My Moonwalk 2016 Fundraising

So I have finally set up my fundraising page for my Moonwalk adventure on Saturday 14 May 2016.

Please find the page at this link and sponsor me in any way that you can; Tessa's Moonwalk Fundraising page

The Moonwalk will be completed in a bra and the very loud leggings in this photo; well we will be doing it at night, so I will need to be seen!

Thank you . . . 

In a nutshell!

I love nuts (!), salted peanuts being my favourite. They are something that would only ever be in my house at Christmas time because I could not be trusted to just eat a handful, or a small amount. If I had a bag in my house, no matter what size, it would be devoured in one sitting and not make it to the following day! 

My mum used to always have a basket on the kitchen table, at Christmas time, that was full of assorted nuts, in their shells, with a nutcracker that you had to be careful you did not trap your fingers in. I'm not sure whether that 70's contraption would still be allowed to be bought for the twenty-first century health and safety conscious! On that note I decided to Google nutcrackers and I found it! It was a weapon!

After a bit of a blip, nearly fainting, at my second #kettlercise class it was suggested that I eat almonds and fat free fromage frais as a pre-workout meal to enable me to get through the session. The protein would be slow release whilst exercising. Then not long after, whilst on a walk with friends, we had a discussion about the benefits of almonds and brazil nuts. The man commenting has 6 almonds and 2 Brazil nuts a day. Ever the one to see if adding these to my diet might help my perimenopausal symptoms, I started doing some research. I won't even go into the Big Brother is watching you but articles started appearing in my Facebook news feed!

I have taken from an article in O, Magazine a couple of things that I found useful. Read the whole article at the following link; How nuts can help you live longer:

Brazil Nuts 
The bad news: You can't eat a lot of them. Each of these Amazonian nuts contains about 33 calories—the equivalent of nearly 10 M&M's. The good news: You needn't go overboard to reap their health benefits. Just two nuts per day for 12 weeks can increase blood levels of the mineral selenium by 64 percent. Selenium is essential for proper immune function, as it helps build germ-fighting white blood cells. 
Serving size: 6 nuts, 186 calories 

Almonds 
Call them the skinny nuts. In a 2013 study in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, people who ate about one and a half servings of almonds with breakfast felt a 35 percent decrease in appetite an hour later. When the nuts were consumed as an afternoon snack, they quashed appetites by about two and a half times that, helping the subjects naturally eat less for the rest of the day. 
Serving size: 23 nuts, 164 calories 

It is interesting that just over a year a Mediterranean diet was being purported to being the healthiest diet for anyone to follow. Nuts are often found in a Mediterranean diet. 

I have made a conscious decision to have a healthy snack every day. Whilst getting my head around the new Weight Watchers SmartPoints I very quickly discovered that some things that I would have classed as nice, healthy snacks were too high in SmartPoints to justify having them! 14g of almonds is 2 sp (anywhere between fourteen to sixteen almonds) and two Brazil nuts are 1 sp; so fairly low at 3 sp. I then found these amazing little pots that fit that amount of nuts in them perfectly!

I do Kettlercise twice a week and my pre-workout meal is now 24g almonds (4sp), fat free fromage frais (3sp) and a banana (0sp). I have also tried having this before doing a 10 mile walk on a Sunday and discovered that I had more energy than my usual weekday breakfast of a boiled egg and a piece of toast. I now, therefore, have my pre-workout meal as a breakfast on a Saturday and Sunday; for those interested that equates to 7sp.

I also now try and have the almond and Brazil nuts snack at least three times a week. I know that everything does not happen instantly but I have also read some really good things about almonds reducing belly fat; Almonds can reduce belly fat. 

Let's see!

All it takes is one song . . .

Is there just that one song or are there different songs for different times, feelings and emotions? I would say that the answer to that is there are many songs and sometimes you don't always hear the song until you listen to it. . . properly.

Here follows a list of SOME songs that spring to mind. When I hear them I can be put back in the time and place; they don't always bring back fond memories but they do bring back memories.

The Streets, Dry your eyes

James Blunt, Goodbye My Lover 

These two were for a time when something that wasn't always the best for me, which had been clung to, was finally given up. They will always be remembered for the dark place that, although only briefly, I found myself in.

Snow patrol, Chasing Cars 

Anything by Snow Patrol but particularly this song remind me of a friend who was taken from us too young. I still think about him often and wonder where our lives might have ended up; whether we would have ended up on the same track. We were never destined to be more than friends.

