Thursday, 30 August 2012

High Cholesterol Medication

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Posted by Walking for Weightloss at 2:14 pm 0 comments Labels: High Cholesterol, statins, weight loss

Tuesday, 7 August 2012

Beth Tweddle wins Olympic bronze

The amazing Beth Tweddle showed drive, determination, doggedness and superb ability to clinch the bronze medal at yesterday's Competition. She came in to the Olympics knowing she wanted to win a medal. She trained six and a half days a week having taken up the sport aged 7.
At 27 she has never doubted her ability to get a medal and her hard work paid off.
She has shown what can be achieved when you really want something and one can apply her success to any aspect of life.
So when your willpower wanes, think of Beth and ask yourself whether she would give up before reaching her goal? No, of course she wouldn't. She is an inspiration and I would urge you to let her inspire you.
Congratulations Beth. I along with many others salute you. Posted by Walking for Weightloss at 8:59 am 0 comments

Sunday, 29 July 2012

Self Belief

We're on day 2 of the Olympics and today two of our top Athletes win Silver and Bronze medals.
Lizzie Armitstead got her first bike aged 15. Today aged 23 she won the first team GB medal. She has show than through sheer determination, drive and belief in herself, she can be a winner.
Beccy Adlington came home with golds in Beijing. Today she swam in the 400m freestyle (not her distance) and through sheer determination, drive and belief in herself, she can be a winner.
Our personal goals may not award us medals from Olympic committees or sports associations but it doesn't mean that when we achieve them they are any less worthy.
Set your goals and with sheer determination, drive and belief in yourself you too can be a winner. Posted by Walking for Weightloss at 9:27 pm 0 comments

Tuesday, 3 July 2012

The Buffet - Don't let it be a disaster zone.

When on holiday this summer, chances are you'll walk into a restaurant and find a buffet either at breakfast, lunch or dinner or all three.
This can be a disaster but it needn't be.
Firstly opt for the smallest plate available for each course.
Avoid all salads laced in mayonnaise.
Only go to the buffet table once per course.
Steer clear of fried foods.
Stick with a starter and main unless this is a meal where you have decided to have a dessert. (See previous blog post).
Try and avoid the bottomless bread basket.
If all else fails and you find yourself indulging try and minimise the damage by doing an extra walk or swim. Above all, have fun.
Posted by Walking for Weightloss at 7:28 pm 0 comments

How not to gain weight on holiday.

It's holiday/vacation time and the focus is on looking good in your swimwear, the weather, the food and the alcohol. So how do you ensure you have a great time without feeling guilt about what excesses you have had to eat or drink.

Here are some tips that you might fine useful:
1. Decide before you go away exactly what you're "poison" is going to be. If it's ice cream, alcohol, cooked breakfast or something else, you decide. Only choose one thing.
2. Assuming you're away for two weeks, now choose the number of times you want to indulge. It's your choice but stick with that number.
3. As long as you stick with your number, you have given yourself permission and you will not feel any guilt.
4. Whatever you choose, make sure it's the best of whatever it is. No point wasting an indulgence on rubbish.
5. Have a great vacation. Smile often and laugh loads. Walk lots too. Posted by Walking for Weightloss at 3:51 pm 0 comments

Saturday, 30 June 2012

Preparing to cycle at Tesco

Lots of balloons to blow up, pictures to print off of my cycle ride and banners to sort out. Busy busy busy.

I'm wondering what snacks and drinks to take with me and then I thought, "dopey Dora! You're at Tesco, you can pop in for a banana!"

I hope another five hours in the saddle won't have the same effect on my lady bits as three days did!!!

Two hours to go and I'd better get my skates on. More later. Posted by Walking for Weightloss at 7:39 am 0 comments

Tuesday, 19 June 2012

After 230 miles of cycling, I'm home at last!!

Home at last!  What an amazing 4 days I've just had.  I set off on Friday morning knowing no-one in a group of 36 people and I've come home with 36 friends.  Special mention must go to my room mate Julie Daly who was a brilliant room mate and she's way stronger than she thinks.  She set off on Friday on a mountain bike with no clips and no cradle on her pedals and managed to make it to Portsmouth with only a few bruises.  Thankfully Expedition Wise (our organisers) had a spare road bike and Julie was soon flying.


I'd also like to mention Mike, Aussie Paul and Tony (Ward), with whom I cycled for the best part of 2 days.  Guys, you let me take the lead and I gather you regretted it!  Special mention too to Tall Paul who was an absolute gentleman.  He caught up with me on Day 1 when I was cycling mostly on my own and stayed with me for quite a while was I was on my own.  I know he did the same for Julie Daly and Tony (Reeves) and I'm sure for many others along the way.  He is a great cyclist and a true gent.


