Janathon Day 29 : Looking Back - Looking forwards

We're over the hill and on the home straight now. 29 days of #janathon completed and just 2 more to go.

Looking back ...... I've walked more often, further and faster probably since four years ago. I've lost 5 kilos in weight. I've learned to appreciate that exercise does not just have to be traditional "sport" type exercise. Other activities count too. For me that is working in the garden. I can lose myself for several hours, moving in different ways, using different muscles etc. etc and enjoying being outside.

Looking forwards ..... what comes next? A fellow Janathoner suggested a Febathon. I'm up for that, anyone else? The discipline of doing something every day, and writing about it (nearly) every day has helped me keep up the commitment. Now it needs to be long term, a change in life style not just a 31 day challenge. As another fellow Janathoner and #ukfitnessblogger pointed out to me

"It's a marathon not a sprint!" **

I need to stop focusing on the fact that I am unable (yet) to start including some running, and focus on the fact that at least every other day I'm walking 8+ km, pushing myself further and further each time.

I need to stop focusing on the alternate days when I can manage only 4k or 5k or some other form of exercise.

I need to focus on the fact that I am fitter, feeling better, clothes are starting to fit better and not on the fact that I still need to lose another 10 kilos.

I don't need to beat myself up because I had a few glasses of wine on one day. I need to pat myself on the back for being alcohol free for 23 out of 24 days.

It's about regular exercise not a competition.

It's about healthy eating not dieting.

"It's a marathon not a sprint!" **

Thanks ** Colin Chambers for the marathon / sprint advice and for the encouragement, thank you all for the motivation!

Today's effort



#janathon stats so far
walking             104.86 km
cycling                23.75 km
squats                510
gardening           18.0 hours

#alchohol free in 2015 - 23 days

#weightloss2015 5kg ( at the end of  four complete weeks )

Janathon Day 26 : Putting a line under yesterday

Putting a line under yesterday indeed, put it behind me and not let it put me off track. Apart from an hour of moving and stacking firewood .... I tried to put a little extra effort into it by "jogging" from the driveway and up the steps to the verandah each time .... there was very little exercise yesterday.

Days out are always danger zones for me, yesterday in particular, as it was a slightly belated birthday celebration with a friend. Pre-lunch champagne aperitivo, lunch in a meat-lovers heaven restaurant with an extremely good red wine. I think that says it all.

Onwards and upwards. After a really bad night's sleep (now was that the wine?) the last thing I felt like doing was braving the elements, but this is day 26 of #janathon and not the time to quit. The cold wind is back, fleeced up and gloves on, the wind blew away the cobwebs if nothing else. Having downloaded one of the many 5k running trainer aps I thought today would be the day I would begin something a little more adventurous than walking. Think again ... I couldn't even manage the first minutes jogging. Maybe the effect of yesterday's festivities, or maybe I am just not ready.

With #janathon coming to an end it's time to think about what will follow it. #MakeTheChange2015 may fit the bill.



#janathon stats so far
walking       83.98 km
cycling        23.75 km
squats          510
gardening   14.0 hours

#alchohol free in 2015 -  19 days

#weightloss2015        4.1kg ( at the end of three complete weeks )

Janathon Day 23 : Help, the munchies are chasing me!

Too wet to get out and with aching legs any thoughts of exercise were not welcome in my restless brain today. I did have a mission today though and that was to get the Chrome Cast key set up on the TV in the living room; it's been working fine in the kitchen so it should be no problem. Well, almost no problem. I thought I had done it - but could not get anything from the laptop "cast" onto the TV screen. Much scratching of head until the lightbulb moment came ..... TV on one wifi network, laptop on the other. Doh!

You may ask what this has to do with exercising. On a rainy day, quite a lot. Unable or unwilling to face the elements I needed to resort to my Leslie Sansone Walk At Home app. 24 minutes and two miles of more than just walking later and that's today's exercise done for #janathon Day 23.



Why is it whenever the wet weather arrive it is swiftly followed by the munchies and my thoughts turn to baking? I love Great British Bake Off, Britain's Best Bakery and such like ..... but my weight doesn't.

With a bag of courgettes in the fridge my thoughts turned to chocolate courgette cake. Swapping out the butter for olive oil and the sugar for half sugar and Stevia must have helped a bit. Rather than bake a big cake I made the mixture into muffins ..... downside, muffins cooked in 30 minutes rather than the 60+ for a whole cake. The result was that the courgettes had not cooked completely into the cake mixture and there is the odd courgette strand and a distinct vegetable aroma about the muffins .... but they still taste good. However as they come in at 174 calories each they will have to be a seldom treat. Off to the freezer they go .....

#janathon stats so far
walking       75.76 km
cycling        23.75 km
squats          510
gardening   14.0 hours

#alchohol free in 2015 -  17 days (today is day 18 ... not tempting fate by counting  until after midnight!)

