Weight Loss Program

As I mentioned in my post regarding my goals, I need to work on both my fitness and weight-loss goals given to me by the biokineticist. I have previously discussed my training program, and I would like to unpack my weight-loss goals in this post.

The Goals:

Recapping what I was told regarding my weight:

· I need to lose 8kgs (this is about 12% of my total body weight)

· I need to improve my body fat % by 9%

Essentially, I need to lose 8kgs of fat, without losing any muscle mass. This means that I need to maintain a careful balance between what I eat and how hard I train.

The Plan:

I decided that it would be better to have a chat with a dietician, rather than trying to lose the weight myself. One of the things the dietician said to me which I hadn’t considered was that most athletes who find the last few kilograms difficult to lose, often are actually under-eating, slowing their metabolism and causing their bodies to store any food which is eaten. Essentially, the body switches to a “starvation” mode, and stores as much energy as possible. My eating plan consists of a large volume of food, but most of the food is high in fibre and has a low GI (glycaemic index). Because I will be doing a lot of high intensity training, I am expected to eat sufficient carbohydrates, although, it is recommended that I eat wholewheat options instead of refined carbohydrates. These have a lower GI, which allows for better maintenance of blood glucose levels. I have found that when I follow the eating plan correctly, I can train hard for just over an hour without need to have an energy drink, and all have to worry about is staying hydrated. By drinking water during training, I am not consuming the additional 250kCal contained in a 500ml energy drink.

I have been told to avoid any foods which are high in fat. Our bodies find it more difficult to convert fat to energy than carbohydrates, and fat is therefore usually stored straight away. This means that I must choose low fat / reduced fat options wherever possible, and even then I must keep the portion sizes small. I am also expected to cut out pies, pastries, chips, chocolates and other high fat foods completely. Another food I should not have large quantities of (even though they are amongst my favourite snacks) is nuts because they also contain a very high fat percentage. The fat in nuts is “good” fat, but as I am trying to reduce my body fat %, I need to cut out as much fat as possible. One of the easiest ways for me to reduce my fat intake, is to switch from low fat dairy products to fat free. Another simply way to reduce my daily fat intake is to ensure that no fat is added during cooking – I must bake or grill my food, rather than frying it, and sauces must not be made with cream (use low fat evaporated milk instead of cream, or make a tomato-based sauce).

Portion sizes are also important, and it is better to eat 5 or 6 small meals during the day, as this helps maintain blood sugar levels. I also bulk up meals with salads and vegetables to make me feel full, and to stop me snacking on high-calorie foods between meals.

A Typical Day:

· Low fat muesli, 2 fruits and fat free yoghurt for breakfast

· A fruit and some yoghurt as a mid-morning snack

· A large salad (lettuce, tomato, cucumber, mushrooms, carrot & sprouts) and a roll with some protein (chicken fillet / cold meat) for lunch

· Another portion of fruit mid-afternoon

· 2 slices of toast an hour before I training

· Some fruit or yoghurt after training

· A small portion of lean protein with two portions of carbs, and some vegetables for dinner

I try to drink a litre to a litre and a half of water every day (just water, not tea / coffee / juice). This is not only because it’s good to stay hydrated, drinking water makes me feel a little fuller, and stops me snacking on chips / chocolates / sweets during the day. I take a 500ml bottle of water with me to all of my meetings, and aim to finish it before I return to my desk. This way I have mini-milestones to achieve throughout the day, to assist me in drinking enough throughout the day.

What I Find Difficult:

I have a really bad habit, that when I’m stressed, I make really bad food choices. This in turn stresses me out because I know that I will put on weight, and I end up in a downward spiral of stress. Also, I have a tendency towards low blood sugar spells when I am stressed, and need to manage my blood sugar levels with a healthy diet. I am a lot less irritable when I keep my blood sugar levels stable! I have found that if I plan my day’s food the night before, and pack lunch and snacks to take with me to the office, I’m less likely to rush off to the shop to buy a chocolate.

What do you do?

· What do you find to be the most difficult part of following a healthy eating plan?

· What do you do to ensure that you stick to the plan?

