Fitness - Fat Girl Fit

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.

Category: Fitness, Hiking

Hiking The Wainwright Fells

I’ve said before to surround yourself with like minded individuals. I’ve been injured recently and to keep my knee mobile I have been walking a lot and so when a friend and I discussed doing more of that and the subject of walking the Wainwrights came up we both said yes without needing to think about it.

We soon got to planning how and when we would start and I am writing this as we have had our first trip to the Lake District and ticked off 11!

What Are The Wainwrights?

Alfred Wainwright MBE was a fell walker and published author of a volume of books relating to the Lakeland Fells.

There are 214 fells in the Lake District that are named after Alfred Wainwright. There are lots of websites with information a plenty about how to go about these, lists to tick each fell off, distances, elevation and much more!

When people aim to complete the Wainwrights they may refer to it as hill bagging and the objective is to climb/tick off as many as you can.

What Is A Crag/Fell/Pike/Pass/Knott?

There are various names to the climbs but the majority fall into the following:

Crag – a steep rugged rock or cliff
Fell – a mountain or a very big hill
Pike – a peak
Pass – a gap in a mountain or ridge
Knott – hill
Rigg – ridge

Reference Material

Excited for a new challenge I got on Amazon straight away to find some books and ordered one to tick off the fells as we complete them. I will be honest I thought it was a pocket sized book and it is A4, quite large and I got one for each of us – we joked that they were similar to a colouring book.

When wandering around Keswick we actually found these in a local shop, which are much more convenient.

I also ordered the Lake District map set from Ordnance Survey.

How To Tick Off The Wainwrights

We found a great website by The Walking Englishman who had information on how you complete the Wainwrights in the fewest number of walks (that number is 36 walks by the way). The journey to the Lake District for us is around 5/6 hours in the car each way so not something we can easily do every weekend and so there was an appeal to finding out how we could complete as many as possible per walk.

This website has the fells listed, grouped into the 36 walks with further information per walk that includes distance, elevation and how many fells are ticked off per walk.

It also provides GPX files per walk and references the Ordnance Survey maps that I had already purchased. My friend also has the Ordnance Survey app on her phone.

How We Started

We agreed that a long weekend would be most ideal, both because it would be less holiday days to take from work and makes most sense given the time the round trip to and from the Lake District would take us.

We looked at the routes and how we could tick off the most on our first trip and decided to start with The Newlands Watershed, which includes 10 of the fells. This turned out to be a little ambitious for our first walk and we met others along the way who were doing 1 or 2 and we realised we were perhaps trying to go from zero to hero. We ended up completing 7 the first day, 3 the following day and then a final 1 before heading home. Those 11 completed include:

Dale Head
Hindscarth
Robinson
Knott Rigg
Ard Crags
Scar Crags
Causey Pike
High Spy
Maiden Moor
Cat Bells
Castle Crag

We created a spreadsheet (love a spreadsheet – don’t judge me) to include a list of all the individual fells and also the 36 walks so we could easily track our progress.

Accommodation

There is so much accommodation in the Lake District and it varies massively! It can vary from a tent up to luxury holiday rentals and price varies from one end of the spectrum to the other.

Knowing this would be the first of many trips we had a budget in mind and were open to any options aside from tent camping. We found a lot of holiday rentals had check in and out on Friday and Monday’s only and this was not negotiable to add a day either side, which we wanted, with a Thursday to Monday stay so that ruled out some options. We were also looking for accommodation where dogs are allowed.

We ended up booking a yurt at Inside Out Camping in Keswick. This was a site with yurts in their own private field, located next to a stream and close by to the walking trails.

Kit

Both of us have dogs and appropriate clothes etc for hiking so to all intents and purposes we were good to go. But you can always have more stuff!

