with my progress so far. I was in Florida at the end of April/beginning of May, so I did take a few weeks’ break from my no gluten, no sugar and no dairy lifestyle. But how can you go to the USA and not eat pancakes, fried chicken and buttermilk biscuits? Hmmm, buttermilk biscuits. Anyway, before I start daydreaming about unhealthy American food, let’s get back to healthy eating.

In the March update I revealed that I had lost seven pounds in the first 2 1/2 weeks. I lost another seven pounds for the April update, making it a total of one stone (14 pounds). This month has seen less of a weight loss. This has not come as a shock as I took time off from the diet to gorge on ribs, washed down by copious amounts of margaritas. I am actually surprised that I did not put on any weight in Florida. My weigh-in revealed a weight loss of four pounds, which I am happy about. I am now at a total of 18 pounds which is almost half of my goal of 42 pounds (3 stone).

Since last month’s update focused on healthy eating, I thought this month’s update would focus on exercise. While I firmly believe that what you eat is the most important part of losing weight, I think that exercise is a firm second. I have found a local yoga class. Though I have only attended a few times, I have enjoyed the hour of stretching and toning.

In March, I joined my local gym. I have previously tried doing exercise DVDs at home, but too often I would put it off. And since Dubz now attends pre-school three mornings a week, I couldn’t make the excuse that I did not have the time. And when I have had particularly busy weeks, I have been heading to the gym in the evenings and on the weekend. I began just using the stationary bike, followed by a few stretches and abdominal curls. After so many years of not exercising, I did not want to do too much and injure myself.

I now alternate between the treadmill and the elliptical trainer. I then do abdominal exercises before either using free weights on my arms or the machine leg weights. Even though I only workout for an hour twice a week, I feel like my body is more toned. I would obviously prefer to go to the gym three or four times a week, but I am busy and I cannot always prioritise exercise over blogging and chores.

It is now almost exactly three months until my 40th birthday. Hopefully I can lose these next 24 pounds and become fit in time for 40.

 

Fitness 4 Mamas

 

Weight Loss, Week Five

- Californian Mum in London 10 Comments

Diet Chef meals

I can’t believe I have just finished 28 days on Diet Chef. It has really flown by. Above are some of the yummy foods I have enjoyed – as breakfasts, lunches, snacks and dinners. As this will be my final post on the meal delivery programme, I thought I would go through the highlights of the past month.

Diet Chef Highlights:

1. The Food – I think it is a huge plus to be able to choose which meals to have each month. This is especially helpful if you continue with the diet as you can select the meals that you thought were really tasty.

2. The Ease – There is no weighing or calorie counting. The three meals and snack  allotted for each day are worth 900-1100 calories. This gives you a few hundred calories to spend on whichever fruit and vegetables you like. There is also the added bonus of not having to make dinner every night (although I still cooked dinner for the kids, Husband and I just microwaved our Diet Chef dinners every evening).

3. The Results – I was thrilled to lose 2-4 pounds each week, although 1-2 pounds is probably more of a normal loss. But my body was so accustomed to a high caloric intake that 1400-1500 calories really made a huge difference. Husband and I are fans of the sneaky nightly chocolate pudding/candy bar. But we resisted on the diet and even this week have not gone back to our old, sneaky ways. Woohoo.

So, after 28 days of Diet Chef, I weighed myself and was happy to find that I now weigh 14 stone 2 pounds. That is a 10-pound weight loss. My clothes are fitting better and I can start to see my cheekbones again. Cheekbones. Squeal. So thank you Diet Chef. Husband has lost eight pounds and is also pleased. But the healthy eating and the exercise is far from over. I will be continuing on my Healthy Living Lucky Dip, as I still have two stone of baby weight to lose. So stay tuned.

Diet Chef

Total Weight Loss
14 July: 15 stone 1
21 July: 14 stone 12 (four pounds lost)
(diet holiday)
5 August: 14 stone 12
12 August: 14 stone 8 (four pounds lost)
19 August: 14 stone 6 (two pounds lost)
26 August: 14 stone 4 (two pounds lost)
2 September: 14 stone 2 (two pounds lost)

 

I was given a 28-day supply of Diet Chef for the purpose of my weekly reviews. Husband paid for his own. All opinions expressed are completely my own.
 

