REDJanuary2020 - normal service will resume .....🙁

So that’s it - I may be fool hardy at times but I’m not stupid. I am not feeling tip top by a long way. I’ve spent the day in my PJs on the sofa, dosed up. It makes me so sad inside to say I’m going to have to halt my Red January journey - I’m simply not well enough to do anything, I need rest and relaxation - so that’s what is happening this weekend.

I hope to feel better soon and I may be able to resume my journey - if nothing else once I’m well I aim to restart my fitness regime.

Sometimes you have to let common sense prevail and there will be other challenges and more January’s to come.

I will be back ..........

🙁

REDJanuary2020 - down and maybe out...😢

Oh my goodness - so I recall reading something somewhere about if your are poorly from the neck down carry on running - neck upwards don’t. So after my foolish jaunt last night (which in my Rocky head was kill or cure) I have felt decidedly worse today. Spent the whole night coughing and not much better during today - feel awful. Also completely and utterly fed up with not feeling 💯- I mean doesn’t my body know I’m a busy lady I have things to do, places to be .....

I left work early - don’t faint finished at 4pm, how I lasted that long I don’t really know. Home and pyjamas straight on ready to curl up on the sofa and wallow in self pity. I actually think that today I may actually be beaten - I’m weighing up whether I’m doing myself more harm than good trying to be active. I’m so gutted, this is not the RED January I wanted.

I am not over and out yet - the night is young - but I’m re-evaluating my options - my thoughts are that life is all about feeding mind, body and soul - so tonight may encompass some reading (something I never do these days) or meditation (something I’ve never tried). So I will try and do something nourishing but I’m definitely giving my body a chance to recover.

One sad red lady here - onwards and upwards though, it’s the weekend so I can just chill and get well.

#REDJanuary2020 #Day10 #Despair #StayStrong #ItsOk

REDJanuary2020 Day 9 - the worm turns .....

Day 9 - well we did not see that coming ........

I drag my sorry, tired, miserable body in through the door after another long day in work. I head straight into the kitchen to suss out the tea situation, which was in hand - fabulous. As I stood willing the food in the oven to cook faster (because I was so hungry) I picked up my best friend (that’s shocking I know) - I click on to good old book of the face. Here I’m greeted with my memory from last year - red t-shirt, red hat, big smile - smashing RED January 2019. I scroll down to be greeted with lots of running posts - people posting their running achievements for that day. I sigh and think about that flipping stepper sitting in the lounge and my blog. I just thought to myself I cannot do another night bobbing up and down “stepping into flipping Christmas” 🙈. I took a deep breath and thought right - enough is enough is - like the song “Enough is enough (is enough)
I can't go on, I can't go on no more, no”.  I felt this pang that I wanted to be doing what everyone else was doing - not just stepping in my lounge! 💪🏻

So I marched down to the bedroom and pulled on my fabulous red t-shirt (2020 version) and my head torch - other items of clothing were also put on ....... 🧐🤓😜. Benji Boo was following me round  tail wagging, looking ever hopeful - it was like he was saying I recognise that t-shirt, I remember that mad January last year, out all hours come wind or rain (or snow!) 🙈. Please say we are going (and don’t bring the white one 🤪).

I grabbed his lead and felt my stomach lurch as I finally stepped out the door - we were out - first hurdle. As I walked down the drive all I could hear in my head was - you won’t be able to run, you’ve not run since October 😱. 

A little walking warm up and then I started a slow plod. Oh look at me, look at me - running (albeit very slowly and like a baby elephant). I felt a little wave of excitement- that was soon suppressed by not being able to breathe, legs feeling like they were going to snap, chest feeling so tight,  cold air hurting my lungs and coughing. But I was out there and it was just me, my Benji boy and the night sky - no music, no phone - just someone breathing so heavy it sounded like Darth Vader was in tow 🤣😜. 

So not fast, not pretty but short run done ✅- whoop whoop 🙌. Few twinges so I think I need to get back on the strengthening exercises as well - maybe, just maybe I’ve found a smidgen of red motivation 👍🏻💪🏻🏃‍♀️.