The weather in the Lake District can be temperamental so we knew we needed a kit list for the hikes and this included the following:

clothing layers so we can remove/add as needed (I find some of my MTB tops great for hiking as the material wicks sweat really well)
hat, buff, gloves, socks
hiking boots (I also took a spare pair of trail shoes too)
backpack/bag to carry essentials
water bottle
jet boil
travel mug/flask
battery pack/charger cables
headtorch (just in case – plus spare batteries)
rubbish bag (always leave no trace and take litter home with you)
first aid kit plus foil blanket
tissues/wet wipes
snacks (obviously)

Following our first weekend we covered over 35 miles hiking and are now 11 fells ticked off and will update you more as our adventures continue!

Also huge shout out to the third furry member of our little hiking group – Max, who was an absolute trooper!

Have you done the Wainwrights? Any hints and tips you want to share feel free!

Category: Cycling, Fitness, Product Reviews

Beeline Velo 2 Cycling Computer Review

I am always up for trying new cycling gadgets and kit, so when I was asked to try the new Beeline Velo2, of course my answer was yes!

This is the second iteration of the Velo cycling computer from the computer and follows a hugely successful kick-starter campaign.

The Techy Bit

Here are the main details:

Cost – The unit itself costs £79.99 and for that you get the bike computer, charging cable, handlebar mount (two different sized rubber bands to allow for different sized handlebars) and instructions. I was also sent to the carry case, which easily holds the bike computer, has a net to hold the charging cable too and a carabiner to secure when transporting.
Battery – battery life is over 11 hours ride time so less when comparing with other major brands offering competing products but still more than a respectable battery life. When I complete in rides longer than this I would carry a battery pack so I can charge on the go/at rest stops as a fall back and could do this for this unit too.
Display – 32mm LCD screen, with rocker top buttons rather than touch screen so great if you are riding with gloves as you don’t have to take them off! It has ambient lighting and back lighting, which is great for rides not in daylight but also if off road and in heavily shaded areas too. You can adjust the brightness as well.
Shock and water resistant (including dust for the off road riding)
Weighs just 25 grams!

Getting Started

Initial set up was super simple and complete very quickly. The bike computer works with an app and once downloaded and device paired you are good to go. I have an iPhone but this is available on android too. I would note that you need software of iOS 13.0 and above to run the app on an iPhone. This does mean you need your smart phone with you when riding although for me I always carry my phone so this is not an issue and it’s not super heavy draining the battery either, which is good, although I have not tested on any endurance riding.

Route Planning

You have the following two options:

Route mode – this uses the most commonly used route and best for road riding and you can add points to go via by simply dragging the route on the screen in the app
Compass mode – this is best for off road riding and is an ‘as the crow flies’ navigation, so you are given an arrow in the direction you need to go and can pick the path to follow to get there

In addition to the above you can also choose from the route mode out of:

Fast route – will select a route to get you to your destination as quickly as possible
Quiet route – will select a route that uses more quiet roads
Balanced route – a blend of the two options mentioned above

The routes are feedback led too and so you can see those that have been rated good and not good by others and amend your route if you wish. You can do this too when riding using the red and green rocker buttons on each side – reminds me of the Waze navigation system I use in the car and helps other users.

It is also compatible with Strava and again super simple to pair and claims worldwide navigational coverage but I have only used in the UK so cannot comment on that.

You can also import routes from other planners, so once I paired with my Strava the app showed immediately routes I had from there that I could select and use.

Like other bike computers the route planning uses turn by turn navigation, easy re-routing when off the planned route and although it uses the app on the smartphone it will still work if you do not have any service on your phone.

Recording Data

The unit itself tracks all the usual/expected things you would expect from a bike computer including speed, average speed, distance covered, distance remaining and estimated time left on the route with your ETA. Personally I prefer not to have data overload and just enjoy the ride and if possible would remove some metrics from the display. I did reach out to Beeline support to ask if this was possible and they confirmed and got the following response:

Unfortunately at the minute, it’s not a feature we have. But, it is a very popular request, I will make note of your email, and who knows what the future may bring!

Not so long ago we launched our largest ever single update that was almost entirely made up of user-based ideas and feedback, we made a brand new UI to go along side major improvements done to our route planner. So it is how we as a company like to work, so stay tuned, and do share any further ideas you may have!