Getting Fit

I would like to discuss the basic outline of my training program, which I mentioned in my last post. I took some time to see a biokineticist at the nearest high performance centre. I underwent a battery of tests to get a baseline measurement on a range of tests. I was weighed, had my body fat percentage taken, my shoulder flexibility was measured, I did a vertical jump test (to test my leg strength), my repeated sprint ability was measured, I did as many push-ups as possible in a minute (to test my muscular endurance), and I also did the hexagon agility test (to test my ability to move quickly, while maintaining balance). All of my results were compared to other squash players.

The results were a little worse than I was expecting. I have been told to lose 8kgs and 9% body fat. I need to improve my shoulder rotation, increase the height I reach on the vertical jump test, improve my anaerobic sprinting ability, and increase the number of push-ups I can do (no, I wasn’t allowed to do ladies’ push-ups either). The only test I didn’t fail miserably was the hexagon agility test, which I can only imagine this was thanks to many years of ballet (and I never thought that I would say that!).

I have been given a training program which concentrates on increasing my upper body strength and strengthening my core muscles, has me doing interval training whenever I do some cardio, and also has a couple of sprint sessions included, to improve my speed onto the ball while on court. The intention of all this specific training is to increase my muscle mass (in the necessary muscles to improve my squash), improve my cardiovascular fitness and to assist with my weight loss goals. I will be aiming to lose weight (and fat), without losing muscle mass.

Unfortunately, to achieve all these goals, I need to spend a lot of my time training, and at the moment, I am also expected to put in some extra time at the office. I will need to plan each week carefully to ensure that I have the time for all of the training sessions, that I eat correctly and that I get enough sleep, so that I am not exhausted, and can accomplish more at the office (reducing the need for overtime). I would like to be able to spend some time with my boyfriend too!! Just to make the logistics a little more nightmarish, I am also training for a 100km cycle race, which takes place on 29 November. I am going to swap out some squash training for some time on my bicycle, so that I can complete the 100kms in a few weeks time.

The Program:

The basic outline of my training program is:

Monday

• (pm) Squash training

Tuesday

• (am) Weight training at the gym – focussing on arms and core
• (pm) Squash training
  • I am probably going to swap this squash session for a 90min spin session which I will do in the morning, and then complete the weight training in the evening

Wednesday

• Sprints

Thursday

• (am) Weight training at the gym – more arms and core
• (pm) Squash lesson with my coach

Friday

• Sprints

Saturday

• Squash training
  • I will be doing a 90min spin session instead until I have completed the bicycle race

Sunday

• REST
  • This is an important aspect of any training program, as it prevents overtraining

Motivation:

I train wearing a heart rate monitor partly because it is extremely useful during spinning classes (the instructors usually give information about how hard to train using a percentage of your maximum, which the monitor displays), and also because it calculates the total calories burnt during a training session. I download this information to my computer after every session, and it allows me to compare how my speed during the sprint sessions has increased (by comparing the split times of each exercise), and gives me a goal for the following session. I am also able to track the total number of calories burnt during the week, and I find it motivating to see how much effort I am putting into my training, and see the results which follow. I have found that I am unable to maintain an exceptionally high training intensity for more than a few weeks at a time, and by keeping track of my calorie consumption, I am able to assess whether I am due for a rest week, or if I am just feeling lazy when my motivation dissipates.

Next Steps:

To achieve my goals, I need to follow my training program, and also pay careful attention to what I am eating, as this has a large impact on my energy levels, and I will need a lot of energy to keep up with my busy lifestyle. I am going to explore a healthy eating plan in my next post.

Get fit and lose weight with me

Why Crazy Sports Chick?

