LIFE!!

So firstly I have to apologise for being so quiet. Unfortunately after I returned from Essex my dad who has MS was still suffering for his fall and had got worse so the last few weeks my life has been even more about my folks, and the gym has again become a place to destress not beast myself.

I hope you don't mind but I thought before I write and tell you everything which has happened I would take this oportunity to explain about MS as it is one of those illnesses that unless it affects you or someone you know, you might not have even heard about it.

Please note all the following is on www.mssociety.org.uk

About MS

 

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a condition of the central nervous system.
In MS, the coating around nerve fibres (called myelin) is damaged, causing a range of symptoms.
Around 100,000 people in the UK have MS. It's normally diagnosed in people between the ages of 20 and 40, and affects almost twice as many women as men.
Once diagnosed, MS stays with you for life, but treatments and specialists can help you to manage the symptoms.
We don't know the cause and we haven't yet found a cure, but research is progressing fast.

What happens in MS?

To understand what happens in MS, it's useful to understand how the central nervous system works.
A substance called myelin protects the nerve fibres in the central nervous system, which helps messages travel quickly and smoothly between the brain and the rest of the body.

In MS, your immune system, which normally helps to fight off infections, mistakes myelin for a foreign body and attacks it. This damages the myelin and strips it off the nerve fibres, either partially or completely, leaving scars known as lesions or plaques.
This damage disrupts messages travelling along nerve fibres – they can slow down, become distorted, or not get through at all.
As well as myelin loss, there can also sometimes be damage to the actual nerve fibres. It is this nerve damage that causes the accumulation of disability that can occur over time.


ME AGAIN! The horrible thing about MS is that is effects nearly every patient differently! Right, tomorrow I will try and explain more and if its ok with PapaBear I might ask him if I can interview so we can learn abit more!

On the fitness and training side of the things, my schedule is a bit messed up not just cause of PapaBear but mainly cause of the rugby world cup but hey ho, fingers crossed my boys are in it for a while. Diet wise I am reading, and learning about Intermittant fasting, (IF) although I am not following it strictly as I am taking protein shakes I am giving aspects of it a go, and when dad is better and doesnt need me as much we will give it a serious attempt.

Have any of you ever tried IF??

Much love my darlings x x

Essay handed in!!

Hi Sweeties.

So its just before 5am on a Friday morning and I thought it was time to say hi to you all.

Sorry I have been quiet recently, for once its not cause I have nothing to say or nothing has happened but its been a busy time and most importantly everytime I have sat down at the computer it was to do my essay! But, my essay is handed in!! YEAH!!! It sucks and doesn't really answer the question but it is in.

Therefore, this afternoon I will write you a nice entry with pretty pics telling you what else has happened in my life; this will include, training, diet (and lack of it), I will let you in on the 10 week cycle; Vikki's 30th (well some of it, you kow what they say, "What happens in Essex, stays in Essex!")  and I will if possible let you in on other things which are going on in my life as well. These major events are difficult as they do not solely involve me and therefore not sure how much I can say, willing to saying or will manage without making myself and everyone else cry!

So what have you guys been up to?

What have I been missing?

Love you x x x

"I am going on a diet!" - My article for www.foodforfitness.co.uk

Hi All this is the article I wrote for http://www.foodforfitness.co.uk/ incase you missed!! Tomorrows blog is all about cooking and my experiences!

Let’s be honest, how many times a year do you say that one sentence, “I’m going on a diet!”, and you mean it, you really really mean it, but as soon as the words are out of your mouth unfortunately you are kind of setting yourself up to fail! Why? Well, to go on a diet means at some stage you are planning on coming off it. The word “diet” now seems to be always associated with losing weight, fad-diets, and often, not always, dramatically changing your eating patterns and habits.




Now don’t get me wrong I have tried many “diets” and going on and off them, but now “I have a diet!” And the best thing about it is that it is simple! I eat clean 80% of the time. I am not a saint, I have human needs for chocolate, and wine and all those things we know we shouldn’t have, but most of the time, I eat clean food.



So what do I mean by clean? As I said for me it is simple, and I don’t like giving my food choice a title but i guess if you want to its, “Semi-paleo”. Feel free to Google, and you will probably find that I eat some things which are strict and miss out something that others think are part of the regime. By “clean”, I mean foods which I can look at and name all the ingredients, and as I am not the smartest bear out there, that has to be one ingredient or I get stuck. Its classic “Meat (fish) and two veg!” I don’t eat bread or pasta, not that I hate carbs, they have their place, and there place is in vegetables, for me!



My body does not like bread and pasta, I do! But my body doesn’t! By the way it took me 28 years to find this out, but once I did it made sense to me! For thousands of years man has walked on this earth, eating what he caught, and what he could pick and find, it worked for them, and we know they were stronger than modern man. They didn’t have delicious smelling warm French stick or al-dente pasta which tastes like heaven (I warned you I love these foods) so why do I need them. Simple answer, I don’t.



So I stopped eating these foods which I loved, and yes it did take will power, and yes I had the advantage of having stomach ache when I ate them , but I tell you what, when I cut them out, I lost weight! I had more energy! I felt soooo much better. And the great thing about eating clean and being “semi-paleo” is that I can still go out and have dinner with my friends, and if they decide they want a curry well then that is my naughty 20%! And even then I can say no to the rice, no to the breads!



You don’t have to GO ON a diet to lose weight, you don’t need to stop going out and having fun with your friends and family. Make small changes, see what works for you, have a salad for lunch instead of a sandwich, have strips of carrots and courgettes and runner beans instead of spaghetti with your bolognaise. Small changes are stepping stones, you take them one at a time and you reach the other side, jump and the chances are you will land in the river!