Ne-Yo, Because of you

Pussycat Dolls, Don't Cha

Coldplay, Viva La Vida

Flo Rida ft T-Pain, Apple Bottom Jeans

These are all for a time and summer that I will never forget. They make me remember the chrysalis that I was and the beautiful butterfly that I turned into. Unlike a chrysalis which only takes about four weeks to become a butterfly it was to take me another four or five years but these songs remind me of the start I had in discovering and believing in myself.

Adele's albums, 21 and most recently 25, have had a huge impact on me in the last few years.

The Adele song that is my go to song at the moment is All I ask. I'm putting the words down here but they do not do the song the total justice that it deserves when put with the music. When I established that it was co-written with, among others, Bruno Mars I could really hear the influence.

All I ask

I will leave my heart at the door

I won't say a word . . .

They've all been said before, you know

So why don't we just play pretend

Like we're not scared of what is coming next or scared of having nothing left!

Look, don't get me wrong

I know there is no tomorrow

All I ask is . . .

If this is my last night with you

Hold me like I'm more than just a friend

Give me a memory I can use

Take me by the hand while we do what lovers do

It matters how this ends

'Cause what if I never love again?

I don't need your honesty

It's already in your eyes and I'm sure my eyes, they speak for me

No one knows me like you do

And since you're the only one that matters

Tell me who do I run to?

Look, don't get me wrong

I know there is no tomorrow

All I ask is . . .

If this is my last night with you

Hold me like I'm more than just a friend

Give me a memory I can use

Take me by the hand while we do what lovers do

It matters how this ends

'Cause what if I never love again?

Let this be our lesson in love

Let this be the way we remember us

I don't wanna be cruel or vicious

And I ain't asking for forgiveness

All I ask is . . . 

If this is my last night with you

Hold me like I'm more than just a friend

Give me a memory I can use

Take me by the hand while we do what lovers do

It matters how this ends

'Cause what if I never love again?

For those who have been in love and lost that, for whatever reason, this song and the sentiment behind it really stir emotion in me. . . I hope to find love again but if I don't I have some cracking memories to remind me of what love was.

Post Oscars. . .thoughts

One week on from the Oscars ceremony I am going to give my thoughts, as obviously I am now the new Claudia Winkleman! 

I have put the list that I originally posted back on here and then added the winner next to who/what actually won, plus what my own voting would have been and I will then add my thoughts at the end;

Best Picture

• The Big Short
• Bridge of Spies
• Brooklyn
• Mad Max: Fury Road
• The Martian
• The Revenant
• Room
• Spotlight -  WINNER

Best Director

• The Big Short
• Mad Max: Fury Road
• The Revenant - WINNER
• Room
• Spotlight

Actor in a Leading Role

• Bryan Cranston, Trumbo
• Matt Damon,  The Martian
• Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant - WINNER
• Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs
• Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl

Actress in a Leading Role

• Cate Blanchett, Carol
• Brie Larson, Room - WINNER
• Jennifer Lawrence, Joy
• Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years
• Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn

Actor in a Supporting Role

• Christian Bale, The Big Short
• Tom Hardy,  The Revenant
• Mark Ruffalo, Spotlight
• Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies - WINNER
• Sylvester Stallone, Creed

Actress in a Supporting Role

• Jennifer Jason Leigh,  The Hateful Eight
• Rooney Mara,  Carol
• Rachel McAdams, Spotlight
• Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl - WINNER
• Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs

Where my votes would have gone;

• Best Picture: The Revenant
• Best Director: The Revenant
• Actor in a Leading Role: Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl
• Actress in a Leading Role: I can't say!
• Actor in a Supporting Role: Sylvester Stallone, Creed 
• Actress in a Supporting Role: Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl

In my previous post Are you a film critic? I addressed the reasons for my votes based on what the nominations were. In this post I'm going to address some things that have come out pre and post the Oscars ceremony.

Interestingly, I do not understand how the Best Director and Best Film did not go to the same film. All I can think is that the subject of Spotlight was one that touched and may have had the academy members thinking 'it might have been me'. It was a good film, as I say the subject matter and how the film addressed the subject was very well done, but Best Film? I am unsure that it truly deserved that accolade.

The ONLY vote that I got right was for Alicia Vikander in The Danish Girl. I have already expressed my adoration for The Danish Girl as a film and I won't go any further on that.

I was truly disappointed that Sylvester Stallone did not win Actor in a Supporting Role for Creed. I have watched The Bridge of Spies and although Mark Rylance did a very good job I am left with a slightly bitter taste in my mouth. 

Here is the part where I may be slightly controversial and think that some may have a point or I'll pose the question that there could be a conspiracy going on here?! The screenplay for Creed was written by and directed by the same man; Ryan Coogler, a black man. The lead role was also played by a black man.

