Ok, so they arrived on Saturday but I fell asleep on the couch instead of going to get them from the post office, by the time I remembered the post office was shut. Children are amazing, but ooh tiring lol.
Hubby picked them up for me today, I managed to get the goggles together and try everything on despite one poorly 2 year old 'hat off mummy' (apparently she doesn't like the swim hat) and 'jeg og glasses' ('me too glasses' she wanted my goggles but when she couldn't have them 'no glasses mummy'), and one baby trying to get everything, though he was happy with the goggle box, until his world ended when I needed to put the goggles away and needed the box back.
The goggles were easy to put together and seem to fit really well with the medium size bridge. I am looking forward to being able to see when at the pool!
I tried the swimsuit on and I am really pleased! It's even exactly the right size. It does make me a slightly strange shape as my boobs are pretty much squashed, so it's not the most flattering fit, but it does fit right up to my neck and the zip up the back makes it really easy to get in and out of.
Now I just need my little girl to get better and I'll be off to the pool. My mum is soon here for 3 weeks so I will be taking full advantage of that and going to the pool as much as possible.
Not much else to report really, been busy being mummy :))
Happy Monday all :)
PS I think a great side effect of this will be the kids learning to swim!
Monday, June 27, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
order placed!
I found a Norwegian company, swimshop.no, that sells some of the things I need so I placed an order last night.
I've just checked and they are already picking the order!
A Speedo Hydrasuit swimsuit - I chose this one because it is a very high neck so I won't have any drag from water in my top from the gap that is there when I try any lower cut suits. Having boobs is all well and good but they can be a real annoyance sometimes! This suit also has a zip up back, which I like, better or not than other backs, I don't know yet, we'll see!
A Speedo Vector swim cap - apparently a good one.. I mainly chose it because it was black and speedo lol, what can I say? I trust the brand.
A kick/pull board - not sure of this brand, they seem to have some pretty cheap items, whether that is good or not I am not sure, another wait and see!
and finally goggles! It makes me a little unsure that they are not branded, but as I intend to get my eyes fixed after stopping breastfeeding it's not a major thing if the goggles don't last forever.
Hopefully I will get the order in the next couple of days!
Hubby is back from work at a good time today so we are all going swimming! I say swimming, but it'll really be the keeping-the-kids-afloat sort of swimming, which I also love! I kept baby girl home from nursery to have a cosy day. They are having a much needed sleep at the moment. Which reminds me, I must find a second hand sleeping buggy for baby boy for when he goes to nursery in a few weeks... We had thought baby girl might have stopped sleeping in the day by now, but happily she still needs a nap.
On another note, I have decided to look for work as an assistant in a nursery. I will have many years to build a career here, now is the time to spend with the babes and working in a nursery will allow me the same holidays etc. It also allows me to have a job I won't need to think about out of hours, which in turn allows me more time to swim and train. While I am not remotely looking forward to baby boy also going to nursery, I am looking forward to working again - it's been a while!
Thinking about my level of fitness I can happily say I am improving. I went for a walk yesterday with baby boy in the buggy and the steep hill is getting much easier! Speed of ascent and recovery afterwards are both improved, not to mention I am able to walk the next day!
Rightio, time to get on!
xx
I've just checked and they are already picking the order!
A Speedo Hydrasuit swimsuit - I chose this one because it is a very high neck so I won't have any drag from water in my top from the gap that is there when I try any lower cut suits. Having boobs is all well and good but they can be a real annoyance sometimes! This suit also has a zip up back, which I like, better or not than other backs, I don't know yet, we'll see!
A Speedo Vector swim cap - apparently a good one.. I mainly chose it because it was black and speedo lol, what can I say? I trust the brand.
A kick/pull board - not sure of this brand, they seem to have some pretty cheap items, whether that is good or not I am not sure, another wait and see!
and finally goggles! It makes me a little unsure that they are not branded, but as I intend to get my eyes fixed after stopping breastfeeding it's not a major thing if the goggles don't last forever.
Hopefully I will get the order in the next couple of days!