#REDJanuary2020 #Day9 #MentalHealth #ThisGirlCanRun #GetActive 

REDJanuary2020 - like my school reports - could do better ......🙈🤦🏻‍♀️

Oh boy oh boy it’s now day 8
And RED January I’m beginning to hate.

I pledged to get active every day
Do something daily come what may.

It’s been a real struggle to know what to do
I can’t seem to find my running shoes 🙈.

I’ve tried to do something albeit it small
I’m not really getting the fitness call.

It’s ironic really that once I cried
When told running was to put aside.

And now I can’t even step out that door
Get these lazy feet off the floor.

I’m not beaten yet so I will carry on
And I will try and lay off the sticky buns!

January is not even half way through
I’m putting my motivation in to brew.

So tonight it may have to the stupid stepper
But honestly I’m really going to try and do better.

So stick with me one and all
This determined lady will not fall!

P.S. Please note I don’t anticipate looking like this by the end of the month 🤣😂😜

REDJanuary2020 - step into Christmas

Day 7 - day 7 - day 7 - RED January you are breaking me. I don’t know what’s going on, I have zero motivation and zero energy. Can I still blame the Christmas cold .....🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️.

However I’m determined to do something no matter how small it is. So having sat (and eaten half a box of maltesers 🙈shhhh), I finally got off my sofa and back onto the stepper. Ahhh the stepper - how I hate the boring stepper but it was that or nothing. I need to dig deep and find my mojo - I’m digging honestly but it must be with a teaspoon as it’s a slow job 🤣.

The other problem I have with the stepper is every time I get on it all I hear in my head is the song “Step into Christmas, step into Christmas”. Nooooo I would have to go backwards to step in Christmas because Christmas 2019 is closer than Christmas 2020 - I can’t keep stepping all year just to step into Christmas 2020!

Day 7 - done - oh my goodness - wish me luck for the rest of the month please!

#REDJanuary2020 #Day7 #GetActive #NobodySaidItWasEasy 🤣

REDJanuary2020 - toned down

Ohhhh Red 6 - what a struggle - sooooooo tired 🙈.  I wasn’t sure I had the energy for anything at all - I don’t know how I managed to run every day last year!  So not a lot going on tonight but I’ve been active so in my book that is a tick ✅

20 leg pulls each leg
20 leg dips both sides/legs
20 sit ups (all stomachs 😂)
20 leg raisers each leg
10 reverse curls
5 minutes on the stepper

Sorry these are my names for these exercises, I don’t know what the proper names are and to be honest nor do I care 🤣🤣🤣🤣.

It is a long month January isn’t it 🤷🏻‍♀️🙈.

REDJanuary - my Christmas belly is ready .....

Day 5, day 5 - oh what a terrible struggle. Energy levels zero - enthusiasm zero - determination 💯.  Never ever give up on the day - even at 9pm at night you can do something.  I mean I could not possibly fail on day 5 - I would not allow it. So I dragged out the faithful stepper - thank goodness for that bad boy - he’s a great fall back buddy.

Twenty minutes on the stepper whilst catching the end of the masked singer and thinking to myself, I don’t think I missed anything there - not that Dancing On Ice is much better 😂🙈🤷🏻‍♀️.

Anyway - day 5 done ✅ - it may have only been 20 minutes stepping but that’s more active that the following:-
Sit on sofa
Reach for phone
Scroll, scroll, scroll
Like, sad, laugh, wow
Watch remotely funny video of random dogs/people/cats
Reach forward
Further
A little further
Yes you have reached the Roses tin!

So here’s a picture of me and my stepper but not only that - my Christmas belly, snug as a big under my jumper 😂. Actually let’s get real I’ve been baking that belly for most of 2019 and I’m not convinced it’s going anywhere in 2020 either 🤣. It’s a good balance to my well padded bottom 🙊.

Happy and healthy that’s the most important thing - oh and dragging bottom off couch for 20 minutes 👍🏻.

#REDJanuary2020 #Day5 #MIND #GettingActive #KeepGoing

REDJanuary 2020 - oh to have a scooter

So day 4 and it’s not getting any easier - my head is like it is full of cotton wool and I will be honest if it wasn’t for RED January I wouldn’t be dragging myself outside. I’m not one to be easily defeated so it was wrap up and head out for a walk with the dogs and Isabelle.