I also think that Will Smith may have had a point to be slightly miffed for not getting a nomination for Best Actor for his portrayal of Dr. Bennet Omalu in Concussion. This was a great film and like Spotlight, The Revenant and Bridge of Spies was based on a true story. Will Smith did an amazing job, like Eddie Redmayne, of really making you believe in him as Bennet Omalu. He was funny, at times, and an endearing character who you totally believed in and I, after having seen this film, would definitely have had him shortlisted for Actor in a Leading Role. 

Was this year's Academy Awards exactly as Chris Rock said in his introduction to the evening, 'the white People's Choice awards'?  I am not trying to make a political statement or open up any arguments but my thoughts are that at least two actors have not been given the credit that they deserve for the work and effort that they put into their chosen profession. That does not mean that I think that Will Smith should have won but I do think that he should have at least been nominated. I do think that Sylvester Stallone was robbed but then maybe he has appeared in too many action films to be taken seriously!?

As I said, I am no film critic just someone who has enjoyed going to the cinema and being able to give my thoughts.

If I get a chance, I will try and go back and do a review of each of the films that I have seen and I will endeavour to do the same for those that I do see over the coming months.

Magnets!

This is a Ladycare magnet! 

When I first started looking into and thinking about my perimenopausal symptoms I looked at several things which I have previously alluded to in my blog post You're not going crazy. One of those things was the Ladycare magnet. 

I can't remember if I saw it in Boots the Chemist and then did some research or if I had done some research and discovered it in my local Boots!?

One of the articles that I read was the following one; Belinda Carlisle: A magnet in my underwear cured my hot flushes. Belinda Carlisle is a musician from my youth; slightly older than me but I was very interested by the article and I watched a video on You Tube as well.

I have previously said that I was looking for any alternative to HRT and I was open to anything. It was not cheap. I bought it in Boots and paid £28.49. I have established that anything that involves being a woman, our monthly cycle and going through 'the change' all cost. That is anything from tampons, pads, vitamins and even those things that none of us women of a certain age ever talk about . . . the dreaded Tena's!!

Here is another one of those Tessa Moment's that is not quite as embarrassing as the The time I lost my Fitbit!!

If you have not come across one of these items or have decided to read the articles that I have linked to the post later, then you may not realise where you 'wear' the Ladycare magnet. It is worn in your knickers as the lovely picture shows. The idea is to wear it 24/7. I think that I managed to wear it for no more than a week because things kept happening to me!!

Where I work there is a hatch or window that enables students and other members of staff to talk to us in our office area. On the side of the hatch that you would stand and talk to the others in the office is a radiator. This is lovely in the winter and is often a great place to stand and warm your hands!

On my first day of wearing the magnet I was wearing what I classed as a standard fitting dress. I was very aware that if you knew I was wearing the magnet that you could see it but I was assured by colleagues than unless I pointed it out no-one else would ever know. . . really?! I think that they were just trying to be nice!! 

As I went about my normal day I passed by the hatch to ask a colleague something and heard a 'clink'. I had somehow got myself attached to the radiator! Oh no, the magnet!! We all had a little bit of a laugh at my expense and I carried on with my day. I suppose that was fine as I was in the relative safety of 'friends'.

I had two other occasions which made me decide that I could NEVER wear the magnet again. They both occurred in two separate supermarkets! What you have to remember is that the magnet is strategically placed at the top of your pubic bone and at your front! If it was at the back I doubt that anyone would be presented with the problems that I did!

Are you wondering where and how I got myself attached in a supermarket or have you worked it out? The edges of the conveyor belt at supermarket checkouts are metal! Not really an issue when you are loading your shopping onto the belt but the problem occurs when you lean over and get the 'Next customer' sign. The edge of the checkout for a 5'6 woman is at about pubic bone height! I was doing what we all do, going about my regular business, and then I found myself attached to the checkout! You hear yourself becoming attached and have to prise yourself away. . . hope that no-one around you has noticed and pretend that it didn't really happen!

On one of the occasions when in Sainsbury's I was able to tell the till assistant and have a laugh and joke with her as I know her very well but let me assure you than the next time it happened in Tesco's  I vowed that no matter how bad my perimenopausal symptoms were I would not be wearing the magnet again!

Let me not even go into the fact that I am a single woman and having to explain what my Fitbit, attached to my bra is for, to the uninformed. Imagine trying to explain a purple magnet attached to my knickers!!

Niggles: slight but persistent discomfort

I have been actively walking for over a year. What I discovered very early on is that good footwear is a must and that has taken some time to find.

Sketchers do some amazing shoes called Go Walks which are like wearing a pair of slippers. The first pair that I owned I wore a hole in within the first six weeks; I don't think that they are meant for someone who was doing as much walking as me! The second pair that I bought were Go Walks III; Sketchers seemed to have looked at the sole on this model and made it more substantial.

