Latest!

Well I think I'm finally getting better, after 5 weeks of having this virus I think I am finally getting over it now. After a course of pills from the doctor for my mouth ulcers and coldsores, it still has some sores left but hopefully they will go. I seriously need now to get off my arse and get back to the gym. I haven't been since Bank holiday August and I can tell. Was going to go tonight but got odd jobs to do, I'm wallpapering for Nigel and Julia tomorrow so I think it is going to be Wedensday night, take it easy and get back into it, fitness here I come!

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Illness!

I've had headaches for about 8 days now, I think it is due to me picking up some sort of sinus bug. Had cold sores too which I don't normally suffer from which are a pain (literally) as I reallly feel run down. It has been really difficult for me at work the last few weeks with 20% of the workforce off due to holidays which has meant I've had to work lots of overtime and I can tell. I've not been to the gym for 2 weeks now and having rested this weekend, I need to get back to the gym tomorrow and get back into it. I really need to start building this old bod and get it in great shape for next summer, so as they say medals are earnt in winter and won in summer, it's time to get into really good shape over the winter and to have a really good looking and in shape body for next summer, poser eh!

The blog for my music is slowly coming on, I don't want to rush it too much but there's a few singles on there. Next I need to start writing about groups and genres to add to the blog as well, but it is so hard to find any decent photo's of 70's bands like Sweet or Mud, keep looking I guess!

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New Blog!

Finally, i have decided on setting a blog for all things music! Originally I wanted to have a web site based on all things I liked about music, but like a lot of my ideas, it never seemed to get off the ground. It came to me last week that I could set one up here on Blogger and I've done it, featuring 4 singles up to now so keep popping back and watch it grow!

A Day At The Races

On Saturday me and Vince went to Beverley races as part of Nigel's stag day. I've never done the races before, never had an interest in horse racing and only ever ridden past the course on my bike. Nigel seemed to enjoy himself though but we all seemed to end up in seperate groups. It was a decent day out, pity that weekend the weather had decided to turn colder but it was good to look around at all the other punters that were out for the day, an experience!

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Spinning Around

Today was Bank Holiday and managed to miss the rain that started later in the day, Saturday me and Vinny were in town when it started thundering and pouring with rain. We got a bus home and missed most of the rain and just got damp a little!

I took my first spinning class today at the gym with Bibby and it was pretty good too. It was tiring towards the end but I was surprised how fit I am, I managed to keep up with the others and felt great after the class. My legs feel good too and I just might take another class!

I feel I am getting somewhere now at the gym, I'm getting more of an idea what to do, I'm trying to do more cardio to burn fat, I've started to run again and I can see the results in my body, Well done Me!

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Still On Holiday

Still got a couple of days left of my summer holidays and I've enjoyed the rest even though there's no money to do much. I got a text this morning telling me that when I go back to work next week, I'll be on a 3 day week and the following week I've got Monday off but that's as much as I know right now. Guess I'll be spending more time at the gym!

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Let The Blog Slip

Ooops, I was doing so well at keeping this up to date! As I write this I am on my second week of my holidays. It's been ok so far, Vinny is here with me but there's not much money, the weather wasn't too great until the weekend and it has been sunny. Today is really hot and sunny too! I've so far been in the gym nearly every day and my body shape is slowly changing and looking good, I seem to notice little things like a muscle will look different on my shoulder or one of my favourite shirts is suddenly tight over my chest, one way of sorting your wardrobe out I guess lol!

Talking of the gym, I'm no longer working out with Steve my personal trainer. He'd left Hitness First and was still coming to the gym to train with me, but he went on holiday and when I got in touch with him, he said he was busy as his football pre season training had started so I said I'd leave it with him to get in touch, which he hasn't so I take it we won't be working out again. It is a shame as I liked him and enjoyed working out with him, but at the same time he has shown me enough to be able to carry on with his ways and ideas, the only thing is I don't have a workout partner and I can't lift the weights we used to lift on my own!

Me and Vinny did Hull Pride at the weekend, it was pretty good for my first local pride, I don't think he found it brilliant but it was slowly filling up as we left.

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The Latest Gym Session

Been to the gym tonight with Steve. He officaly left Fitness First last week and I did wonder what would be happening with the training, he come up with some ideas and also a reduction in the money he was charging. Anyhow, Amanda at the gym said that she could sign him in the gym tonight so that's what we did and we are going to try it this way until something is said, also with my membership I can sign him in on a weekend. I really think he seems pretty keen on training with me, this is my problem, I lack self confidence and think that people don't always like me or just put up with me, but I am sure he must like working out with me, time will see I guess. I did give him the option of tellig me when he didn't want to do it anymore and not to feel obliged to carry on, if we finished I think I would look at another personal trainer,

Tonight I reached a personal best on the bench press, lifting 70kg for 6 reps, which doesn't sound a great deal but it is a lot to me and means a lot too! I am getting stronger and is such a confidence booster, except right now I'm knackered lol. I so much want to be bigger and more muscular, one day!

