Fitness - Fat Girl Fit

My (Less Than) Rosy Thoughts On Rosacea

Ever heard of Rosacea? For the longest time I knew my mums cheeks were the cause of Rosacea and I was not so lucky to soon realise I have the same. A friend of mine said she spends time every day applying blush for that fresh faced rosy cheek look, but for those of us with rosacea we spend time every day applying products to dull it down! I tend to always feel like I have been out for a 5k run and it can make me quite self conscious.

So what Is Rosacea?

I know it as red cheeks, made worse by the flushes of perimenopause, and it is actually super common. It can also vary from person to person and some have a slight rosy cheek to others having very sore skin that can look like a rash, acne, dermatitis or a breakout but it is not, that is simply the result of enlarged blood vessels. For some it is also not just specific to the cheeks and can appear on other parts of the face, neck and chest.

The redness can last for a little or long time and is thought to be caused by inflammation but, although research continues, there is no specific known cause only that it runs in the family (thanks mum – could have got me a new handbag or something).

After posting on my social media I was surprised how many people I knew who also had rosacea and all experienced flare ups from different triggers. Some of those triggers were stress, exercise, sun, wind, specific beauty products, bacterial reactions, certain foods with the strangest I heard being bananas. So the banana thing seemed odd to me but they said it is because bananas are high in histamine which can cause a flare up (other foods high in histamine are also cheese, chocolate, citrus fruits, tomatoes, strawberries, eggs, shellfish, processed meats, nuts, beans and I am sure loads more).

How Do You Treat Rosacea?

So after I looked how I treated it I found there is no cure for it. However, there are many products on the market now that help to control it or stop the things that can cause it to flare up.

antibiotics prescribed by a GP depending on the severity (someone reached out to me saying they use ivermectin cream from the GP but did note they have very enlarged blood vessels from the condition and was told that this sort of cream would not usually be prescribed for less severe cases) – a lady I know uses doxycycline and says this has been a huge help for her
laser treatment
red light therapy
dermatologist appointment for advice
increase your SPF to at least 25/30 though this is more preventative
brimonidine gels such as Mirvaso can help with redness (not for spots or more sever cases) by reducing the size of blood vessels that are inflamed
vitamin c beauty products

Items I Have Tried And Tested

You can go down a complete rabbit hole with this and I was lucky to know people who had already tried and tested products and could recommend based on their experience. The products I have used so far include:

Vitamin C skincare – I felt like when I started looking for these they seemed to be everywhere so it was really easy to find. I used pretty much the whole range from Garnier. I did find that this didn’t change my rosacea at all and actually made my skin sting a little so I switched. Vitamin C helps with inflammation that can be the cause for a lot of people of rosacea.
Dermatica skincare – I subscribe to these products and the way they work is to complete a short survey and the products you receive on a monthly basis are specific to your skin type. I have noticed a big difference in how my skin feels and looks and my sister also swears by this skincare too.
Rosalique 3 in 1 Anti-Redness Miracle Formula SPF50 – this was an item I had looked at for a long time but for the price I wanted a recommendation and again a friend of mine used it, really rated it and then gifted me some for my birthday. This is a product developed specifically for red skin conditions. I also really recommend this and will be purchasing again when I run out!
Clinique Moisture Surge CC Cream – not actually a recommendation from me but again a friend uses this and it must be popular as I have tried to purchase it multiple times from various places and it is always sold out. The cream is colour correcting and also has SPF for protection.
Estee Lauder Day Wear – this is my favourite! It has light coverage, vitamin C, SPF and was recommended to me at Duty Free when I tried to buy the Clinique cream above. The sales assistant said to me excuse me asking but are you looking for something for your rosacea (cue blushing more and making it worse – just kidding, she was lovely), and then said she would recommend this. Bonus to get it cheaper through duty free too!
The Glow Mask from Nordic Luna – this is a relatively new present from me to me. Again I have a friend who has a red light mask, which I have used and life got in the way from buying one but now living in Sweden with the more harsh weather changes I needed something and this came recommended and had a huge saving in the January sales so it would have been rude not to! The mask has several settings, one of which is red light and this has anti-inflammatory effects, which can calm the skin and reduce inflammation. A mask like this is a non-invasive approach, gentle on the skin and great for people like me who are a coward and not up for needles! Plus I very much look forward to scaring my husband with this!

