I finally got to where I won’t to be. I’ve trained extremely hard, stuck to a clean eating diet, the results are clear. I’m proud of what I’ve achieved, I won’t to show the world, if you don’t like flesh then look away now!
Ultra marathon this Sunday, juggling the training over my busiest period at work has been exhausting. From Monday I’m back on low carbs and hitting the weights again as have another goal set for next month.
The story continues, the gym sessions have been immense, trying to juggle with running has been hard. Hard gym workout equals sore legs, sore legs equals bad running, they truly were clashing.
A few days before my photo shoot Kelly took all my measurements. My body fat was down 4% and muscle quality up 10%! I had dropped 12lb in weight too. I felt ready. These two pictures were taken 6 weeks apart, if you want to change you really can. No excuses just focus that’s all it takes.
I’m currently laying in the bath and have a spare 10 mins to blog! Yep it’s been that hectic !
Rewinding back, I got rejected by Bear Gryllis The Island and needed a goal, so I entered my running club The Springfield Striders’ event Cold Christmas 50k trail Ultra. I’m extremely goal orientated and thought this would feed my thirst, it didn’t.
What I really wanted to do was have a fitness/physique photo session but had never felt I would make the grade. I made a few enquiries with a couple of photographers I follow on Instagram, spoke to a few ladies I also follow, similar age to me and lifestyle, they were totally helpful, I booked up. I gave myself 6 weeks.
Week 1 my trainer Kelly Sephton upped my game during our sessions. “Next week we will look at your nutrition and get you photo shoot ready! ” it became very real.
The nutrition plan was strict, basic and clean, high protein, low fat and low carb, between 1200 and 1400 calories , please also remember I’m now training for my ultra but the photoshoot was my main aim.
First week I lost 1/2 stone!! The weight kept dropping daily, I would have a night out it would go up. I decided to avoid all unhealthy meals and alcohol at all costs. Nothing was going to ruin this.
Kelly measured my body fat and muscle quality both were heading in the right direction, I was soo motivated
My water intake was 4 litres a day, not good for lots but I needed it, I started to add BCAAs to make it more interesting, these are amino acids that help rebuild muscle during training, totally natural and safe to drink all day.
I’ll leave it here for now as my bath is getting cold. I’ll be back soon
Who watches The Island with Bear Gryllis? The show where they plonk you on a deserted remote island in the Pacific Ocean? I’ve watched all the series and over time developed an urge to go!
In May it popped up on Facebook that applications for the 2018 series were open, now was my chance, without a second thought I went to the website to check it out. The process involved sending an email with a description of yourself. SENT! The waiting game began, they stated you may be invited to apply or hear nothing. Now at this point I hadn’t discussed it with my family as when I’d said in the past I’d like to do it my husband wasn’t best pleased about being a single parent for weeks.
July to my delight I was invited to apply, this involved a lengthy questionnaire, a photo and a 3 minute video. For the life of me I can’t remember the photo I sent but I know it was quite a glamorous one, the opposite to my life description and video. I’m not sure how to add videos to blogs so sadly can’t show you on here but it’s in my FB page www.facebook.com/therunninghairdresser
Again SEND! Now I had to forget about it. Mid August whilst with a client I received a phone call, it was from the production company Shine, the voice on the phone said “I’m just calling to talk to you about your application for The Island” as I was busy I asked if I could call her back? “Of course it will only be a 10 minute conversation. Oh and Well done” Well done? What did this mean? I called her back at the first opportunity, no answer! Argh wtf! Again! Again! Then I got through. We had a chat 30 minutes later, she announced I was through to the final process and would I like to come to London to audition. Would I hek!
Forgot to say by this time I had told my husband who really wasn’t happy. It meant I would be away for 6 weeks, flying out 26th October returning 7th December, little did he know I had it all in hand.
The confirmation email informed me I wasn’t to tell more people than I had to and no photos on social media of the studios etc. Only a select few knew my secret.
Late August I made the journey to London, to my delight my husband text me to give me his blessing, I think he thought it was a done deal. At the audition there were a few others waiting for their turn, we weren’t allowed to discuss things which was very difficult, sitting in a room with people and making idle chit chat when we were busting with excitement. My turn to go in front of the camera came, I was asked the usual stuff “why did I want to go on The Island” family stuff, childhood etc. I went off on a tangent as I do. When I got my chance to ask questions I randomly asked “can we take a razor?” The answer was as I thought, No. “OMG!” I exclaimed “my minge will be down here” as I ran my hand down me legs to my knees! I still chuckle about this. Anyway I now had 4 weeks to wait!
My select few were convinced I was in! As time went by I had to start to tell some clients as those booking in advance needed to know I may have to cancel. I stopped shaving me legs and underarms in anticipation of having them waxed. 4 weeks came I still hadn’t heard. I believed they were telling those that got through first and the rejects were later. The suspense was starting to tell its toll.
Eventually the email arrived……
I didn’t make it. I was truly devastated! No feedback was given. I needed this, I needed a mental cleanse, no phones, no social media, no contact with the world, the world couldn’t contact me. I wanted to “find myself be reborn” if you like. It wasn’t to be. I felt empty. How will I achieve this? I have no idea. I don’t want to go into a show where you get voted off, this would do my self esteem no good whatsoever, I didn’t want to do something where there was winners or losers this wasn’t what it was about. Maybe I’ll try again but right now my thoughts are I didn’t get in for a reason. I’m not what they’re looking for, this won’t change next time. I actually have no idea what they were looking for, I will find out April 2018 when the shows are aired.
Sorry it’s been a while, I don’t see the point in writing if I have nothing new to say. Now, I do have news. I’ve had the blood tests to ascertain if I was in peri menopausal, slow thyroid and goodness knows what,all normal (for a 47 year old woman).
