You had plenty money 1922

Took up hula-hooping (a kiddy one for £3, I'm not buying a sodding weighted £25 one if it turned out it would just gather dust after two tries) because I'd heard something vague about it being good for burning calories, and I needed something as it wasn't like I could cycle during the downpours of the last few months. Being freezing, soaked and mud-spattered is not my idea of fun. You get much colder and muddier on a bike than you ever do jogging. Discovered that you get bored in about two minutes and it's bloody frustrating doing about six loops and seeing it drop to the floor. Kept at it whenever my computer froze or I got bored - essentially, about 2-5mins a day. Got better at keeping it up, as you do when you do something regularly.

Was poking my upper abs earlier this week as I've always had fairly decent ones due to carrying a heavy bag, and they'd recently got a bit more defined. Discovered that definition is appearing *below* my belly button. Which has never happened. Not when I was boxing, or even when I was a size 12 on my arse when I was jogging like mad one autumn. When hula-hooping, noticed that you could see said lower abs flexing. So, yeah, there's still a bit of flab over them, but... lower abs.

So: hula-hooping for 5 mins most days gives you better abs than regular sit-ups and crunches and planks, without the pain, sweating or nagging feeling that you're not doing it right. Oh, and your lower back is a bit firmer. Bonus.

working from home today. which of course was the cue for the login to try and redirect to a different server that i don't have access to...

As I'm not jogging at mo due to it being pitch black when I get home (I refuse to attempt to cross cattle grids, and jog by the river in the dark, thankyou - it's already slightly slick and boggy during the day due to it being winter), so in an attempt to get some calorie burn, I'm trying skipping. First attempt today since I'm not getting in the up and down stairs that i get at work when I take screen breaks with the smokers. Cue me doing 100 without a problem, stop to take a breath... and then trip every ten or so on the next 50. :eyes skipping rope beadily: Having flashbacks to boxing when they intro'd skipping in the warm-ups.

Muscle-bound boys of armband colour whatever : *flail, trip every 5 or ten, or get it tangled in ceiling lights*
Girls, including the beginners who'd only been going to class 2 weeks : '200... 300... BORED NOW. I like coffee, i like tea... anyone want to do the two-rope?'

i'm still not sure how it's supposed to burn more calories than jogging. Seriously. it's possibly the most low-impact no-effort thing you can do - I mean, seriously, it's very slow rhythmic jogging and jumping. Even when you're doing it fast.