I did reach out to Beeline support to see if it was possible to pair heart rate and cadence and got the following response:

At the moment, Velo 2 is unable to connect with heart rate or cadence trackers.

I would say they were super quick in getting back to me and offered further help with anything else so was impressed on that front.

My Thoughts

I love the simplicity of this and the price point is far more accessible than competitor units.

Part of what I love about being on the mountain bike is exploring and making up routes so I love that I can use this unit to do just that and think it will live on my MTB. The mountain bike I also find goes back to just loving being on the bike and that simplicity is matched with the unit.

I was really impressed with the customer service and that developments are very much driven by customer feedback.

I also loved that the brand have intentionally designed this unit to be carbon and plastic negative with sustainability in mind.

I will probably stick with my current bike computer for my road bike as I use that for training and require access to some functionality that is not available on this unit but for MTB and casual riding (as in not specific training sessions) it is perfect.

Product was gifted but all opinions are my own.

Category: Cycling, Events, Fitness

When Ride London Came to Essex

Having done Ride London, when it went out to Surrey, four times before, I will admit that the event had gotten so busy with lots of accidents etc that I had said I wouldn’t do it again. Then I signed myself up (insert face palm) and here is why:

it is basically on my doorstep
there is something about closed roads that is hugely appealing
there was no ballot to start and you could just sign up without having to wait for an acceptance of rejection letter/magazine to drop on your doorstep
I got massive FOMO when friends were signing up and didn’t want to miss out
it is a cycling event and there is a medal

I am training for The Vatternrundan event again and so the timing and distance having a 100 mile ride in my schedule seemed perfect. With a lot of events cancelled/postponed/rescheduled due to Covid it has been exciting having events start again that it is easy to get caught up in the buzz.

As the event drew closer I will admit I was less and less excited about it. There had been lots of wet and windy weather in the run up. But more because living in Essex meant I could see the backlash/comments from lots of local residents about road closures for the event(s). I say event(s) because there were stages locally from the Friday through to the Sunday for the pro women’s Classique, and so different closures across the three days. It definitely put a grey cloud over the run up to the event.

Event Changes

There were some other aspects of the event that was different, aside from the Surrey to Essex aspect, as follows:

the start had moved from QEOP to Embankment
the finish had moved from The Mall to Tower Bridge
there was no bag drop available to any participants

Would I Do It Again?

Now there is the question! And the answer is probably no BUT never say never as I may change my mind when it rolls around next year! Regardless, here is my reasoning:

it is largely on roads I regularly ride on and so now that I have done it once I do not really feel the need to pay £90 for that luxury again
the finish was disappointing as there was such a lack of green space (or any space really) to stop, wait and relax – the previous finish meant having the huge expanse of Green Park and St James Park close to the finish line and waiting there with friends really added to the atmosphere
in the run up there were reports of local roads having tacks/pins strewn across them, that I know a couple of people who suffered punctures as a result. I did not experience this although we were funnelled to one side of the road twice on the ride as the marshals were picking up said tacks that were across sections of the roads
the negative reaction from locals was quite a lot across social media
logistically arranging your day can differ depending on your start time – mine was 6:25am and I needed to be in my loading pen from 5:45-6am – as the trains do not run that early my option was to ride almost 20 miles to the start only to find the start funnel was actually a free for all with no organisation at all
I didn’t rate the route, although I think I am in the minority with this, but I would say the Essex part was great but the London part was super main roads, hair pin switch backs and lots of flyovers – I actually titled my strava ride Tour de Flyovers!
as always with a mass event the ability and etiquette of riders on the roads varies hugely! There were massive pelotons passing very quick, which is fine, but so unbelievably close especially considering it was closed roads with two sides to utilise so they could have moved back to the left without being shoulder to shoulder!
there were a lot of accidents – we were stopped for about 25 minutes for one, that thankfully we could not see, where a man was receiving CPR and a helicopter was called and multiple ambulances and this was just one of many. I sincerely hope that gentleman is ok!
there were also so many punctures – although my bike had new Continental GP 5000 tyres put on the day before and they are amazing so I did not experience this
this was a course that should have played to all my strengths and yet it didn’t feel like the easiest day in the saddle, there were no hills to speak of just lots of undulations but these took a toll on my legs and when I got home my left knee was very swollen