I am a 26 year old girl (I say girl, because I definitely don’t feel old enough to be a woman, and I am most definitely too much of a tomboy to be considered a lady) who enjoys any exercise, but I am pretty much obsessed with squash. I live and work in Cape Town, South Africa, one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Squash has been a big part of my life, for as long as I can remember.  Both of my parents played league squash, and my earliest memories of the squash courts, are running around on an empty court while my parents played. My dad took an old wooden racket, cut off the handle, and wrapped a grip around the shaft of the racket – this was my racket from about 3 years old – because my had was too small to hold a full-size grip! I used to push a foam tennis ball around the court (probably more like hockey). From then on, I was hooked! I have participated in most sports (tennis, hockey, netball, badminton, swimming, cross-country, track and field, gymnastics, ballet and modern dance) but have never found another sport I enjoy as much as I enjoy playing squash. I would love to be able to be involved in more sports, but I have to work full-time (I am a number-crunching statistician), and this means that my time available for hobbies and sports is very limited. Despite not being able to train as hard or as often as I would like to, I have been reasonably successful in my squash “career”. I represented my age-group at provincial level from u11 to u19, while at school, and since leaving school, I have represented my province (open category) at the National Inter-Provincial tournament for the past four years, and I play ladies’ first league every week from March to October.

What do I want?

I would consider myself a reasonably good squash player, but would like to improve my provincial and national ranking a little. Currently I am ranked between 10th and 15th in the province, and would like to be nearer to 5th (this would guarantee me a place in the provincial team next year). To assist me in achieving this goal, I have enlisted the help of a biokineticist to help me with a training program which is squash specific, and a dietician to help me lose weight without compromising my body’s ability to train hard and recover afterwards. This means that I need to lose fat, and not muscle, essentially improving my fat %. I also spend some time with a sports psychologist once a month, because I find that when I am at work, I end up thinking about squash, and when I’m on the squash court, I end up thinking about work. He has been helping me to focus on what is important at any given time, and also to help me be less stressed about matches. I would like to be able to play more consistently, and focus and relaxation will help with that. Because I am not able to play professionally, and have to work full time, I need to pay particular attention to the time I am spending training or working to ensure that I don’t over-train, I must still do my job at 100%, I also need time to spend with my boyfriend (who is exceptionally understanding of my training routine), and some recovery/relaxation time is also an essential part of any training program. A side-effect of getting myself into shape for squash, is that I am forced to eat healthily, and will remain fit.

 

How can I help you?

The intention of this blog, is to document what I am researching / learning, and the results I achieve using these methods. Also, I would like to be able to assist those of you who are also trying to stay fit, and healthy. It is so much easier to stick to a program when you are not the only one. If my attempt to lose weight, get fit, and keep a balance in my life can inspire just one of you, then it helps me stay motivated too! I would like to discuss what my training program entails, whether or not I feel that I am getting any benefit from it, and possibly delve into why it is working or not. Similarly, I would like to discuss healthy weight loss – I am not interested in losing weight using a “magic pill” or supplement, as this is not sustainable weight loss (and I am expected to conform to the IOC anti-doping rules, since I represent my province). Some posts may be more of a commentary on how the training and weight loss programs are going, as well as any matches I am playing, to document where I am improving, and what still needs to be worked on.

Where to from here?

Is there anything in particular that you would like me to discuss? Let me know, by posting me a comment.



How to overcome difficulties encountered during a match:

Recently, during a squash tournament I had entered, I was shocked by the way my opponent approached the game. Whenever she hit a winner, part of her preparation to serve was to yell “Come on!!!!” at an extremely high volume. I found this rather distracting to my game, and had to work through a few things to manage to come out on top in this match. I thought it would be worthwhile to go through the things that helped me remain calm enough to win this match, and might be useful to assist any of you who may find yourself in a similar situation. I have also been spending some time speaking to a sports psychologist, and have been trying to put what we have been working on, into practice.

To begin with, here are some factors which affect the outcome of a game, I have separated these into those which are within your control (as a player), and those which aren’t. You are only expected to focus on the things which are within your control, if you start worrying about the things which you cannot affect, your stress levels are increased, and this usually leads to the things you can control slipping out of control.

There are most definitely additional factors to how a game goes, if there are any which you feel I have not covered, or that I have not covered in enough detail, please feel free to leave a comment at the end of this post.

Factors within your control:

1. Fitness:

You may not be able to change this during the game, but you were in control of how much training you did before the match, knowing when important matches and tournaments fall on the year’s calendar.

2. Diet:

It’s not only important to eat well during a tournament, but to have followed a healthy eating plan in the weeks leading up to it (if not all the time), so that there isn’t a sudden shock to your system with a change of diet. Also, included in “diet” are the supplements / sports drinks you will be using during the match.

