WWW's six week 10 year younger bootcamp, WEEK TWO, MARCH 2008, all welcome

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Welcome to week 2 of the second WWW 10year younger boot camp of 2008. Hello everyone.

Anyone can join, we promise it works and you will feel and look better - and maybe younger - if you follow these rules.

This is about being healthy and feeling and looking better as a result. It's not a diet (although weight loss does seem to occur fairly frequently)

THE RULES ARE:

• Sunscreen at all times, even though it's winter
• No or little booze in the week. Wine at the weekend is allowed if you want it
• Walking is important, a small amount every day if possible. 30 mins if you can. Many of us have an Omron pedometer
• Lots of water, aim for 2 litres a day
• Apply body cream as often as possible
• Use hand cream/foot cream too, we recommend Flexitol, which is fantastic stuff
• Go to bed early, by 10.30pm if pos
• Eat healthily
• Be happy

The idea is that at the end of six weeks we all feel happier, healthier and glow with the good food, sleep, exercise, water and lack of sun damage.

Hello all. Feel the need to justify/explain my steppage... We don't have a car while we're here so I just walk everywhere! On Sunday it happened to be an hours walk with dh and ds to drop off a bike then lunch then an hours walk back by which time ds was asleep so we had a detour up to the botanical gardens and a walk round there. Then coffee and cake, then home. I then decided that I wanted to have some time to myself so went for a brisk walk with ipod round the lake. Total = 27,000.

Mind you, I've been to my exercise class today - half hour walk there and back and running round for an hour and I've barely chalked up 9,000 so there you go.

Right, back later. I've nearly finished my essay and I have to go and decide it's all nonsense and probably need to start again.

Hello all. Feel the need to justify/explain my steppage... We don't have a car while we're here so I just walk everywhere! On Sunday it happened to be an hours walk with dh and ds to drop off a bike then lunch then an hours walk back by which time ds was asleep so we had a detour up to the botanical gardens and a walk round there. Then coffee and cake, then home. I then decided that I wanted to have some time to myself so went for a brisk walk with ipod round the lake. Total = 27,000.

Mind you, I've been to my exercise class today - half hour walk there and back and running round for an hour and I've barely chalked up 9,000 so there you go.

Right, back later. I've nearly finished my essay and I have to go and decide it's all nonsense and probably need to start again.

yeah, ok, really don't know what happened there.

You walked an awful lot bama
Not having a car does help. I don't drive but stupidly keep forgetting my Moron on weekends when I am schlepping everywhere with the dcs on foot or by bus
Good to hear you posting more sanguinely www and great that ds got a good report at school
also pleased to hear you have thawed out now Duchess but at the farts and snores. We had a terrible farting dog when I was a child and she was jolly handy for blaming all smells on. Now the dcs are long past babyhood and nappies we can't blame them either
Chutney, some of us go AWOL for much longer than that and your first period after a pregnancy is always a shocker
LAS, I think all of us on here will be sending you really enjoy yourself vibes now you are on mat leave. It is a wonderful, special time, particularly now you have got the obligatory all night panicky crying fit behind you...we'd have been more concerned if you hadn't had that wig-out .
Wishing you all a good day. Weigh-in tomorrow (home not GP), think I have lost over 5kg in a fortnight. Huzza! Need to get back in walking groove though.

WWW - my DD2 is still BF and so it took my period a while to reappear. My last period was June 2006 just before I got pregnant. It was a bit of a shocker but it's OK again now.

I too am a recent driver and used to walk miles with the DDs and the double buggy. I am now trying to keep it up even though it is tempting just to shove everyone on the back seat and zoom off. Well, I drive like a granny so zooming probably out but you get the idea. I really miss it when I don't walk.

Marina, fantastic weight loss - well done - but be kind to yourself won't you? Losing weight through stress is soooo horrible. Glad things are on a more even keel.

L&S - second what Marina says about enjoying yourself. Get your toenails done, have a massage, do lots of going out for lunch if you are up to it. The first few weeks are very home based so you might like to get out a bit now. I am so excited for you - have you everything you need? Is there anythign I can lend you? I am in S london but work in town so can easily get to most places for the drop off if there is anythign I have got which you would be able to use.

Hello everyone else. Must do some work now. The DDs are downstiars with the babysitter being fed biscuits and Cbeebies so need to make law while the sun shines. Or something like that.

