#RunnersProblems

I find that running is the kind of exercise that just oh-so-inevitably succumbs to problems of every kind. I think every runner can resonate with me on this one (though whether others get as irritated as I do by such issues is another discussion. I guess I'm just a really grumpy runner). It's true - running can either bring out the best or the worst in me, though as a general rule of thumb I do tend to end every run on a high (granted, usually because it's finally over). Either way, here is my list of Top 10 Runners Problems!

#RunnersProblems

1: Ill-fitting earphones that JUST KEEP FALLING OUT of your ears (this is the first on the list for a bloody good reason)

2: Clothing that refuses to co-operate and that you have to keep tugging back in place. Cue too-short jackets with elasticated waistbands and wedgy-inducing leggings (I do not own a pair of the latter, but I can imagine they also feature highly on the top list of most annoying running clothing)

3: Putting your iPod on shuffle, only to have to skip every other song because shuffle just INSISTS that Adele is the most suitable person to listen to (no offence to Adele's music, but it's not exactly the type of get-up-and-go music that is required for a decent run)

4: Losing the sensation in your extremities, thus making it highly uncomfortable to run and just making you wish you were back in your central-heated house already. Damn you, circulation

5: This one goes out to all of those who prefer running in the countryside as opposed to the mean streetz - fearing for your life every time you have to cross a herd of cows/bulls and having to stop your run just to walk past them (they're less likely to attack if you're just casually perusing past and not breathing heavily or sweating profusely...right?)

6: Relates to Problem 4 - coming into a warm, cosy house after your run only to be greeted by a horrific tingling/burning sensation in your hands/feet, as a result of the extreme change of temperature. Again: I really hate you, circulation

7: TRUCK/VAN BEEPERS. Every. Single. Time. Whoever does this, please stop, because you truly suck

8: Forgetting to check the time before leaving, and not wearing a watch, thus having no knowledge on how well or how shit you've done...though sometimes I guess it's the best option to be none-the-wiser. Only applies to the uncommitted runner, because I'm sure every 'proper' runner owns a decent timer watch/the iPod Fuel band that I oh-so crave

9: Feeling completely fine in terms of your breathing/strength/general ability to run, except for the killer stomach ache/stitch/sicky feeling that made an appearance 5 minutes in. I often suffer with a poorly stomach during my runs, which just makes it physically impossible to continue :( Something to do with my bowels, I think (probably didn't need to mention that one...)

10: Having to stop and re-lace your trainers, because you're a right plank and didn't do them up properly in the first place. The double knot is vital!


So there you have it. Some silly yet massively annoying factors that can shatter any possibility of a decent run, a post inspired by my run yesterday, whereby I was inundated by problem after problem (many of which I've listed - 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8 and 9, to be precise!). Do you have anything else you could add to my list of running woes? Get involved! It's fun to be an irrationally grumpy runner, honest ;).

A Touch Personal

Happy and healthy, whilst still enjoying the occasional icecream!

I feel as if this blog doesn't delve much further than food and exercise - which is why (among other reasons that will become more apparent as you read on) I've decided to dedicate this post to something considerably more personal than the latest grub I've chosen to graze upon.

Let me start from the beginning. As I grew up, I was always an energetic and athletic girl. I was part of every after-school sports club you could possibly imagine, from rock-climbing to netball - I was always there, taking part in as much of the physical action as possible.

It was only when I moved to Southampton for University that I lost touch with my sporty side. None of my new friends were into exercise, and had never involved themselves with sports in or outside of school. As a result, I fell into a bit of a rut whereby I replaced my love of sporting activity, with a shameful love for alcohol and partying, alongside my friends and acquaintances at Uni (something I'd not really experienced at all prior to Uni).

This is something that is most definitely associated with university (though perhaps not so much now that students are paying 3x more for tuition fees!). 'Student' and 'alcohol' are two words that are sort of a match made in heaven, as sad as it may sound.

Inevitably, my first year at University took its toll on my body. I gained a lot of weight (so aptly labelled the 'Freshers Fifeteen') and became unhappy in my own skin, though I was still what would is generally considered a 'normal/average' female weight.

I desperately needed to regain the confidence in myself to exercise, and to return to my normal, pre-uni eating habits - not to mention detoxifying my body of all the alcoholic poison I'd wrecklessly filled it with over the past year.