3. Mental preparation:

Knowing who your opponent is for the next match, and their style of play always helps to prepare for a match. I also spend some time thinking about a game plan which I am comfortable with, and which will place pressure on my opponent. It is also important to realise that there are many possible outcomes to every match – this is something which I will delve into in a later post.

4. Technique:

You will have spent some time training not only your fitness, but also on your technique. This means that you know what shots you are able to play, and which potentially could cause problems during the match. For example, I have spent time with my coach, and know which shots I can play, and which I should avoid. This helps determine the game plan I will use as I know my strengths and weaknesses.

5. Concentration:

During the match, it is important to remain focused. I have found that it’s easier to manage this in “bite-sized” chunks, if that’s 5 points, 1 point, or even 1 shot. Depending on the pressure I’m under at the time, this changes, but it is usually about 5 points at the start of the game (my usual goal is to get the first few points), then I concentrate on maintaining the gap between my score and my opponent’s, then it changes to being a point at a time, and under immense pressure, my goal changes to “get the next ball back” so that my opponent has to play another shot, and there is another opportunity for them to make an error

Factors outside your control:

1. How your opponent is playing:

If your opponent is having a really good day, and all her shots are working exactly as she wants them to, there’s not much that can be done about it. It is better to accept that they will hit some winners, and concentrate on keeping your unforced error rate as low as possible, and look for opportunities to play a winner of your own.

2. Court condition:

If you are battling because of a slippery floor, load music blaring off-court, dead spot on the wall, etc. remember that your opponent is being faced with the same conditions, and try to carry on regardless. It is not ideal to play under these conditions, but the person who can accept these, and continue with their game is most likely to have the opportunities to win.

3. Referee’s decisions:

There are times when you may disagree with a decision that the referee has made, unfortunately, there is nothing that you can do to change this. Most referees make calls that you disagree with, but they are usually consistent within a match, so you can use that call as something to learn from, and know what they are likely to decide in a similar situation later in the match. Often, I find that if I work really hard at running down shots which I would not have been expected to fetch, the referee can be more lenient with deciding to play a let. Otherwise, just accept that the referee will call the game the way that they can see it (they are human after all), and just focus on the next shot.

4. Time of match:

Depending on how many people have entered the tournament, or how many courts are available for use, there may be some matches that are scheduled late in the evening. The time of the match is the same for both you and your opponent, so it is not worth getting irritated by it. What you can control is ensuring that you stick to a routine which will allow you to have enough rest and keep your energy levels sufficiently high to be able to play to your full potential.

The more time you spend worrying about the things that you can’t change, the more stress you place on yourself, and you end up losing focus on what you can control, and the potential to which you can play drops significantly.

There are many factors which can have an effect on the outcome of any sports event, I have listed a few which came to mind, if there are any other things which you think of, please place a comment at the end of this post, and they may be added to this post (or an upcoming post) for more discussion.

By taking the above points into consideration, I realised that I must not worry about what my opponent was doing, and just focus on what I had control over. I found that by keeping my focus on my game plan and consciously taking calming breaths between points, I became significantly less irritated, and I was able to focus on what could help me achieve the goal of winning the match. I also found that they calmer I became, the more my opponent got stressed, and her unforced error rate climbed, and I found more opportunities to play winners.

And I fell off the training wagon – again!

Monday night’s league game (which was cancelled), ended up being a girls’ night out, and we went to watch Angels and Demons – I decided that I needed to go out with the girls because of J’s bf having recently broken up with her…

<hijack on>

Movie was good, but SO different from the book L If I hadn’t read the book (a few times, I’ll admit), then I would really have enjoyed it, but I battled to get my head around the changed storyline… and yes, it DID affect the outcome of the movie! Grumble grumble grumble!

<hijack off>

Anyway, I tried to play squash last night – what a failure! I’m definitely going to have to be really good and lose some weight.

Any suggestions out there on how to get a healthy diet to fit into a REALLY busy day?? That’s definitely something that I’m failing at.

Any suggestions on how to survive the next few weeks?