More later.

Aw, it's nice to be back with you lot. PMSL at the ogling at the lovely Scott (TM). Of course, he is a super flamboyant LA gay, which I decided was a good thing while I was a) being measured by him in my underwear and b) wearing the toe-to-neck white body stocking (when I say "stocking" think tights, see-through) for the endermologie.

LOL at you and your over-enthusiastic steps explanation Bama. I'm very impressed, even under Evil Victoria's tutelage I didn't top 15,000.

WWW - any outcome from speaking with your boss re the commute?

Oooh, Oooh, Batters - I'm with Fitness First (Oz branch) too! Do you have a lights and sounds spin studio? One session = one bottle of wine. That's all you need to know.

Unknown & Bama - I'll be back in July. Last time I hadn't even left Heathrow before I was stockpiling M&S goodies in my M&S cool bag [bliss].

Have had lots of water (cut out tea and am just drinking hot water & lemon)
Need to find the pedometer. Steps low.
Food good -
1 x carrot, spinach, apple, celery and ginger juice
1 x carrot, celery, courgette, broccoli, beetroot, apple, greens, ginger & lemon.
1 wholegrain sandwich with chicken (no butter)
3 Roast Potatoes Something healthy I found lurking in the fridge.
No booze
Am about to shower and lotion.
Will have early night because there's only so many hours you can live in a day without wine and thai food.

Me again! Finished essay so can have some guilt free MN time (I could, of course chat to DH but, well.)

Went for bike ride this afternoon so have been good on the exercise front today.

Batters - the gym sounds promising - I used to work out how much my memberships was costing me if I went so many times per week - i.e. £12 for once a week, £3 four times per week. I found I couldn't justify the more expensive weeks so went more! Actually, reading that back it sounds a bit of an odd system

Chutney - glad the horror of AF has passed, it's just such a faff isn't it? I know what you mean about missing walking though. I get twitchy if I can't get out!

L&S - hoping your mat leave is continuing to be enjoyable. I had this constant feeling that I ought to be doing something when I first stopped work. Now I have the feeling I ought to be sitting down

Pru - how is the 'good' part of the week going?

WWW - how did the meeting with the boss go? Is your horrible commute set to get better? I blame the hormones for any lecheyness (sp???) I have since decided to re-admit Julian Barratt to my ridiculous crush list [fickle emoticon]

Duchess - glad the heating is back on but sorry hear about terrible farting dog. We had/have a cat that snores really loudly. Sounds like a lawn mower.

ureb - it's now Tuesday. Slightly happier?

Marina - fantastic weight loss, so was the horrendous work stress worth it?

enjoy the rest of your day!

Decant it into a sports bottle batters, ya amateur
Fab news re dd
any news from your meeting yet www
Well done on the essay bama

Decided at the end of last week that I really needed to be posting on here daily to keep me on track. Failed at the first hurdle (yesterday) and then spent over 30 minutes this morning trying to catch up with everyone (too nosy not to )

Possible rude question for those with Morons - how short are your legs??? Maybe I should actually ask how short/long is your stride length? I am in stunned awe at how many steps are being done here. I have my Moron on all day (on my belt, strapping it to my bra would result in third breast I fear!), walk to school 4 times a day and struggle to get up to 8,000 without dancing around like a loon in front of the radio! With MUCH dancing, racing up and downstairs and 5+ minutes hula-hooping I might make it to 10,000 but its a rare day.

Here goes on confessions for yesterday:

• Sunscreen - yes, at last may have worked out a routine for putting it on!
• Booze/chocolate (my downfall is pigging out on all things sweet) - 6 little Easter eggs-tasty but need replacing for Easter Egg Hunt , 3 Hotel Chocolate chocs, Mother's Day present so allowed!
• Walking - just over 7,000 steps including 5 mins with hula hoop (I want to rediscover my waist!)
• Water - could do MUCH better
• Body cream - yes
• Hand cream/foot cream - yes
• Go to bed early - made it by 10.29, not bad!
• Eat healthily - reasonably
• Be happy - nice day, DD draw a lovely picture of me at school (Reception) It had a huge smile because she said I was a 'smiley Mummy' NOT how I feel at times so must try harder

I worry about the whole moron length of stride thingy but I use it as a tool to show if I am consistently accumulating a good total and not just a lazy-arse 2/3k total.

