One small victory! QPS Here I come

The last few weeks have been hard, life has been busy and new changes have been made. It’s funny sitting here thinking to myself “just get over this week, then start fresh next week”, things aren’t bad just busy. Every night I have been saying there is not enough hours in the day and how I wish there could be more just to get everything done. I feel there is two solutions to this issue A) the world stops for a few and kicks back or B) Improve my time management. A sounds like the best option but that’s never going to happen; the world keeps revolving, business’ keep on making their coin and poor people don’t drive cars so you know, there isn’t any way to get to where I need to go (apparently)- thanks for that one Mr Hockey. B is probably what needs to happen but I’ve been so tired that I cant get the energy to possibly fit in any more into my day. I’ve been feeling a little run down and part of me thinks YES now I can get some actual time off of work but NO because then it will interfere with my training and health. I don’t understand how things get so busy that getting sick actually starts to sound like and option… now don’t get me wrong I don’t mean major sick just a minor flu kind of thing, which I’m half way to getting anyway. 

Anyway in the last month I have:

1. I increased my beep test score.

2. Put my expression of interest in for QPS 

3. Heard back within a week about my expression of interest

4. I now have my entrance exam date August 28th (2 weeks after putting the expression of interest in, I wasn’t meant to hear anything for 6 weeks) YAY

5. Booked flights and accommodation

6. Increased my squats to 25kg  and improving each session

7. getting closer to being able to do a pull up, I cant wait for that day.

8. Improving my practice exam scores.

9. Have listened to Bohemian Rhapsody 40 times. I love Queen, Its a great motivation song as soon as it hits 3.03. 

I guess number 9 isn’t exactly relevant but it is such an amazing song. I remember when I was in the Green Day mosh-pit and we were waiting for them to come on stage, Bohemian Rhapsody came on over the radio and the entire mosh sung along (including the guitar sequence, of course!). Its a lifting experience to be standing with upwards of 1000 people from different socioeconomic backgrounds all singing the same song because it happened to come on over the radio and for the love of Queen but it will always stand true that music will always bring people together- I think Live Aid proved that over a number of years. 

I mentioned earlier that I have been busy and haven’t had much time to fit in all the things I want to do but yesterday I decided I had to buy new runners; on top of not feeling well my running has suffered the last few weeks, I think I haven’t given myself enough rest..or so I’ve been told 😛 The runners are the same as my last pair just the current release which is now covered in a hideous purple but on the plus side I stand out at night when I run! My runners are Asics and like one of my previous blogs about my Aiscs socks I could write an entire post on how comfortable they are, I think I entertained the shop assistant (whom is now familiar with me because I refuse to shop for runners with any other shop assistant) when the only word I could come up with to describe them was ‘Squidgy’- I think this word for me, means- walking on clouds / unbelievable comfort. I definitely went for a run after buying them! Who wouldn’t?! I also bough a Fitbit to try and keep the motivation up, the run was going really well until I tripped myself over definitely looking fabulous in hideous purple shoes- if anyone saw a runner go ass over yesterday, It was me! I am A OK, sort of. 
I think I have gone off topic enough to end it there. I hope everyone is having a great day and I will have an update blog once I have completed my entrance exam. 

The picture today, is my lovely runners!! Comfortable as anything but hideous.

My Running Socks

 

Yesterday didn’t work out so well, I tried to do a beep test but I think my legs were fatigued so I didn’t get as higher score as I would have liked. I sat on my bed and was feeling a little sorry for myself and then I thought to myself what is good about today? At the moment I have a friend doing the 100 days of happiness posts on Facebook, she told me about a week ago to give it a go. I have hummed and hared about it but haven’t really wanted to start it because I thought this blog would be a better medium for me to try. Anyway, I sat on my bed and had that thought and then I realized that even though the beep test didn’t go so well I really felt comfortable, comfortable?!- you might be thinking to yourself… Yes I was comfortable because the socks I wear when I run are so damn comfy. These aren’t just any socks, these are socks by Asics (I might point out I am not one for brand names),so one day I was shopping for some workout gear( this was a wile ago now) I bought some socks, not thinking anything of it other than the fact that they were pink and looked like the kind of socks you should wear when you exercise. I tried them once and I was instantly hooked, they have a nifty pattern sewn into particular parts of the sock so they are tight in the right spots and breath really well.

Your next thought is probably ” why am I reading about socks” but your reading about socks because I am going to explain to you that I now own 10 pairs of the things on top of my work socks, fluffy winter socks, socks I brought when I was on holiday so I could participate in bowling, the socks that just cover your toes when you don’t want to show that your wearing any socks, stocking socks and some that I don’t think are mine. I think now as I am writing this that it is a lot of socks. but they all kind of have their own purpose, do you have that many? or am I the strange one here?

I find it amazing how the media and retail stores have convinced people so subliminally that we need all these different kinds of things to survive or have a functioning life; speaking from experience I am an owner of many socks as you have just found out but I also have things like, A mobile phone, a watch that connects to my phone, an alarm clock that connects to both of those things and a computer that connects to all three. WHY do I have so many things that can do almost the same job but in 4 different sized devices, I don’t really need these things, but having them makes me believe that at any point of the day I am connected to where I need to be connected to. Good job media and advertising you’ve won me over..as much as I dislike to admit that!