#weightloss2015        4.1kg ( at the end of three complete weeks )

Janathon Day 22 : From sluggish to buzzing

Woke up feel decidedly sluggish this morning .... but it was a beautiful morning and it Day 22 of #janathon and the beginning of week 4. We had errands to run in Torchiarolo so I walked back, and definitely picking up the pace now. 6.5 km in 1 hour and 3 minutes. I was really tiring as I got closer to home, very happy to see the sea again on the home stretch. Despite being tired I was really buzzing.


Followed up the walk with a little gardening...... thinning out and transplanting strawberries. We may have had some really cold weather but they are ahead of themselves again. Flowers and baby berries already. And tons of caterpillars, snails and slugs doing untold damage. It is war.

Today is also weight check-in day after the first three weeks, another 1.5kg down. I know the loss rate is going to slow down soon - just have to try not to get too demoralised when it does, I'm well on the way to where I want to be.




#janathon stats so far
walking       72.56 km
cycling        23.75 km
squats          510
gardening   14.0 hours

#alchohol free in 2015 -  16 days (today is day 17 ... not tempting fate by counting  until after midnight!)

#weightloss2015        4.1kg ( at the end of three complete weeks )

Janathon Day 21: And the Rains Came

Torrents ...... but once again at night. Are we in Camelot? Sadly the leaves don't sweep themselves up and the wind does not blow them into neat little piles.

Day 21 of #janathon. It's kind of hard to believe that the first three weeks of this year have rushed by already, and I am still on the #janathon bandwagon. After my "rest" day yesterday I was determined to get a good walk in. All the coastal paths are either flooded or mud-slippery - time to stick to the road, and even that was flooded in places. Endomondo hiccuped on me a couple of times and broke my walk into three parts, so three routes/stats below. Not sure why ... is it because I am on the free version?

Feeling good .... feeling motivated. Spring is in the air, the air is soft and warming up, summer is around the corner waiting for the new svelte me (I hope).

#janathon stats so far
walking       66.06 km
cycling        23.75 km
squats          510
gardening   12.5 hours

#alchohol free in 2015 -  15 days (today is day 16 ... not tempting fate by counting  until after midnight!)

#weightloss2015        2.6kg ( until tomorrow - end of week 3 weigh in )

Janathon Day 19 : Agh - Boiling over

Boiling over and not from the excercise ..... but as this is my #janathon exercise blog, first the exercise. An emergency trip to the bank in Torchiarolo due to the failure of another bank to execute a transfer was called for. Out came my trusty steed, the promised rains came in the night in the form of a massive thunderstorm but have gone away for now,  ... and set off for Torchiarolo. It's definitely time for a new bike, mine is nine years old and feeling it's age. The gears are stiff and take forever to react to a change. When they do it is with a big clunk. My first bike ride into Torchiarolo for quite some time.



And back again ....



I'm happy with that .... it was quite an effort. I think my self-awarded prize to myself at the end of this month, if I complete the #janathon challenge, is going to be a new bike.

After that two hours in the garden completed my efforts for today.

Boiling over? If you live in Puglia, and probably other Southern European countries as well, you know a visit to the bank can take a long time. I thought I had got lucky when I arrived at the bank and there was only one other customer. Sadly after he left the cashier decided he must do something else urgently before he dealt with me. So I waited, and waited, and waited. Until eventually another cashier came along. All I wanted to do was pay 150 euros into my account. You would think I had robbed a bank or something to get the 150 euros. My account name and details were all written down on a piece of paper which I handed over, saying I wanted to pay the money into my account. "ID" she snapped. I handed over my identity card. "This is your first time in the bank." was the next comment, all in Italian of course. Um .... I have had an account at that bank for nine years! "Well it is the first time I have seen you." Probably due to internet banking which, thankfully, works extremely well and avoids the need to go into the bank except on rare occasions. "I can't find your account." To which I politely pointed out that all the details were on the piece of paper. "It's not your account - the name on  your ID card is different." Oh bum .... this is due to the Comune di Torchiarolo insisting on including my maiden name with my married name to make my surname. They just cannot get to grips with the fact that in the UK a lot of women take the husband's surname. I explained this ..... and waited while, with much sucking of the teeth and long sighs, the cashier tried to get to grips with it. In the end I  handed over my UK driving license with only my married name on it .... and eventually she gave in and got on with it. Oh Puglia I do love you, but sometimes .............

Time for a much needed Italian coffee, something they do very well here, and at 0.80 euro cents for an Americano, a positive bargain.

#janathon stats so far
walking       58.51 km
cycling        23.75 km
squats         460
gardening   12.5 hours

#alchohol free in 2015 -  13 days (today is day 14 ... not tempting fate by counting it until after midnight!)

#weightloss2015        2.6kg

Janathon Day 18 : Foiled by geography.

Day 18 of the #janathon challenge and I was off to an early start this morning, full of beans. It's much milder here in Puglia (good) but the winter rains look like they are about to arrive (bad - except the garden needs it). Yesterday my excercise session was barrowing 15 quintale of firewood (olive) down a steep slope the basement. In case you are wondering 1 quintale is equal to 100kg. A tone is 1000kg, so one and half tons of wood. That'll do. Certainly it stretched different muscles, mainly the core and arms.

