A month off....

I don't ride on my bike very much during the winter as it's too cold for me and my skin get really sore when it's windy and cold. But I've missed riding on my bike so much and knew I would eventually get back when it get warmer or sunny.

I never got into riding routine for months as I was travelling lately and found it hard to get into a routine once again.

Also I found it hard to get into gym routine so decided to take a month off gym. So last month (March) I went to my gym and spoke to someone about freezing my gym membership for April.

For me I felt it was a great decision as I was focused on fitness a lot and felt bad if I missed a day of weight lifting so needed a break. Also I felt wrecked after travelling and found it so hard to focus because I wasn't sure what I wanted in life. I knew I wanted to keep going with my travelling and knew I would have to eventually settle down one day. I couldn't handle the fact that I was always going to hospitals for my appointments because I wanted to be free and keep going with my travelling but I have to come back home for my appointments, that's very annoying.

So I focused on getting my energy back and went back on medication - not often though as I don't like taking them and I felt I was putting lot of rubbish in my body but needed medication sadly.

Lately it has been very sunny and more often so I went back on my bike. Once again I fell in love with riding and go out riding every few days around my local park. Now I am eager to ride more often and go back to weight lifting.

I always learn something new daily. I am often hard on myself and push myself hard when exercising. Once I get going, I find it hard to stop unless something in life happen such as death or illness. So sometime it can be hard when I can't stop because you have to listen to your body. Unfortunately I have to take breaks now and then for my body when it is struggling to do everyday things, then I have to stop and spend my energy on life other than fitness.

May is coming up soon, I am so looking forward to get back into weightlifting! But I never stopped my high protein diet - it's a a great habit of mine picking high protein foods :)

I am not saying stop exercising, but learn to listen to your body. We all are only human.

No harm in taking a break now and then! Eat rubbish now and then! Pizza is my weakness!

Fitness Courses

I'm sure people close to me know I really want to work in fitness industry so I can help many people to achieve their fitness dreams and to better their health despite me having osteoarthritis.

I was determined to achieve this dream, I even researched many courses online and contacted some people about this. I spoke to my local gym about work experience and courses. One staff told me about a certain company so I contacted the company about the courses.

I spoke to a nice lady via email about me joining but then it took ages to get more replies from her. I later on learnt she left the company and no one knew about me. I was pissed about that but carried on with the process of joining a course 'fitness instructor level 2'.

But then I went to Australia in October and wasn't sure if I could keep in contact via email so someone else did all of the organising for me. I later learnt that they couldn't get an interpreter for the date I wanted to start. I was disappointed until they suggested a different date as there were other course starting in November few weeks after coming home from Australia. I thought that was perfect so I could have time to get over jet lag.

But then I had bad news when I came home from Australia and thought that I wasn't up to the course. I nearly pulled out but then thought it was best to keep busy. I started buying few things such as folders and note pads for my course. Then suddenly at the last minute just before my course started I was let down because they emailed me saying they can't afford interpreters for my course. I was so gutted but angry because they let me down badly and at the last minute!

Then in December I decided to try again but with different companies. I contacted my local college about enrolling. It was all fine and I applied via email but then it took a while to hear from them.

I got someone else to contact the college, and eventually I heard from them but I was going to Thailand in January and the time was too tight as the course was starting in February. So I told the college that I was going travelling and might not be able to keep in contact via email. I didn't know there were many places that offered free wifi in Thailand! 

Sadly due to personal reasons, I had to pull out of the course - a week before the course start. I'm gutted about not being on the course next week but that's life.

I'm thinking of the word 'Karma!!' 

One day!!

Teaching deaf people...

This morning, I went to a new fitness class run by Fitness Instructor & Personal Trainer Naomi, for deaf people. It's 6 weeks classes for deaf people. To educate deaf people about fitness and healthy food. I went along to meet Naomi as we have been emailing each other for a bit about fitness. I'm interested in fitness and was hoping to work in fitness industry if possible, in the future.

I'm involved with a charity for the deaf to help me to find work and go on training courses etc. They told me about Naomi and got her to contact me. I was grateful for her help and advice. So I knew I had to go to her classes and went along to first class this morning.