Hubby is back from work at a good time today so we are all going swimming! I say swimming, but it'll really be the keeping-the-kids-afloat sort of swimming, which I also love! I kept baby girl home from nursery to have a cosy day. They are having a much needed sleep at the moment. Which reminds me, I must find a second hand sleeping buggy for baby boy for when he goes to nursery in a few weeks... We had thought baby girl might have stopped sleeping in the day by now, but happily she still needs a nap.
On another note, I have decided to look for work as an assistant in a nursery. I will have many years to build a career here, now is the time to spend with the babes and working in a nursery will allow me the same holidays etc. It also allows me to have a job I won't need to think about out of hours, which in turn allows me more time to swim and train. While I am not remotely looking forward to baby boy also going to nursery, I am looking forward to working again - it's been a while!
Thinking about my level of fitness I can happily say I am improving. I went for a walk yesterday with baby boy in the buggy and the steep hill is getting much easier! Speed of ascent and recovery afterwards are both improved, not to mention I am able to walk the next day!
Rightio, time to get on!
xx
Monday, June 20, 2011
we've done it!
...'it' being joined the gym I mentioned in the last post.
While I was discovering just how unfit I am by partaking in the mum and baby class at my physiotherapist's, hubby went to the gym and signed us all up! He did ask if I wanted to nip in and get my card after the class but as I was just post workout I was slightly red faced, to say the least, not a look I want to immortalise in pictures, especially not a gym card I have to show every time I am there!
So yeah, today I did the first class I have done in many years. Run by my physio it is focused on strengthening all areas left less than perfect after childbearing and birth. I got to learn just how much I have improved since last year and just how easy it will be to improve a great deal more lol. My balance leaves much to be desired, which shows how much of a beating my core muscles have taken in the past few years with the whole baby brewing and illness thing. However, it was fun to balance on these half ball things while doing various exercises, though I have to admit I could only do about half all together and a quarter of that was without the half ball balancy thingy and was just on the floor. The advantage to starting and being this unfit is that I will see huge improvement rapidly!
Baby boy enjoyed himself for the most part, he was in a play pen with many new things to explore. He was fascinated by the music and all the jumping up and down we were doing, I expect him to be joining in next time :P I did end up having to get in the playpen and do some exercise in there with him, nothing like a 1 year old hanging on you to increase resistance! hehe
So, I still need to get a normal costume and prescription goggles, I won't get a chance until later in the week so for now I will just use my pretty tankini so I at least get in the water. Oh the kidlets will be over the moon when they realise they get to go swimming every week, maybe even several times! Baby girl still keeps taking about the 'lotsa wasser' and the 'ny nappeee' (the swim nappies). Not to mention the good night's sleep we should be getting when they are exhausting themselves playing in the water! Sleep... How I have missed you!
Oooh, I just got my first email as a member of the gym!
I am so looking forward to getting swimming!
Happy Monday all!
xx
While I was discovering just how unfit I am by partaking in the mum and baby class at my physiotherapist's, hubby went to the gym and signed us all up! He did ask if I wanted to nip in and get my card after the class but as I was just post workout I was slightly red faced, to say the least, not a look I want to immortalise in pictures, especially not a gym card I have to show every time I am there!
So yeah, today I did the first class I have done in many years. Run by my physio it is focused on strengthening all areas left less than perfect after childbearing and birth. I got to learn just how much I have improved since last year and just how easy it will be to improve a great deal more lol. My balance leaves much to be desired, which shows how much of a beating my core muscles have taken in the past few years with the whole baby brewing and illness thing. However, it was fun to balance on these half ball things while doing various exercises, though I have to admit I could only do about half all together and a quarter of that was without the half ball balancy thingy and was just on the floor. The advantage to starting and being this unfit is that I will see huge improvement rapidly!
Baby boy enjoyed himself for the most part, he was in a play pen with many new things to explore. He was fascinated by the music and all the jumping up and down we were doing, I expect him to be joining in next time :P I did end up having to get in the playpen and do some exercise in there with him, nothing like a 1 year old hanging on you to increase resistance! hehe
So, I still need to get a normal costume and prescription goggles, I won't get a chance until later in the week so for now I will just use my pretty tankini so I at least get in the water. Oh the kidlets will be over the moon when they realise they get to go swimming every week, maybe even several times! Baby girl still keeps taking about the 'lotsa wasser' and the 'ny nappeee' (the swim nappies). Not to mention the good night's sleep we should be getting when they are exhausting themselves playing in the water! Sleep... How I have missed you!