Once again I struck out along the coastal road and paths heading north through Torre San Gennaro and onwards and upwards. Or so I thought. My goal, as you may remember, is to follow the coast path until I reach Lido Cerano. I pushed on past my last turn around point ready to give it my best. Then I was foiled, the path petered out and I was standing on the edge of a cliff looking down at a small cove and the sea. Ah well, change of plan required, it seems next time I must first head inland and get past the inlet, if at all possible.



My stupid phone seized up on me at the turnaround point. It seems Endomondo, Music Player and the Camera altogether were just too much for it. So I lost all my GPS tracking data from the walk. When I mapped it manually, although I went further than Friday, the distance came out as less. Go figure.

#janathon stats so far
walking       58.51km
cycling        11.00km
squats         460
gardening   10.5 hours

#alchohol free in 2015 -  12 days (today is day 13 ... not tempting fate by counting it until after midnight!) I'm feeling good about this as it includes one lunch at friends, one lunch out and entertaining friends to lunch here today.

#weightloss2015        2.6kg


If the rainy weather is really arriving I guess I will be using Leslie Sansones Walk at Home 5 mile Fat Burning Walk. It worked for me four years ago; maybe time to break it out again.

Janathon Day 16 - eek how did it get to be 6pm

I blinked and the day has gone. How did that happen?

Up early this morning, outside temperature 3C (yesterday it was -1 ); Italian lesson on Duolingo, then feeding the Casa Mare cats, those that are ours and those that come for food when there is no-one else around to feed them. Kitchen clean up duties, breakfast and out for my walk. Not having done much yesterday it had to be done. All fleeced up ... fleece pants, fleece jumper, fleece jacket, the one with all the pockets for mobile phone, keys, camera etc.

I set up at a fair pace, full of vim and vigour and enouraged by the fact that despite a day out yesterday with a restaurant lunch I had maintained my two week weight loss. Having had a small brain storm this morning I suddenly remember that I have GPS tracking on my phone ..... no more drawing my walking routes manually. Today I kept the pace up .... not least because I needed to get back home where OH was waiting. We've put it off and put if off but the dreaded shopping could be put off no longer.

I don't think I went much further than Wednesday ...... but look at the difference with the GPS tracking, 7 km in 1 hour. The route looks reasonably accurate to the one I actually took. There appears to be a point early on where I went in a straight line though houses and along non-existent roads / tracks. I'm guessing that the phone lost the GPS signal for a short while and then picked it up again and took me in a straight line, in fact shortening my true route. I assume a GPS tracker is more accurate than my manual routes?





Anyway halfway through #janathon I am very happy with that. And very happy that I have stuck with it so far. The end of the month doesn't look too far away, I'm already looking for my next challenge.

Now I know I am committing a cardinal sin but I have been weighing myself everyday. With bated breath this morning as there was not exercise in my day yesterday and eating out is always a minefield. As I maintained my two week loss I was happy. After this morning's walk, having returned home hot and sweaty, and going out into the real world it was imperative that I change clothes. Now I vaguely recall having read somewhere that you should not weigh yourself first thing in the morning, better after being up and moving around for a while. So I made that cardinal sin even worse by weighing myself again .... 0.2kg less than first thing, and a 0.1% drop in body fat. I hope that carries through to tomorrow morning  .... a downward trend I like very much.

It also brings me to the question ..... how do these "smart" scales measure body fat? Okay so they know I am female, my age and my height and of course my weight, but surely there is more to it than that. Any answers please?

As for the rest of the day .... DIY superstore, food hypermarket with the dreaded trolley trot, must have added at least another 2km to my daily total. I hate shopping. I can't be the only one. There has to be a better way. At least now I'm free of it for three or four weeks, fresh items and anything missing will come from local shops - a bicycle ride away. Combining errands with exercise sounds like a plan.

#janathon stats so far
walking       52..48km
cycling        11.00km
squats         460
gardening   9.5 hours

#alchohol free in 2015 -  10 days (today is day 11 ... not tempting fate by counting it until after midnight!)

#weightloss2015        2.6kg

Time to relax now.

Janathon Day 15 : Blow out day

Fellow #janathon and #ukfitness bloggers be warned this post is more about food than exercise.

Everybody needs one ..... even the toughest of diet books say so ... fool your metabolism, a little of what you fancy etc. etc. Today was it. We took time out in the winter sunshine to explore a previously unvisited Puglia seaside town. This of course meant throwing my whole routine, such as it is, into chaos. We were out most of the day. As the day involved walking I'm not going to sweat the small stuff too much. This is the beginning of week 3 for the #janathon challenge and one  R and R day isn't going to hurt.

My exercise involved a stroll along the seafront here and then about an hour of walking around the seaside town of Savelletri, north of home and just east of Fasano. It is a beautiful little town, very well kept and with a lovely harbour and esplanade walks. Located on a rocky part of the Adriatic coastline not one for a beach trip but great for walking and lunch! The archeological area of Egnazia is a stones throw to the north, archeological buffs and historians could easily combine a morning trip to Egnazia with lunch in Savelletri followed by a post prandial stroll.