Anyway back to the socks, as much as I like technology and what it can do for me I have just come to the realization that my socks are an unsung hero. I never notice they are on..again just to recap they are so damn comfy, they haven’t stretched (surprisingly, because nothing seems to last anymore), they don’t dig into my skin, the colour hasn’t faded which is fantastic because I own every colour I can! and they feel like wearing clouds on my feet when I run. They are perfect.

I think I felt it was noteworthy to mention these socks because they are a truly good product out of the many thousands that I and I assume many other people have in their lives. I think it is rare in modern society to buy ‘things’ that last and do their job efficiently. My picture today is my socks just to prove that I really do have all the colours 🙂

Yesterday may not have started how I was hoping but, I started thinking about the good things that where going to happen in the day. It wasn’t just my socks- I swear 😛 I’m not that much of a wierdo. The rest of the day was looking pretty good because I also went to the gym with the boyfriend and later that night I was basking in some culture watching the Australian Dance Theater perform their new choreography called Multiverse. It was overall a good night and the performance was quite good however not as good as their last one that I saw which was called G, that was phenomenal! I also at dinner at my favorite restaurant, the dessert was amazing it was a Orange, Allspice, dark-rum panna cotta, with salted caramel and a macadamia nut crumb. Delish!

I thank my friend who has told me to pick out the good things in the day, It helps you forget the bad things and changes your whole thinking in just a matter of time. I dare you to give it a go. I also thank my partner for the words of encouragement to try harder and do better next Saturday (another beep test).

Have  a great day everyone, I hope you enjoyed reading about my socks.
 

 

I [ insert adjective here ] Math

Do you like mathematics?

I have a love hate relationship with maths..

I Love it because when I complete questions involving maths I feel accomplished and like some part of me is a little bit intelligent, you know..I get a big head, for doing things that are probably considered easy, not really. 

AND 

I Hate it because sometimes I look at the problems on a practice aptitude test and think… OH DEAR ME, I haven’t done this since high school. #brainmeltdown #howamIevergoingtodothis

Lucky for me my partners father was a teacher (in his previous career), and he has helped me to understand a lot more that I thought I could. I understand why he would have been a good teacher; because he has the right temperament and patience. 

The books I received yesterday are quite difficult,  the math inside of them isn’t as easy as I expected, even though the math located on the SAPOL aptitude practice sheet is no where near as difficult, I am still doubting myself. This just means A LOT more practice. 

I did manage to go through some of the reading comprehension tests and managed to get 41/50 right so that made me happy, I know I can do even better on that because at the time I was also making dinner.

Anyway, math has always been an issue for me, I have always tried my hardest at it and it just doesn’t seem to click with me like it does with some other people, which is okay because I still can understand some of it but I also know I have strengths in other areas that other people aren’t so strong in. 

If anyone on here has some tips, by all means send them my way! I am open for any help I can get.

Today I also have my next PT session, so I’m ready for a hard day, I am hoping to get in another 10 minutes earlier on my usual time to do an extra activity that my PT has asked to do before I start with him.

My session will look something like this:

3:50: arrive and spend 15 Minutes on a treadmill or cross-trainer to warm up, 

4:05: Start stretching for 15 minutes (full body stretching)

4:20: (New) add in a grip strengthening activity, which is going to be a roll of bamboo with a long string tied around it with a weight on the end that you roll up and down, this also works my forearms and it burns!!

4:30: PT session, is a full body weights work out.

5:00: Cardio, I am aiming to beat the 26 minutes of fartlek I did last session and do the whole 30 minutes or more If i can, However I won’t be disappointed because some days I don’t run as well as others because I think? that my legs are still recovering from weights and what not and being fatigued. 

5:30/5:40: Stretch for another 15 or 20 Mintues

6:00 Eat protein or drink a Chocolate milk. 

AND Drink lots of water, My trainer advises to drink at least 2.5Lt of water a day, and If im doing a work out to add an additional 500ml. There was an equation he said to use which was something like for every kilo of body weight you must drink 0.05lt of water. That’s not exactly right because I cant quite remember but it was similar, does anyone know it? 

The picture I have on this blog today is a image of one of the maths questions, I feel it is appropriate for this post. The book is Norman Halls, 2nd Edition, Police Exam preparation book, revised and updated, 2003. 

 

Have a great day/night everyone 🙂

 

 

 

The moment you succeed

Okay so this is just a short one, I had my PT session just now and I finished with my usual cardiovascular activities.. But this time I managed 26 minutes of fartlek, Woo!

I haven’t done fartlek in a wile so I hope that this means I have improved from the previous time. The next step is to do a beep test, my last beep test had taken me 1 month to get from 4.3 to 5.4 so maybe a little improvement on that would be nice. I know the scores are low, however I did let my fitness go for a wile, but I’m getting better… Just keep swimming? Right?

Now don’t get me wrong I think the beep test is a fantastic gage on how fit a person is, however when your a 5ft person it feels like I’m doing double the steps to everyone else, so when other people are comfortably running, I’m sprinting like a cheetah, does anyone feel the same? #shortpeople #onestepclosertothepoliceforce

Anyway I’m off to eat something with protein in it.
🙂 have a good one.