Oooh, I just got my first email as a member of the gym!
I am so looking forward to getting swimming!
Happy Monday all!
xx
Friday, June 17, 2011
Total Immersion Swimming...
I was googling about one thing or another to do with swimming equipment and some lovely person on a triathlon forum mentioned something about TI swimming. This I have never heard of (which is not a surprise as I have never researched swimming before, I just used to swim in the local club) so I did some more googling and it turns out the TI refers to Total Immersion swimming.
I won't go into detail here as there are plenty of sites that already do so, with people who have actually tried it ;)
Suffice to say it is about making your body work well in the water, maximising e'fish'ency (sorry, couldn't resist) every movement becoming smoother and swimming more like a fish!
It looks great and I can't wait to try it!
Other than that I've decided to stop breastfeeding soon. I've been pregnant, breastfeeding, pregnant, very sick, breastfeeding since 2008 now and quite frankly I am in need of a rest. It's a shame as I know I will miss it oh so much. Baby boy starts nursery in August and I will need to work soon enough, and I am really, really tired, so... Anyway, the upshot of that is I am not going to spend a great deal on a swimsuit that is a perfect fit for current boobage, I will wait and see what happens and in the mean while get a suit 'that works' lol.
From the sounds of it I will mainly be drilling strokes and re-learning how to swim to start with anyway! The speed will come in time, I am sure :)
Hope you all have a great weekend!
xx
I won't go into detail here as there are plenty of sites that already do so, with people who have actually tried it ;)
Suffice to say it is about making your body work well in the water, maximising e'fish'ency (sorry, couldn't resist) every movement becoming smoother and swimming more like a fish!
It looks great and I can't wait to try it!
Other than that I've decided to stop breastfeeding soon. I've been pregnant, breastfeeding, pregnant, very sick, breastfeeding since 2008 now and quite frankly I am in need of a rest. It's a shame as I know I will miss it oh so much. Baby boy starts nursery in August and I will need to work soon enough, and I am really, really tired, so... Anyway, the upshot of that is I am not going to spend a great deal on a swimsuit that is a perfect fit for current boobage, I will wait and see what happens and in the mean while get a suit 'that works' lol.
From the sounds of it I will mainly be drilling strokes and re-learning how to swim to start with anyway! The speed will come in time, I am sure :)
Hope you all have a great weekend!
xx
Thursday, June 16, 2011
ooh nice gym!
Well we figured we wouldn't be able to get the gym interested in helping out, and the local pool is closed for renovations, and let's face it, the closer the pool is the easier it is to get to and keep up with training!
So, we had a look and swapping the unhealthy food budget for part of the monthly cost and taking into account we won't need to pay for taking the kids swimming elsewhere... so yeah, we've pretty much decided to join the gym around the corner from us!
It's an Active Family Centre and we've just been to have a quick tour - it's lovely! Surprise surprise :P
The pool is only 17m long (I'll get very good at turns :P), so I think to test the long swims I will need to go to the pool in town, and this one is pretty warm, which apparently is not great for training. However, it's close and a good start and if I take it carefully I should acclimatise to the heat. I guess I will just need to keep more water on hand to drink during training.
They have a cute little kiddy pool, a cold plunge pool *brrrrrr* and also a sauna etc. I can't say I am a huge fan of saunas, but you never know, I might change lol.
The gym itself is great! They have a few different areas and rooms, I particularly liked the room on the top floor. They keep it purely for calm activities like yoga, lighting candles and soft music. There is never loud music in there and the atmosphere and energy of the room was lovely!
I am sure the gym will come in handy once I start needing to do some strength training, and I know Wonderful Hubby misses targeted training.
Oh and they have 'baby parking!' hehe :)) So we can train and the kids get to play with other kids. I love the thought of baby girl and baby boy growing up feeling comfortable in pools and gyms, particularly one like this - a very healthy atmosphere :))
All the classes, and there are many, are included. They also have a testing room where you can get various health tests done to monitor progress. Loving that idea!
