Weekend Weigh In

Excuse me if this makes bob all sense. I am absolutely knackered, on the train on my way home from an extremely long, all- day rehearsal. Just thought I'd check in.....

Well friends, the hard work + discipline paid off + I am pleased to announce a 2.5lb loss. This takes me back to 9,11 (137lbs, 62.1kg) so YAY. And PHEW.

I also went back to pt on Friday and survived. It was quite a tame session compared to others I have experienced.....I think I am being lulled into a false sense of security! We did a lot of strength work + Chris was his usual blatantly honest self + said I looked slimmer. He also said I'd lost some "bulk" off my upper body, meaning I had been perhaps too toned? Anyhoo he was pleased that I hadn't lost the plot over the summer + I was glad I could still do a full session! All in all it was good to be back.

So here's to the coming week, keep on keeping on! That's what I'm gonna do!

Happy sunday evening folks!

Love lizzie xoxo
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Thoughts on shorts.... *edited - pics added*

As you will no doubt have gleaned by now, I have a bit of a wonky self image. Mercifully it is lessening but I still have the occasional "wobble" and moments of panic and, so it would seem, some psychological barriers that will bloody well not shift!

One such barrier is, yep, you guessed it, wearing shorts.

I have never been a wearer of shorts. My legs as a kid were like Bambi's (earning me the delightful nickname "knots in cotton"- thanks dad!), when I was dancing they were ok but muscular. One ballet teacher even told me that my legs resembled a male dancer's legs, as opposed to a ballerina's. Nice.

I have this iconic picture of Rich + I in NYC the summer we were 18, posing with the famous skyline behind us. I am wearing shorts. I look bloody awful. And in my mind, that's how I look + will always look in a pair of shorts.

Fast forward to recent times. When I began working with Mr Motivata aka Chris the pt, one things he asked me was what goals did I have in mind? Hilariously, I now know he meant sommat like "to do a triathlon" or "run a 10k". My reply? Apparently with an entirely serious face, I earnestly replied "Jennifer Aniston's arms + Jessica Simpson's legs"

Nowadays. I run regularly and work on my pins a lot. They've slimmed down considerably, but in my mind's eye they are like tree trunks. As such, over the summer I could be seen regularly sweating like a pig (even more so than usual) on my runs, wearing running tights or the bare minimum of a pair of capris.

It got too ridiculous, so I set myself a behavioural challenge: to buy and wear to run in public a pair of running shorts. So, last time I shopped with my mummy + sister I took them to the Nike shop in Liverpool One for moral support + bought some gorgeous retro Nike purple clima cool running shorts. I love them. And I figure I can't see myself while I'm out running (I avoid looking @ shop windows for this express purpose) and I run at pace so people probably don't really notice. I'm fairly anonymous out there.So it's all ok. Hurrah! A triumph! I wore shorts!!

However, I did make a solemn vow NEVER EVER to wear them to the gym. Imagine! There's people I know there! And people scrutinise you there! (I know this because I do the same thing! What?! Don't pretend you don't do it too!! It whiles away hours on the treadmill!!!!! )

So, you can imagine my sheer delight when I got home early yesterday afternoon + decided to nip to the gym prior to my evening rehearsal, only to find every single pair of running leggings in the wash!!!!!

Nooooooooo!!!! #epiclaundryfail

Instead of panicking, the idea occurred to me to wear aforementioned purple shorts to the gym. Yikes!

So I did.

I noticed several things:-

* when I run, my legs do not look all flabby + cellulitey. I can see the muscles in them, all defined!

*when I do loaded lunges, same deal- you can actually see the muscle tone.

* and then, the "light bulb moment".....

BLOODY HELL MY LEGS *are* as honed + toned as Jessica Simpson's!!!!!! (Please understand I'm talkin' the Jessica of 'Dukes' era, not now- poor thing)

Now, all this might sound a bit odd to you, but there's such power in getting past a body hang up. At least I've found it to be so. It's a bit mad to realise that my bod has undergone such a transformation. - similar to when I was a bit mesmerised by my own arms during BodyPump class - my legs are usually covered so it was kinda weird to see them working!

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I wrote the above today sitting in a coffee house during lunchtime. It's now 11pm + I'm home after "Beast it Thursday" gym time.. After reflecting on my "shorts thoughts" today, I decided to go the whole hog + wore a pair of teeny tiny gym shorts to do yoga this evening. I was soooooo scared! I didn't want people to think "who's the fat girl in the gym wear" because irrespective of how I look, that is how I feeeeeeeel. So it was something of a challenge-to-self.

I bloody did it. AND furthermore, Sharon aka amazing yoga teacher came up to me in the middle of forward bend and told me my legs look great + if she had them she'd wear little shorts all day every day! Wowsa! What a compliment (she has an amaaaaaazing body!)

