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Can I add, this is NOT me, Yet... This is Krish.....
Its 5am and I am woken by the all familiar sound of the alarm clock buzzing away.

I thump my hand down on the “off” button and roll my way out of the bedroom and pour myself into my gym clothes, wiping sleep from my eyes whilst I go.

Slowly I pad down the stairs, grab a glass of water, 4 of my weights and my work out sheet from the fridge (I find this helps me avoid the wrong stuff if I know how hard I have to work to make up for it!) and head to the living room.  I choose a channel and start my work out. 

You see this has been the start of my day for the past few weeks (give or take a few days where I am able to get to the gym); this coupled with a great nutrition plan has made me see changes in my body that I never thought possible.

You see for a little experiment, and to test my levels of determination, I have enlisted the help of a personal trainer.  No, I have not come into my millions, nor am I punching above my (over) weight to turn all “Essex”, and those who know me, will know that I certainly do not need to be shouted and screamed at down the gym to keep me motivated (though occasionally a friend HAS done this and its helped!).  This is something different.  I have a VIRTUAL TRAINER.  And if you are like me, with minimal time to spare and limited funds, but can also be quite self-motivated, then this option is a perfect one for you.

My Personal Trainer (I love saying that..!) is called Krish.  She has an amazing and inspiring story to tell which is touched upon in her blog (http://k-lossfitness.blogspot.co.uk) and as an added bonus is super clued up on the nutrition side of things, which is where I have struggled in the past.

So here is what I have been getting:

-          one to one advice about my personal goals

-          personal work outs tailored to my goals and the time that I have

-          recommended nutrition to aid my goals

-          advice and support at my finger tips (mobile, email, text, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Facetime, Skype etc)

Firstly I need to add that the 5am starts are my choice.  I work full time and have two children. So that time in the morning is the only time I have where the house is peaceful, there are no text or telephone interruptions and there also happens to be some great re runs of Jeremy Kyle on the likes I haven’t seen since I was up feeding my kids as babies!  I feel that getting up this early to workout not only sets me up for the day, but it gets the exercise done with for the day so that I can have a guilt-free cuppa of an evening knowing that my muscles are using up energy whilst I rest.

My worksouts have been tailored for me so that I can work on all muscle groups (and that all important cardio) within an hour.  If I feel that the workouts are getting too familiar to my body or they need tweaking a little, Krish is always on hand to pop another one on email to me to keep me going.  Or, she will offer advice as to make each exercise harder.  These workouts have enabled me to see major changes to the muscle groups that I have wanted to focus on, and that has spurred me on to want to keep going and determined to “compete” with myself on a set of mini challenges.  Although I will never learn to love a squat – NEVER!

I am lucky in the sense that I enjoy eating well.  But I have in the past fallen into bad habits such as skipping meals, grabbing something “convenient” to eat and grabbing the nearest thing to me (normally biscuits or chocolate!).

Krish has inspired me to “eat clean”, to the point now where anything processed will not pass my lips.  I have realised the meaning of “fast food” in that it doesn’t mean processed rubbish in the microwave.  I can still use a microwave, but rustle up some scrambled eggs.  And with a little bit more organisation I am able to prepare good, lean, clean and nutritious food.  I have also learned to bake my sweet treats but without sugar – how great is that?!

I am still very much in the beginning phases of my goal.  But boy am I starting to see the results.

I have much more energy and enthusiasm for my day.  I am able to complete my morning work outs, lunchtime walks and evening runs without even thinking about it.  My nutrition is helping me keep the levels of energy to sustain this.

I am stronger physically and am starting to see big changes to the major muscle groups I wish to improve on.  With my drop in body fat the muscles are slowly starting to show through and I can now see how the focused exercises are shaping them to be just how I like them.  And for a control freak like me, this is perfect.

So what are you waiting for?  Get motivated, fit, inspired and also learn about the Krishy Krunch (the abs on Krish prove this, the woman looks amazing!), I guarantee you wont find it on YouTube!  All you need to know is right here:

http://k-lossfitness.blogspot.co.uk/

@klossfood (Twitter & Instragram)

[email protected]


 
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A couple of weeks ago, I lost the use of my right arm.  I was unable to do so much as text or dial a number without so much as a yelp of frustration or a carefully chosen word of distress turning the air blue.  It was painful, taxing and damn right annoying.

The right arm I am talking about is my smart phone, which went in for repair, and I am ashamed to admit, I was in agony.

Since the social network revolution I have embraced it.  I enjoy sharing my life with others through Facebook and Twitter, and with the invention of the smart phone this has become easier by being able to share photo’s, check emails, check the weather and even (gasp, shock,) RING people!  The smart phone has enabled me to work more efficiently, but by the same token it has also distracted me from my work.

I never really, truly understood how much I relied on my phone until I was without it.  I embarked on a digital diet, but one which was enforced, not chosen.  Here is my diary:

Day 1

Having established that my smart phone really has died on me, the decision is made to pop it in for repair as soon as possible.  I say a tearful goodbye at the counter whilst popping my little SIM into my old phone. It had been charged and ready for action, but the only action I can get from this phone is an old fashioned vibrate when a text comes through.  I scream in dispair desperately trying to tap a reply in, only to give up and ring my contacts. I don’t think I have spoken to so many of my contacts so much in my life….

My husband and work colleagues look on sympathetically.

