Lose 14lbs then injure back... Of course!

Hello Everyone!!

I haven't blogged for a while, mostly because I have been very busy with placements, exams, essays and my birthday. I have been keeping up with my fitness regime, I even got a whole lot of new gym stuff for my birthday (I pretty much live in the gym at the moment) and I've passed my first grading in Karate (yellow tip - next will be the full yellow belt). I have lost 7lbs so far since New Year making it a loss of 14 lbs since November, so the weight loss thing is doing very well except...

I have somehow injured my back! I am so annoyed at this, all I want to do is carry on life as normal but for today at least I'm stuck at home with a heat pack on my back. In fact, my back started giving me pain yesterday, but this didn't stop me using the cross trainer and bike then swimming, I guess I'm having to rest it for today but I'm dying to go for a swim. I won't go for comfort food, which is something my old habits are telling me to do "come on love, you feel like crap, have some chocolate..." Fortunately there is no junk food in the house so if I want junk I'd have to walk to the shops and I'm in no fit state!

I guess I am a gym addict now, I just hope I am better by Thursday so I can do my 2 hour Karate lesson (OK, I'm a Karate addict, too!). I'd also like to get back to placement, please and carry on doing a job/course that I love.

Lindsay xx

Making a few changes, beginning with weight loss!

Hey Everyone!

So here it is January 2012, the beginning of a year when many people vow to make new changes to their lives, "new year, new start" they say and then by February most of those people are allowing gym memberships to collect dust or back to smoking 20 cigarettes a day. Excuse me for being cynical but from my own experience I have seen how people start out with good intentions but then give up, most notably on 1st January 2005 my friends and I went to Bluewater and at the food court the queue outside the jacket potato stand was massive, so we went to the KFC stand which had no customers, we were hungover and not really concerned with healthy choices!

This year however, I have decided to make a change but please don't get me wrong it has very little to do with the date on the calendar. My sister is getting married and I have been asked to be Maid of Honour, I am so chuffed and excited but I have one issue: I don't want to look through my sister's wedding photos and think, "Oh dear, I look really big!" I've never been one to be so self conscious about my weight and size but it's hit me lately that actually I really do need to slim down and not just for vanity reasons! I have to do this for my health as well. It just so happens that this realisation has come round this time of year!

Here's a before photo, hopefully will post an after picture of me in a bridesmaid dress!

So, what's my plan? Here's a few things I'm going to change and hopefully stick to.

1. I'm an online member of Slimming World, the way my lifestyle is doesn't allow me to commit to meetings as I work different hours when on placement, when I'm at university my lectures can be whenever and I have to travel an hour there and an hour back, that and when I have free time I go to Reading quite often to see the boyfriend.

2. Being a member of slimming world I'll be sticking to a diet of lean proteins, complex carbs and lots of fruit and vegetables and aiming for 90 minutes of exercise per week to begin with then building up to 150 minutes per week.

3. If it's in a wrapper I won't eat it and no booze for a while! Anyone who knows me knows that I like a drink or two, or many so on nights out this may be a challenge (my birthday is coming up this month too!)

4. I'll carry on with my karate lessons, it's great exercise and helps build on my balance and flexibility. It's also a lot of fun!

5. I discovered a running programme called Couch to 5k that is aimed at getting people who never run into running 5k without stopping by building them slowly into it. I got a pair of running trainers for Xmas so I will make good use of them. Check out this website for more details http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/c25k/Pages/couch-to-5k-plan.aspx

Anyway I hope you've had a great new year! Just remember: you don't have to wait until New Year before making a change in your life, if there's something you want to change go ahead and change it!

Lindsay x

Xmas 2011

Hey Everyone!

I've taken a break from blogging due to Christmas, and what a great Christmas it was! I spent Christmas Eve drinking with friends, and probably drank a bit too much, but at least I got to spend time with people I don't get to see as often since I started university. Christmas Day was spent with friends at local pubs and at my boyfriend's mum's house with his little brothers and grandad, it was lovely to see them all. On Boxing Day I went to my Nan's house to see my family, it's a tradition of ours to spend Boxing Day there and we enjoy lunch, exchanging gifts and playing games. On the 27th I had a 2nd Xmas Day with my parents, my sister and her partner, also my boyfriend was able to join us until early afternoon before he had to go back to work. So yes, I had 2 Xmas Days this year! I am indeed a lucky person!

Added to the Christmas festivities was the brilliant news that my sister has just got engaged to her partner of 5 years and they're planning a wedding for next summer (if they can get the dates they want). I've been asked to be Maid of Honour, so I've got lots to do and that includes slimming down in order to look good in the dress. I am really excited.