La Rotonda di Vito Galasso

 In fact we headed a little further south to the town of Torre Canne where we had the blow out lunch at La Rotonda di Vito Galasso on the seafront. Fabulous location, modern well presented restaurant with a menu full of traditional dishes. My choices were cozze gratinate, gamberi al brandy with chips (! blow out, remember !), and followed by panna cotta with fruit sauce. Very naughty, very nice and hopefully it won't knock me back too much.  How do I even begin to estimate the number of calories, fat etc in that lunch?

Panna Cotta con frutta di bosca

I'm proud to say that I did not have wine, in fact none of my companions had wine ...... a first in all our years of lunching out in Puglia. You could say I was celebrating the almost midpoint of #janathon and my two week weight check in showing a total loss for 2015 of 2.6kg. I am a happy bunny.

#janathon stats so far
walking       45.46km
cycling        11.00km
squats         460
gardening   9.5 hours

#alchohol free in 2015 -  9 days (today is day 10 ... not tempting fate by counting it until after midnight!)

#weightloss2015        2.6kg

Back to pounding the pavement tomorrow.

Janathon Day 14 : Casting a clout

"Ne'er cast a clout before May is out" as my grandma used to say. Never mind a clout today I cast off the two fleece sweaters and the fleece pants and exchanged them for a t-shirt and leggings when I set out for today's walk. Not a pretty sight at the moment but despite dressing down I still came back sweating cobblers!

My route today took my north alongside the Puglia Adriatic coastline. Following the coastal path from home towards Torre San Genarro and then on the esplanade into Torre San Genarro, down into the tiny harbour, and out along the esplanade into and through Campo di Mare. I made it to the other side of Campo di Mari just where there is a track leading off along the coast. This is nearly as far as I was walking this time last year before a foot injury ended play. I'm happy that I'm catching up with myself at last.



My goal is to continue along the coastal path until I reach Cerano Beach Lido, if that is possible. It's an unexplored route so the jury is out. It appears to be 5.6km so a 11km round trip ..... it's a goal. Maybe an own goal. I've never understood the appeal of Cerano Beach Lido, it's a nice enough beach but it sits right under the elecricity power station!

The small seaside towns are almost deserted just the odd person wandering around, a couple of fishermen in the harbour at TSG with today's catch for sale, workmen doing up one of the houses in the village, a dog-walker on the beach. So different from the summer months when the whole area will be buzzing, especially in July in August. The mass migration from San Pietro Vernotico to Torre San Gennaro, from Torchiarolo to Lendinuso and from Squinzano to Casalabate will probably start in May. Locals leaving their winter homes and returning to their summer houses to catch the sea breezes and join in the fun. More and more tourists are finding this area of the Salento, Puglia now .... but it is still very unspoilt.

The seaweed is in and the beaches are covered with it. It still amazes me how much the beaches here change from week to week, from sandy stretches, sand and shale in the summer months, pebble strewn throughout the autumn and winter, seaweed now and when that washes away back to pebbles, before returning to our summer sandy delight. The air as so clear today we could just make out the coast of Albania.

Back home again and straight into the garden for a good two hour session, still trimming, cutting back, weeding and pruning. A few days efforts and the results are starting to show. From an overgrown wilderness it is now possible to walk almost the full length of the garden along the east side of the house. From the working area (compost bins, shed, washing line) through the shrub-filled gravel garden and onto the new (nearly completely grouted) patio. It's looking good.

14 days into the #janathon challenge and my energy levels are up .... feeling good, motivated, and believing I will actually complete this challenge. Tomorrow is the weigh in after two complete weeks, feeling hopeful.

#janathon stats so far
walking       43.96km
cycling        11.00km
squats         460
gardening   9.5 hours

#alchohol free in 2015 -  8 days (today is day 9 ... not tempting fate by counting it until after midnight!)

Janathon Day 12 : Blown Away

Full of beans .... jumped out of bed quite early and went straight into the 12 minute work out from the Lean and Clean first stage workout. This time I managed all the moves ... although my plank only lasted 5 seconds at the end. Baby steps for beginners, but we have to start somewhere.

Yet again another blustery day ..... as we were going to lunch with our friends Val and Mino I decided to walk to Casalabate despite the wind. I was due to be collected from Casalabate at 1pm so allowing myself an hour in the howling wind probably wasn't a good idea. Maybe it wasn't the time to meander down a different route and across the unmade up roads. Almost, but not quite, getting lost in the process.

Despite the wind and the mislaid route I made it in a little over an hour; if I'd had any cobwebs the wind would certainly have blown them away. There were a couple of brave windsurfers trying their luck at Lendinuso; surely the wind was too strong today. If the wind had been behind me instead of me heading into it I think I would have been windsurfing the streets. It made short shrift of the 20 euro note that literally flew out of my pocket when I pulled out my camera. That one's a gonner then.

By the time I was collected at Casalabate my hands were freezing (forgot my gloves, who needs them in Puglia, even in winter!) and my ears were falling off. Val's warm welcome and home-made curry lunch soon put that right.  I even surprised myself .... no wine. It was there, it was offered, but I just didn't want it. Trust me, had I wanted some I would have had some. Now it looks like I am well on the way to a full week without wine.