Anyhoo, I think we will sign up for it as soon as payday comes around!
As to product research, that is going well, if confusing...
I think the lap counter I will get is the Pool Mate Pro - it seems to be regarded in a very good light by many swimmers. Luckily it works in pools over 15m! Hubby presented me with a Polar heart rate monitor yesterday for our 4th wedding anniversary with the information that we can easily change it :))
Swimsuits are a bit more complex, not so easy when it's not possible to try on so many. I am, to put it delicately, curvy up top. So the majority of suits, as I have seen written on many a forum, are unsuitable for housing the girls. So far the best option seems to be a water polo suit such as the Speedo Endurance FL Avenger. Now to just find a sports shop that can get it in for me to try!
Any advice is very welcome :)
Goggles - hmm, well, my vision should be getting better soon as the baby boy is cutting down on his feeding so my hormones should let my eyes go back to normal. So I am going to get my old prescription in swim goggles and as yet I have no idea which brand, not had a chance to look at those yet!
Ooh and the people who make the pool mate watch have also developed a shampoo especially for removing chlorine from hair, so I'll be getting some of that :))
Slightly daunted by the task, but still very excited! :))
More soon!
xx
So, we had a look and swapping the unhealthy food budget for part of the monthly cost and taking into account we won't need to pay for taking the kids swimming elsewhere... so yeah, we've pretty much decided to join the gym around the corner from us!
It's an Active Family Centre and we've just been to have a quick tour - it's lovely! Surprise surprise :P
The pool is only 17m long (I'll get very good at turns :P), so I think to test the long swims I will need to go to the pool in town, and this one is pretty warm, which apparently is not great for training. However, it's close and a good start and if I take it carefully I should acclimatise to the heat. I guess I will just need to keep more water on hand to drink during training.
They have a cute little kiddy pool, a cold plunge pool *brrrrrr* and also a sauna etc. I can't say I am a huge fan of saunas, but you never know, I might change lol.
The gym itself is great! They have a few different areas and rooms, I particularly liked the room on the top floor. They keep it purely for calm activities like yoga, lighting candles and soft music. There is never loud music in there and the atmosphere and energy of the room was lovely!
I am sure the gym will come in handy once I start needing to do some strength training, and I know Wonderful Hubby misses targeted training.
Oh and they have 'baby parking!' hehe :)) So we can train and the kids get to play with other kids. I love the thought of baby girl and baby boy growing up feeling comfortable in pools and gyms, particularly one like this - a very healthy atmosphere :))
All the classes, and there are many, are included. They also have a testing room where you can get various health tests done to monitor progress. Loving that idea!
Anyhoo, I think we will sign up for it as soon as payday comes around!
As to product research, that is going well, if confusing...
I think the lap counter I will get is the Pool Mate Pro - it seems to be regarded in a very good light by many swimmers. Luckily it works in pools over 15m! Hubby presented me with a Polar heart rate monitor yesterday for our 4th wedding anniversary with the information that we can easily change it :))
Swimsuits are a bit more complex, not so easy when it's not possible to try on so many. I am, to put it delicately, curvy up top. So the majority of suits, as I have seen written on many a forum, are unsuitable for housing the girls. So far the best option seems to be a water polo suit such as the Speedo Endurance FL Avenger. Now to just find a sports shop that can get it in for me to try!
Any advice is very welcome :)
Goggles - hmm, well, my vision should be getting better soon as the baby boy is cutting down on his feeding so my hormones should let my eyes go back to normal. So I am going to get my old prescription in swim goggles and as yet I have no idea which brand, not had a chance to look at those yet!
Ooh and the people who make the pool mate watch have also developed a shampoo especially for removing chlorine from hair, so I'll be getting some of that :))
Slightly daunted by the task, but still very excited! :))
More soon!
xx
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
My 10k Swim Challenge!
Hi!
Oh I am excited about this! So I apologise in advance for all the exclamation marks I am likely to use through this blog ;)
So first I should say something about what I am doing, why I am doing it and how I will complete it...
The Aim - to swim 10 000m in a swimming pool in 3.5 hours (or under) in June 2012.