Weight Loss, Week Three

- Californian Mum in London 4 Comments

Diet Chef scale

So here I am, three weeks into my healthy eating regime and two weeks into Diet Chef. I won’t save the big reveal for the end. I knew it would not be another four-pound loss like the previous week. I lost two pounds! I was quite pleased with this, especially as I took a day off for my birthday. I’m now moving a bit further away from the 15 stone mark which has really encouraged me. I’m still really enjoying the Diet Chef meals and I love the freedom it gives me in the way of fruit, vegetables and side dishes (pasta or rice or couscous, etc).

What I found about taking the day off of Diet Chef is that I did not eat as much as I would have in the past. I had small portions for breakfast and lunch, and ate fruit as my snacks. But then it was birthday cake time and Husband served me a huge slice of chocolate cake. Husband then made a lovely steak dinner (which included a large glass of red wine), which I could have stopped eating before I finished my plate. But I could not waste such a gorgeous steak. It did get me to thinking why many of us link fatty foods with birthdays, anniversaries and other special occasions. Why can’t we have a small low-calorie meal and enjoy a nice, refreshing glass of water?

I would have felt guilty for my birthday splurge, but I had done a 50-minute Pilates workout that afternoon which left me sore for days. I’ve bought a yoga mat and have started doing Pilates and yoga a couple of times a week. I would like to eventually squeeze in some exercise every other day, but I am starting slow. I have had back problems for years and only managed to lessen them a few years ago when I saw the physio and took up Pilates Reformer (machine-based Pilates). But then I got pregnant with my second child and gained the three stone that I am only now trying to lose.

Anyway, I am attempting to strengthen the muscles in my legs and core so that my back is not doing all the work. I am trying out different workouts on Youtube (which I can watch on my television and which are accessed through my Virgin Media cable). I already do a fair bit of walking, with the kids, and often while pushing a buggy. And once I’m stronger, I plan to add some medium-impact workouts into the mix.

Come see how I get on next week!

Total Weight Loss
14 July: 15 stone 1
21 July: 14 stone 12 (four pounds lost)
(diet holiday)
5 August: 14 stone 12
12 August: 14 stone 8 (four pounds lost)
19 August: 14 stone 6 (two pounds lost)

 

I was given a 28-day supply of Diet Chef for the purpose of my weekly reviews. All opinions expressed are completely my own.
 

Trying Not to be Down about Being Round

- Californian Mum in London Leave a comment
2004. On my honeymoon in Kenya. Before kids.
It’s not like I used to be skinny. I would often fluctuate with kinda slim and kinda chunky. But now, I’m actually fat. My body hasn’t recovered from having my second child. My daughter is five and my son is 19 months old. I gained three stones  (42 pounds) when I was pregnant with my boy. I lost a stone after he was born, leaving me two blasted stones overweight. And with the fatigue and the demands of breastfeeding, the weight never shifted. And when Walker started sleeping through the night at 10 months, I thought it would happen. But it didn’t.

Out a few months ago
My pre-pregnancy clothes are still too tight. I don’t have any dressy things for my current size so I did some online shopping last week, trying to get a new outfit for some Christmas outings. But nothing looks nice. 

I know my weight doesn’t define who I am. But it does affect the way I feel. I am not looking to be a size zero. I know that’s not how I’m made. But I just want to be able to dress without agonising over my lumps and bumps. 

I got into Pilates equipment(Reformer, Cadillac) before my second pregnancy and it really toned me up. There is a great studio in Clapham but we moved last year and there isn’t a proper Pilates studio nearby.  
How did you tackle your pregnancy weight? Or are you still dealing with it? It is so tough finding the time and energy to exercise. If I ever have time while my son is napping, I just want to rest on the sofa. How can I put down the cake and pick up the weights? Any advice would be gratefully received.