Category: Fitness, Product Reviews, Running

Jeffing My Way Through Couch To 5k (again)

When I see people running it makes me want to put on my trainers and get out there. Then I remember I am a terrible runner. But I think I have always focused on improving and time and I now just look at time on feet and enjoying it, and it has made it much more enjoyable!

I say couch to 5k again as I feel I have done this multiple times before, but I find these plans work! Last year I used a plan that synched with my apple watch but I am back to using my good old faithful Garmin Fenix watch and so this time I opted for the Jeff Galloway Garmin Coach Plan.

Jeff Galloway 5k Plan

I knew of Jeff Galloway as the creator of the Galloway run walk run and that sounds like a plan I could get behind! It is claimed to help with fatigue and injury.

I know many runners and a lot who adopt different methods or structure run/walking at different ratios and felt that this would be a good fit.

The Garmin Coach Plan

The plan itself links from my Garmin Connect app direct to my watch. I set the days I want to train and it schedules the rest for me. You can reschedule a workout too if you need to change any.

Once the watch is synched I can start my activity and the scheduled workout is good to go! Once I finish it syncs again and the workout is then ticked off and progress logged.

There are 12 weeks in total in the plan and in the app I can see the schedule, the next workout and those that I have completed.

It could just be my personal preference but I like to know in advance what is on the plan.

Where I Run

I am surrounded by trails so spoilt when it comes to trail running and I much prefer that than pounding the pavements if I have a choice. There is also the canal at the end of my road too, which is very popular with runners. However, I have tripped up a few times so have a number of bruises on my legs. I think being a bigger and slower runner I have a short stride and there are no high knees so all the rocks and tree roots are obstacles as I go.

How It Is Going

When I go back to years ago when I did my first 5k I believe it took me somewhere in the region of 49 minutes. On the trails I think I am probably around about the same level now. I could let that dishearten me but honestly I don’t care (not sure if that is a good or bad thing) as I am actually enjoying it. When I go back to the UK and don’t run I look forward to getting back to it when I come home to Sweden. Who am I?

This morning was the final scheduled run on the plan and although it is Couth to 5k, the run was a total of 4.7 miles, so 7.5k. I won’t claim there are no walking breaks because there are and I am fine with that.

What’s Next?

I am not doing this with an event in mind or to increase distance. I am doing it to enjoy the trails, keep active and get some run fitness. This all helps when cycling and hiking so one complements the other nicely.

Hopefully there is less tripping up in the coming weeks!

Category: Cycling, Fitness, Hiking, Running, Sweden

Exploring The Beautiful Nature Reserves In Sweden

Sweden as a country is covered in 70% forest, which is 28 million hectares according to the Swedish Forest Industries Association. It also has almost 9% water coverage with over 95,000 lakes. You quickly get the picture I am painting that Sweden is like a natures playground and one of the reasons we fell in love with it.

When we arrived we quickly looked at where the local nature reserves and forests were and soon found we could download an app for our Kommun that is like a nature map and shows lots of information about cycle paths, hiking paths, canals, lakes and much more. This has become like our bible when deciding where we should explore next (and the dog loves it too).

Sjöbo-Knäppan

Sjöbo-Knäppan was the first that we visited in the height of winter and it was like a winter wonderland with everything covered in a white blanket of snow. It is on Lake Boren which is a short walk from where we now live.

The parking is limited but there are picnic areas, toilets, easy access to the lake for swimming (in warmer months) and the trails are all clearly marked with one being a boardwalk path in the trees.

Håleberget

Håleberget is our local favourite. We attempted to go in the winter but the steep winding road up to it that clearly had no one else make the attempt, judging by the snow, changed our plans. It is a short walk (two routes available) basically up to the top and then back but worth the views for sure.

The only thing I would say is that the road to the car park is single track with no real space to pass so in the summer when more people visit I would imagine this could be a problem?

Fålehagen

We actually looked at a house in the woods that is in the middle of one of the trails of Fålehagen forest and in the winter when we visited there were they were in the middle of putting in the ski lines for the winter cross country skiers.

At the car park there is a center where you can also hire skiis to use on the trails.

There are also MTB trails and frisby golf here, whilst it is also right next to Motala Golf Course.

Karshult

Karshult is round the corner to where we now live so super convenient. In the winter the fields that the trails pass were super deep with snow so made a short walk feel tougher than it should have!