I think I  have been inspired by Tom Kerridge. We watched a recording of Food and Drink yesterday and saw the slimmed down Tom. A quick Google revealed his recipe for weight loss success.

In this article Tom is quoted as saying "one of the big problems of being a publican is that you're surrounded by beer, so I gave up drinking."  That combined with daily swimming and weaning himself off carbs resulted in a staggering weight loss of at least 84 pounds. "Weigh" to go Tom, those photos are going in my fridge door to inspire me some more. Along with a lighter me .... taken three and a half years ago when I last successfully lost what felt like a ton of weight. I will do it again .... I know I can, I know I can to quote a certain little train.

June 2010

Home now .... house is freezing, gas central heating blasting away while the fire gets going. Yesterday was such a beautiful day, I made the foolish comment "L'inverno é finito." in the market yesterday morning; to be told it was on it's way back, but only for one day the lady promised. We will see tomorrow. I am not liking this shivering windy Puglia winter.



#janathon stats so far
walking       38.52km
cycling        11.00km
squats         460
gardening   4.5 hours

#alchohol free in 2015 -  6 days (today is day 7 ... not tempting fate by counting it until after midnight!)

Tomorrow is another day!

Janathon Day 11 : Feeling good

Much better than yesterday ...... thankfully. Beautiful morning after a cold night, warm and sunny ..... just right for a stroll around Casalabate market followed by a cycle ride towards Torchiarolo. I'm working up to the full round trip to and from Torchiarolo so I can do my local shopping on my bike. I think it will be about a week before my coccyx and my energy get me there.

After cycling, an hour and a half in the garden....  more weeding, trimming, pruning, clearing.

I did attempt Clean and Lean's 12 minute workout but only managed the first four of the exercises.10 reps of each; not much I know, but this kind of workout is something new to me. I'm very afraid of injuring myself if I go hell for leather ... something I normally do and in doing so knocked myself out of other challenges last year.

#janathon stats so far
        walking        32.68km
        cycling           11.00km
        squats           410
        gardening     4.5 hours

#alchohol free in 2015 5 days (today is day 6 ... not tempting fate by counting it until after midnight!)


Feeling contented .....

Janathon Day 10 : Lost my mojo.

I work up this morning with a mild case of the blues. I've lost my mojo. No particular reason, a restless night but for me not too bad. The sun was shining, the sky was blue and the sea calm as a mill pond. The house was cold, really cold ... before next winter we really are going to have to address the issue of insulation, or no insulation as it really is. This is the coldest Puglia winter I have experienced in our 10 winters here. Tomorrow 17 degees and sunny is forecast, but 16 degrees and sunny is what Il Meteo claims it is today. It might be outside, it isn't inside.

Neither walking nor cycling appealed and I couldn't kick start myself into it, so I attacked the garden instead. Three hours of clearing, trimming, pruning, weeding and burning made me feel a whole lot better. Tomorrow is another day.

I hope gardening counts for #janathon, making a snowman does apparently, gardening certainly should. MyNetDiary, where I am tracking my calorie consumption and exercise claims 299 calories an hour for even a light gardening. Seems a bit excessive for me so I only logged two of the three hours.

#janathon stats so far
        walking        32.68km
        cycling           4.52km
        squats           330
        gardening     3 hours

#alchohol free in 2015 4 days

A presto!

Janathon Day 9 : I'm still standing

No, not still standing, I'm still walking ..... 6.67km from Torchiarolo back home. Day 9 of #janathon and I'm still there. I'm feeling good, really good. Lots more energy ..... moving much more easily, I've been almost running around the house today.





And add 70 squats for the day and 3 wine-free days! Tomorrow I am going to start the workout program in the Clean and Lean Diet Book by James Duigan

#janathon stats so far
        walking 32.68km
        cycling    4.52km
        squats      330

#alchohol free 3 days


Buon Weekend a tutti!

Janathon Day 8 : Whoop whoop - weight loss!

The first week of Jantahon is completed .... I managed to do something everyday, seven out of seven, some days better than others. This morning was first weigh in after starting Janathon ..... 1kg down, needless to say I am very happy. And another whoop whoop, 2 wine (which for me means alcohol as I don't drink anything else) free days in 2015.

I tried cycling today as a test to see if my poor bruised coccyx has recovered enough ...... I'd say nearly although it did ache a lot, tomorrow will tell.

A light day today, more effort tomorrow!

Review: The Lore of the Evermen

The Lore of the Evermen by James Maxwell

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I loved the first three books of the Ever men Saga and I enjoyed this one but perhaps not so much. For me too much of the book was spent on the fighting, physical, chemical and with magic, and not enough on the lives and personalities of the characters.