The new feature from WP is definitely going to help me keep everyone up to date so much better (I’m now writing this during my lunch break at work, and will email it in shortly!).

I got an email from the provincial body on Thursday, it was addressed to 14 of the players and told us that squad training will be starting this Thursday. There was some mention that it should have started at the beginning of May, but due to the lack of response from the players, it was now starting 4 weeks late. Anyway, I quickly re-arranged my plans for this week to be available for the training session. Having done this, I received an email which was sent on Saturday to the squad to tell us that training couldn’t happen this week, as there were no courts booked. Now, if it was the players’ fault that training hadn’t started yet, then the courts should have been booked from the beginning of May (seeing as this should have been organised by the provincial body). Don’t mind my ranting, but if we’ve now had to re-organise our weeks to get to the training, don’t tell us later that you stuffed up!!! The original plan starting this Thursday involved 1 training session a week for the next 5 weeks. The new plan (sent on Saturday) is a 90 min session this weekend (either Sat 30th or Sun 31st May), 90 mins next Thursday (and they then tell us that they STILL haven’t organised courts for then either), and a 90 min session on Sat 6th June, with the possibility of another session that afternoon. Which gets us to 3 or 4 sessions in the next 2 weeks, and then NOTHING until the tournament a month later! Talk about lack of organisational skills!

So anyway, that wasn’t really the major theme of today’s blog… but I needed to get that off my chest!

Back on topic: This week seems to be rather CRAZY!!

Today (Monday) I wanted to get to the office early to get cracking on a lot of work which needs to be done by the end of this week. I set my alarm for 05:30, and then managed to sleep through it until 06:30. Now, I normally leave for the office at 06:30, and I now still needed to get ready for work, pack a gym bag, pack my breakfast and lunch, and get drive to the office (avoiding as much traffic as possible). Not a good start to the week! Anyway, I quickly threw on some clothes, packed my lunch, and ran to the car – it was now 07:10 and I knew that I would be stuck in horrible traffic, as it had now started raining! Anyway, got to the office, and started cracking with the work. Tonight I am going to go to the gym and do some much needed cardio training and then stumble my way through a weights routine. Then it’s a case of getting home, packing for tomorrow, and getting to bed as early as possible You’ll all know if I bail tonight, so I’d better go (“,)

Tomorrow (Tuesday) I want to do an early morning yoga class, but the earliest class is at 06:00 for 75mins, so I’m just going to have to be a little later for work than I usually am. At least I will already be a few blocks from the office after that, so there won’t be any traffic issues! [I decided last night that I am going to have to add yoga to my weekly routine so that I get my flexibility back!]. I did my first class last night – and it didn’t go nearly as badly as I was expecting! Anyway, after yoga, I’ll be heading to the office to continue with the work I won’t get finished today, and then head off to my men’s league squash match. We won our first fixture last week, and are desperately hoping to continue with the winning form! Then it will be hurry home and get to bed (men’s league usually ends round 22:30, which I find rather late!

On Wednesday, I’m supposed to go to the gym in the morning, do some cardio, and then do some weight training. I often find that I battle to get up in time, but I’m going to do my utmost this week. I’m turning over a new leaf. So I will get to the gym at 05:30, and do some serious running, and weights, and rush off to work (again). I have organised a training game at 18:45 on Wed evening, which leaves me enough time to get home before I go to squash (less stress than having to rush through to the courts straight from the office). I’m hoping that I won’t be too tired at this stage to manage the game! I’ve got to improve my fitness, and testing it is just about the only way that I can.

Thursday was supposed to be squad training after work, but seeing as there are no courts, I just have a lesson during my lunch hour to contend with. According to my personal trainer, Thursdays are one of those elusive REST DAYS!! If only I could actually take the time to take it! Anyway, I’m thinking of doing a yoga session on Thursday evening after work, light stretching should also speed up recovery!

Friday is a gym session at 05:30 – sigh – this seems way to common an occurrence! And then, more work, and then another squash game in the evening. Then an early night, and some rest!

Saturday should just be the squad training session, but I also should be going to the gym, and doing some weights…

If anyone out there has any suggestions as to how to get through this week, please, please let me know!!!! Otherwise I may just self-destruct!

