A fish out of water (sort of)

[porqueno]

Hey Irish postgrad here with a dodgy ankle and a suspension from h2o for about 2 months (it's killing me!)

 

To explain; I'm on the home stretch of my research masters and it has not been an easy ride, partly due to outside stuff and partly due to me burying my head.  So part of this is me saying 'hey I will do my college work and not stress over it because I've been too lazy today to focus and get stuff done'.  The stressing has led to bad sleeping and eating habits and darn all exercise to speak of, silly or what.

 

Also I picked up a nice little ankle injury two years ago (OCL for anyone that's interested).  It took only a year to diagnosis (health care in Ireland, just brilliant!) but I'm currently awaiting surgery, could be happening in a month or two.  This limits me from anything high impact and has taken me away from my beloved windsurfing (but only for a while, I hope!).  I have used this as a bit of an excuse so I need people to tell me to 'cop on' as we say round these parts and keep going.  I had lost a good deal of weight and gained a fair bit of fitness before this happened but I crashed after the injury and haven't gotten back in the saddle properly since.  Only thing I can say is that I haven't allowed my weight to creep up as far as it was back then but it's not far off.

 

Also I've had another minor procedure which has ruled me out of the water for about two months so there goes my swimming and kayaking for a bit.  I really do want to return to both but I'd also like to be that bit fitter when I hit the water again so I can paddle like hell and start having more confidence on the river.  I'm just a newbie kayaker, got my level 2 recently but realised how unfit I was when I was roasting alive on a river in Ireland in November   Ok, yes I was wearing a wetsuit but everyone else was cold (just my blubber and lack of fitness kept me warm).

 

So here I am in figures:

 

Age:32

Starting weight: 13st 3lb (185lbs)

Waist (inches): 41

Height: 5ft 3

 

Goal # 1:

Weight/strength train 3 times a week - just been looking at the beginner body weight work out - I'll have to refrain from the jumping jacks for now.

 

Goal # 2:

Log all food with the aim of hitting (within reason) the 1200 each day

 

Goal # 3:

Complete exercises prescribed by my physio 3 times weekly to strengthen the joint to prep for surgery.

 

Goal # 4:

Stop eating crappy fried chicken - I get it, I eat it and think 'hell that didn't even taste that good'.  (and I know enough recipes for healthy tasty chicken).

 

I have a real interest in good food, I love to cook and I love to help my friends and family learn about new flavours and ingredients but it hasn't stopped me from eating crap.  Just over the past week and a bit I've had a resurgence in my love for healthy grub with friends coming over for movie nights.  As I've been prepping for my little procedure I've been eating super healthy for the past week and a half (little or no sugar, minimal caffeine, fresh salads, lots of veg, limited animal protein etc).  Having the gang over has really helped in that I've been making stuff like hummus, roast stuffed peppers and the like.  I think a mix of wanting to create nice healthy food for them and wanting to show I'm making an effort has spurred me on.  I know I need to keep this in mind and have them over so we can all have fun and eat nice food.

 

So that's me for now.

 

If anyone has advice on exercises that would suit for someone with an ankle injury please let me know - I really want to prepare for when I'll be off the foot for a while (they'll be grafting out of my knee into my ankle so I guess it'll take a bit.)

 

Best of luck to all and looking forward to seizing the day, hitting these goals and travelling along with you all.

 

Rose

 

[porqueno]

Hey Athena, did that alright!  (well I think I did, still figuring out the site/forums)

 

ps great name! 

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

Your goals look good. As a Texan, it makes me sad to hear the phrase "Crappy fried chicken." I know it's not healthy, but it shoud at least taste good. Your goals look great. One thing you might consider is doing Yoga in between the beginners body weight workout since you can't do a lot of cardio right now. It will help you recover from the BBW and help you build stablitity in your ankle.

[JessOfAllTrades]

Welcome! I think tankitimus is right on with adding yoga in between the beginner body workout. Ankle injuries are a pain.