Prufrock - am at your dh's mother's day gifts. I always have to buy my own chocolates.

WWW - hope you're feeling more optimistic about the future.

Well the event of the year for which I have starved myself and tried to fasttrack my way to looking younger happened and I truly felt like a princess for an evening in my long gown. I was powdered,preened and polished to the max for one evening only (my bag truly bulged and groaned with products). I got loads of compliments (well everyone was drunk ) and chatted up by several men. It doesn't take much to make this middle-aged woman happy these days.

Back to the real world so I am now in full bootcamp made for health and fitness.I'm off the Cambridge Diet and am pleased that I seem to have only put on a couple of pounds after a long weekend of excess and hotel full english breakfasts.

I shall start my proper regime tomorrow.

You're all doing marvellously.
moonshine - so pleased that the big event went to plan and that you looked and felt good in your long frock.

Just over 6,000 steps for me today (getting worse). But on the plus side, I don't have sciatica from too much exercise! Midwife took bloods today and said it was nice and thick and dark which is a good indicator that I am not yet anaemic.

Have eaten plum, raw carrot, breadsticks, lime cordial & iron supplement, salami, avocado & salad, blueberries, sausage, mash & cauliflower cheese and cherry yoghurt. Not enough water and too much coffee.

Extremely tired but now have to go and chair the pre-school committee meeting. My report is less than a page long so I'm going to steamroller through the meeting and try and be back by 10 and in bed by half-past.

Moonshine, so glad your night went well and you felt and looked gorgeous. Welcome to proper food after the Cambridge diet .

Moron - I have estimated my stride as 50cm which may be a bit conservative as I am quite tall (5'9") but I figured that as I am pottering around at child pace a lot of the time it is the number of steps which matters. In addition, I am up and down the stairs like a loon so that should burn a few. I try to clock up 10,000 but to do that without going for a walk (IYFWIM) I need to walk from Waterloo to Tott Court road and to nursery and back (each are 30 min walks which I could drive / bus but try to walk as part of the day). On days when I am busy in the car going to shops / park / friends; houses etc, I get about 3000. So your 8000 is fabby in comparison to me....

Batters - glad DD got on so well. The laid back approach is clearly the best one. I have borrowed a friend's nanny for a Friday morning while I have a project on as she is the third person in 3 days to ask me if DD1 has a workbook. She is not yet 3. Letters and sounds mean nothing to her. The nanny said, "oh, shall we just have a nice time then having fun?" and seemed rather surprised when I said yes. Relaxed is the way forward over here.

Tomorrow the stairs are going into my loft. Am slightly apprehensive about the mess. Am trying to remind myself how fabulous it will be when it's done. Messy and expensive but fabulous

Have a good evening.

Everything is a 'tick' for me today - except for water and exercise which are the two things I most needed to improve on. I had a plan to do a good long walk today then work called me in early and I haven't had time to go to the loo never mind drink a couple of lites of water!

Tomorrow will be better.

Hope the loft goes well tomorrow CM and yes 50cm is way too short for someone 5ft 9!

Feetheart - I also need to rediscover my waist. Despite my best(ish) efforts I have middle age spread

Hello

Lulu, well done, see, you can do it...

DofN, glad you have heating again, we had frost this morning and needed it. Ewww at noxious dog farts, yuk

unknown, well done, that's a good Monday, 2 miles AND 20 mins, good stuff

Saggars, what a shame about dh and hols but well done on no booze and sunscreen

What's your essay on Bama? Have you improved it since you posted and are you happier with it?

Marina, I am sanguine, lol at dog farts, 5kg, what's that in old money?

Chutney, gosh, that was a TERRIBLY rude question of me to ask wasn't it, I realise, now I've seen your answer! As if your periods are any of my damn business! But I type here with the thread open in another window and it flies out as I'm thinking it

Arfy, aren't we an awful load of lechy old bags? It SO wasn't just me who asked for more details, ha ha ha! eww at white stocking. You';re in Oz aren't you, not LA. Is he LA? And you're in Oz? I think that's right! Ahm just read rest of your post yes, that's right, lol at one sess0on = 1 bottle of wine, pmsl batters at do you think I could take it with me to the class, snort snort and at sports bottle, ha ha

oh bama, you've finished your essay, well done.

batters, glad dd did well, marvellous!

feetheart, lol at "how short are your legs" ha ha, I'm 5 foot 3 so bloody short. Like short little tree trunks Being a smiley mummy is an accolade indeed, well done

Oh Moonshine, it sounds FABULOUS and how glam and wonderful and you were CHATTEED UP? Wow! I have been reading Jilly Cooper on the train and it has made me long to be 19 and living in the 70s and talk about bed and blushing furiously and being tight and all that stuff. Glad you had a lovely time, great stuff.