Råssnäsudden

Råssnäsudden is very near Varamon beach (the largest fresh water beach in Europe) and a perfect short walk for our ageing dog. The trail follows the water line out to a small picnic area and back.

There is ample parking and there are also running tracks there too.

Omberg

We wild caped at Bokskogens when we went to Ekopark Omberg, which was a small area for 5 campervans that overlooked Lake Vattern. It was stunning with a short stairway to access the lake for swimming, fire pits, firewood, shelter and several picnic tables. We have cycled up Omberg on the Tjejvattern and Halvvattern events so had seen the stunning views from the top and the hiking and off road bike trails. We hiked from where we camped on the trails to Omberg Touristhotell, that we cycled past on the previously mentioned bike rides. We then hiked back into the park to the viewing station at the highest point of the park, Hjassan.

Tiveden

Tividen is hands down our favourite so far. We wild camped in our camper van at Sorangs Bergsjo fishing lake. It was a beautiful spot with a little jetty, fire pit, firewood, shelter and picnic table. We hiked the Trehorningsrundan trail, which was a 9.5km loop around the lake and stunning.

This is definitely one we want to go back and spend more time at but the walks are a little long for our doggo to join now.

Blå Lagunen Skanninge

So not a nature reserve but I had seen some videos of a stunning blue lagoon in Sweden and when I checked the location found it was only 12 miles from where we live. So……..it would have been rude not to explore and see if we can find it, and we did!

No car park as such but there is a layby on the nearby main road and it is a short walk on an easy trail to get to the lake. I will admit I was a little worried it would be one of those social media versus reality and we would arrive at a small grey puddle, but I am pleased to say I was wrong. We could see the lake through the trees as we approached and the colour was visible immediately (maybe more green than blue but still stunning)!

I am looking forward to exploring more of the natural beauty here!

Category: Fitness, Hiking

Ticking Off More Of the Wainwright Summits

When you have some holiday to use and a willing friend, the only answer as to whether we should book another trip to the Lake District to tick off some more of the Wainwright summits, is of course yes!

Accommodation

We chose to stay in Keswick again as it is such a central base for so much in the area. This time we stayed at 15 The Plosh and bonus it had two bathrooms and parking! If you know the area and most of the cottages that are available to book you will understand that having parking is such a benefit.

Kit Update

I had a few changes to my kit for this trip as below:

New boots and I went for the Merrell Accentor boots. I got these in Sweden and they are so comfortable and perfect if you have a wider foot. I always opt for Gore Tex just to make sure I am not caught out with wet feet as that is never fun, although on a couple of the walks I did end up with very wet feet!
Osprey Tempest 20 bag. I am a big Osprey fan when it comes to bags but I wanted one a little smaller and this is perfect although an easy to access pocket on the front strap for the phone would be good. I also struggled to get my bottle in and out of the side pouch without either taking off the bag or getting some help from my friend.
I got two new pairs of hiking leggings from Revolution Race and really impressed – my first leggings with pockets on the leg, which came in super handy, the fit was comfortable with no movement or having to adjust. I updated a previous post on hiking leggings with the details of these and you can read that here.
I borrowed my husbands trekking poles from Leki. He got these when he did the Half Marathon des Sables and I had got a cheaper pair to try (anything to help with the uphill) but they are in a packing box somewhere so I borrowed his. I am not sure if they did help but mainly because I am not sure I was using them to get the most benefit so need to practice a bit more I think.
Not quite kit but after doing a lot of consecutive long days we added a bottle of coke to our bags for a little added sugar/red ambulance if we felt it was required at the top of the summits (and after starting this I found I always returned back with an empty bottle)! Obviously another bottle of liquid is added weight for what could already be a heavy bag but I find I get bored of electrolytes very quickly and sometimes you want something else aside from water after multiple hours.

What Wainwrights Did We Complete This Time Round?