For me, it was basic as we were getting to know each other and I had more knowledge than others, of course as I've a passion in fitness! But it was interesting to see what others knew about fitness and healthy food. During the class, I had to explain some things to deaf people and realised something!

I am deaf and sign language user but use SSE - Sign Supported English - and talk to my family. I rely on lip reading a lots and understand English very well, mostly! For a while, I haven't been involved in deaf community so I don't always understand BSL - British Sign Language. I've always mixed with hearing people so I've forgotten a bit about BSL.

Within Britain the most common form of Sign Language is called British Sign Language (BSL). BSL has it’s own grammatical structure and syntax, as a language it is not dependant nor is it strongly related to spoken English. 
Another form of sign language used in Britain is known as Sign Supported English (SSE). SSE is not a language in itself. SSE uses the same signs as BSL but they are used in the same order as spoken English. SSE is used to support spoken English, especially within schools where children with hearing impairments are learning English grammar along side their signing, or by people who mix mainly with hearing people.

What I have realised is that I found it hard to explain to deaf people because I had no idea how to translate from English to BSL. That made me think on the bus journey from the fitness class to my gym for another workout - hardcore weights session! I was thinking about how to make it more easier for deaf people to learn and how to teach them using their own language if I ever teach fitness in the future! I found it easier to teach and encourage hearing people, so something have to change in the future if I teach fitness so I can teach fitness to both hearing and deaf people. I found that interesting!

Off now to have a lovely bath after my double workouts this morning then

relax in front of the telly tonight! Bye for now!

Not much exercises this week

This week, I had a course which I really wanted to focus on and nightly I return home with more work. I decided to take a few days off from going to gym planning to do some gentle exercises at home after my course but it never happened.

Before I started my course this Tuesday, I was already tired from a lack of sleep. A lots of it lately! I was struggling to beat my PBs in gym over the w'end and didn't feel I did my best. I then knew it was best to take a couple of rest days from gym to let my body recover and focus properly on my course.

Thought I might go back to gym this w'end but things has happened this week so I have to do some work outs at home. My rare condition were playing up a lots this week leaving me to decide to work out at home so I don't waste my energy travelling to gym. I miss gym a lots, seeing there's plenty of choices on what to work out with and more heavier weights than what I have at home!

I do know my limits and would have rest days or work out at home, gently! But it can be hard cos it's a habit for me to go to gym daily and be hardcore beating my PBs. ( Personal Bests ) 

I am hoping to work out daily for the next 2 weeks starting next Monday if I feel good enough so I would feel good with my body for Australia! :) 

Then when 2 weeks of working out daily is up, I would take it easy packing and doing everything else before jetting off! And freezing my gym membership for a month! I am hoping that I would not forget to exercise over there cos I might have too much fun! :)

For Australia, I  am hoping to buy something fitness related so I can bring it with me and exercise over there! Then when I come back, my membership will be still frozen till 1st Nov, I will be happy to go back to gym but missing Australia! Haha. I think I will find gym hardest when I come back and develop a bad case of DOMS once again! Eurgh! Haha.

Google can be a life-saver for all of us who don't or can't go to gym! Cos we can just look up pictures or videos of exercises! No excuses to not to work out! Unless really ill or need a rest day of course! :)

Bye for now, off to feed myself plenty of protein & carbs in preparation 

to kick ass in the gym next week! 

Bursts of energy!

The week of 19th August, I had really bad DOMS - Delayed onset muscle soreness and I believe it was because I haven't been to gym for almost 2 weeks and was carrying on with my workouts on little sleep. To me, lack of sleep is evil!

But then I started getting a little more sleep and soon my DOMS were going away which made me determined to carrying on lifting heavy! I hate the word 'Light'

Light lifting?! Nah!

Only time I lift light is when I've hurt myself.

Once I started sleeping a bit more I suddenly get bursts of energy that week and was wanting to work out daily. I did that 7x in a week, normally I get rest days but that week I didn't! But I do know my limits and if I feel I need a rest day then I'll have it!