The first leg to Portsmouth can only be described as OK and uneventful in terms of the cycling.  The wind was lashing and at times we had a few light showers but I managed to get to our first stop before the rain came down.
This was our first lunch stop when we were just introducing ourselves to each other. 


After lunch we headed to the next stop, a delighted pub in Surrey somewhere.  I'd like to know where, as it was a lovely pub which I would like to visit again. Does anyone recognise it?


After the pub, our final stop was in Portsmouth at the Travelodge by the port.  We had 4 rooms between us in which to shower and change before a very mediocre carvery at the pub next door!
Dinner over, we walked from the hotel (minus our bikes which were on a van) to the port to board our ferry to Caen.  When I'd asked JDRF who I would be sharing with, I didn't realise that on the ferry night I would be in a cabin with 3 other women so it was quite a squeeze.
Despite having cycled 74 miles, it took all of us ages to get to sleep.  We arrived next morning in Caen and after disembarking we were re-united with our bikes to begin our 85 mile ride to Evreux. For some of the way I teamed up with the above mentioned Tony (Ward) which was great.


First stop was a pretty Normandie village with an excellent patisserie where I purchased this delicious pain aux raisins.


At this point, some of the gung-ho chaps who'd ridden hell for leather the day before decided that enough was enough and asked (yes asked!!) if they could ride with me.  Who wouldn't be flattered at that?  I of course said yes.


So from then on had constant cycle companions and it certainly makes the time go quicker when you're chatting to people.  It was great to find out people's stories and really get to know them.


We had a second morning stop at another equally pretty village and we sat in glorious sunshine to have our coffee.  No pain aux raisins here but I did buy a Bounty to eat on the road. (As it happened I ended up sharing out my Bounty so only had half of one bar which hit the spot).


Lunch that day was interesting.  We arrived at the designated stop point and walked into the restaurant.  Layed out at each space was a pasta salad and a piece of bread.  I tucked in and felt full at the end of it and thought that was the meal.  However, the chef came out with hot plates and began to serve something he called "boeuf" which was actually ox tongue.  Not one of my or anyone else's favourites.  


We gave it a miss and went for a coffee to a local bar,  Much better.  


Lunch over it was back on the bikes and a 23 mile stretch on an old train line which has been converted to a cycle track.  Although the cycling was rather boring with nothing to see on either side, it made a welcome relief from pot-holed roads.  By now I had got into a routine with Mike and Paul and occassionally Tony and we made it in good time to our next stop.  It was helpful to think of each day in the various stages rather than in a chunk of 85 miles.


When we arrived here, the local firemen were training up the new cadets in a field beside us. It was quite mesmerising to watch them instead of think how sore my undercarriage was.  By now, any opportunity to raise myself out of the saddle was most welcome.  Some of the guys - actually most of them - were complaining of sore butts but that wasn't an issue for me!


Our final ride on the track took us into Evreux where we camped for the night at a budget IBIS hotel in the centre of town. 

By now I was feeling very tired indeed so a quick meal out was followed by a stroll back to the hotel and to bed.  Julie and I slept very soundly that night until the alarm went off at 5.30 the following morning.


A hearty breakfast watched over by a little Hitler in the Ibis restaurant was followed by more cycling once we had been briefed on the day's challenges.  Immediately on leaving Evreux we had to climb one of four steep hills and because it was almost at the beginning of our day's ride, my legs felt a bit stiff but I made it up and quickly caught up with Mike and Paul.




I broke my no-caffeine rule and decided that perhaps a shot of caffeine was exactly what was needed to help me get up all the hills so I had an espresso at our first stop.


Coming down a glorious hill with Tony, he told me all about an experience he'd had at the golf course with a heron and fox which definitely whiled away a bit of time as we headed into another picturesque village to stop for lunch.


This was the best lunch yet.  We started with this scrumptious rice salad followed by fillet steak and boulangere potatoes.  Both were so tasty.  After a dubious dessert we left, safe in the knowledge that we were inching every closer to our final destination.


This stage of the challenge included a two mile climb which was challenging not least because by now the sun was blazing down on us.  We stopped for a photo moment as we reached the summit and realised that we could see Paris in the distance.


A final break on the outskirts of Paris with 14 miles to go and no toilets was interesting for some but for me it was like from home from home.  I just imagined I was in Black Park and sought out a secluded spot.


We stopped to regroup beside a beautiful waterfall in the Bois de Bologne.








I must confess that at this stage I was seriously worrying about the state of my ladybits.  I decided to be practical and turned my back as re-lubed myself. Not pretty but very necessary.


At this point, the slowest riders went to the front and the faster ones went to the back and we cycled into Paris in pairs.  We made slow progress due to heavy heavy traffic but eventually we saw the Arc de Triomphe ahead of us.  I was with Tony Ward on this bit and I was very worried that I wouldn't get out of my clips in time and that I would fell into him.  I needn't have worried as this never happened.