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That Was A Nice Weekend

I've had a pretty good weekend, got my mountain bike back on Friday after geting a new back brake put on which cost me £120 but is worth it. Saturday morning I went to the gym, worked my back and abs then got sorted to go into town. I had a contact lense eye test in the afternoon, so that's why I swapped things around as usually I'd be in town then to the gym!It was sunny for a change which made things feel good, although it was cold due to the wind blowing, but seeing the sun made the difference.

Sunday morning started with my usual bike ride out, the sun was out again but a strong wind made it an interesting ride. I got into Cottingham and a cyclist was riding round a roundabout as I rode over it and he stayed behind me, I thought he'd be riding off but seemed to hang behind. He came up to me after a mile or so and apologised for riding behind me hiding from the wind and I laughed as no-one had done that before and he rode in front of me so that I could make use of the wind shield. We said our goodbyes as he went on his way as we got onto Cottingham Road, but it made me think and smile as I must have been going fast enough for him to want to stay behind me, some of these riders travel so fast, maybe I am a better rider than what I give myself credit for!

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Bank Holiday Weekend

It's been a typical Bank Holiday Weekend really, weather wise, cold and rainy! But, it has been nice having the time off work. The meds are working for my IBS so that's good, managed a workout on Saturday without farting my head off whilst working my abs.

Today I went for a ride out for an hour, was a fairly good ride and saw quite a few riders out. They, like me must have been taking advantage of the reasonably good weather, cold and breezy but still was a good ride. Later on it was my training session with Steve and reached a personal best doing bench press. I bench pressed 2x 30kg dumb bells which I'm really chuffed about and it proves things are really moving at the gym!

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Visit To The Doctors

Went to the doctors today, saved up my ailments and went with a job lot! I've had a problem with my stomach swelling for years and it has been swelling like normal but I'm farting almost all the time, straight after food too, even when I'm at the gym. So I decided I really needed to get it sorted as I'm suffering and it's embarressing. I explained to him what the symptoms were and he told me after feeling about my stomach that I have got Irratable Bowel Syndrome. I had wondered before if it could be that but seeing I wasn't suffering any pain I dismissed the though. Apparently you can have IBS without the pain as he described what it is, so I have got pills and high fibre drink to help relax my bowels and ease everything.

Went also about my knee as it has been giving me some pain and told me to take some painkillers for it, except they would affect my IBS lol, so the knee can be sorted and the IBS can be cured so here's to sorting everything out. I'm giving myself 4 weeks to ease the symptoms of IBS, watch this space!

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The End Of The Weekend

It's been a funny old week. My back is better after last week, only 2 days of slight pain so me thinks that my back is getting stronger as the recovery period is getting shorter. Maybe one day I won't have back problems at all! My knees have been aching too, mostly my left one and I think it is a bit of rheumatism as it has been cold and wet yet again, I put a heat pack on my left knee and is a lot better now. Hopefully will soon go away and can get back to normal. I had a workout with Steve again today and worked our chests and a bit of back so everything is fine there! I'm going to try and get to the gym every day this week and start to get more muscle built. I got weighed at the gym and have stayed the same for weeks now around 78kg. I asked if this was right and Steve reckoned it was, he said that if I was losing weight then I'd need to eat more but seeing I'm staying the same then fat is being replaced by muscle. I sure hope so!

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Back to Normal

Had a week off work last week and it rained and hailed most of it. Me and Vince got wet loads of times and even walking to the gym on Sunday I got hailed on. It was a fairly quiet week, apart from paying bills, the usual coffee and muffin stops and the wanders around town.

Gym training doing good, Steve has started training with me and he was talking again of quiting Fitness First last week but never said anymore about it on Sunday but did mention to Richard about getting a gym membership. I really need to know what he is planning as I might need to look at getting another trainer if he leaves, or if he stays and we workout together more and he is happy with working out with me then I'll be happy with that. Vince took a few quick photo's of me and it is the first time I have seen my back since we starting training and I am really impressed with the results, but the thing the most is how my back is beginning to widen out which is looking great, when the back is wide and tapered it gives the impression of a small waist, a typical bodybuilder look. So I want to work out even more now!