I'm still not 100% sure that they are actually manufactured for someone who was averaging 10,000 steps a day. I have also come to realise that I am getting older and that my body does not do what it used to do; it takes longer to recover and can't do some of the things that I used to take for granted when I was even 10 years younger than I am now!

I have been doing approximately 8 miles on a Saturday and Sunday as a planned walk with friends. Sometimes I walked on my own and sometimes it was with a group of 5 or 6 people. When the clocks changed I dropped the Saturday walks as they were an afternoon walk. 

My right ankle started to hurt after the walks, which then affected my right knee and my right hip. I actually think my right hip was the thing that first started to ache. I have noticed that if I am carrying any extra weight then this hip hurts. The knee and ankle pain were probably as a result of walking to compensate for that hip. Google and You Tube are great places to help you out when you've got things that may be wrong with you. Stretching was probably the main bit of advice that I took from everything that I was reading. I have realised that I have tight calf muscles. I wasn't sure why but that I have also recently worked out why; we'll come to that later!

The Christmas holidays came and I knew that with the New Year I would be starting to think seriously about the #MoonwalkLondon2016. Nina Barough is the founder of Walk the Walk and suggested a couple of pairs of shoes that would be good for the job. One day between Christmas and New Year I made my way to Go Outdoors in search of the perfect pair of walking shoes for me. I ended up buying a pair of Salomon's; not for anyone looking for a fashionable shoe but definitely someone looking to do a power walk!

I have worn shoes for walking that have given me blisters, even a pair of Sketchers did this. Admittedly they weren't a pair of Go Walks! My first walk in my new Salomon's was an 8-miler; go hard or go home!! Amazingly, no blisters and the pain that I had had in my right ankle and knee had gone after one walk in these shoes. Wow!

I had, up until two years ago, never suffered an injury related to exercise. When people that I knew did I really didn't have any sympathy; well surely they had brought it on themselves by exercising?!? That changed after I damaged my right shoulder mis-handling a 20kg kettlebell. I know what frustration is not being able to do something that you actually like doing because you have injured yourself.

The third walk that I did in my new shoes was a 10 mile walk; about 2 miles from home I started to get a pain in my left heel. I couldn't explain it; it was just a niggle. It didn't put me off and I still continued to walk the mile to and from work every day. Two weeks later, having done two more 10 mile Sunday walks, I had difficulty weight bearing on my left heel. Interestingly, I walk to work in flat shoes and then when I get to work I put a pair of heels on. The heels actually made the pain in my heel not so bad. I did some research on, again, Google and discovered that I most definitely had plantar fasciitis. The following link is one of several that gives lots of information on plantar fasciitis; http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/heel-pain/Pages/Introduction.aspx

I wear heels every day at work and I am really considering that whilst I am in training I need to wear flat shoes. My ageing body does not appear to be coping with the miles that I am doing, a regular day at work, going for a walk at lunchtime in heels and everyday body stresses.

Knowing what you may have and then finding some treatments that might work also involved the internet; this time You Tube. I watched two great videos; one by Dr. Josh Axe and the other by Dr. Scott A Mills, both gave some great advice which I have followed for the last two weeks. I now take a magnesium supplement; interestingly I had this already as it was something that I tried to combat my perimenopausal symptoms but I kept forgetting to take it! I had also previously bought some massage balls which I had used on my ankle. I now use the hard ball every morning before I get out of bed and I take the magnesium supplement every night when I go to bed.

I cannot tell you what an overnight success the magnesium supplement was. I woke up the following morning for the first time in two weeks without any pain. The following week was great. I was on half-term and wore either no shoes, flipflops or flats all week even managing a couple of long walks. The pain was getting less and less. 

A week back at work, wearing heels 3 out of 5 days has had a significant impact on the plantar fasciitis. What I have realised is that I have tight calf muscles and ankles plus the plantar injury; most probably caused by wearing heels and shortening my calf muscles! Hence, the real thought that whilst I am in training I need to wear flats to work. Stretching is something that Nina Barough strongly recommends and I totally get why!

I am not complaining. Part of training is just that; training for the endurance and to remind myself that the niggles are just niggles. I am doing this, foremost, to raise money for Breast Cancer based on the scare that I had last year. The little niggles and small amount of pain are part of the journey and the reminder that this is nothing compared to what others are going through, affected by cancer, on a daily basis. Once I stop doing what I am doing the pain will, hopefully, go away. Others are not so lucky; people close to me have loved ones who are going through daily battles with one form of cancer or another.