I was sooooo happy all week beating my personal bests, the best thing ever! :)

Feeling more determined and have this attitude of 'bring it on!'

I am making the most of my sessions when I am full of energy!

Bad thing about being full of energy is being determined to lift heavy and try to beat more of my personal bests then getting pissed off when I don't see any free bench or stupid guys using wrong equipments eg the other day I felt like killing a guy who used leg press machine to do arm curls using a bar bell. Oh come on! I wanted to use it but was carrying on with other exercises for different muscles. Bloody hell!

Think I might be becoming a diva! My fitness peeves are increasing, funnily enough when I first joined a gym aged 19 I didn't really have fitness peeves I think it was because I wasn't really into fitness that much.

Just finished 8th session in a row, this morning. When will my energy run out?!

Leaving me wanting a rest day!

Heehee!

Can tell it's going to be another great week!

Bye for now! 

Having spotters at gym...

My bestie lives in England but visits Northern Ireland - her home country - now and then since her family live here. Also her best friend - me! - live here too.

She's staying here for 2 weeks, this month August, and a bit so thought to get her 2 weeks gym membership for her birthday in July. Of course at the gym I go to!

Her hubby joins in too! Sorted 2 weeks gym membership out for him so they could come to gym together to work out with me.

I love weight lifting / strength training, so do she!

I knew we could be spotters for each other, which can be great if need to lift more heavier than usual and having encouragement too.

First session, Mon 19th, went great despite me having a bad case of legs DOMS - Delayed onset muscle soreness! We all trained our arms & shoulders. Got a personal best on Skull Crushers for my triceps! That's a perfect day for me, cos results make me happy!

Best thing about having a spotter or spotters you could achieve more personal bests! I do achieve them when I am on my own but still, having spotters can be great now and then!

Having great company and talk/sign fast during our short rests in betweens sets! Haha

Sharing our knowledge and experience can helps a lots! Sometime we need fresh ideas to prevent us from getting bored in gym but I don't think I will get bored of weightlifting for a while!!

One session with them down, many to go! Will enjoy a lot of sessions with them for next 2 weeks till they go home but then I do go to visit them over in England and they do have weight lifting equipment!

Bye for now, I am off to soothe my poor muscles and eat my bodyweight of protein! 

A bad flare up!

Thanks to Keratitis Ichthyosis Deafness (KID) syndrome,

I had a bad flare up with my eyes recently.

At first, I thought it was a bad case of hay fever as I had watery eyes and runny nose.

But then when I started taking hay fever tablets it stopped.

Even though something wasn't right, my vision wasn't great.

I soon knew it was the same problem I now and then get with my eyes.

I got fed up with headaches and feeling sick

I missed going to gym and clean eating.

I knew it was best to stay away from gym and rest at home.

Rang hospital for an appointment and was booked in for September.

One day my vision started getting blurry and very sore.

I decided it was too much and I couldn't wait for next month appointment.

I had so many plans for August and September I wanted to have best vision.

So on Tues 13th, I texted my mum so she could make a quick phone call to hospital.

Told them that emergency appointment was needed!

I quickly got dressed and arranged for an interpreter to meet me there.

It was the longest afternoon of my life!

Spent hours there waiting to see the nurse and doctor.

Got seen by the nurse and explained what happened.

I then got told to wait in the waiting room for the doctor!

I didn't get seen till 2 hours later!

Whilst I was waiting, I started to feel ill as my headache was so bad.

Very quickly my mood changed, I was ready to kill the doctor.

But he was lucky cos he had called me in.

Left the hospital more happier, with treatments.

Slowly but surely my vision is improving and I am eating more.

When I get bad headaches I lose my appetite.

Hopefully I'll get back to gym this Sat 17th, if not then it will be after the w'end.

How much has my life changed since I fell in love with weight lifting?!

A lots!

My mood easily change, in a bad way, when I've not been weight lifting for few days.

My body had changed a lots, more shapely!

Made me more happier!

I'm loving Instagram because I can find role models there.

Can talk with people who have health issues and still include fitness in their lives.

Like me! :)

My Instagram: missfitnesschick

I'm strong as I love the way life throw challenges at me and I am still here.