Ciao for now

busy busy busy!

Well, my match on Monday went quite well… a few mini dramas, but overall, it wasn’t too bad

I had organised with 2 of my friends (K and J) that they would be joining me at the courts as my cheerleading squad, along with M, my bf.  There were a few provisions (of course) – K had to be at an AGM beforehand, but would shoot through to the courts as soon as it was over, and of course I owed them some drinks I had spoken to my coach too, and he was going to come through after his last lesson (which ended at 19:30) and meet me before my game at 20:00.  At least, that was the plan!  While I was getting ready at home (around 18:45), J phoned to say that she had left the directions to the courts at work, so could I run them by her again.  Not a problem… and we’re all set to meet just before my game.  I then finish getting ready, and M and I go through to the venue.  As I arrive (45 mins early), the match which was scheduled immediately before mine, is already at 1-0!!  Bugger!  They shouldn’t even be on court yet!  Quick text messages off to K and J to let them know that everything’s early, and back to focusing!  That match went to 5 games (thank goodness!) and then Danielle and I were up.  Looked at M, he hasn’t heard from either of the two girls, and it’s still way to early for coach to be there.

Deep breath in, and I walk onto court for the warmup.

About 5 mins later, we’re ready for the spin, and the start of the game.  She spins, I call, she wins.  Not too unusual, and off we start.  I decided to try my best not to think about anything except hitting every shot, and fetching anything she had to throw at me.  This seemed to be working, I was a few points in the lead.  There were a few back and forths with the serve (with the score creeping up all the time).   I began to worry that she might catch me, and then, in a moment of clarity, I realised that as long as every time she served, I made sure that I won the rally, I’d still win the game, just by being more than 2 points ahead all the time! 

New game plan!  And it worked!  I took the first game!

I came off court to talk to M about the things I needed to work on, and he told me that J was lost, but on her way, and that K’s meeting was running really late.  We went through what I needed to do, and I walked back on court.

I had decided that getting the first few points and then maintaining the gap had worked rather well in the first game, so I tried that again.  I managed to get a 3 or so point lead, and kept plugging away at my length game.  About halfway through the game, I noticed that my coach had arrived this made me feel a little more relaxed, as I would have someone to help me if thing didn’t go so well.  I took the 2nd game, and came off to have some more water and energy drink.

Had a quick chat to the coach, and went back on court.  I worked really hard this game, and mananged to secure a lead of 10-1!  Unfortunately, this is where my brain decided that I had won, and I needn’t worry any more!  BAD IDEA!  I don’t remember the next few points, but I was suddenly aware of only being 10-7 up… Not a good thing at all!  I gave myself a stern talking to (silently, of course), and got my butt into gear, keeping Danielle under pressure.  Eventually, she cracked, and hit the ball into the tin.

I HAD WON!!

What an amazing feeling – I really have missed that.  I am now motivated again to hit the gym, and get training so that I can play like that every week!!!!

The rest of the tournament is going to have to be a story for another night – it’s already 22:00, and I need to be up at 04:30 to get to the gym before work.

‘night all!

another big match – let’s just see how it goes!

Well…  I’ve entered into one of the major provincial tournaments which starts tomorrow.  I received the draw on Thursday, only to discover that I’m scheduled to play one of my old training partners, who beat me in the last match we played.  I’m going to have to work REALLY hard during the match, and just see what results I get.  I can always hope that they will be positive.  My coach is going to try to be there to watch, which is really good – I just hope that I play to the best of my ability, and whatever the result is, that’s what I’m going to have to live with.  I’ll give it my best shot, and just wait and see.

I went to the gym today to do an hour’s training on court with my brother, and that went rather well, so I’m as prepared as I can be (for now).  I’ve been battling with managing to get to all of my matches, finish all my work, and still get to the gym, so after this tournament, I’m going to be working hard at ensuring that I don’t bail out of ANY training, and if I can, do some extra cardio, as I really need to drop a few kgs!!!  I’ve already got breakfast and lunch ready for tomorrow, so that I can get to the office early, and get a headstart on the work which is due by the end of the week – there’s just SOOOOOO much to get done, and there aren’t enough hours in my day to get it done.  I think that tomorrow will be one of those days where I just put in my earphones, switch on the tunes, and work my little ass off!