We actually made really good progress on this trip. We came this time having completed 27 summits previously and we left increasing the total to 57, which included:

Armboth Fell
Bakestall
Bessyboot
Binsey
Bleaberry Fell
Brae Fell
Brandreth
Carl Side
Fleetwith Pike
Gowbarrow Fell
Great Cockup
Great Sca Fell
Great Mell Fell
Grey Knotts
Hay Stacks
High Rigg
High Seat
High Tove
Little Mell Fell
Little Sca Fell
Ling Mell Fell
Longland Fell
Long Side
Lonsdale Fell
Meal Fell
Raven Crag
Rosthwaite Fell (Bessyboot)
Scafell Pike
Skiddaw
Skiddaw Little Man
Ullock Pike
Whinlatter

Best and Worst Of This Trip

Least Favourites:

Fleetwith Pike – we started by Gatesgarth Farm and it is clearly signed. You pass a white cross, which thankfully I did not know the meaning of before we started the ascent – it is a memorial for Fanny Mercer who fell from the top and died. This route is more direct, I believe, but it is a lot of scrambling and false summits although I was thankful to the cloud coverage as it meant I could not see the full extent of it. I am not a scrambler and I could feel my heart pounding out of my chest, which was coupled with my Garmin watch unhelpfully telling me I was at threshold heart rate – no sh*t!
Skiddaw – we ascended up the northern approach from Long Side. It was very steep and very loose underfoot with shingle, slate, scree, gravel. I had a meltdown as I felt like everything I stepped on or reached to hold moved, there were tears and my friend Lee guided me across the path to where there were some better stable rocks to use as hand holds. Poor Max (one of Lee’s dogs who hike these routes with us) came down to check on me and I snapped at him to go away (I apologised at the top).
Scafell – we didn’t manage to tick this summit off as our route went from Ling Mell Fell to Scafell Pike and then over via Mickledore. Mickledore is a grade 1 scramble and we ended up going down to Foxes Gyll but I did not have the confidence or nerve to climb up the Gyll so unfortunately we ended up having to go back up Mickledore and trace our route back.

Favourites:

Raven Crag – the steps up to the view and the sunset through the trees as we descended was super pretty.
Scafell Pike – this is the highest point in England and one that I wanted to tick off for a long time so was super pleased to get this one done even if the steps back down to Wasdale were a killer on the knees!

How Did We Get On By The End

This trip covered:

92 miles hiked
over 27,000ft of climbing
one instance where I nearly got taken out by a sheep
3 walks where I had a cry (I need to work on this)
30 Wainwrights ticked off the list

This takes our total now to 57/214 so made a really decent dent but a lot left to do! We actually met a man who was running some of the fells and he had completed the full list at the start of May but said it had taken him over 8 years to complete when he was further away from the area and that he had moved to the West coast and since then completed the remaining half in one year!

What Next?

You know when you look at kids and they have no fear? I feel like since I hit 40 I get more fear every year. I had multiple times when completing these Wainwrights where I don’t think I can do it, don’t want to look down, panic before I even start a scramble, huff and puff my way up and find the descent harder. My head almost always wins and I need to work on that and my confidence.

But for now, I need to rest my very very very very very tired legs and feet!

Category: Fitness, Hiking, Product Reviews

What Hiking Leggings Are Best?

We all have favourite kit and honestly this is one of those things that is personal preference – I prefer hiking leggings to trousers as I find they give me better range of movement when both hiking and also climbing and scrambling.

And yes I do have my favourites but here is an honest review of some that I have tried and tested:

North Face – Women’s Mountain Athletic Leggings – £50. I have a lot of their clothing (tshirts, fleeces and jackets) and always a fan, however, the leggings were not great (at all). They were very poor fitting and too big in some places and snug in others. There was a lot of movement when hiking and I had to pull up and readjust a lot (like constantly), which is far from ideal. Unfortunately not a pair I would use for hiking, like I recently did in the Lake District, probably more for local short dog walks.
Columbia – Hike Leggings – £35. These were nice fitting, with a little movement but nothing too much. I did slip over on a descent wearing this and ended up with a very wet backside, which stayed wet for a very long time – this may sound odd but others that wick better will dry quicker.
Berghaus – Aether Leggings – £45. Really comfortable and no movement at all. Was a little worried when I received them as they looked very small but they were fine and material was super wicking too.
Rab – Flux Pants – £45. These are my go to leggings. They are super comfortable, no movement and have withstood a lot of scrambling and rock surfaces where I use my backside as a crampon! Plus they wick quickly when wet.
Rab – Skyline Tights – £70. These are more robust than the others and feel slightly warmer with a little compression. They also have zips at the ankle should you need to adjust for socks/boots.
Revolution Race – Energy High Waist – £69 – a friend of mine recommended this brand and since moving to Sweden (they are a Swedish company) I see it everywhere so figured why not. Their about them says they are the hikers who got tired of overpriced, badly fitting clothes and honestly from a few wears they have done a great job in my opinion. No movement, super comfortable, pockets on the legs, which considering all the leggings I have this was a first and now a must going forward!
Revolution Race – Summit Core – £75 – more robust feeling than the above pair from the same brand but all the same excellent qualities plus more. These have reinforced knees, which is great as I tend to be more of a nervous scrambler and often use my knees and bum!