I'm spending New Years Eve in Reading this year with friends, and hopefully can see more of my old school friends in the new year as well.

I hope everyone had a brilliant Christmas/Winter Solstice/Winterval and will return to blogging about other stuff soon!

Lindsay x

On this Day: A Tribute

Hey People!

Today is 8th December, it has been 7 years since Pantera guitarist Dimebag Darrell (real name Darrell Lance Abbott) was shot dead on stage at a Damageplan show on 08/12/04 in Ohio, 3 others were also killed by gunman Nathan Gale on that night. The news of his death shook the metal community, to this day he is missed by people who knew him and worked with him.

Another influential musician who died on 8th December is John Lennon who was shot dead in 1980. It was in the morning in New York when Mark David Chapman shot John Lennon in the back 4 times. John Lennon is still remembered by many and has left an amazing legacy.

Both men will be remembered for their music and never forgotten.

The Reason for the Season?!

Hey People!

I saw this image online and I wanted to share it:

I have for a while thought it was strange how a Christian holiday has taken over a pagan festival and taken on many pagan traditions at this time of year. I don't think it really matters if you are religious or not when it comes to celebrating Christmas, or even if you don't call it Christmas. People get so up in arms about what they call it, remember that Daily Mail article when they got offended by Birmingham City Council calling their winter festivities "Winterval"? In reality it was just a collective term made up to cover all festivals taking place in winter time (Diwali, Xmas, New Years etc).

At the end of the day, life is for enjoyment and this is a great time of year for bringing together family & friends, giving pressents, sharing out the food and of course the booze. What ever your reason for the season... Have a great Christmas (or whatever you call it!)

Machine Head 03/12/11 with Darkest Hour, DevilDriver & BMTH

I'm a few days late in writing this, on Saturday 3rd December 2011 I went to see Machine Head at Wembley Arena. I was in seating because I couldn't get standing tickets but on the bright side it meant I had a great view of the stage, it was a pretty epic night.

The first act was Darkest Hour, I thought they were very good, I'd never really heard them before if I'm being honest and they are not as well known as the other acts that were on that night but I thought their music was great, although a little generic at times. They managed to engage the audience and got a mosh pit going, a perfect act for warming up the crowd, I'll be sure to buy their music soon though.

DevilDriver followed Darkest Hour and they were amazing! They were able to engage the audience and their sound was heavy and are a band worthy of playing alongside Machine Head in my opinion, they also managed to get the crowd going and put on a brilliant performance.

Bring Me The Horizon went on before Machine Head and it was a real let down especially after they had played after DevilDriver, who were actually fantastic. I felt that BNTM sounded very generic, were uninspiring and Oli had a very strange moment of making weird noises before going on to the next song, which was embarrassing to watch. The audience were divided on this act, half were cheering and half were booing, I just felt indifferent. I think DevilDriver should have been on before Machine Head.

Machine Head was a breath of fresh air after sitting through an unispiring performance by BMTH and were heavy, playing their well known tracks over the last 17 years they have been a band. It's incredible to see a band that had never been commercialised play a venue as large as Wembley Arena, they are clearly all about the music and it really showed. I particularly enjoyed their performance of "Aesthetics of Hate" and they put on a performance that I don't think anyone who was there will forget. Music brings out a whole array of emotions and Machine Head were pure and genuine heavy f***in' metal!

Got My Bloodstock Tickets Booked!

So next year I will be super busy, with all my studies for being a nurse. Luckily I have paid off for a holiday to Egypt (with my boyfriend) but now I have bought tickets for Bloodstock Festival 2012. Between 10th-12th August next year I am going to be at the heaviest metal fest in the UK and I can't wait!

The line up includes Alice Cooper, Behemoth, Dimmu Borgir, Hatebreed, Anvil, Orange Goblin & Paradise Lost with many more to be announced across 3 stages. Bloodstock have been known to book well known acts along with unsigned but talented bands. It's purely about the music, so I'll be sure to be there drink in hand, hopefully enjoying the sunshine and rocking out to pure metal, sounds like pure heaven! I love camping as well, and since I'm going with friends (and the boyfriend, of course) it'll be sure to be a good laugh, although I won't be staying HEL site as you'd be ejected if you make noise after midnight (it's the family campsite, fair deuce), I plan on staying up with friends and recovering when I return home.

Up until 15th December 2011 tickets for the whole weekend + camping is only £90 each on the early bird deal, so if you love metal and want to go, you need to get moving a buy a ticket NOW!

Visit the site http://www.bloodstock.uk.com/ for more information. It'll be an epic weekend!