Day 2

I have tried with the phone.  I really have.  I even pop a little case onto it to make the silver bulk of the phone look more attractive.  But I admit the love just isn’t there.  The ONLY benefit is that it takes just one charge over night and that will be it for the day, where it sits on my desk at work reminding me of what I have lost.

Day 3

Having endured two whole days of agony I ring the shop to find out the status of repair.  They refer me online where my status is “received for repair”. I cry.

Day 4

I miss Twitter. I miss Facebook. I miss the notifications that it’s my turn to play Words with Friends. I miss the pictures on Instagram but most of all I miss my phone.

Day 5

Having tried to use the social networks on my lap top I have since given up. It’s painfully slow, takes ages to log on and its just not familiar enough.  I have decided to give up until my phone is back and I can go back to normal.

I got told off for not even bothering to take my phone with me today when I left the house. I mean what’s the point?

Day 6

It’s the weekend and normally getting up early with the boys is no trouble at all.  I can happily endure the cartoons because I have my friends to chat to on the social networks, or emails to reply to. My phone isn’t even in reach. It sits there like a brick on the dining room table whilst I try and get the gist of Handy Manny, again.

Day 7

Sunday. Not a chance in hell of receiving my phone back today. I stomp, and sulk, and shoot daggers at my husband sat there happily tweeting. Smug git.

Day 8

I feel bad for calling the husband smug. He has kindly offered me use of his phone as he can see the agony I am in.  I politely decline; it wouldn’t be fair to put him through the pain. That’s love….

Day 9

I hate to say it but I feel rather liberated.  It’s been well over a week now since I had a functional 21st Century phone and dare I say it? I’m actually getting used to it.  My kids are getting used to having conversations with me which do not end in “in a minute” and I am no longer losing hours of my day playing Scrambled with Friends.  I no longer feel the urge to call the shop every day harassing them for an update. THis is just as well as I am sure they are on the verge of a restraining order...

Day 10

My phone is back!!

What I can conclude from this experience is that it really does us good to have a break from our digital lives once in a while.  I know mine was enforced, but this did make me realise how much I relied on my phone and since its return, I have used it less.  To the point where I am seriously considering choosing a few weeks in a year to take my digital diet, much in the same way I abstain from certain foods in Lent.

Who is joining me?


 
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I  had a conversation recently with a peer.  This peer happened to be a work colleague and I was trying to explain the benefits of social networking in the work place.

Now I have to add that work colleague is from the generation above me.  They have survived life away from Sky television, mobiles and even faxes (as have I), but they have just spent that little bit longer than me doing so.

The conversation went as follows:

Me: "Ah, just tweeted out that promotion, time for a coffee".
Colleague:  "tweeted?"
Me: "Yes as in twitter.  I have put a message on twitter to all the people who follow us about that promotion".
Colleague:  "Followers?"
Me: "BIG SIGH"

You see some people just don't get it.  And never will.

Don't get me wrong.  When facebook was first introduced to me, the only experience I had of social networking was the kids (I speak of others, the younger generation, not my own kids who were not around then!) talking about MySpace.  Oh and a bit about chat rooms.  But when I recieved that invitation to Facebook I had just given birth to my eldest son and wanted to show him off to the masses, which I did.

Admittedly Twitter took a little longer to get used to.  But now I flit between the two depending on what social (ahem sorry SOCIAL network) mood I am in, or depending on the needs of my business.

However when talking to the people who just don't the whole social networking thing, I do feel like I need to elborate on the language.  Have any of these appeared in the Oxford Dictionary yet?

Tweet
DM
IM
Retweet
RT
Facebooked
Liked
#

Mmm put like that I can see what they mean.

Do you "get" social networking?

 
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Well all know one, may be two.  If you have lots of friends you may even have half a dozen.  They lurk within the realms of their Ipads, Iphones, lap tops and work desk tops.  Waiting, just waiting for the oppurtunity to worm their way out and try and make you feel as small as possible. 

I am talking, of course, about the Facebook Braggers.

Ok ok, I know we ALL have an element of this inside of us.  What's the point of updating our status unless its to shout something from the roof tops?  We all do it.  But there are some who do it ALL THE TIME.

Quite recently I have been on the verge of deleting a certain someone from my friends list because of this.  Once intrigued about this persons life (as we used to be back in the day when Facebook was a novelty), I now have the urge to make negative comments every time they post an update (I never do).  They irritate the hell out of me with their daily comments that seem to somehow have the knack of touching every fibre of every nerve in my body.

If I have had a rough night with the kids, you can bet your bottom dollar that this person will post the next morning about the amount of sleep they have had and how they are feeling refreshed.  Money worries? Its a dead cert that this person will post about a bonus they have been given or how they are booking their next luxurious holiday.  Crap day at the office?  Ah dont worry this person has just got a promotion.  And those days when the kids have been absolute devils? Their cherubs and their achievements are plastered all over my timeline.

I sound mean, bitter and jealous.  Its not how its meant to come across.  But sometimes the Facebook Braggers we all know and detest can get right on our humps.

So will I ever delete them?  I doubt it.  Its not their fault really.  They are doing what we all do.  Being proud of the good things in their life and why not at the end of the day? 

And besides, I have every certainty that I am someone elses Facebook Bragger, but they wont be so rude as to blog about me....yet!

DISCLAIMER: This blog post has NOT been advtertised on Facebook.