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Life Lately…Oct 2018

Oct 18, 2018 | Dietetics, life updates, Lifestyle | 8 comments

I feel like I’ve been a terrible friend and wife lately, with just so much going on and not enough time to commit to anyone. As most of you know, I’m currently completing my final clinical hospital placement, working on the wards 8,30-4.30 Monday-Friday, as well as nannying three nights a week.

I’m usually quite good at staying on top of things, but my washing basket is overflowing right now and there’s a parking fine in my bag that needs to be paid (yes Tom, another one! EEK).

I love doing ‘life lately’ posts to give you a glimpse into the ups and downs of life beyond the Instagram filter, so here’s what I’m sharing with my friends and family when I meet up with them for coffee (or a 20 min lunch, sorry Veronica!)

Life Lately October 2018

I finished my Personal Training Course… 

My alarm has gone off at 6am ash every day for the past 6 weeks, and I cannot wait for a lie in. I haven’t had a day off in 40 days, but it’s all worth it now that I’ve finished my personal training course. I’ve spent the last five weekends with the guys at No1Fitness Education, learning the ins and outs of becoming a PT. We’ve learned how to plan a programme, how to perform and teach the big five lifts, and so much more.

I’ve learned how to really do a deadlift, the move I was most nervous about. Realised that I hate front squats. And discovered that I can love weights. Oh, and did you know that Personal Trainers should not be giving out nutrition advice? I was pleasantly surprised to hear this but shocked at how many do. We had a session on nutrition that caused some debates between me/Rhi and the teacher but I came away knowing I want to do more of my own research on endurance nutrition and fueling for athletes.

Life Lately October 2018

It has been hard. I didn’t know there was so much science, so many technical aspects and so much information to take in. I’m going to write a whole post about my experience with No 1 Fitness, and how I’m going to use it going forward, but let me just say this… I’m so happy to have increased my confidence in the gym to improve my running and to share it with you guys too.

Babies… EVERYWHERE! 

This seems to be the month of the baby. Two of my best friends just gave birth, I celebrated a first birthday on Saturday night (at a pub that seemed to double as a creche), and another friend just announced that she’s pregnant. I went to visit one of the girls last week and loved snuggling with her two week old daughter, baby smell is the best.

Tom and I have been married for a year now, and so it’s the question on everyones lips. But neither of us feel ready quite yet for that next step!

House Update

I LOVE our new house. But it is far from finished. We moved from a two bed house to a four bed house without enough furniture to fill it, and it’s costing more than we had imagined/budgeted for. So for now, we’re focusing on the rooms we spend the most time in and trying to complete them. The next project is to get another sofa and to have some curtains made for the kitchen and sitting room.

One of the reasons we moved to this location was for the easier commute into London, and it really is great. We live less than 2 miles from the station, so I have run/walked there a couple of times, otherwise I get the bus or drive, then it’s just 25 mins from there to London. And I honestly don’t think I could do everything I’ve got on my plate right now with the 2hr commute.

If you have any interior blog or Instagram recommendations – or homeware stores that aren’t CRAZY expensive, I’d love you to share them in the comments!

Hospital Placement

Dietetics Hospital Placement 

Somehow I’m halfway through my third and final clinical placement as part of my dietetics degree. I’m based at a big teaching hospital in central London and I am loving it. So far, I’ve spent time on the Itensive Care, Cardiac, Oncology and Cystic Fibrosis wards. I struggled a lot with oncology, finding some of the situations very sad and hard to handle. I’m back there for two weeks and nervous about the types of situation I might find myself in.

I’ve really enjoyed being back on the ICU and found a real interest in CF. The patient demographic is so different to the rest of the hospital, and so the approach is too. Plus it’s more about calories in than anything else – not sure I’ve ever recommended McDonalds so much before!

Given how different this placement is to my first and second placements, I’m planning on doing a ‘day in the life’ style post, in particular how I fit my marathon training around it all.

The one area I really struggled with is my self-confidence, and in particular, I find out-patient clinics tough. I tend to focus on what went wrong and the constructive criticism from supervisors than the positives, and it’s definitely wearing away at my confidence, in particular the days where I am working in the community (rather than the hospital setting). I know I’m letting this drop in clinical self confidence affect my own confidence, in particular around my ability to run a 3.30 marathon and so it’s something I need to really work on!

8 Comments

  1. Bethan

    There are so many places to look for furniture that won’t break the bank, especially if you’re down with secondhand! When I lived with my best mate we bought everything from one of the British Heart Foundation furniture shops (they do affordable new stuff too), or scoured Gumtree (perfect commuting activity!). Also pop a message on Facebook or ask friends/family to spread the word – not everything will necessarily be to your taste, but cast offs can be a great stop gap (Ems parents gave us a lounge suit, and her brother some drawers) x

    Reply
  2. Kathryn

    I follow the Frugality and Little Spree on instagram and love their interior design ideas. Usually affordable.

    Reply
    • charlotte

      Thanks so much, that’s so helpful. Will take a look at them!

      Reply
  3. Ashley

    I’ve been following you for awhile now and I love reading both your training posts and your life updates! I would love to know how you manage your diet with your schedule. This is something I constantly struggle with as well and I’d love to hear about what/when you eat and if you’re able to squeeze in cooking or if you eat out more. I’m training for my third marathon and juggling a lot of commitments in my work and personal life and it’s a fight to try and maintain a healthy diet. Would love to hear any tips or tricks you might have.

    Hopefully that’s not too personal – if it is, feel free to disregard 🙂

    Cheers!

    Reply
    • charlotte

      The truth is, I don’t do a very good job! But more than happy to share a ‘what I should do’ and a reality post!! Plus sharing some tips/tricks – even if they’re not ones I manage to follow all of the time. And def not too personal 🙂 x

      Reply
  4. Jill

    My advice for furnishings is to look outside the typical furniture stores – they tend to be overpriced. I incorporated a bit of DIY by using chalk paint and new handles to refurbish dressers. I also bought some pieces from Ikea, including a raw pine table that I put together and applied stain and polyeurothane myself. I then purchased a couple of unique pieces to offset the refurbished stuff, like a set of recycled metal counter stools and Eiffel chairs. Pillows and throws go a long way too!

    Reply
  5. Zoe

    Wow Charlie you are *so* busy. All that on top of marathon training and running blog and social too which probably takes up much more time than people think! It’s super impressive. Please be careful not to burn yourself out! x

    Reply
  6. Laura

    I was once told by a PT to pretty much cut out all the carbs, although I was running, strength training, swimming and doing HIIT classes. When I trained for my third marathon earlier this year I decided to ignore his “advice” and had as many carbs as I could physically cram into my face. The result? I lost a bit of weight, got a 58 minute PB, and a GFA. There simply is no one size fits all nutrition advice and PTs should be careful about making such generic statements as “carbs make you fat”.

    Reply

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