Surprises, Sunrises and Shivers

Hey all, hope you're managing to stay warm in this sudden temperature drop. I've taken to wearing ALL the layers and still not quite managing to keep as warm as I'd like. The hot water bottle has been dusted off in an attempt to warm up toes of a night time and the heating is now very much ON.

Cold weather seems to bring about stunning sunrises.

Fairly uneventful week last week. I taught, I planned, I watched various catch up channels, and I worked out. I sort of went into hibernate mode, which isn't always good for me. Energy levels were low for most of the week which was probably a side effect of recently cutting refined sugar, most carbs and grains and caffeine out of my diet. As a result there was a distinct lack of running last week partly as I just didn't feel up to much, partly because I feared at becoming stranded with rock bottom energy levels. The treadmill helped and I was overjoyed on Friday afternoon when I felt *keen* to go to a boxing class.

Saturday was a joy. Ok parkrun was very cold but I made it to yoga and met a friend there unexpectedly. We took up position by the radiator and nattered away until class started which in itself was great as I felt myself progressing with a few postures. There was a text from my mum waiting for me after class, saying she and dad had booked a table at my favourite local restaurant for dinner and would I like to join them? Um, YES! Bless them, they travelled up from Kent for an afternoon and evening with me and mum even bought me flowers. It really lifted my week and I even managed to stick (mostly) to my diet.

That's actually a type of cabbage in the middle I believe.

On Sunday I had an early start to get up to Birmingham for a course in Boxercise for Kids. I've been helping out with the kids classes at Box Bell Fit for a while but this course will enable me to lead them too. It was a good course, mostly theory driven, and highlighted how much thought needs to go into working with children both from a safeguarding and physiological point of view. I came away with lots of ideas and am having to stop myself from rushing in to set up family classes! There was some practical element but unfortunately not enough to warm us up. The school where the course took place had all but shut the heating off and I had to borrow gloves from someone to warm my hands up for the written exam. I would have liked to have stayed for the free Boxercise Masterclass about an hour after the course finished, despite the fact it would have made me quite late getting home, but I couldn't face being cold any longer so made a quick getaway. It took me an hour in the blast of the car heater to thaw out!

So I started the week armed with inspiration, motivation and energy. I'm going to make a real effort to get out for a proper run this week, even if that means wearing many layers.

Last week's training:
Monday: metafit
Tuesday: Rest day
Wednesday: Strength training
Thursday: Rest day
Friday: Speedwork & & Turbo
Saturday: parkrun & yoga
Sunday: Rest day

Does the cold put you off of exercise? Have you seen any great sunrises recently?