By now we had Brian from Expedition Wise - the organisers - ahead of us in his car and Emma also from Expedition Wise, bringing up the rear.  We began ringing our bells and cheering especially when the Eiffel Tower finally hove into view. I must confess, I felt very emotional at this point and tried to laugh off my tears.


We finally hit the Eiffel Tower and ahead we heard screams as friends and relatives had gathered to greet us.  We had made it.  All 229 miles! Yes my undercarriage might have been sore but the only other mishap on the way (for me) was that my chain slipped off.  Apart from that, there were no serious problems to report at all.


Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation had taken 36 riders across the channel and set them down in Paris all in one piece.  If you haven't sponsored me and would like to do so, you can go to www.justgiving.com/sarah-liveing1









Posted by Walking for Weightloss at 8:59 pm 0 comments

Sunday, 17 June 2012

Final day

Sorry for lack of info. We had no Wifi!!! So it's the final day and I've just had a breakfast of croissant with Nutella, yogurt and apple purée and a cup of tea.
Today will be tough. Lots of big hills to climb but we've only got 70 miles to cycle instead of yesterday's 85!
We should be in Paris by 5.
I have amazed myself on this trip and learned a lot about what the body can cope with on lack of sleep.
Big thanks to my cycling mates Mike and Tony with whom I have shared loads. Posted by Walking for Weightloss at 6:11 pm 0 comments

Thursday, 14 June 2012

The coundown begins!

At this very moment, my body is buzzing!  I feel like I've downed 4 cups of strong fresh coffee but I haven't.  What I'm experiencing is a massive adrenalin rush as I pack my bags for tomorrow's challenge.  It's a bit disconcerting but at the same time it's good cos I'll need it when I set off tomorrow.  


So what have I packed?  Well the obvious things like cycle shorts/capri pants, cycle tops, helmet, gloves and cycle shoes (all essential equipment).  Rehydration tablets, high energy snacks, and wine gums are also included for an quick energy boost.  But there are some items that you wouldn't expect such as arm-warmers, let-warmers and rubberised socks are some of the more unusual things included in my bag.  The plan is that I leave in my capri pants (padded of course) with short sleeves tops on and the arm warmers.  If I get too hot at least I can peal off my sleeves and carry on.


And what about the rubberised socks?  Well if it's raining, I'll be wearing those as my cycle shoes have got air holes in them and I don't want my feet to get wet!!


This cycling malarky is not sexy stuff but then it's not about how I look is it? All the gear, no idea springs to mind and I'm definitely not in that category.


I must go and finish my packing and I also need to check out where we're meeting in the morning.


Adieu. Posted by Walking for Weightloss at 7:02 pm 0 comments

Is going to the gym worth it?

I've just watched an amazing Horizon programme: The Truth About Exercise. It was broadcast on 28th April but I hadn't watched it yet.
As the title suggests, Michael Moseley was exploring how effective going to the gym really is in terms of weight loss, Such an interesting programme with lots of very scientific tests and info being given which sheds so much light on what is considered effective exercise.
The overall message coming from the programme was that walking is the best way of reducing fat in your body alongside a healthy eating regime.
Michael sat down to a massive cooked breakfast and a blood test revealed a big surge in fat in his blood. The following day he went on a walk and then ate the cooked breakfast a day later. Again he had a blood test and guess what? There was no increase in fat in the blood.
Are u beginning to realise why I've been banging on about the benefits of walking?
There is no doubt that it is the best form of exercise to be done in conjunction with healthy eating that will leave you healthier on the inside and on the outside too! Don't take my word for it. Watch the programme on iPlayer and see for yourself.
Now I'm off for a walk. X Posted by Walking for Weightloss at 11:32 am 0 comments

Wednesday, 13 June 2012

Last Day of Training

Today began like any Wednesday with my little pooch, Freddie jumping up on my bed to say good morning. That was my signal to get up and out to the gym. By 6.30 I was on the cross trainer for a warm up prior to spinning.
7am and Ted arrived at the spinning studio for what would be my last spin session before Friday. And boy was it tough. But whenever I felt like lowering the resistance or worse still, giving up, thought of my trip and carried on!
Everyone at the gym has been very generous and change in my collecting pot for which I'm very grateful.
After spinning I came home for my power walk with the dog and Alice.
We decided to go to Black Park which is still very soggy after all the rain but today.... the sun was shining!!! We set off at a brisk pace and completed 6.5 miles in 1 hr and 20 mins.
I had decided to go out tomorrow but on the walk I just thought that was stupid so tomorrow is a day of rest! Yippee!!!
I've started packing this morning and plan on going into Fox's in Amersham for some rehydration tablets. Tried on some leg warmers that belong to my husband. Not a pretty site. See what u think. Posted by Walking for Weightloss at 11:55 am 0 comments

Tuesday, 12 June 2012

London to Paris Cycle Ride

Three days to go until I start my London to Paris cycle ride in aid of Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. I'm nervous, excited, apprehensive, prepared (I think) and a little bit scared. Posted by Walking for Weightloss at 4:21 pm 0 comments Labels: challenge, cycling, weight loss

Friday, 8 June 2012

Believing in you.