And for tops I wear a lot of my mountain biking clothing as it is comfortable, breathable, wicks really well and does the job perfectly!

I also regularly look at the Fjallraven clothing but the pricing is a little wowsers – I would be interested to know from anyone who has tried and tested them if they are worth the investment? I did invest in a winter coat from them when I moved to Sweden and have a warm beanie for the snowy months, both of which are amazing, plus I have a couple of bags.

Category: Fitness, Hiking

Back To The Lake District For More Wainwright Hiking

Last year I put up a post about how a friend and I had decided we would start to try and tick off some of the Wainwright fells in the Lake District (you can read that here). Last week we went back for more!

Why Go To The Lake District?

Super easy question! If you like being outdoors you can’t go wrong! The Lake District is one of those places that is picture perfect around almost every turn.

It is, however, somewhere with unpredictable weather and often referred to as one of the spots in the UK with the most rain so need to be ready to adapt your plans and keep checking the forecast! The plus side of it being somewhere with a lot of rain means it is very green and lush and when there is a lot of water the waterfalls are in full force and lakes full.

You can also spot a red squirrel although we were not so lucky.

If hiking the fells is not for you there are many outdoor activity centres with different things on offer and of course many lakes to walk around that do not include the climbing and are most suitable for prams and wheelchairs when using the paths.

Accommodation

Last time we stayed in a yurt but as we were staying for longer this time we thought it might be good to have a proper bed, bathroom and facilities to wash kit so we opted for a cottage in Keswick. We stayed in Crag Cottage with Sally’s Cottages and it was very central so we could walk to everywhere in town. There is no onsite parking so you do need to leave your car in the nearby car park but the cost of this, for one car, is included in the booking cost.

Keswick has a number of outdoor stores so if you need any additional kit there is plenty of choice and many a nice pub too to refuel post hike!

How Dog Friendly Is It?

I didn’t take our dog as she is 13.5 years old now and the walks would be too long and too tough for her but my friend took her two cockers and they loved it!

I would also note that almost all shops and pubs we went were dog friendly, which is nice, some had towels for muddy paws, dog menus and all had fresh water and treats too.

You will see other dogs on the walks and if you are unsure check the route out online and see as there are some ridges where people do not advise taking dogs – it is more commons sense. If you do walk with the dogs just be conscious of your surroundings and signs for farm animals – it was lambing season when we were there so there were a lot of signs asking for dogs to be kept on leads.

Planning A Route

I mentioned in my previous post that we had found the website from The Walking Englishman, which includes routs to tick off multiple summits across a number of walks as well as the GPX file. We did have a Garmin GPSMAP 66ST to load the routes on to but also our phones and both had the Ordnance Survey app we could load the route to as well.

I will fully admit that my friend Lee was master navigator and was amazing as we found with the some of the routes that they were not sticking to paths and we did not want to trespass across farmer land so needed to adapt and also quite a few times we found there was no path, which was interesting!

Kit

In my last post I listed my kit and it was pretty much the same, however, I think for next time I will look to downsize my backpack. I have an Osprey Radial, which is 26 to 34 litres as it can expand and I love this bag – really comfortable and great for hiking, cycle commuting and everyday use. However, I found that I didn’t need this much space for my kit and so when I was scrambling there was a bit of movement. As someone who is not the most confident when scrambling, movement in the bag did not help so I think next time I may look to invest in one slightly smaller but ensure I can still fit the essentials.

Photo credit to https://www.instagram.com/songasport/

What Progress Did We Make?

This time round we completed 16 more, including the following:

Allen Crags
Barf
Broom Fell
Dodd
Fellbarrow
Glaramara
Graystones
Kirk Fell
Latrigg (sunrise hike)
Ling Fell
Lords Seat
Low Fell
Rannerdale Knotts (sunset hike)
Sale Fell
Seathewaite Fell
Walla Crag

We covered over 53 miles and over 15,000ft of climbing. This takes our total now to 27/214 so still a very long way to go!