This was a gradual process, but I took matters into my own hands and began to make those gradual changes in order to feel better about myself. And it worked.

Over the course of my second year at uni, I was armed with a more health-conscious attitude; I joined various group exercise classes at Uni and made time for myself, cooking decent meals rather than sticking a pizza in the over or grazing on empty calories.

By my third year, I was confident to attend those exercise classes on my own. This is when my body really started to tone up. I loved the variety on offer, and took part in pilates, circuits, and legs, bums and tums on a weekly basis. I became increasingly interested in health and fitness, which - over the course of a year - resulted in me losing all of the weight I'd put on over my University years.

I can't really input the figures in terms of how much weight I gained/lost over the years. As a teenager, I went through a phase of obsessive calorie counting and weighing myself, which saw my periods stopping for a few years, and so I now tend to avoid the scales as much as possible. However, I'd guesstimate at 140lb being my heaviest weight, and my current weight hovering around the 120lb mark.

But now I come more onto the matter at hand. It's currently mid-October, and my parents have just arrived home after living in France for the past 5 months (alright for some, huh?). Since their arrival, I've been subjected to various comments about my weight, the worst probably being my Dad suggesting I needed help to walk around Tesco due to my apparent frailty (!).

I understand their standpoint. They've been away for a long time, over which time I've changed my eating and exercising habits considerably, my awareness of health and fitness being acute to my interests and hobbies. It's completely understandable that they're worried about me, and they're open to comment (as opposed to taunt) if they so wish.

Though that should give me a free-pass to negatively comment on my Mum's weight-gain, too, surely? It's exactly the same situation, but reversed. But hold on a sec - of course, this would be completely inappropriate and, moreover, insulting towards my Mum.

As it stands, my diet is akin to that of a fitnessista (was that a new word I just created right there, or does it already exist?!) - or, alternatively, a female athlete (minus a fair few calories taking into account the difference in training intensity/time).

Yet, the story unfolds; I am merely a young twenty-something. I guess that must mean I have to follow the eating habits of the average young English woman, and have the body to match - a body that, by Western standards, would be considered acceptable.

So I guess I'll return to eating crisps, chocolate, and large portion sizes, right? After all, that will result in my body returning to what my parent's think is a 'natural' or normal weight. Clearly, my conscious choice to eat a clean diet is unhealthy by their standards.

This must mean that all of those celebrities, actresses and TV stars that we aspire to look like (to no avail, on the mostpart) must also be unhealthy. The bodies that we envy on screen are considered unachievable in 'real-life', and anyone who manages to achieve a similar body shape (like myself) must therefore be labelled as 'too skinny'.

I've finally realised the problem of the Western mindset in relation to food and diet. Fact is, you cannot possibly please everyone. Whether you're overweight, underweight, or the exact same weight that you were 5 years ago, there is no getting away from the labels that people will put on you.

We're all judgemental to a certain extent, and everyone has different ideals as to what is the desired or 'ideal' size to be. We're also all akin to bouts of jealousy, which is also an interfering factor in the matter.

My opinion follows that you should aim to make yourself happy before you start thinking about what everyone else thinks. I'm more happy in my body than I've ever been before, and I don't want to lose that feeling just because my parents tell me I'm 'too thin'. I've merely lost the layer of body fat that most women struggle to rid themselves of; my muscles are still very strong, and I consider my body as fit and toned, as opposed to thin and frail.

I have a strong opinion on this subject because I honestly hate the contradictory Western mentality on weight. It is certainly a 'weighty' subject, to say the least!

What's your opinion on the points I've made in this post? Do you similarly feel like a bit of a Western misfit when it comes to your diet/exercise habits? Please share your thoughts with me, I'd love to hear other points of view on the matter. :)

Simple as Pie (without the pie)

A lot of people seem to think that there's a massive secret in achieving weight loss and a well-sculpted bod. If a person has lost a significant amount of weight, a lot of people will naturally speculate into the why's and how's of such magnificent results.

