31 August 2017

Fitness to Focus

Just a short little update on what I've been up to -

During the last year of Uni, I found myself slacking in the fitness department, what with so much going on at one time. It was hard to go the gym as often as I wanted to. I put on a lot of stress weight, and now I'm trying to take some off. Since coming home from Uni, I've been in a bit of a slump waiting for my next big move, and not really doing much. I've had a few too many 'duvet days', which hasn't helped with the whole overweight, unfit girl trying to get her life together thing. Last week, I said to myself, enough is enough. I need to get into a regular fitness routine if I'm going to be of any use when I begin rehearsals for tour in September. I began with an app called '7 minutes' which is just an intense 7 minute workout, and it doesn't sound like much... but my goodness, you work up a sweat. Especially for someone who isn't very fit. Doing it every day though has made things a lot easier, and it even gave me the confidence to get running... outdoors... where there are people!

I downloaded a running app for beginners which helps with getting into the swing of things - building up your stamina and it's working really well so far. I've improved my pace per minute after just one run, and ran another 0.22km in the next one. The app shows your route and the line is coloured differently depending on whether you walk, jog, run, sprint etc. so it gives me a visual goal of what I've achieved and what I can do to improve. I want to make my line more blue (run) and purple (fast run), then eventually red when I can pull myself together enough to sprint. I think that's a bit further down the line though...

I've always sort of avoided running outdoors because not only is there a chance that I might see people I know and I'm really sweaty and disgusting, but also because it bothered my chest a bit for some reason. However, I wanted to give it a go anyway, with some motivation that came out of nowhere. When I went on my first run, I was about half way through and I felt like rubbish and wanted to go home. That was when this guy came running past and shouted 'Don't stop! Keep going', just as I was slowing down into a fast walk. That really made me smile, and it showed me that there are still good people out there who want to build people up, not just tear them down. Even though running and exercising is painful and I hate being sweaty, I'm starting to really enjoy getting out and doing something about things I'm not happy about, like my weight and fitness level. It's also a great way to just clear your head and just focus on smashing goals. Even though I ache when I get home, I've also got this new found energy because I'm happy with what I've achieved. With every run that I have done, I have beat a goal. Whether it's in distance, pace or calories burnt, seeing these achievements is what makes me keep going, and pushing myself even further.

Even though I haven't really lost any weight yet, I am finding myself getting fitter after every workout, finding that I can push myself further each time. To be honest though, even if I just achieve a higher fitness level, I'll feel a lot better about myself. To help myself with motivation, I also bought a Fitbit which is helpful with setting goals and sticking to them, and also beating them. It's a great feeling to actually have some motivation. Next step is to try and eat healthier or in my case, not over eat every day!

I CAN DO THIS. 


Also, through getting into my fitness, I have been taking my dog Valerie with me, and we've been discovering really nice dog friendly walks, and she's enjoying them too. She makes a really good running buddy, she runs along side me, even off the lead and will only stop occasionally if nature calls or if there's a tennis ball trapped in a bush. If she stops off for a dip in a stream, she's also great with cooling you down when she shakes off all the water from her fur. 
                                                                  Thanks for that, Val. 




23 August 2017

Behind the Iron Curtain

I've recently been employed as a part time Personal Assistant for a woman who is blind. My mother works with her every week but I will cover her if she needs me too, if and when. For my first day of work, I was asked to take Laura on a tour of the New Theatre, Cardiff, as part of her bonus for being a member of their 'Friends of the New Theatre' scheme.

I was a bit nervous at first, you know, being someone else's eyes and guide when quite often I've tripped over literally nothing. However, Laura told me how my mother walked her into a trolley and a lamp post... so I figured, if I don't do that... I'm good. It just makes you so much more self-aware of things you take for granted every day, like knowing when the it's safe to cross a road if the 'Green Man' doesn't go beep because you can't just run into traffic and avoid the cars. It was a great experience, and the actual theatre tour was brilliant. Bonus points to me for not accidentally throwing Laura down the many steps we had to go up and down during the tour. She didn't break a leg, so, you know...

If I had to describe a theatre, I would without a doubt, describe the New Theatre. It's just the image of what I would call a traditional theatre. It really is beautiful. During the tour, we were learning more about the things you see framed on the walls - from a programme from the first ever show, to the discovery of the foundation stone, to what spade was used to lay it. These are things that you may not notice in a busy foyer when you're waiting to see a show. They are things I will now be pointing out to people who I take to this theatre, as it's always nice to have someone with a bit of knowledge about the things on the wall... at least, I think it is. They may find me incredibly annoying, but alas, I couldn't care less.

The man leading the tour had so much knowledge about the theatre, it was wonderful. It was great hearing about the theatre from someone who was so passionate about it. Learning about everything that goes on backstage at a bigger theatre was incredible, you really realise how much hard work that the backstage crew have to do on a regular show. Some people were worried that seeing how it all worked would ruin the 'magic of theatre', where in fact, it just made it more magical. Theatre and magic go hand in hand to create one perfect illusion that everything runs like clockwork. You forget about the people who are waving across the top of the theatre, to make sure the flats and scenery go in the right place, that the lighting and sound cues are on time, it's honestly amazing thinking about all the stuff that goes on behind the scenes, that as an audience member, you never see. It's quite easy to forget that a show doesn't magically put itself together.



Oh, and my goodness, the stage looks a hell of a lot bigger when it's empty and you're actually standing on it. Looking out into the auditorium was amazing. It just too me back to all the shows I've been in, looking out and seeing the people, or in most of the cases, just the lights. It was amazing, nonetheless. Maybe one day, I'll be lucky enough to perform on that stage. A girl can dream.









I also loved seeing the theatre from the orchestra pit. Looking up at the amazing theatre from an entirely different angle was something else. It's all about perspective, seeing a sight you've seen many different times from a different view-point, is like seeing it for the first time all over again.





Fun fact but not a fact (I hope): The boards under the rails of the orchestra pit are there so the musicians don't see up ladies skirts in the front row. Musicians must have a terrible reputation! A fun little nugget from our tour guide. He made the tour really interesting and fun! All in all, it was a great day, finished off with a Greggs.

What more could you want?







The Final Countdown

So... 2 more sleeps until I head up to Scotland to begin my next adventure. Though I don't start rehearsals for another 6 sleeps, i...