Category: Fitness

The Joys (or more appropriately not) of Perimenopause

I feel like there has been a lot across social media in recent months regarding menopause and peri menopause. I also know there are some people who feel like it is a lot and would like to see less. BUT let me tell you as someone going through perimenopause, I feel heard and I can relate!

I was diagnosed with perimenopause following blood tests early last year and it has been a trip – that I would like a refund for.

I am sure everyone has different symptoms but for me the worst are:

Weight gain – my blog is Fat Girl Fit and focuses on not judging a book by its cover and proving that appearances do not define you and regardless of being bigger, that I am capable, However, the weight gain is not welcomed and I am not planning on buying a new wardrobe either.
Bloating – I am still in the process of figuring out which foods cause more of an aggravation than not as it is uncomfortable being so bloated most of the time.
Thinning hair – I already have what I refer to as old lady hair and making this worse is not great but I can definitely notice it getting thinner and falling out more than before.
Emotions – literally the worst! Absolutely anything could make me cry. It’s a whirlwind. I am sure my husband thinks I am going crazy. Our tumble dryer was making a sketchy noise a few weeks ago and I thought it was broken. I burst into tears, it literally felt in that moment that this was the end of the world. I can see now how illogical and ridiculous this is but honestly in that moment it felt so justified.
Anxiety – the weirdest things can cause anxiety and this is not something I have struggled with previously. Overthinking. Procrastinating. Yep all that.
Injuries – I have been injured before, followed advice and physiotherapy and all good but it is something that definitely takes a lot longer now and patience is not my strong point. This year I tore my MCL for the second time and although the tear is no longer there it is still painful when put under any pressure.
Hot flushes – now these are a joy (not). My husband can sometimes see from my face that it is happening before I feel it. I can only describe it as a rush of heat mixed with panic mixed with a sick feeling. My husband will ask if I need anything and honestly as kind as that is, in my head I am thinking shut up and leave me alone until it passes. I struggle to catch my breath and let the wave pass whilst my brain is going a million miles an hour thinking that I may or may not be sick.
Lethargy – I am someone who needs a solid 8 hours sleep and can sleep anywhere no problem but now despite the amount of sleep I get it never feels enough. My 8 hours feels like 3 or 4. Don’t get me wrong I know I am still getting 8 hours and some people would love that but I wouldn’t expect to feel so tired all the time with that. Where has my energy gone?
Skin changes – I can’t say I am someone who has a specific skin care routine and not a huge make up wearer either. But my skin can sometimes feel so sore and so dry like never before! A few months ago I purchased some of the new Boots No 7 menopause skincare and spent almost £100 on day cream, night cream and serum. I would love to say it has made a huge difference but it honestly hasn’t at all, which is disappointing. A friend has recommended some revitalift items from L’Oreal that she has found to be good so I am going to try that next.
Temperature – I need clothes for all seasons all year round. Regardless of the time of year, I am cold, I am hot, the blankets are off, then I wrap myself in them and then I need them as far away from me as possible. I can wake up covered in sweat even when it is so cold.

Disappointingly the initial medication that was suggested by my GP was a low dose anti depressant and this was not something I wanted to start taking. I also had my prolactin levels in my bloods cause a concern as each blood test saw these increase significantly so I am now over 18 months waiting for an MRI. There is definitely no rush from my GP to chase this up and I know I am one of many people going through this and no different to the others so it is a case of waiting.

I am taking collagen, which helps with bones, skin, hair and came recommended to help with menopause/perimenopause symptoms. I have also been recommended to take glucosamine, which helps with joint issues (hoping this will help with my current knee issues too).

It is great to see so much more discussion around this subject but this has also caused delays in being seen by professionals and reports of gels/medication being delayed or unavailable.

Oh the joy to be a woman!

Category: Cycling, Fitness, Hiking

Christmas Gift List Ideas

I am not sure about you but I hate when people ask me for ideas for Christmas or Birthday presents as it is like a tap has been turned on and all ideas I previously had disappear!

I do, however, have some gift ideas that I can recommend and you may find useful.