The Positives

On the plus side:

I had a day out on my bike with friends, which I can never regret
I rode with my friends Colin and Lucy and this was Lucy’s first 100 mile ride, which she made look easy!
I got a new medal, which I quite like, although there seems to be a difference in opinion for this one
the marshals who gave up their day were awesome
the people out in Essex who were outside their houses or on the roads cheering were amazing
I got multiple complimentary comments about my Foher kit and bike, which is always nice!

Did you take part in any of the Ride London events? What did you think of them?

Category: Fitness

Increasing Your Training Load Whilst Listening To Your Body

I’ve mentioned before that I, like many others, had numerous events cancelled/postponed/rescheduled during Covid. It meant that my training during that time looked very different and I was staying active but the emphasis was on the fun and enjoyment – and I won’t lie, I loved it! I am a firm believer that you have to enjoy what you are doing and so remembering why I cycled in the first place, enjoying the trails, taking my time and having a more relaxed approach was good!

That being said I do have some longer rides planned for this year and so I switched tactic again in order to increasing the training load in a sensible way.

How To Increase Your Training Load?

This can look different to everyone depending on what your goal is or what events you are training for. It is also important that you keep this in mind because whilst advice from others may be great, if they are training for something totally different to you then that advice may not be applicable to you.

This is the approach that I took:

took time to work on my base fitness during the winter months
built in shorter, more intense workouts by committing to racing with a team once per week
when racing ensured I allowed time to warm up to raise my temperature and increase blood flow to the muscles
allow time to cool down to regulate blood flow and slowly reduce heart rate
gradually increased mileage on my rides
gradually increased the number of rides I completed per week
planned for differing rides including endurance, tempo and recovery rides
if you need to scale it back then do so
added in yoga for mobility

Why You Should Not Ignore Recovery

I have previously written a post about the benefits of a recovery ride that you can read here.

Rest is essential! Your muscles need this time to repair from activity and it leaves you stronger.

Over training is not good and you will not perform or get the results you want with sore/swollen muscles so it really is counter productive.

Remember To Listen To Your Body

We all react to training and sessions of varying intensity in different ways and in order to limit injury it is important to listen to your body. If you need to skip sessions or adapt it is good to do so and wise to remember that one session you may not be able to do will not make or break your event/goal.

My Product Recommendations

I am an ambassador for Premax and highly recommend their products. They are genuinely part of my routine and I can really notice the difference when I do not use them. Two of the products to note in relation to this topic, that are my go to, are:

Premax Warm Up cream – depending on the type of ride I am doing I will often use this cream. You can actually feel this cream working and the muscles warming.
Premax Recovery cream – I use this after almost every ride. As noted on their website it includes evidence based ingredients (sour cherry, omega 3 and arnica) that help both the body and skin recover from the rigours of exercise and sport.

There is also a huge amount of information available on the Premax website on many topics including this. Plus founder Randall Cooper regularly hosts live sessions, which are also recorded, providing professional advice and information on how to get the best from their performance skincare range.

In addition to the above I also use FlexiSEQ and have done since I got my knee injury a few years back. This gel is drug free, targets joint pain and again has become part of my regular routine. As described on their website:

The joint lubricating ingredients in Flexiseq are small enough to penetrate the skin but too big to enter the bloodstream. Over time Flexiseq lubricates the joint you are applying it to and in doing so targets joint damage thereby reducing pain.

There are two gels which include FlexiSEQ and FlexiSEQ Max Strength. I have used FlexiSEQ for several years now and honestly I don’t even think about using them any more, I just reach for them and can really notice a difference when I don’t, and not in a good way!