My back went at work today, but not as bad as it has been, slight discomfort but still can move, hopefully it will ease during the night as I'm training again tomorrow night and don't want it to interfer, not that it has done before!

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A Cold In Summer

I can't believe it, I managed to get all the way though winter without a cold or anything, come the first week of summer and I get a cold, a really bad one too. I know where it has started from, I had a sore in my throat and that's started it all. I lost my voice and got a heavy cold, I went for a training session with Steve and felt crap before it but good for a while afterwards. Then the cold really took hold and been here over the last few days. I had another training session today and had a sauna afterwards with a vapour rub on my chest to clear the sinuses but I couldn't even smell the stuff. I must have inhaled half of that steam room but still got headache and bunged up! I just hope it is on it's way now as I'm on holiday in 4 days time!

Todays workout was pretty good, it was a chest and bicep workout but Steve decided he was working out with me which was more fun. He's a fit guy, but his fitness levels lie in the stuff he does for his football and that meant I could outpace him on press ups, well for the time being anyhow!

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Offically Summer!

The clocks went back an hour this morning so that means it's summer time! This weekend, the weather has been great started off really cold and foggy but turned really warm and sunny, today wasn't as warm but slightly windy, still nice. I had my first workout with Steve and was great, had a good chest workout, looked really pumped, if only it stopped like that! Let's see how I feel tomorrow, hopefully will have that workout ache, then I know it has been a good workout.

I've been slowly turning my CD collection into MP3's and storing them on my external harddrive, do you realise how long it takes to convert into MP3's then scan the covers in? Guess I'm halfway through but it has given me chance to listen to stuff I haven't listened to for ages. I forgot how some albums are great and there's one or two that I wonder why did I buy them in the first place, also there's the ones that you bought as the singles off them were great to find out that they are the only good tracks on the CD!

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In A Rut

I feel like I'm in a rut and I don't know what to do. All I seem to do is get up, go to work, come home and if not going to the gym, I go to bed. I can't wait for spring and the good sunny weather to get here so that I can go for a bike ride on an evening, or just not to feel so bloody cold! I've had a bit of a feeling down weekend, not like me but I guess we all feel like it sometimes!

Training is going well, I can see changes and I actually have abs and they are not disapearing either, I could see them through my shirt at the gym and that made me happy, all the hard work is paying off. Steve txt me to go training on Friday but to be honest I wanted to train by myself and told him I was busy to put him off, but hopefully we will start training again this week, I'll find out too what his plans are, to see if he is quitting or not! I've done 5 days at the gym but today I felt like I ran out of energy, I worked my shoulders and tried to do some ab work but the body said enough. I'm not at the gym tomorrow, well up to now I'm not as I want a day off unless we are training then I'll have Tuesday night off!

I really seem to have got the weight training bodybuilding bug, I bought another book and have dug out my other books and started to read them for any little bits of help I can find from them. Hopefully they will push me forward and guide me to the next level!

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Missing My Training And The Trainer

Steve, my trainer was injured playing football on Saturday and I got a text off him as we were due to train on Sunday saying he had done his ankle in and couldn't walk on it. This was about 7am, I'd been awake listening to my iPod anyhow but was still surprised about it, I wasn't going for a ride as I was thinking about what had been said on Friday night about too much cardio. So I went to the gym later and had a good workout and text Steve the next day and he had been given crutches, so it sounds like he is out of action for a while. It may sound selfish, but I'm really missing his workouts and him pushing me, I am trying as hard as I can to try and have a good workout, but the results will show soon I guess. I really hope he heals soon, I keep sending Reiki healing to him!

Talking of the gym, it was fairly busy tonight but managed to get on a bench, no matter what I did or where I stood I always seemed to be in the way, don't you hate that when it happens!

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Changing Times Ahead

I got told this week that I'm back on a 5 day week, I think it was all a big con as the orders never really dropped off and I think it was so they could move the machinery around at work, we'll see! On Friday evening I was at the gym working with Steve and he was asking how I thought we had gone over the last 6 months, I told him how pleased I was with the way we had copletely tuned my body around. My goals were to lose weight, get fit and put muscle on, two of the them have been reached and muscle is getting there. He sais we should really be putting muscle on and less cardio work (which helped with my fitness) So I think we will be changing things around when I'm at the gym next (tomorrow) and start bodybuilding I guess. Whatever, I am really liking the results and feel great to watch this space!

Went to Orlando's Christnening today and it was nice to see the gathering of the family but was really crowded at Angie's. Everything seemed to go well too, which is always a good thing in my book!