The new book from GCN and Mark Beaumont, The Complete Guide to Cycling, £16.99. I have reviewed this book and you can read what I thought here.
One of the bottles on offer from Hydrate M8, whether it be a water tracker bottle or an insulated bottle now we are in cooler months. You can use discount code _FAT_GIRL_FIT_ for 20% off your purchase.
Big Bobble Hats, a firm favourite of mine and you can never have enough! You can use discount code FATGIRLFIT20 for 20% off your purchase.
Winter cycling cap – I have one from Rapha though they are no longer made but this Stolen Goat hat looks very similar and they are fab in the winter months when out in the elements, £35.
Queens of Pain, Legends & Rebels of Cycling book, £25. An inspirational read about female cyclists over the years.
Kapz customised headset caps. I have one of these that says Fat Girl Fit (in pink of course) and it is a fab subtle customisation to any bike. They also have stock designs, all from £18.95.
VeloPac Ride Pac from £20. I have had these on my gift guides before but they are fab and I am a huge fan so here it is again!
Fleece – it’s definitely fleece season and I am here for it, so any fleece. I recently got this one, which is very retro!
Five Tens MTB shoes from the Breast Cancer campaign, £130. I recently got these and they’re the usual Five Tens fab shoes and have pink and boobies on them – what’s not to love!
Ordnance Survey Maps – of like me you like to be outdoors this shop is like a treasure trove including custom maps that you can find here and they currently have 15% off too!

Happy Christmas shopping!

Category: Cycling, Fitness, Product Reviews

The Complete Guide to Cycling Psychology Book Review

I was very excited to be sent the new book from GCN written by Mark Beaumont and Dr Jim Taylor.

Mark Beaumont

Mark is an endurance cyclist (however there is so much more to Mark than this and I would describe him as an avid adventurer), but in relation to cycling he currently holds records for:

fastest cycle on Scotland’s North Coast 500
fastest cycle round the world covering a distance of 18,296 miles in 194 days and 17 hours
fastest cycle from Cairo to Cape Town covering a distance of 10,000 km in 41 days, 10 hours and 22 minutes
hour record on a penny farthing

Dr Jim Taylor

Dr Jim Taylor is a specialist in the psychology of performance sport and has worked with professional cyclists and athletes in many other sports. He is also an Ironman and world-championship age-group triathlete.

Basically we are in good hands with the authors!

Favourite Quotes From The Book

I am a sucker for a good quote and this book had loads but a few notable that resonated with me:

‘It is about knowing yourself better and using cycling as a means for personal growth and meaning.’

‘Understanding your ‘why’ is at the heart of this book.’

‘Contrary to popular belief, when you focus on the result, you are less likely to get the result you want.’

‘Putting the fun and social back into training made me feel more energised when I got back on the bike.’

‘Knowing you can ‘out-suffer’ the rest is good motivation when the going gets spicy.’

The quotes above are areas that I think are so important for us individually. We all have different goals, different reasons for doing anything we do and know what works best for us and this often gets lost and we need a reminder!

Cycling Psychology Assessment

This is referred to as the physical testing for the mind in this book and delves into 5 attitudes that affect performance. During this process you rate yourself against each attitude (ownership, process, challenge, long-term and balance).

This assessment is at the start of each stage within the book and each stage is a section that goes into further detail of each attitude mentioned earlier. Each talks about its individual importance and how this relates to your cycling performance and mental attitude towards it.

Main Takeaways From The Book (for me)

This book was so relatable. I cycle therefore I am a cyclist, of many disciplines and varying distances. I am my worst critic and the mental side is my biggest weakness – when my head goes, it is game over! I was surprised to read that Mark suffers from imposter syndrome – so easy to assume athletes do not worry about things like this – we are all human!

I think too often we forget to focus on what we can affect, there is no point in worrying about what we cannot after all. The book talks about grounding yourself in order to set yourself up to cycle to your capabilities.

We can use our motivators to bridge the gap between our goals and efforts to achieve those goals. Are we setting ourselves up for success? Do we know how to identify when we are suffering with low motivation and how to change that mindset? Is there a pattern? How can this be addressed for the better? Do you need a way of staying accountable?

It covers what constitutes quality training, consistency and dedication, and what you can have in your mental took kit to set yourself up for success. I often use my social media channels to voice my goals/objectives for public accountability – it may not work for everyone but I find it does for me. I keep a log of my training activities, how I felt, what worked and didn’t – I think it is the project manager in me treating it like a retrospective and identifying lessons learned so that I can turn negatives into positives.

This book covers it all with real life examples how Dr Taylor worked through this with Mark for his various challenges. I cannot recommend it enough and will be sure to add to my Christmas 2022 gift list!

Product was gifted but all opinions are my own.