There is a lot of expert advice on the FlexiSEQ website including the following:

I should note that my mum, who has osteoporosis and my grandfather who has rheumatoid arthritis, use this following my recommendation and much like me highly recommend it (my grandfather would bathe in the gel if he could!).

Want to be in with a chance to win yourself some FlexiSEQ and Premax product? Head over to my Instagram where I am giving some away.

Category: Fitness, Product Reviews

The Importance Of A Good Sports Bra

Let’s talk boobs! How many of us ladies get fitted for our bras? Most of us. But how many of us ladies get fitted for our sports bras? The reality is that very few do.

I spoke to a handful of ladies I know who are active and was surprised to learn that almost all of them had never been fitted for a sports bra or in fact a normal bra. Being a woman with an ample sized chest (I think that is the most polite way to say I have big boobs), I have always had to get measured to make sure I am securing those bad boys in and ensuring I am not injured through any activities.

When it comes to women and fitness there are certain barriers that cause obstruction and a good sports bra is one of them, and yet is essential.

Why Is A Properly Fitting Sports Bra Important?

Wearing a properly sized sports bra:

will ensure that you are comfortable during activities
will reduce movement of your boobs during activities
absorbs sweat
reduces shoulder/back tension
can help prevent sagging
increases confidence during activities

What Sports Bra Is The Right One For Me?

How do you know which bra is right for you? Sometimes women may look, see the vast selection on offer and decide to stick with a good old faithful, which in many cases is a regular every day bra. When selecting a sports bra think about the following:

What sport/activities are you doing? Think about the impact, for example yoga is much less than running.
How much/little support is required? This can vary based on the above, and also the boob size, however, don’t assume smaller chest sizes do not require a good sports bra – comfort and support is key for all size boobs.
Comfort – there are so many designs available now from crop tops to multi strap bras and there is nothing wrong with trying them on and having a move around in the fitting room (don’t worry no one will see you) so you can test the comfort and support during movement.
Breathability – when I say this I mean it two fold both in terms of the material but also the sizing. Sports bras are snug but you need to be able to breath in them! This may sound silly but I know that I have struggled both in and out of sports bras and sometimes think yeah this fits – providing I don’t move or don’t need to breathe at any point, ever!

Some Interesting Boob Related Facts

Who doesn’t like a boob fact? Here are some things to consider alongside the above:

During activity your boobs move ie when running they move in a motion that is similar to a figure 8 and depending on size can be as much as up to 14cm according to Shock Absorber – that is a lot of movement!
The first sports bra was not invented until 1975, called the Free Swing Tennis Bra, and offered no support.
Following the above Polly Smith and Lisa Landahl, following comments from Lisa’s husband, wanted to create a sports bra with support and used two jockstraps stitched together. They then teamed up with Hinda Miller to create the Jog bra.
The average boob weighs between 200-300g, which to add some perspective, is the same as 2 medium oranges, 8-10 slices of bread, 2 cricket balls, a large hamster, 80 pennies. Imagine running around with that strapped to your chest!

Why I Recommend KnockerLocker

I was lucky enough recently to talk with Rachel who is the founder of KnockerLocker.

Rachel teaches Les Mills group exercise classes each week and is passionate about all things boobs! We managed to talk about sport, sports bras, what I do, what she does, what Knocker Locker is about and of course boobs with ease! I would recommend taking a look at their site not only for a huge selection of sports bras but also the following:

KnockerLocker are all about women empowering women
they are a Pink Ribbon partner with 5% of all sales going to the charity
they try and test every bra they have on their site
every bra on the site has a power rating, which helps you find the right bra by coupling your breast size with your chosen sport and directs you to bras that will give you the right support level
there is information on the different boob shapes us women have and advice on which bra would be best for each
they have a super useful step by step guide for measuring
all packaging is sustainable

My Favourite Sports Bra?

I was sent a sports bra by KnockerLocker to try, and I did say I am a girl who has a brand that is a firm favourite so I was sceptical. BUT this bra is amazing!