View all my reviews

Janathon Day 7 : Camminando in Campagna

Or in English, Walking in the Countryside. However, first a big WHOOP WHOOP! Yesterday was my first day in 2015 without wine. Those of you who have been to Puglia will know that Pugliese wines are very very good. Even the sfuso (the bulk wine that you get through what look like petrol pumps) at €1 a litre is more than acceptable. Bottles of wine with all sorts of commendations can be had from €4.50 upwards. Wine with meals is just a part of our way of life. Despite that yesterday I achieved my first wine free day in 2015, we won't visit how many I managed in 2014! The incentive, tomorrow will be the weigh-in after my first complete week on Janathon. Let's see those scales go down.

I am a poor sleeper and was concerned how, without the wine I would get to sleep. For the last week our so I  have been listening to Deep Sleep with Andrew Johnson, an app I am running on my Hudl (Android Tablet), every night with varying degrees of success. It certainly didn't work the night of the crash, bang, rattling. Last night though, it really did the trick; whilst listening to Andrew drone on with his oh so relaxing voice, I dropped off half way through. Unfortunately I was sleeping on my back and woke myself up almost immediately with a big snort. Happened twice before I rolled over, after that sleep came quickly, and with it vivid and tiring dreams, involving running around from place to place by train and plane, with tons of baggage. All of it which required specially printed labels, the printer broke down and I couldn't get all the parcels in my luggage allocation. At which point I gave up ..... time to dump the excess baggage? Do dream activities count for Janathon exercise? My legs were certainly tired this morning.

I woke up early this morning .... 4.07 am according to my Hudl ; it seemed a bit strange as I could see the sun rising up out of the Adriatic. Eventually, having given up trying to get back to sleep I wandered off to the kitchen to make my early morning hot water and lemon (grapefruit this morning) to find the real time was 7:37 am. After much fiddling about I gave up and took off the Automatic Time Update and set the Hudl clock manually.

I had errands in Torchiarolo, mainly to collect a package from the Post Office, a long awaited ChromeCast Key, designed to send tv, videos etc from your devices to a tv screen. Walking both ways is currently beyond me, cycling is okay, but even though the wind has dropped to a very fresh, strong breeze it is still too windy for me to get on my bike. I was dropped at the Post Office, eventually picked up my package (regular visitors to Puglia will know that a visit to the Post Office or Bank are undertakings not to be taken lightly, everything is done in what should be called "Puglia Time".)

Best foot forward I strode back through the town and out towards home. Today my walk took me through the olive groves, out into the country, a change from my Adriatic strolls. Puglia is not called the bread basket of Italy for nothing, olives and grapes abound. It has to believe that these stunted, apparently, dead plants in the foreground will grow abundantly and next summer will be providing masses of grapes.

It may be less windy but it is still cold, I was even wearing gloves, maybe a first for me since we arrived in Puglia. I didn't quite make it home before the OH rolled up behind me in the car. I could have persevered for the last two kilometres but my legs and feet were aching so I gave in. Not too shabby an attempt all the same, and the pace is picking up.


So that is it for today I think, 10 squats this morning, maybe a few more later but these thighs really are aching. I spent half an hour or so clearing up the rubbish blown up our roadsby the strong winds and weeding the garden. Both involved a lot of bending and picking up, does that count Janathoners?

The Hudl? On manual time setting it is losing about half an hour every couple of hours, what is going on?

A domani ..... the weigh in day!

Janathon Day 6 : Feeling Motivated

Good day fellow Janathoners and others, one and all. What a difference a nights sleep makes! No shaking, rattling and rolling last night ..... blissful peace and quiet. Almost quiet, it is still extremely windy here in Puglia, Southern Italy almost on the Med .... you would think it would be warmer. Not this year. So almost quiet, I could hear the roaring of the sea as I tucked myself up in my cosy warm bed last night. A lovely sound to go to sleep by.

Despite a few waking moments, normal for me, I woke up feeling refreshed. Armed with a cup of tea I ventured onto Facebook and spent some time reading the posts and blogs of all my fellow Janathoners. Some of you are extremely energetic, some struggling along down there with me. Never mind you are all committed to Janathon 2015. You got me motivated and enthusiastic for the day.

Will the wind ever let up?

After a late breakfast I headed out for a walk, hoping to up the pace a bit. I certainly did that to start with. As soon as I hit the beach road the wind had me .... tail winds chasing me along, I even managed a little jogging. A different story on the return lap, fighting head winds all the way, any time benefit soon got whittled away as I struggled on. The wind was freezing, well it felt that way to me, a UK ex-pat who has definitely become acclimatised to sunny southern climes. It's hard to believe that in, probably, less than four months time we will be sunning ourselves on the beach and paddling, if not swimming, in the Adriatic.

My route today took me along the Adriatic, inland a fraction and then back through the village of Lendinuso.



Not as far or as fast as I would have liked .... tomorrow! Squats count so far today, 20, it will be more before the end of the day.

Today is a public holiday in Italy, Befana. In Italian folklore Befana is an old woman who delivers gifts to children throughout Italy on the night of January 5) in a similar way to Father Christmas on Christmas Eve. In times gone by Befana was far more important than Christmas Eve and children would get their presents for Befana. Now commercialism having reached Italy, even Puglia which often appears 50 years behind the north of Italy, both are celebrated with the children getting presents on both days. Wise parents simply spread the same amount of presents out between the two holidays.

