Header image: Henri Lloyd in St Katharine Docks before the race start

Fitness and Balance

“Today I’m going to beast you” December 3 2013"Today I'm going to beast you"

One of the reasons you have a personal trainer is that you know he’s going to make you work hard and get the best out of the time spent in the gym.  Ok, maybe that’s two reasons. There are others. So when you arrive and he says, “Today I’m going to beast you”, you know ...

Are you training for a swimming race? October 10 2013Are you training for a swimming race?

“Are you training for a swimming race?” This is what I was asked on Tuesday as I exercised my knee in the spa pool after a session of swimming which included: Kicking with fins – seems to help my knee Butterfly Attempts to breathe only every five or seven strokes Eight 25m and then three 50m sprints The last three were ...

WHAT Size Were Those Trousers? July 23 2013WHAT Size Were Those Trousers?

At the weekend I went clothes shopping – in a charity shop as usual – for a pair of black trousers. Summer weight that I could wear to a band concert. I had refused to wear my winter weight ones the week before so turned up in my shorts. And got some ...

Nutrition Plans May 24 2013

The aim of the nutrition plans I have been given is to lose body fat while building and then maintaining lean muscle mass. The specifics were worked out for me using my current (at the time) weight and body fat percentage. I followed the first one for six to eight weeks, except over Christmas and ...

I must need my head examined! May 10 2013I must need my head examined!

Don’t be mistaken. Don’t be misled. The smile is not a smile. The smile is a grimace. Roughly translated the smile would say “If I ever get off this Bosu ball without dropping this 12kg weight on my toe, you are for it. Darrell you want me to do how many!? ...

Clothing Crises May 10 2013Clothing Crises

I keep having clothing crises. The sort where you’ve forgotten to do the laundry and you’ve got to magic some clothes from somewhere before you can get dressed. Or is that only me? Well mine tend to be with a difference – the clothes are clean, just I can’t keep them up. Getting dressed for ...

Personal Training October 15 2012Personal Training

Thanks for the picture Mum, but sessions with Darrell are nothing like this. He does not wear a pink tu-tu. My personal training consultation with Darrell Rabess was on 29th November, the earliest sessions could start was December, and I needed them to be complete before my Level 1 training was due to start at ...

Swimming October 13 2012Swimming

I swam for Solihull Swimming Club until I went to university. By then I had developed a sensitivity to chlorine that means I have the symptoms of a head cold for the rest of the day after a swimming session in a chlorinated pool. A few years ago I started swimming just once per week ...

ANITA SAILS AGAIN