With the Olympics starting in 49 days time, I have been thinking about the outstanding sportsmen and women who will be taking part in what, for many, will be the highlight of their careers. How come these dedicated individuals have come to represent their countries in their chosen sports? Posted by Walking for Weightloss at 5:45 pm 0 comments Labels: Olympics, success, weight loss

Friday, 20 April 2012

How important is it to wear a sports bra?

How important is it to wear a sports bra when you go out power walking?

The simple answer is very important indeed. Since I set up Walking for Weight Loss in 2006 I have tried all sorts of sports bras, hoping to find one that minimised the bounce, gave me a good shape (as opposed to a sausage) and didn't cause any rubbing or chafing.

When you're power walking your bust moves in a figure of 8 shape rather than just up and down. Also when power walking, you have to pump your arms for momentum and this can cause the bra to move backwards and forwards under your bust. All this movement can cause uncomfortable and unsightly friction sores which can be very painful.

I have endured these "injuries" because I was advised that I was wearing the right size for me. And then I found www.boobydoo.com

I went on their newly revamped website and looked at the extensive ranges they have available. There was no question that they'd have something that would work for me. I have not been disappointed. I started wearing my Panache bra for power walking and I haven't looked back. It's attractive, comes in different colours, is underwired and is extremely comfortable. For this particular make I needed a 32F and yet in another brand I was a 34DD so it's a good idea to buy a couple of size options. They’re totally comfortable with sending the wrong one back.

Now when I go out, I feel so much more comfortable. I don't bounce so much and I don't get the horrible friction sores that have plagued me in the past. Apart from your shoes, I'd say your sports bra is the second most important item you can buy for doing exercise so make sure you buy what's right for you.

Posted by Walking for Weightloss at 11:09 am 0 comments

Saturday, 24 March 2012

The sun is shining but I can't face going out. Is that you?

The sun is shining but you just can't face going outside. Does that sound like you? It was certainly me back in 2005. Just crossing the road made me feel so ashamed because I could see my reflection in the shop window and I loathed what I saw so I had to always have my head down.

I felt the same about clothes shopping too so avoided that at all costs and only shopped online. Or if I did go shopping, I never tried things on because it would mean having to look in the mirror. I'd take a chance on sizes and buy items and if they weren't right I could take them back. Does that sound like you?

If it does, I absolutely know where you're coming from and I can empathise with your pain and discomfort.

So how do you go about making changes so that you don't feel like that anymore?

Having lost eight stone myself, I can certainly help you.

The most important thing is to recognise that you no longer want to feel this way. The only way it's going to stop is by making changes to the way you live your life, what you eat, doing exercise etc. But these changes won't just see you through your weight loss, they stay with you forever. After all, what is the point of putting in lots of effort, losing weight, feeling fabulous and then going out to celebrate with a big meal? Before you know it, the pounds start piling on, you start feeling guilty and a few months later you're back to square one. It doesn't have to be like that.

So instead of dreading the summer, start making those changes today and begin to enjoy the world around you by going to www.walkingforweightloss.co.uk

Posted by Walking for Weightloss at 5:04 pm 0 comments Labels: body image, eating habits, healthy, weight loss

Monday, 19 March 2012

What is a unit of alcohol and how many calories in a glass of wine?

What is a unit of alcohol and how many calories in a glass of wine? Posted by Walking for Weightloss at 3:29 pm 0 comments Labels: alcohol, weight loss

Thursday, 8 March 2012

You lose weight when you change old habits.

You lose weight when you change old habits ..it doesn’t sound exciting and we all know it is not rocket science but it can be hard to you!

After a lot of psychotherapy and counselling sessions the penny finally dropped that I had to make some drastic changes. I was 18 stone.

What are the old habits you might have to break?

For me it meant changing the way I look at food. I was a compulsive eater which was hard to stomach. Food was a constant in my life where other things may not have been. Food was a comfort, food was a friend when things went wrong, and if things were going too well I often sabotaged my success by eating.

Looking back now that I have lost the weight that person is almost unrecognisable.

My whole outlook on life and my opinion of myself is completely different today. I didn’t realise it at the time but I had become quite a negative person. I now believe in myself, and my ability to see food as a fuel and not as a comfort and the answer to emotional problems.

I needed to change my habits. I can help you discover what habits are holding you back. Go to http//www.walkingforweightloss.co.uk for more information.

Posted by Walking for Weightloss at 2:59 pm 0 comments Labels: eating disorder, eating habits, mindset, overweight, weight loss
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