This is, of course, an inevitable result of modern day culture. We are constantly exposed to magazines - like More and Heat - highlighting every celebrity under the sun in their bikinis, tagged on the front covers with the all-important caption: 'Diet secrets of [insert name]', or something along those ubiquitous lines. There must be a secret! Afterall, why can't we all have a body like Rosie Huntington Whiteley? It's a complete mystery... [Ahem]

Enough of the dumb talk! Celebrities don't hone their bod's by sitting on the sofa eating McDonalds; they work hard and achieve the results they want to see, because they are presented on a judgemental pedestal to the general public. Okay, so they're likely to have personal trainers and nutritionists so as to not stray from their regimented diet and exercise plans, and we don't necessarily have access to such VIP attention. That's a given.

But let's be honest here: it's not hard to eat right and exercise regularly. However, it is hard to change your habits if your body is already used to an inactive lifestyle combined with the added demons of the edible variety (processed food, sugar, fat etc).

Life is hectic; we deal with it by feeding ourselves with the convenience of fast-food or a little sugary perk-me-up. And there's nothing wrong with the odd little consolence that may come in the form of chips, chocolate, cookies, or whatever other treat wets your bespoke palette.

But the fact of the matter at hand can be explained and broken down to the following: this kind of food may well be fast, but it's not exactly food. Why? Because it is devoid of nutrients, fibre and vitamins - which is basically what food is supposed to provide us with. It's stuffed full with fat, simple carbohydrates and calories, meaning that it will fill you up for an hour or so - but not for much longer.

Lack of nutrients basically equates to hunger, which is why it is a lot harder for us to overeat/binge on 'real' or 'clean' food because it is packed full of nutrients and all the good stuff that your body needs to survive, and which send those all-important 'I AM FULL! [horrah]' signals to the brain.

Portion size is another biggie in the dieting game. Perhaps in compensation for eating healthy food, some of us may allow ourselves to eat more of it - it's healthy, afterall! So why not, I here you cry?! Give me a break!

Our bodies need fuel, and food is our fuel of choice. Our bodies run better when fed little and often. This not only speeds up the metabolism (faster metabolism = faster calorie/fat burning), but it means that we don't feel sluggish as a result of eating (and then regretting) a large portion. Overall, it is absolutely the best method of achieving stable energy levels - all day, every day.

Equally as important as choosing the right diet is to remember to drink water. I say remember because I know how easy it is to simply forget to drink water. If my day is particularly non-stop, it's only when my body sends thirst signals to my brain that I realise that I haven't had a drink all day. It is my number 1 downfall.

We apparently spend most of our lives chronically dehydrated, which firstly makes you hungry when you’re actually thirsty. Not good. Secondly, it causes your body to retain water, thus making you heavier and often bloated (more so after eating, sans-l'eau). Not good at all. So, paradoxically, you must drink water to stop retaining water.

The concluding message? Stop believing that weight loss is a big secret that only celebrities are filled in on. Start eating clean. Train yourself into really enjoying the taste of nutrient-filled food, and naturally you'll steer away from all of the junk you used to crave (give it a fortnight and you won't even want to touch the stuff - trust me!).

Start exercising well. Learn to love the burning sensation and feel your muscles really working like never before; don't be afraid to challenge your body. Don't stop when you're tired, stop when you're done! (a la Cassey Ho!)

Embrace an amazing lifestyle change. Enjoy the energy, strength and vibrancy it will bring. See changes, keep pushing forward; see even more changes.

Women in Sport

It's recently come to light that women are extremely underrepresented in the media.

In fact, I read that women's sport makes up for just 2% of live sport shown on TV (obviously excluding coverage of big sporting events such as the Olympics).

I, for one, am very glad that this has finally come to the media's widespread notice. Considering the success of our British females in the Olympics (Jessica Ennis to name just one of the many successors), it makes a whole lot of sense that female athletes should be given their fair share of TV coverage.

Not that I'm saying that being an athlete should inevitably lead to fame, fortune and media access. Not in the slightest; more so that the gender gap should be brought to light in this circumstance, as it seems to be the last of its kind to be recognised.

Athletes like Ennis are inspirational for us women, and more so for our younger generation. Encouragement to partake in sport should be instigated within children from as early an age as possible, particularly young girls who perhaps aren't encouraged to get involved in physical activity as much as young boys are.

It's an inevitable pattern; the more that women sporting events are shown on TV, the more likely girls are going to lead a more active and thus healthier (mind and body alike) lifestyle from their impressionable beginnings.

