Dr Sue Pearson

Today is a MyStrength2 workout in the MyBody challenge and I really am feeling this one, so it is probably doing some good. Feisty daughter enjoyed her birthday on Monday. We had visitors and sang happy birthday with the ironic Gruffalo cake. Supportive husband left the cake on the side in the kitchen and the mad Abyssinian, Sybil came in while we were chatting via the kitchen window and proceeded to eat the chocolate frosting off the top of the cake. She knew she had done something terrible as she let herself out really quickly before we could tell her off, see this video for how she opens the front door herself https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMteczlitWM. Here’s the cake afterwards – the upside is that it helps with the healthy eating as I couldn’t have another slice!

 

Today is the start of Stage 2 on MyBody so this morning I did the first of the MyPower2 workouts and my arms are really aching now as this involves harder boxing combinations. I have lost another 2 lbs this week and a half an inch off my waist. I am finally below 9 stone which I haven’t been for a while so I’m really pleased. The party for feisty daughter went really well but there was a lot of loud singing of spice girls songs but no vomiting or nosebleeds which is always a bonus. Supportive husband and I went for a walk but had to return as the credit card was needed to purchase pizza. Smart son wore headphones and did maths and physics past papers as usual. The we went out for curry and supportive husband and I just had mains while smart son went for the belly busting all you can eat (or eat as much as you dare) buffet.

Today is feisty daughter’s birthday and it’s time to sing happy birthday and cut the Gruffalo cake she insisted on having as (it is ironic apparently). We’re going to take vegan cousin who came for a sleepover back home this morning to darkest Essex (she lives out in the boonies – wouldn’t suit me as it’s too far from anywhere). Then it’s out for an all you can eat Chinese buffet tonight. I think I may be on short rations for the rest of the week to make up for it! It’s also another UK bank holiday so a nice restful family day ahead and possibly a walk past the Lavender farm.

 

Feeling good this morning as I have just completed the MyCore workout on the MyBody Challenge and got a date yesterday for the next photo shoot for the MailOnline. I’m hoping I will look better than the last time – here’s a reminder of the 5 of us at the start in the MailOnline.  The only thing in good shape that day were my brows thanks to the talents of Kerry Hoy!

This means I can’t stop with this healthy eating and exercise malarkey now! With that in mind I did a great Zumba class yesterday with the brilliant Annie Farrow as it was a MyChoice day and boy are my legs aching today.

I have a busy Friday as I have to write some ad copy and finish a press release on vaccine potency, then I have to wrap all feisty daughter’s birthday presents up before taking her to the orthodentist and then to get her ears pierced as part of her birthday present.

We have 11 teenage girls coming round on Sunday for a birthday party, which I’m sure will be very high-pitched and quite scary. Me, supportive husband and smart son are all hiding upstairs while they do whatever it is they want to do for a few hours. Hopefully there will be no vomit involved.

Wish me luck!

Today has been a mad rush as I went to a stem cell meeting in Cambridge this morning. The crazy Abyssinian woke me up at 5am as she wanted to go out hunting and then I couldn’t get back to sleep properly. Still the upside was that I got up at 5.45, made sandwiches for the feisty daughter and then went to do the MyStrength workout in the MyBody challenge in my office (which used to be the back of my garage) before leaving to go the meeting at 7.30 in my trusty suit (which now fits – bonus). I even managed to do all three rounds of the MyStrength and some press ups on my toes, @Louisrennocks would be proud. I was very restrained at the conference (not like me) as I didn’t tuck into the cookies or pastries (I usually have several rounds of these – hmm wonder why I was putting on so much weight!) They did have some lovely sparkling water there so I consumed several bottles of that and cappuccino (a must for every journalist) while listening to some great talks on how you can use stem cells for disease modelling of Alzheimer’s Disease and Cardiomyopathy. There are so many brilliant scientists out there doing the most amazing research most of which never gets into the mainstream press – I love being a science writer on days like today because I get to hear mainly good news! Will spend the rest of the day writing up the research for an article and then off to Verve tonight for a jive – variety is the spice of life after all.

Well it’s Monday again and I’m now at Day 22 (can’t believe that I have made it to Week 4) without a bag of McCoys and today was the last day of MyPower 1 on the MyBody 12 week challenge for MailOnline. Did the whole workout without any trouble this morning so must be time to move onto Stage 2. I have lost another pound this week, which make my total weight loss 7 pounds and I have also lost another inch off my waist, at 29.4 inches to date. Here I am talking about what I like about the MyBody Challenge MailOnline MyBody Challenge at Week 4

I’m amazed I lost any weight this week as I did succumb to wine and a delicious lemon cupcake and fruit and nut flapjacks at the weekend to celebrate the royal nuptials. Feisty daughter is doing baking for her DoE and it would have been rude not to sample her delicious efforts – (lemon, fruit and grapes are part of your 5 a day right?) Didn’t try to get into my wedding dress at the weekend and post a picture of myself as I still don’t think it will fit yet. Anyway onwards and upwards that press release won’t write itself!