We were a bit quicker than yesterday with Zaccy boy - we did have 2 stops though. The first for Iz to run back for my phone and the second for Iz to go into the graveyard (I have no idea why?), maybe my conversation was that boring 🤷🏻‍♀️.

Two dogs and we already know that Benji Boo likes to pull - well today I think he extended my arm by about another foot as he decided to try and keep up with Isabelle who had the advantage of a scooter. Ohhh my poor arm! I don’t mind telling you I wish I had a scooter - I reckon if I had a scooter with Benji I’d break the 4 minute mile 🤣.

Running seems like so far away at the moment but early days - walking leads to running eventually - surely??? 🙈😷🤧😞

#REDJanuary2020 #Day4 #Plodding #GettingActive #MIND #MentalHealth

#REDJanuary2020 -snails pace 🙈🐌

Day 3

The glorious sun makes an appearance- I’d forgotten what that looked like, how wonderful it felt to have warm rays dancing on your face. The only option today was a walk with the dogs to soak up this yellow baby. Isaac decided he was going to come along as well - this was great progress as he has not got dressed for about 3 days due to being down and out with the stupid cold. Happy healthy Hicks Christmas 🎄- joy!

So zaccy boy and I set off for a stroll around the village. I had not quite anticipated that we would he moving at a marginally faster pace than a snail. 🐌 I asked him did he definitively want to come along, yes he did, despite not looking the picture of health. So onwards and upwards - we trudged along for an hour not getting very far but it was worth it to soak up the suns glorious rays - I’m sure that probably did us both the world of good.

It was an interesting walk as I had to adopt the stop go crab walk. I’ve got Benji going 100mph in one hand and then plodder Lucy Lou in the other, which means a sideways approach to walking, stopping every 10 yards to wait for Isaac.

Never mind we got round - so that’s day 3 - more active than sitting on the sofa!

#REDJanuary2020 #Day3 #GetActive #MIND #MentalHealth

#REDJanuary2020 Step into 2020

So I spent today in the car - you can’t do much walking or running in a car. I had to collect my mum from Cardiff - lovely drive through wind and rain - was lovely in Cardiff but we drove back through weather more miserable than poor old Eeyore.

Anyway it was wet, dark, damp and unappealing by the time I got home and I am very much deploying sensible Joe for 2020.  So I decided it would not be a good idea to trek around the village in the wet with a cold. So I blew the dust off my faithful stepper.

Twenty minutes of stepping done ✅. REDJanuary2020 #day2 #SensibleGoals #GetActive

My head still hurts - sinuses blocked, head pounding - dosing up but doing what I can to do a little bit of exercise 👍🏻😷🤧😴. I won’t be beaten 💪🏻

#REDJanuary 2020 - a leap of faith into the dark

RED January Day 1 - nearly a non starter........

What a way to start RED January - I’ve been feeling poorly having had a stupid cold (note how it will only ever be referred to as “stupid” cold as it’s so annoying). It’s left me drained and my sinuses blocked so my head is like it’s in a vice.

I got up - always a promising start -  I pulled on my red t-shirt but with my jeans - there was no running going on here today that was for sure. Cooked a roast dinner and then promptly fell asleep on the sofa. 😴  I had gained something over the course of the day (in addition to more weight!) - some attractive stains down my lovely red t- shirt identified as gravy and strawberry tart 😂🙈.

The whole house had written me off , I was down and out day one. Oh no I was not going to let that happen. I had woken up and it was now dark but I knew I had to just bite the bullet and go for it.

The dogs were besides themselves with excitement - a walk - in the dark - the red hat was back out - the games afoot. I even managed to drag along Gina, told her she is now committed to RED January, she’s not so keen 😂.

So day 1 done - a 4K Walk in the dark - let’s hope that by day 31 I may be able to utter the words - today I went for a run ........💪🏻👍🏻🏃‍♀️ #2020Goal #LCW #CardiffHalf

#REDJanuary2020 #Day1 #MIND #MentalHealth #GetActive