DofN, hope your pre school meeting was mercifully short.

Chutney, that sounds like a lot of walking to me. agree about laid back parenting being easiest best

I had THREE hour meeting with boss today to catch up as she's been away and at the end she said something about hours nad I said "ah. Talking of hours, I'm knackered. 4 hours a day is killing me, we need to talk about it" and she said "what do you want? Give me a proposal and we'll talk about it but we really want to keep you so within reason we can do it" - I said at min one day from home and she said yeah, should be ok, so I am trying to work out what to propose but I think 9.30am - 4,.30 x 4 days PLUS work 45 mins on train, so one of my mainline journeys, then 1 day at home 8am - 6,30 and that should do it. Then although I'd be getting up at 6.30am and not getting home til 6.30pm at least I'd see the children, lie in til half six and spend Weds at home. If she says no my contract is up at end of April OR I can give 2 weeks notice at any time
so I am feeling positive. She really is very nice my boss. And she said they really want me to stay so I am optimistic.

I am checking in regularly and find everyone's posts keep me on the stright(ish) and narrow(ish). Doing okay but am very busy with lots of stuff and can't get in to a proper routine. Eating fairly healthily with the odd bit of cheese and chocolate for happiness. Trying to walk the children to and from school but am fairly active at work so not too concerned. Feel that I am becoming rather more barrel shaped these days - never used to gain weight around middle but it seems happy to settle there just now.
Not getting to bed early but regularly fast asleep on sofa.
Moisturising reg and drink loads of water.
Alcohol cosumption reduced but not forbidden.

Watched a make-up demo last week. Am thinking of getting her round. Two hours, she does half your face and you have to finish it off. DD1 getting interested in make up so would like to be able to advise her (don't usually wear any myself). Think I would if I could apply it well and achieve a fairly natural look.

Still no batteries in Moron. I thought the strides were out when I last wore it but worked on the principle of gradually increasing my total rather than the number of steps.

Good luck for the rest of the week everyone.

2 toast, Marmite, butter
salmon sandwich, 400 cal
packet cheddars, 181 cal
apple
banana
boss brought back peanut butter Hersheys kisses from NY so um, about 30 of them
shepherds pie made by dh, yum
on 3rd small glass of Claret
about to go to bed in half an hour
went to bed at half nine last night
not enough water today
or sunscreen
no creams, barely time to wipe my bottom let alone apply ungents

apols for vulgarity of that last line

Posting and running, cos I'm trying to finish a newsletter ready for tomorrow night. (Hardly ever use Publisher, so it takes a while, lol).

• Sunscreen yy
• No booze
• 20 mins ex bike - genuinely too busy for anything more today.
• Lots of water/weak tea.
• Apply body cream as often as possible, lax
• Use hand cream/foot cream too, yes
• Go to bed early, 11-ish last night
• Eat healthily - how could I refuse DS1's home school-made fruity cakey thing, it was yummy. The boy can cook.
• Be happy, yes Tuesday's always better, lol.

Good morning, everyone! Beautiful day in London - crisp and springlike. My favourite. Wish it was like this all year round (I am a pale northener and Not Good with heat).

Thank you all for excellent advice of mat leave relaxation - I think, in fact, that I'm going to book myself a massage today when I hobble up to the high street - overdid things a bit yesterday (swim in th morning and cycle in and out of town in the afternoon) so had to spend the evening lying on the sofa groaning and being fetched things by DP . Bama, you're right: I think I feel I have to do things in these few weeks - difficult to switch off completely from work mode, still have lying-around anxiety. But! It's gone 10 and I'm in my dressing gown so things must be improving ...

In and around the excessive exercise, had a good day yesterday - cereal and yoghurt, banana sandwich after swim, spinach and walnut pastry thing (mmmm) and blueberry cake (fruit!) from yummy cafe, herring, new potatoes, savoy cabbage and salad for dinner. Oh and an apple and a LOT of dairy milk for pudding . Today I'm having lunch with a friend and her one-month-old, getting measured for a feeding bra and going to the dentist (one of my absolute least favourite things, so , but want to take advantage of the fact that it's currently free)

Chutney, thank you SO much for offer of stuff. I think we have everything we need, but may well yell if something occurs .