Being retired public holidays are not of huge significance to us. Especially now the major shopping centres now open on Sundays and many of the public holidays. When we arrived in Puglia in December 2005 there was no Sunday shopping and nothing was open on a public holiday. A definite change, but is it for the better? What do you think?

The only real significance of a public holiday for me is that electricity rates are cheaper. Utility costs make a major dent in the budget so public holiday days and weekends become the time to run the dishwasher, the washing machine and do other power hungry chores.

But for now, the fire is lit, it's warm and cosy in the living room ... I've done my Italian lesson for the today. Time for a hot soak in the tub, after another 30 squats, and to settle down by the fire working on the patchwork bed cover. 

Buona Befana!

Janathon Day 5 : Get out of Jail free card

 Can I have a get out of jail free card? After an almost completely sleepless night brought about by banging and clattering on the roof all night long I'm really not feeling up to much. To add insult to injury the bad weather is back. We have another cold front, strong winds, lowish temperatures, black clouds this morning and the definite promise of rain this afternoon. I don't think it will snow, at least not in our location.

All of the above does not lead me towards exercising. I had thought to walk to Torchiarolo this morning, far too windy for cycling and I don't think my bruised bum has completely recovered from when I fell on it late October. That's a whole other story.

I've appeased my consience with 100 squats ........ so not a complete failure. Weather permitting, I will make that walk to Torchiarolo tomorrow morning. This is certainly turning into an exceptionally cold winter here in Puglia this year.

Wondering about the banging on the roof? I went up to investigate early this morning, nearly got blown off the roof the winds were so strong, and found that the lid from a small water tank had worked loose. Although the lid itself is quite small it is firmly attached to the pipework. The wind was blowing it around but being attached it could not escape. The banging and clattering was "enhanced" by travelling around the pipework through the house.

Janathon Day 4 : The best laid plans of mice and men

I've often used the expression "The best laid plans of mice and men" without really thinking about where it came from. It seems it is from a poem "To a Mouse" written by Robert Burns in 1785 and adapted by John Steinbeck in his 1937 novel "Of Mice and Men." The poem includes the lines

"The best laid schemes o' mice an' men / Gang aft agley"  roughly translated as "The best laid schemes of mice and men / Often go awry."

The 1997 novel "The Best Laid Plans" by Sydney Sheldon also takes its title from the poem.

But back to now ..... I had planned, if it was a nice day, to walk to Casalabate market this morning. The Sunday market is a definite feature point of our Puglia week here, and something we recommend all our summer guest visitors. A traditional market with fruit and veg stalls, mostly locally grown, very few food miles here; deli stalls with the best cheeses and salumeria and lots more too. Our neighbour, Domenico, has a permanent stall in the market, where he sells vegetables grown on his farm just 5km away.

I got up this morning to a beautiful sunny day, light breeze, temperatures in the mid teens. Perfect walking day to continue with the #janathon 2015 challenge. Before I set off my mobile beeped with a message ... would we like to go to lunch with Mino and Val, the Puglia Chef and his wife. A quick rethink.... I could still schedule my walk in and then go on to lunch, an offer too good to turn down. The Puglia Chef service is one of the extras we offer our villa guests during the summer season, one of the things that make our villa holidays, villa holidays with a difference! The Chef service together with our independent event organiser, Yle, who can organise just about anything, really make the difference. The independent traveller remains independent but has the option to explore the extras!

Back to today, I set out at just after 11 am. striding along in the direction of  Lendinuso, one of the summer holiday villages close to Casa Mare. Like yesterday the sea was blue, the sky was blue and the sun was shining .... a perfect day for walking. Just a little over an hour and nearly 6km later I reached Marulli Bar in Casalabate for a very much appreciated caffé americano and a sit down while I waited for my transport to arrive to take me onto Val and Mino for lunch.

As luck would have it, the best laid plans did not really go awry, yesterday my lovely Italian friends, Antonella and Giovanni visited in the afternoon and brought me a huge Torta di Mimosa. Far too much to be eaten alone. It arrived with me at Val and Mino's; Mino' sister Rosaria and her son Albie where there too, so there were six of us. As always Mino's food was fab .... garlic mushrooms, cozze gratinate, tuna and swordfish carpaccio, strips of pork - all for antipasto. Followed by  .... ummm I  can't remember the Italian name ... crespicci? Pancakes with ricotta and fresh spinach. Okay I am full already.

A short respite and out came the Torta di Mimosa ...... I needn't have been concerned, it was loved by everybody, devoured .. a cake that was too big for just us was done justice by the six of us! Thank you Antonella, Mino sends his compliments!
 

So, I may be failing on controlling my eating habits .... but the #janathon exercise plan is still in place. I have promised myself a heart/exercise wrist monitor band if I complete the whole of #janathon 2015. Watch this space!


My best laid plans may have changed, but definitely did not go awry!

A visit to Val and Mino is never complete without mentioning the animals ... today Nico, the three-legged cat

Janathon 2015 - 2

Where does the time go. I'm supposed to be retired, I used to work 16 hours a day, six and a half days a week. Now I don't but there still isn't enough time in the day ....