I’ve been on holiday, trained everyday at the best gym on the Costa Del Sol, some days with the sexy Elliott Wright (TOWIE), came home feeling fat, as you do!
Just before I went away I finally plucked up the courage to approach a stunning lady at my gym, Kelly Sephton, she’s a PT, fitness model, nutrition expert amongst other things. I felt I needed her help in the way of telling me what to eat and when to eat it! She soon customised a 4 week plan for me, which I started the day I returned to the UK.
After 3 weeks I can see the transformation. I haven’t dropped a huge amount of weight but I am changing, my body is looking more trim. I’m feeling motivated again, I’m determined to get to where I want to be before 2017 is through.
Picture 1 below is 2 weeks into plan, picture 2 is 3 weeks into plan, total weight loss is 6lb so not huge amounts but look at the difference!!
Please check Kelly out
and follow her via her website on Instagram, FB and Twitter. www.kellysephton.com
Next time I will tell you about the full allergy test I had last week!!
Today I’m having a rant. Gym and fitness class goers, ladies not gents, well maybe some gents, does the padding in gym bras/tops get right on your nerves? In the way that once they hit the washing machine, no matter how gentle the cycle they screw up into some deformed shape that does remotely resemble a boob!!! The gap to remove and add them is soo small, IF there’s one at all, that the padding can never go back in where it should be or how it should be!
Yes they are there to protect our modesty, but don’t! Just don’t! If in doubt keep the buggers out!
This is only a small selection from my bra padding collection!
I’m also a runner and a cyclist, no padding going astray with sports bras! Why? There’s isn’t any in there, because it’s not needed!
Rant over!
I’ve been frantically searching to find the perfect diet for me, actually no not diet, lifestyle, which is what I’ve said all along. My body started to respond to my lifestyle (diet) in a different way, it started to hold on to everything, even fluid! An average of 3 litres a day was going in, no way was that coming out.
Daily I stepped on the scales, my weight just kept rising, until last week when I had gained 2 stone, from the lean me, and no it wasn’t, couldn’t possibly all be muscle.
I’d considered that maybe I’m perimenopausal, at nearly 47 I was showing a lot of the symptoms, weight gain, night sweats and anxiety. A visit to my GP resulted in blood test still waiting for the results.
In the meantime I’ve also invested in some supplements especially for women http://www.ehplabs.com/store/female-fat-loss-cardio-kit.html. The ingredients are all natural nothing dodgy . The results have been pretty astonishing. I’ve dropped 12lbs in 6 days, this is almost definitely fluid. Don’t go buying these thinking they are the magic weight loss cure, you do have to work with them, I have upped my cardio, religiously trained at 6am if that’s the only time I could do. Really reigned in my food, got back with myfitnesspal app. It’s starting to feel natural again
Was sent this picture recently thought I’d share it 
Sorry just realised it’s been ages. Time flies when you keep hurting yourself.
Following the torn calf and strained back, I proceeded to reinjure my back, thankfully not as bad as the last time. However whilst at the gym, I needed a small weight, it was hanging on the side of the rack, above it was a 10kg weight. I didn’t want to risk further injury and chose to not take it down, to enable me to get the smaller one from below, instead I pulled both to the end and thought I could tip the smaller one and edge it out. How wrong could I have been. The 10kg weight tipped forward, fell from the rack hitting my nose. Within seconds blood poured from my nose, I knew at this point it was broken !
After driving myself home from the gym, I arrived home in shock. After frantically messaging people and by the power of FB I was taken to hospital. 2 weeks later it was operated on, they confirmed the bone had been broken. I had to wear a horrible splint for the next 10 days.
The reason I’m sharing this story is I have a major grievance with people who DO NOT put their weights back after use. Had that 10kg weight been stacked correctly my nose would still be in tact. Many a time I’ve tripped over weights just left on the floor. Countless times I’ve not been able to use the squat rack because some inconsiderate meat head can’t be arsed to take the 80kgs off the bar. There’s no way I can or will do it!
The message I’m sending out is
“PUT YOUR BLOODY WEIGHTS BACK”!
Today I ran injury free for the first time since mid October, there was a suspected bursitis, followed by a torn calf on 18th December, 2nd tear 7th January, few days after that I blew up my back during a dead lift! 
At this point it was easy to have given up with eating right to, but I didn’t, in fact I became more determined. I couldn’t do my shoe laces up let alone exercise, the only way to keep it together was to control what went into my mouth.
This totally worked. I’m now getting back to the gym and running, gently for now and I’ve stopped picking in between meals. This has been a nightmare the last few months I couldn’t wait for it to become second nature to NOT eat in between meals, now it is again.
I’ve also given up caffeine, I’ve not had any side effects but I’m sleeping soo much better it’s unbelievable the change there.
The moral of today’s story is so much of what we eat,drink , move, don’t move is a mind set. Now my mind is set
Where does the time go? As a hairdresser it’s been a busy month therefore my blog has lapsed, but my exercise has not. Still getting to my Hiit sessions twice a week at 6.15am, the gym either 6am or squeezed in elsewhere, PT weekly, the running not as much, the odd effort session with the club and cross country races on a Sunday, that was until 18th December when I tore my calf muscle in a deep muddy bog as I wrenched my leg out. Game over there and then.
I’ve been looking at meal prepping, lacking ideas I turned to the services of Juice Kitchen In Chelmsford , they deliver freshly prepped and cooked meals to my door at very competitive prices and the food is delicious. After a couple of weeks I decided to have a go myself, no comparison. They quite often do special offers, at present they have one too good to miss for new customers.
This picture is my own prepping 
Anyway with Christmas over with, I am focused again, NYE I will be having a drink, then battle will commence. I know what I want to achieve and I WILL do it
Watch this space
The Running Hairdresser 