Moonshine, your night sounds lovely! and great news about the chatting up!

WWW rofl at 'barely time to wipe my bottom', and that sounds extremely encouraging, on the commute front. Any chance of signing off on the new regime and getting it in place for next week?

Duchess, hope you're feeling a bit less tired. How many weeks are you now? The sciatica sounds crapola, btw - and you seem amazingly stoical about it! Hope you got a good night's sleep.

Saggar, I feel I must confess that I found myself awake at about three this morning, thinking about your name!! Where does it come from? I have to know!

Have great days everyone xx

This sounds like such a good plan - can I join please? Love smothering myself in lotions and potions and really must drink more water and eat more fruit and veg.

OK, I feel better now re number of steps. I'm 5'10" and my stride length is 85cm (ChutneyMary take note!!) so I'm doing way fewer than some of you to cover the same distance. Must now go back to keeping up with myself and not try to compete with others

WWW - glad meeting went well, so good to have a nice, appreciative boss. Hope you can get it sorted ASAP and return to some sort of commuting sanity.

Moonshine - 'do' sounds wonderful. I'd LOVE an occasion to dress up (though wouldn't want all the Cambridge diet- type stress to go with it) don't think I've ever even worn a long dress.

YoYo - interested in the make-up lady. I've never really worn any and am now terrified of making that Abba-esque blue eye shadow faux pas that I should have made at 14! I also wear glasses and have no idea how to do my eyes when I can't see what I'm doing. Any tips anyone?

L&S - sounds like you are getting the idea Just keep the dressing gown on longer and longer, it will prepare you for your days with a newborn when you will completely fail to get dressed at all!

So for yesterday:

• Sunscreen - yes
• Booze/chocolate (my downfall is pigging out on all things sweet) - only a little choc and banana cake mixture when making cake with DS then a small slice when DD came home (followed by another small slice as DS didn't want his)
• Walking - just over 7,000 steps including 5 mins with hula hoop
• Water - must have drunk more as peeing more often!
• Body cream - yes
• Hand cream/foot cream - yes
• Go to bed early - just after 10pm
• Eat healthily - eaten quite well though did have mega-pudding that we should have had on Sunday night but DH had tummy bug. Both ate too much and could hardly shift from sofa to go to bed
• Be happy - DS is back to his usual cheeky, lively self after a fortnight of being poorly. He is SO much fun to be with and I've missed him whilst he has been ill. Also both children ate the lasagne I had made and declared it good, a first for DD so another meal that we can all now eat - I'm easily pleased

welcome bouncingblueberries, you have a very apt name for this thread!

ureb - hope you finished your Newsletter without too much trouble

l&s - how was the dentist? and how glam is your feeding bra? Thank you for the sciatica sympathy, it's really bad today because I've had some exercise. And still no referral... pah!

feetheart - hurrah for the lasagne!

I had a really long walk with the dog this morning but have still only clocked up 8500 steps.

I got home from meeting at 10.15pm last night but instead of going straight to bed I pottered about and then had a shower. BUT! I did use the rice bran oil & sugar body scrub and it's lovely but does leave ones chest looking somewhat flushed. I used it whilst in the shower on wet skin but it recommends using it on dry or damp skin - I think that might buff me up a bit too much at the moment but may try it another day, on rough skin only.

I've eaten 3 chocolate fingers (before breakfast), toasted bagel, 3 champagne truffles (after breakfast), chicken & sweetcorn soup, plum, 2 slices of pizza, 3 small slices of warm homemade bread & butter, orange, Twirl and an apple. Sort of chocolate/fruit war going on with me today!

Have a nice evening everyone.

Just dropping in on my way out - am out with an old mate from university who can drink. I remember fondly spending many a night polishing off all manner of disgusting brews (Jagermeiser, anyone?) as we'd run out of wine. She is a responsible mother of 3 now, but can still put it away. I'm going to stop at half a bottle (oh, go me! How abstemious am I?)

Went to WW this am and lost a lb so that's 5lb in 2 weeks. Am very pleased! Hope all are well and happy. Will post properly tomorrow.

Have a good evening