So all in all, shorts experiment = total success!

Hurrah for NSV's! That is defo mine for the week! Right now, I'm so jacked up on endorphins, I don't even care about the scale!!! (It'll wear off, don't worry- hahaha)

Right, I'm off to bed to have pre-pt nightmares.....more on that tomorrow!

Lovelove

Lizzie xoxo

The costume!

Yoga shorts!

Sneaky mid-week scale peek.....

.........suggests that the buggers have finally mooooooved! Downwards, I hasten to add! All of which is greatly pleasing. However, tis only Wednesday *sob* so there's plenty of work to be done. No slacking!!!!

Laterz

L xoxox
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Those scales had better bloody well MOVE this week!

Or there will be trouble!!!!

Having got over my tantrum after weigh in on Saturday, I'm pleased to report quite an ok weekend. Put it this way, I didn't have to scrawl "write off" dramatically across my tracker in red pen in the manner of an angry teacher this weekend, as I *may* have done over the past six or seven.

Had a great workout Friday night, took Saturday off + ran yesterday + then did BodyPump 75 which is the new release here in the UK. Verdict? Shoulders + abs are great! Much harder than 74, but I'd have kept the lunge track from 74! Rest was all pretty much of a muchness. I find that now I know how to put my own weights programme together, BP doesn't cut it as much as it once did. But it is great for when I only have an hour to bob in + out of the gym.

This morning I was up early + legged it round my usual 5k route before work. I did this a lot last Autumn when I was busy in the evenings, so think I'll try + fit a few in on days when I can't work out in the evenings because of rehearsal. (Five weeks till the show- arrrrgh!!!!)

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Oops! That's been sitting in my drafts file all day! Today is Tuesday. I am on fire!! Got home unexpectedly early- so instead of sitting on my a*se + watching yet more re-runs of Gilmore Girls, I donned my running gear + ran 3 laps of the village- four-ish miles. Yay me. And then off I went to rehearsal! First one in the theatre YIKES! Really reeeeealllly good to be back on stage + whilst I have major anxiety regarding my costume or lack thereof, I realise that I do feel pretty confident about my body these days- or more confident than I used to, at least.

Scales, however, aren't playing ball just yet. It's only Tuesday though.......on Friday I go back to see my pt. Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiizzzzzznuts! *scared*

If that's not an incentive to eat right + workout then I dunno what is!!!!!

Happy Tuesday peoples!

L xoxo
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Saturday Weigh-in

And the results are in.....

ONE LOUSY POUND

I am p*ssed off.

L xo
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People don't notice you half as much as you imagine they do....

Check it. Conversation I had this evening at the gym.

Picture the scene: It was 7:30pm, I had done a BodyCombat class and a BodyPump class and was a big, sweaty, red-faced mess. This is my usual look around about this time on a Thursday. I was on my way out of the studio to change my revolting gym top for a nice fresh, dry, sweet-smelling one before heading back into the studio for yoga when one of the regulars stopped me. The conversation ensued thus:-

(Woman) "Oooh I thought of you on Sunday"

(I do not even know this woman's name, so this was a slightly odd convo opener!)

(Me) "Oh really?"

(Woman) "Yes, but I don't want to offend you"

(Me) "Er....ok....?" (Slightly panicked )

(Woman) "But I was watching Alan Carr Chatty Man on Sunday...."

(God-awful British chat show host)

."... And Katy Perry? was on it...."

(She said "Katy Perry?" like how you Americans speak, y'know, with a question mark at the end, as if gauging to see if I'd know who Katy Perry was)

"....And I said to my husband, there's a girl who goes to my yoga class who is the absolute spitting image of Katy Perry...."

Hahahahahahaha!!! She thinks I look like Katy Perry!

I was somewhat taken aback!!

(A) er hello.....AS IF

+

(B) WHAT a compliment! She is beautiful!!!!!!

{ (C) I tooooooootalllllly wish I had her boobs }

I assured random yoga woman that it was a huuuuge compliment, at least to my way of thinking, and got involved with sun salutation,

BUT

The exchange kinda got me thinking....pretty much proves the whole beauty-eye-beholder thang + further reinforces my point to self from a few days ago..

Which is

That what I see in the mirror is not what others see.

On the days when I have been feeling grotesque + gargantuan people have commented on how much weight I've lost. I forget that just because I'm scrutinising every little inch of my body and judging it and making mental (and, sadly, real) lists of improvements I wish to make, doesn't mean that everyone else pays such close attention.

In fact, people don't notice you half as much as you imagine they do. True story.

I am my own harshest critic. I am trying not to be.

.
Lots of love + happy Friday,

Katy Perry xoxox hahahaha!!!!
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*Stop Press*

The grey pencil skirt that was super tight on Monday Sept 1st is now loose-fitting again. Go figure.

L Xoxo
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