Just done the MyCore workout in the MyBody challenge – can’t believe I’m at the end of week three already. The workouts are getting easier each time I do them and I did manage to do those killer gorillas in all three rounds today (result). I’m enjoying these workouts as they are short,varied and they fit neatly in before I have to start the business of my working (and juggling other stuff) day.

Just made myself a tasty snack of walnuts, sesame and sunflower seeds, need all my brain power today as I have to edit an article on lab automation and get a banner sorted out for a football club. As usual Sybil, the slightly mad Abyssinian is in my office with me snoring for support, while I tap away.

Tonight, I’m going to this jive night for a dance. I tried my favourite jive dress on yesterday and was delighted to find that I can get into it again (hoorah) so will be wearing that tonight with a new pair of red dance shoes (a birthday present from supportive hubby, which I have yet to wear). Then I have to pick feisty daughter up from a party. What a weird but wonderful world I live in!

 

It was a MyTime day today so technically a rest day on the MyBody workouts – just as well as I had to go to Spotlight in Leicester Square for a casting. Most of you probably don’t know but in my non-existent spare time I do film and TV extra work – which is a fun hobby, where I get to meet some great people. This year, I have been a hospital visitor in the film Angel has Fallen with Morgan Freeman and Gerard Butler (didn’t meet either) and had to do lots of running from an exploding building. I have also been a factory worker on Blinded by the Light where I did get to meet the fantastic director Gurinda Chadha, who made Bend it like Beckham. We were told she was pretty fearsome but she turned out to be totally lovely.

Had a great spag bol for dinner, replaced beef mince with turkey mince to make it lower fat and also used green beans from the allotment (the last pack from the freezer) shredded with this  handy gadget as spaghetti. Still tastes great but lower in fat and carbs, this heathy eating stuff is all about making small tweaks here and there! Then topped the day off with a walk. Perfect!

 

 

 

Today did the MyStrength workout in MyBody and am pleased to report I did all three rounds without collapsing in a heap. I wanted to do them early as I need to take my mind off smart son who sits his first A level paper today in Further Maths. I am praying for him! He needs 3 As to get into the university he wants to read Maths at, which is a tough ask when you’re doing Maths, Further Maths and Physics. He has worked so hard for these that I am hopeful he will get the grades he wants and may even get an A* in Maths. As Mark Twain said :”The harder I work the luckier I get.” This can be applied to A levels and getting fit I think!

My arms feel like they are on fire now and all the muscles in my body are beginning to ache which is good because it means my body is changing for the better. I noticed that I am getting stronger and my washer woman arms are getting a bit less wobbly. I am even able to wave people goodbye without an underarm swing back of flesh (result). I have also noticed that my joints are aching less (probably because they have to support half a stone less weight) and I’m able to climb up stairs without being out of breath. This makes the healthy eating changes and exercises all worthwhile. My sports bra also stayed shut today (bonus) – which made the workout much less stressful! Onwards and upwards – brochure to write on DNA and protein imaging systems today.

Monday has started off really well, I have lost another 4 pounds and another inch off of my waist on the 12 week MyBody challenge, I was so inspired that I did the MyPower Workout at 7.30 am and then took feisty daughter to school. Today is a day to celebrate, because on Monday May 14th 1979, I had a spinal fusion (large rod attached to my spine) to treat my scoliosis. For those of you that don’t know scoliosis is a curvature of the spine and mine was a lovely backwards S shape. The fun doesn’t stop there as the spine curves side-ways but also rotates, which means your hips, ribs and shoulders come out of alignment. I used to have trouble breathing and walking and my shoulders hurt a lot.  I was told at the time that if I didn’t have the operation I would be in a wheelchair by the age of 21. I will be forever grateful to the brilliant Mike Edgar who operated on my back at Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, Stanmore. Today my back feels great, I jive, I do zumba, go for long walks and now am doing the 12 week fitness challenge with Myleene Klass for the MailOnline http://www.dailymail.co.uk/…/Could-Myleene-Klass-body-12-we… . The RNOH has given me 39 years of health and movement – what a great hospital!

With that in mind it’s time to write something useful about science – today it’s a new way of using fluorescence and UV to check surgical instruments are free from prions, (nasty bits of protein that can cause Creutzfeldt Jakob disease [vCDJ] and also some say Alzheimer’s disease.) Feeling great today!

Today is a MyTime rest day on the MyBody 12 week challenge and I have made it through the first two weeks (hooray). Picked up feisty daughter from a sleepover and then dropped her off at school for her Duke of Edinburgh practise day. While in Hitchin I decided to go to the pool, I love swimming but am never usually motivated enough to go but since it was only 9.30 am and I felt full of energy I decided it was a good idea. 2018 is Herts Year of physical Activity (most of you probably didn’t know this). Essentially, the county is trying to get us all and especially the over 50s to get off our widening backsides to do something more active than press the remote button. They are even offering a Free activity pass for you and friend to do a class or a session. I got my voucher and used it for a free swim at  Hitchin Pool which was lovely as it wasn’t too busy at 9.45 when I got in. Managed to do 52 lengths, and was very pleased with myself. Went home, had my lovely tomato omelette and skinny cappuccino. Then spent the rest of the day relaxing in the garden with a good book while Sybil sunned herself and supportive hubby and smart son went to play Pickleball