Wish me luck, all you peeps out there xx

Related articles:

Overcoming difficulted encountered during matches

gearing up for a BIG match!!

I decided to put in some serious training before my match on Wednesday (the challenge match that I REALLY don’t want to play)… So I organised 2 games for Friday night, trained with my brother for 90 mins on Saturday, and then again for 90mins this evening.  Everything seems to be going well…

On Friday, while I was playing my 2nd practise match, the girl, decided that she had to watch me play…  My opponent said that that’s a good thing, because it means that she’s worried about the match too.  I really hope that she’s right!

I’ve got a men’s league match tomorrow night, and then the match on Wednesday evening…

Please all hold thumbs for me!!!!

Any words of wisdom will be appreciated

Bit of a round up!

Starting with my holiday leading up to the Easter weekend…  We had a bit of an exciting outing mid-week – my bf’s parents took all of us to Karkloof to go on a Canopy Tour.  This sounds rather gentle, until you see what you are expected to do!  There are 8 “foefie slides” to which you are harnessed, and you slide down them from platform to platform in the canopy of the forest.  At the highest point, you are 35m from the ground, and the longest slide is 180m.  It is an experience which is definitely one for the scrapbook, but when you are afraid of heights (as I am), hanging on a steel rope in the air, is not the most inviting idea in the world!  There is an option where one of the guides goes with you, and he is in charge of your speed (an option I gladly exercised!), but otherwise, you use your hand as a brake, and control everything!  Scary idea that!

** A thought has suddenly struck!  I keep being told by my coach that my biggest problem on the squash court is not an inability to play a shot, it’s that I don’t believe that I can play the shot.  I suppose that my fear of heights is related – I am not afraid of rollercoasters or high buildings, but I am afraid of being high up when I am the one in control of my safety.  This is probably a direct link to my lack of belief in myself!  WOW!  I’ll sort things out someday **

Anyway, back to the squash, which I have now managed to float across to My match on Tuesday night did not go according to anything which could possibly resemble a plan ;( and I was rather bleak, but after chatting to my bf, things were looking up a bit.  Then…  I went back to the court, where one of the guys decided to corner me and proceed to try to tell me exactly what I did wrong, from not wanting to win to technique issues.  He wouldn’t listen to me when I tried to explain that I didn’t want to know anything about my technique right then (I have a coach who is working on that – it’s just going to confuse me!), and he proceeded to swear at me.  Let’s just say that it wasn’t a fitting ending to an evening of squash which could have been so much better!  I don’t understand why people have this need to give you a blow by blow of everything which you did wrong immediately after a match?  Any suggestions?  That’s the last thing that I want to know about – I’m feeling sorry enough for myself because I’ve lost – I really don’t need salt rubbed into that wound!  Or am I alone in feeling like this???  I then received an email from him the next morning, apologising for being a “bit harsh” (yes, direct quote!).  This had me seeing red again – it’s one thing to get upset with someone, it’s another entirely to swear.  And that’s a “bit harsh”???  The rest of the email went on about how he was actually right, and I was in the wrong, and that all he wanted to do was help.  I didn’t think that you can help someone by swearing at them?  Or am I missing something there too?  It took me a long time to get through the entire email, and by the end of that I was in tears again ;( not what I needed at the start of a very long day!

I wish that I could say that that was the end of my horrid 24hrs, but NO!  I get an email from one of the girls’ MOTHERS!  I mean really!  She emailed to inform me that her daughter wants to challenge me, and that she’s asked the guy from last night to referee the match!!!!!!!!  Call me stupid, but they were both at the courts last night, and saw me in tears, and heard why I was crying, and then they have the audacity to ask him to ref!  No, not cool!  I’m going to have to work really hard between now and next Wed (the day of the match) to beat her convincingly!  Show them what’s reasonable!

Now, am I being oversensitive to all of this, or were they out of line??  Comments welcome

Next on my list is to organise some extra income so that I can go to the local high performance centre and speak to someone about getting my brain right – sigh!