Yesterday (Janathon Day 2) my thighs were aching so much from the squats it was painful to move. Despite that I managed my planned daily walk. It wasn't quite so blustery as the day before and I made it a bit further than the first day, to the other side of Campo di Mari. 5.36 km in 1 hour, I can't keep up with my friend Vivia ( Grethic ) but at least I can say Janathon Day 2 - tick.

I failed on the squats, my aching thighs just could not manage!

Today (Janathon Day 3) - the dreaded shopping day. I hate shopping even more than I hate ironing. Shopping of all kinds - food, clothes, gadgets (marginally better), but still all shopping is hated. Despite getting up early and heading off first for the local shops then the big hypermarket it still seemed to take forever. The Ipercoop hypermarket was crammed with people .... what is it with Christmas and New Year, why is there still so much shopping to be done. I was only there because it is the easiest place to find sewing cottons and get other shopping done at the same time. It was midday by the time I arrived home; shopping unpacked, coffee drunk I set off for what I knew would only be a short walk. Friends arriving at 3pm meant I had to get home, have lunch, and make some attempt at tidying up!

How the weather has changed in just two days, blue blue skies, a gentle breeze, sun shining. Perfect Puglia weather! It was hot walking in the sun and my jacket soon came off. My tried and tested route towards the village of Lendinuso, turning off up towards the main road and back again makes a perfect thirty minute, 2.5 km walk. Janathon Day 3 - tick.

As it is only 3 pm, once friends have come and gone, squats may still be on the menu. The thighs are not aching quite so much.

Janathon has arrived

In the (yet another) campaign to be fit not fat I committed myself to the Janathon challenge. A commitment to run or do some kind of exercise every day; luckily it can be any form of exercise, I am certainly not up to running yet. My routine will (probably) include squats and other floor exercises and walking, mainly walking.

Day 1 - 40 basic squats following the 7 types of Squats You Need to try. This from the woman who is completely uncoordinated, the one who was always going the wrong way, facing the wrong direction in any from of exercise class. Time will tell if I can progress to type 2 - the Body-Weight Jump Squat, without damaging some body part. Surprisingly, even this little bit of exercise after so long made me feel more awake and more lively. Walking came next. On an unusually cold and blustery day for this part of Southern Italy I set out for a walk on the coastal path alongside the Adriatic. Last year I was walking this route, and much further than today, covering 10km in about 80 minutes, until injury stopped play. I was amazed how hard it was to cover less than half of my tried and tested route even allowing for the head winds! 4 km in just over 40 minutes; shameful, must try harder.

Speaking of the weather - we Brits, even those living abroad, always find something to say about the weather - it has been unusually cold over the last week or so, with heavy snow in many parts of Puglia. Just north and to the west of us in the San Vito di Nomanni, Martina Franca and Ceglie Messapica areas there has up to 10 inches of snow and heavy drifting. We of course saw only a light dusting ... for a few hours. This unusual weather front puts me in mind of our first winter in Puglia, the winter of 2005. We arrived here on December 2nd full of good intentions; we would not need central heating, we would manage the first winter and decide what heating, if any, would be needed and go for the best ecological and economical solution. Ha! Puglia, Southern Italy, almost as far south on the mainland of Italy that you can go .... trust me, it gets cold. Sometimes very cold. Yes, we have warm sunny days when it is still possible to be outside in t-shirts, shorts if you are really brave. However you don't need a watch to know when it is 4pm ... even if it has been a beautiful warm day, the sun disappears and it is cold. The other thing that we did not factor in was that the house we had bought, like most ex-pats, was an Italian summer home. Built for summer living, no insulation, gaps between the window frames and the walls etc.etc.

The first month here .... we were so cold, calor gas fires where the first addition. Going out on that first New Year's Eve we were horrified to see the temperature register at -5C. Eventually we managed to get the chimney sorted out and were able to have an open wood fire burning in the living room. It wasn't terribly effective but certainly looked cheerful. Needless to say we caved in pretty quickly and we had gas central heating installed by the end of January 2006, with a big calor gas tank buried in the garden. Only to find, to our horror, that the gas meter was running around like a hamster that had gone berserk and we were using almost 200 euros a week of gas. Not affordable! So the gas went on for an hour in the morning, an hour in the evening and we piled on the warm clothes.

Over time we made changes, the open fireplace became an enclosed wood-burning termo-camino which runs the central heating and provides hot water. The gas is still there as a back up, and this year for probably only the second time in 10 winters, we have had to use it. New double glazed windows and window frames, closing up the gaps between windows and walls, helped a lot. This last week is exceptionally cold, we have only seen these temperatures and very light snow once or twice before since we arrived. Now, Spring is around the corner, Summer not too far off, and the reality is we do actually like the change in seasons from very hot summers, beach and pool days, to curling up in front of a roaring fire on cold nights.

If you are thinking of moving to warmer climes, I'd recommend that you spend a winter in your chosen location, before moving if at all possible. All may not be as you think!

Happy New Year to all.