Run, Fat Girl, Run

I hated cross country running at school. We used to shuffle out of sight of the school, sit in a field, and smoke, until we saw the fit girls heading back to school. We shuffled in after them, tucking our lighters in our knickers.

I'd always looked at runners as if they were from another planet. In my entire adult life I had never run for a bus. I had never run at all.

Then I met Dawn Walton, Cognitive Hypnotherapist.

Dawn has been helping me get my head in the right place, so that I could lose the excess weight I have carried all my life. It's working, I've lost 4 stone.

One entirely unexpected benefit of her Weight Loss Coaching is that I am far more active that ever before. I choose to walk over taking the car. I walk faster than ever before. I now run things up the stairs, instead of waiting until there's a huge pile of stuff to go up. I'm not scared of stairs. I no longer get out of breath running up them. I used to have to sit down to recover after any burst of activity.

Six weeks ago I thought I'd have a crack at the Couch to 5k training programme. I never expected to get past the first week, but I did. Every time I looked ahead on the app, to see what future weeks held, I thought I'd soon reach a point where I couldn't keep up.

Today I completed Week 5, Run 3.

Week 5, Run 3 is as follows:
Walk 5 mins
Run 20 mins
Walk 5 mins

Guess what? I did it. I ran for 20 minutes.

Unbelievable.

I think 20 minutes, non-stop, makes me a runner.

I get it now. I get why people love to run. There's something primal about it. It's just you and the path. I love the fresh air and I love the feeling of all those endorphins rushing around my body.

Three words I never thought I would write:

I love running.



Disclosure
Dawn let me try the Weight Loss Coaching programme for free, in exchange for a review on this blog. If I need Dawn now, I pay her. Just so we're clear.

Run, Fat Girl, Run

Tesco is backing the Pampers UNICEF campaign in the global fight against Maternal and Newborn Tetanus.

This is a sponsored post.

From October to December, Pampers and UNICEF, the world’s leading children’s organisation, come together for the eighth year to launch the “1 pack = 1 vaccine” campaign. This year, Tesco has upped the stakes and set the challenge to its shoppers to help raise the cost of one vaccine every second of the campaign period – that’s nine million life-saving vaccines helping to protect the lives of 3 million women and their newborns! 

A team from Tesco and Pampers visited Senegal, West Africa, to see the success of the UNICEF vaccination programme and meet those who have witnessed the devastating effects of MNT first-hand:

Ami Seck tragically lost her first baby boy to tetanus;

“After a few days, we noticed the child was trembling excessively,” Mame Touty, Ami’s mother-in-law says, “We spent nine days in hospital, but the boy died on the tenth day. When it happened we were very dejected. After the regretful incident, Ami became pregnant again, but we learnt lessons, we had an antenatal care package, and everything went smoothly. Everyone knew that our baby boy died but we are a living example of how you can get out of the maze.”

Moussa Pouye is the Chief Nurse at Dabaly Health Post, Nioro District, Senegal talk about dealing with a case of tetanus;

“I had to deal with a case of tetanus where the lady had no antenatal care or tetanus vaccinations. I met with the Supervisor of the Health Centre and he gave me 200 doses of tetanus to do an immediate campaign in the area to avoid another case. We made sure all other women in the village were protected. The village, Touba Saloum, now has its own Health Hut and all the women are subscribing.”

Ways you can help:

Visit your local Tesco today and pick up your pack of Pampers or buy online at Tesco.com:

1 Pack = 1 Vaccine

During October – December 2013, for each Pampers^®- UNICEF pack purchased, Pampers^® will donate the cost of one tetanus vaccine to support UNICEF in the fight against Maternal and Newborn Tetanus.                                                                              

UNICEF Pledge Donations

By becoming a monthly donor to UNICEF today you can join thousands of other parents who donate every month to improve the lives of these vulnerable children. Visit www.supportunicef.org/Pampers to see the difference that you can make.

Tesco is backing the Pampers UNICEF campaign in the global fight against Maternal and Newborn Tetanus.

Looks like a...

So, my five year old son went to art club and made this "fish"...

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Looks like a...

My Christmas Wish List

This post was written in collaboration with Joules

I was in Boots today and the Joules bath and body range caught my eye. I looked at it all longingly.

I think the colours of the products themselves, and the packaging, are both gorgeous. I knew Joules for their quality clothes, but hadn't realised they sold other products.

Then I came home and saw that Joules wanted to pay me to write about them. Spooky. Well, I guess it is Halloween after all.

So I decided to prepare my Christmas wish list.

I want...

Terrific Treats Bath Wash Trio, £18

A Winnie the Horse Wash Bag, £16

Richmond leather tote bag, £169

Marsha Womens Intarsia Jumper, £69.95

These slipper socks designs from Joules, £19.95

And finally...

Because I'm worth it...

Posh Welly Womens Glossy Welly, £69.95

Go on, you know you want to. I'm smiling winningly

:)

See.

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My Christmas Wish List

My Rules for Trick or Treating

This year, for the first time, I'm taking the boys trick or treating at Halloween. I've resisted for years. Last year I carved a pumpkin into a Jack O'Lantern and placed it by the front door. It certainly attracted more callers, but in previous years - with no Halloween paraphernalia - we still had plenty of trick or treaters.

One year I had a distraught Presley to deal with at Halloween. He had managed to shell some acorns and shove the bits up his nose. I had to consol him, answer the door, shove sweets at strangers and think about calling NHS Direct.

This year, Halloween falls in the middle of our half term. We are going to a friend's house, with some other families, for a take-a-plate Halloween tea (I'll be searching Pinterest for spooky food ideas). Then, when it gets dark, we'll go trick or treating. We have costumes. We have plastic buckets in the shape of pumpkins. We're ready.

BUT... I have some rules that I'd like to share with you.

SANDY'S HALLOWEEN RULES:

If I ruled the world, Halloween would happen like this.

1. If you want trick or treaters to knock on your door, leave a pumpkin on your doorstep. If you don't, don't.
2. If you go trick or treating, only knock on doors where there is a pumpkin on the doorstop.

Actually, if I ruled the world 31st October would be just another day.

Bah humbug.

Do you celebrate Halloween?



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My Rules for Trick or Treating