That, afterall, is what the government wants for the generations to come. Right?

[Above image was taken from London Evening Standard online]

WANTED: a Good Gym!

There's a few requirements that every gym should meet, yet in my experience, some gyms fall short of these very basic things, and this ultimately puts me off from becoming a member.

I've only actually been a regular gym attender since late May - beforehand, I chose to run outdoors and I attended group exercise classes instead. I guess you could say I was a bit of an anti-gym kind of person, as I considered it far too pricey and almost intimidating to become a regular gym-goer (sad, huh?).

However, moving back home from university meant that I could no longer rely on my beloved group exercise classes (an average week consisted of circuits, pilates, dance aerobics, and legs, bums and tums - how I miss these classes!), for which I paid a measley, student-savvy 8.50/month(!). And so, my ventures into becoming a fully-fledged Gym member began.

I started out at the Olympiad gym in Chippenham for a couple of months, the same gym that my boyfriend had already been a member of for the past 1-2 years. This was a good gym for a few reasons: it wasn't too big (or small), it had mirrors, it was modern and had suitable air-conditioning, the machines were great, you could watch the TV if you so wished (music channels tended to provide motivational imagery along the lines of perfectly-sculpted women writhing around the screen - always a good reason to work out harder, no?), and windows offering a view of the park, essential for distracting myself whilst pounding the treadmill.

Since my boyfriend moved out of Chippenham, we've tried a few other gyms that just haven't been up to scratch. The first should have been excellent, but was the equivalent of an ice room and was also too big and too quiet - call me egocentric (I am definitely not, fyi! Don't get me wrong!), but I like to be surrounded by people whilst I'm working out, whether it's to see what others are doing or just to be in an environment whereby everyone is pushing themselves, I think it generally makes me work out harder.

The next gym was too cold (not temperature-wise this time) and factory-like. It offered basic equipment and machines for a basic price, so for some people it is completely suitable. However, my boyfriend complained about the lack of mirrors (also egocentric, apparently!) - and so it was on to the next one.

We attended a local bodybuilding gym a couple of days ago, an 80's-throwback style of gym, complete with floral curtains upstairs in the cardio room and various old posters of ripped male and female bodybuilders scattered around the walls. Equipment also appeared to be from the 80s! It wasn't worth the 25pound/month price, that's for sure.

And so the conclusion prevails; until a move back to Chippenham (and thus the Olympiad) is more prominently on the horizon, I will make do with the free kind of gym: exercise DVDs, home equipment, and fresh air/pavements.

A boring post to say the least, sorry guys and gals!

Pass me the Cheese, Please

Anyone who knows me should be aware of my love for cheese - every single kind of cheese, no matter how stinky it is, it's all so very wonderful to me. And that applies to cottage cheese as well, probably the healthiest you're going to get when it comes to this generally high-fat dairy product.

For many dieters, athletes and bodybuilders alike, it's considered an excellent source of protein (around 17g per 100g), meaning that it's a very filling product without the excessive amounts of calories, fat or carbohydrates.

Personally I like Twarog Lowicki half-fat soft cheese, which can be bought from the Polish section in Tesco. I mash this up with a dollop of fat-free probiotic yoghurt and add sultanas for a sweeter taste, and it practically tastes like dessert! I have to admit, when I first saw my boyfriend make up this strange combination as a late-night snack I thought it was more than a little bit weird, but it honestly tastes great (for cheese fiends, even more so) and is extremely good as a kind of meal-replacement dish.

As previously mentioned, cottage cheese is a product that is used a lot in Lithuania. In the supermarkets there were as many (if not more) cottage cheese-based desserts and snacks than yoghurts; needless to say, I fell in love with the chocolate-covered, kid-friendly kind of cottage cheese; Surelis.

These. Are. Amazing.



English supermarkets should sort themselves out and stock more Eastern European products. Either that, or better; English brands should take a tip from their overseas-equivalents and produce something that could actually fix the child obesity rate in the UK, rather than fuel it further with the high-fat/sugar based products that are currently aimed towards children.

Ranty Katie has finished now! And, calm...

P.S. 'Russian Grandma's Cottage Cheese Pancake' review and recipe to follow shortly!