Why - I have 3 main reasons
1 - To raise money for charity. As yet I am unsure which one, maybe the blood bank as I have a great deal to thank them for! Or maybe one who supports families who have lost loved ones in childbirth (we were lucky!). Or maybe the Norwegian national charity that supports those with pelvic problems in pregnancy (I live in Norway) Or maybe all three!
2 - To show women who have severe pelvic problems in pregnancy and those who have a hysterectomy that they can come back and have no lingering problems! (I'll write about my experiences soon, but suffice to say, they involved pain and a wheelchair, lots of surgery, complications, rare conditions and some pretty tough times).
3 - To do something totally, completely and ridiculously positive and redefine myself. I have been so far down physically and come so far since this time last year, it is time to change the way I and others see me and become 'Elizabeth, the marathon swimmer!'
How?
1 - research and find the most suitable swimsuit, lap counter, shampoo (the girls will understand this one!), prescription goggles, swimcap and other items I need!
2 - find or write a training plan
3 - get the local press involved, I want publicity for these charities!
4 - get the local fitness centre to sponsor me by allowing me to use their pool!
5 - find some other sponsors maybe?
6 - set up a paypal for the donations!
7 - start training!!
Obviously the pool point is rather vital! No matter how much I want to do this, there is not a possibility of paying a substantial amount every month for it :s So I am crossing my fingers they will be interested!
In the mean while I will be loving being mummy to my 1 year old little boy (who starts barnehage in 8 weeks! eeek!), my 2.5 year old little girl, wife to my lovely hubby, find and start a norwegian course, find a job for after mummy time is over and generally do normal life stuff!
Oh I also intend to use EFT (acupressure tapping) to deal with the emotional challenges something of this scale will present, probably 10 mins every day to stay on top of it, to stay motivated and to encourage my body to agree with me ;)
Well, that's the summary and I will write more later on, I already have a few posts worth of research and information to blog about!
Thanks for listening and I hope you'll stay around to join me on my journey and help raise some money!
Elizabeth
xx
Oh I am excited about this! So I apologise in advance for all the exclamation marks I am likely to use through this blog ;)
So first I should say something about what I am doing, why I am doing it and how I will complete it...
The Aim - to swim 10 000m in a swimming pool in 3.5 hours (or under) in June 2012.
Why - I have 3 main reasons
1 - To raise money for charity. As yet I am unsure which one, maybe the blood bank as I have a great deal to thank them for! Or maybe one who supports families who have lost loved ones in childbirth (we were lucky!). Or maybe the Norwegian national charity that supports those with pelvic problems in pregnancy (I live in Norway) Or maybe all three!
2 - To show women who have severe pelvic problems in pregnancy and those who have a hysterectomy that they can come back and have no lingering problems! (I'll write about my experiences soon, but suffice to say, they involved pain and a wheelchair, lots of surgery, complications, rare conditions and some pretty tough times).
3 - To do something totally, completely and ridiculously positive and redefine myself. I have been so far down physically and come so far since this time last year, it is time to change the way I and others see me and become 'Elizabeth, the marathon swimmer!'
How?
1 - research and find the most suitable swimsuit, lap counter, shampoo (the girls will understand this one!), prescription goggles, swimcap and other items I need!
2 - find or write a training plan
3 - get the local press involved, I want publicity for these charities!
4 - get the local fitness centre to sponsor me by allowing me to use their pool!
5 - find some other sponsors maybe?
6 - set up a paypal for the donations!
7 - start training!!
Obviously the pool point is rather vital! No matter how much I want to do this, there is not a possibility of paying a substantial amount every month for it :s So I am crossing my fingers they will be interested!
In the mean while I will be loving being mummy to my 1 year old little boy (who starts barnehage in 8 weeks! eeek!), my 2.5 year old little girl, wife to my lovely hubby, find and start a norwegian course, find a job for after mummy time is over and generally do normal life stuff!
Oh I also intend to use EFT (acupressure tapping) to deal with the emotional challenges something of this scale will present, probably 10 mins every day to stay on top of it, to stay motivated and to encourage my body to agree with me ;)
Well, that's the summary and I will write more later on, I already have a few posts worth of research and information to blog about!
Thanks for listening and I hope you'll stay around to join me on my journey and help raise some money!
Elizabeth
xx
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)