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A Quick Post

Just thought I'd put a little something on here! Went to gym tonight, had a good workout, Sunday night's workout was great and I can really see results now which are amazing for me. Training tomorrow night with Steve, but nothing else really exciting has happened. We are at Orlando's Christening on Sunday and it is an early start 9.30am then back to Angie's!

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Spanner In The Works

I'm trying to be really positive with my outlook on things, gym and life in general. Today at work we have been told that we are going on a 4 day week again starting next week. We've been here before and I'm not worried but it has started all the gyms off at work and that's where I start to feel the mood change. I'll do what I normally do and go to the gym except I'll have to change what I do so that it doesn't interfer with the training wih Steve. I could change the times for the training but I can't guarentee that I will get the Friday off and I won't know till I get home on a Thursday day time.

On a good note, I saw all my abs tonight at the gym for the first time ever and it looked amazing and I want to see them again soon!

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Training Going Great

Working out at the gym is going really well, Steve my PT tried me out on his football training workout called Insanity, well a mini version which was really tough and tiring but enjoyable at the same time. It also really pleases me as, 4 months ago I wouldn't have been able to even think about trying it. My shape is changing too and can see visible muscles at last! Here's a photo from today at the gym, well my legs anyhow in my Skins and Five Fingers!

Trying To Be Positive!

There seems to be so much I want to set and achieve this year, my fitness is right up there at the top which I am so surprised about. This time last year I never even thought about being fit but it is amazing how you change. The trouble with me is, I have it all set in my mind, but soon as I get home I just want to stay in, where it is warm and sit in front of the PC all night surfing and playing music. I need to start and get to the gym more regularly although I did get there yesterday (Sunday) and tomorrow is my training night with Steve. He made my night last Friday as he remarked how toned I was looking, I'm getting there!

I need to make changes to my diet too, stop eating so much bread. It is whoelwheat bread I'm eating but lots of it, from sarnies to toast, I even had home made fish cakes and they had breadcrumbs in them too! Also I need to look at my breakfast too, maybe trying to eat eggs, well maybe but I might have to boil them the night before otherwise I just might not have time for them!

Otherwise, I'm really chuffed with how things are going health wise, at this moment I weigh 76.6kg or 12st 2lbs. My fitness is really good although there's always room for improvement. My body shape is slowly changing and yes, there are muscles there too! Roll on summer, vests, tops and shorts, me thinks I'm gonna be posing this summer and why not!

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Winter Blues

I can't wait for winter to go and spring to turn up. I tried to go for a ride out yesterday and I turned back home as the wind was so strong, it's bad enough whe you are riding into a head wind but when you are fighting with your bike too, that was enough for me so I turned around and dejectedly came home. I think that may be the only time I've done that!

My training is going well, Worked my chest on Friday and I'm there again tonight. Sometimes I don't feel like going but when I get there I do enjoy it and feel good afterwards. So when I feel like this I have put some photo's for inspiration on my ipod of guys working out and fit bodies, so that I can look and think about why I need to go to the gym, hope it works!

It seems the mouse invasion is over (I hope I'm not speaking too soon), I think I killed about 30 of them since November after the disgusting neighbours of mine moved out. The house was a real mess apparently and even the builder in there has told me of stories of the mice in the house eating through plaster. Vince has sealed the holes under the floor lading into the kitchen so hopefully that is sorted!

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Another Update!

My back is aching a little, been a dull ache for a couple of days now. Had my training session with Steve, he stretched my back and it was perfect, not a twinge, nothing! I'm confused to what caused it, he hasn't got much idea either, but I try to explain it to him how it is but I sound like I'm crazy hehehehe! Here is a photo of me and him taken at the gym in November!

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I Promise To Update More Often

Yet again, the months roll past and I forget to update this blog, so I'm going to make more of an effort! Happy New Year too!

I had a pretty good but quiet Christmas which was really nice, plenty of days doing nothing, not having to worry about not doing anything. Vince spent Christmas with me this year which was great, especially after last years disaster Xmas, it was nice spending it with someone! As usual, the holiday soon past and it was back to work on the 4th of January, but it was nice to get back to work and get back to normal I guess. Back on the diet, back to the gym and lose the weight I'd put on over the Xmas period (don't we all).

I hurt my back at the gym on Friday night, Steve (my PT) helped to stretch out my back but I guess my muscles just went into spasm and that was it for the weekend. No cycling or gym for me, but I managed to walk it out after 2 painful days, today it seems like it is getting back to normal. I'm at the gym in an hour for another PT session, so we'll see what he has to say about how we can get things back to normal and quickly too! I don't want to stop doing what we are doing as it is working, the old body is in the best shape it has been in for years and I feel good too!

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