4mydadTony Fundraising challenge

Hello little blog,

Sorry it's been a while since I last wrote - lots of things have been going on, but the most exciting has been to do with my Fundraising Challenge, to help people with MS!

You may remember that I wrote about my New Big Goal, which was an awesome starting point! Things have taken a slightly different direction, in light of my bipolar diagnosis, so I thought I'd share a little update with you all.

The original plan was for me to raise £22K to help pay for a big Wheelchair Accessible Car (WAC), that would fit all of the family and my dad comfortably. Well, now that I am probably not going to be moving out of my parents house for some time (well, not until a lovely fella comes along and sweeps me off my feet 😉) we had a re-think about how best to spend the money raised - the big WAC would no longer fit the needs of everyone. So we decided on a new plan - my parents would get a much smaller WAC, that would fit both of their mobility issues and I will save for a family car myself.

My dad hasn't been on holiday for over 2 years now - he either has to go into respite care or have a live-in carer stay with him, which I hate, as i feel so sad having to leave him behind, while we all go off for a fun family holiday. So, some of the money raised is going to go on a lovely family holiday - for my dad and the entire family to enjoy!

Then we had the job of deciding what to do with the rest of the money raised. Well, I met a friend of a friend whose wife also has MS like my dad and she attends a therapy centre for people with MS! So, that is where the remainder of the money raised is going, The Berkshire MS Therapy Centre!

I have already had a couple of fundraising events to help 'kick start' the money raising efforts -
Firstly I held an online Facebook Auction - I asked all of my creative friends if they would be willing to donate any pieces for the auction - to say that I was blown away with their generosity is a total understatement!! The auction went really well and overall raise £264! I have decided to hold another auction in December, perfect timing for some unique Christmas Gifts!

Some of the items donated!

 Next fundraising event, was a pamper evening that I held at a local Hotel. It was a really nice evening, with lots of different stallholders from massage therapists, to nails and skincare products 😊 the only downside was that where I had been so ill for 3 months, all of the final organising was crammed into just a few weeks! It was def a big learning curve and I have already got plans for another similar event next year! That event raised £261 and that was only with a few people there - plus all of the money from selling jewellery that a friend and I had made (we're going into business together - more on that another day!!)

If you fancy checking out my progress, I have a Facebook group called 4mydadTony - I've been uploading my progress and sharing videos of my fitness progress - did I tell you that I have signed up for Reading Half Marathon next Spring!?! I have found a personal trainer who is going to help me on the running side of things - I've been building my fitness levels with HIIT classes, aqua fit and walk/jogs, but I still have a long way to go before I'm Half Marathon Ready! So excited though! 😄

Oh and before I go, I just thought I'd share one little thing extra that I've done recently - I pledged that when my fundraising pot reached £750, I would dye my hair rainbow colours! Well, with generous friends and the online auction, we smashed that goal and so I got a hidden rainbow - which I LOVE!

My next milestone is £2K - then I will get all of my hair rainbow coloured! 😄

My new BIG GOAL!

Hello little blog!

I am sooo excited about my latest challenge I decided to set myself, that I just had to share with you all!

One of the things that I have been encouraged to do since joining the Forever family is to set myself some goals!
To start off with I set myself the challenge to earn £200 in profits a month. I created a lovely dream-board so that I could have a visual reminder of what I am working for. It had things like new clothes (some of mine are older than Little Man and he'll be 9 in July!) new trainers and boots, plus things like family fun days out and saving up for our first family pet - a rescue dog or puppy! 😄

Although the motivation was sort of there, after a flying start in December, I had quite a quiet January and February. I didn't really have that burning desire to achieve those targets. It didn't really matter enough whether I hit them or not.

Well, over the course of one weekend back in February, all of that changed!
I went to a networking breakfast with my sponsor on the Friday at the Madejski Stadium in Reading. It was my first ever 'event' and I got talking to lots of different people, plus ran into a friend who I hadn't seen in ages (small world!!) it was really good fun!

One of the guest speakers was absolutely AMAZING! He spoke about how he set out to run a marathon to honour his father who had sadly passed away. He was just so inspirational and down to earth! I just got one of his books through the post today 'The Unnatural Networker' by Charlie Lawson - can't wait to start reading it!!

The very next day my sponsor and I headed off to a Success Event at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry! I HAD THE BEST DAY EVER!!!
Throughout the day we were given top tips and ideas to help us run our businesses, but by far the best bits of the day were getting to see the FBOs (Forever Business Owners) walking across the stage to receive their awards for all their hard work! There were people who had made it to Manager Level; there were people who were being recognised for their recruitment achievements; our top manager of the team I am part of was the number 8 business there!! Amazing day!
I also loved to hear the stories and journeys of some of the top FBOs in the UK - every story was unique, but all showed that with hard work and consistency, EVERYTHING is possible!

Well when I got home and started to process some of the information I had experienced over those two events, I suddenly realised what my WHY was! The reason WHY I needed to get up and do some work every single day! I couldn't believe that I hadn't thought of it before! My WHY was my DAD!!

For those of you who don't know, my dad has MS. He was diagnosed when I was around 16 years old (I just turned 36 😉) and he has been extremely lucky in that his MS has been very slow progressing.
The last few years has seen a dramatic change though; he's now wheelchair bound completely, is hoisted in and out of bed and has carers to help him morning and night.

The one place he still struggles the most is having to  transfer using a plastic 'banana board' so that he can get in and out of the car. Then either I or my mum have to get his heavy wheelchair into the boot of the car (he's 6ft 4, so has an extra large wheelchair to accommodate his long legs, bless him!)
It's not the easiest task - much harder for mum who has mobility issues of her own and I worry a lot about her struggling with dad's wheelchair when I'm not there.

So, inspired by Charlie Lawson's story, I decided that I was going to raise money to buy my dad a WAC (Wheelchair Accessible Car) From all of the amazing people I had heard from that weekend, I knew that I was going to have to do something BIG if I was going to achieve this! So, I have set myself the challenge of running in a MARATHON in 2020!! Not only that, but I am going to run in the Reading Half Marathon in 2019!

This may not seem like a big deal to lots of you, but what you have to bear in mind is that currently I am a couch potato! I am 19stone 10 (horrifying to actually admit that!!) and wear size 24 clothes!
I like to see this as another step in my 'get fitter and feel better' challenge that I have embarked upon this year. Also if I don't reach my goal amount (around £22K - I'm not doing anything by halves me heehee!) at least I will be a damn sight fitter than I am now! 😄

I have already taken steps to get me going!
I have started making healthier choices in my food intake - I figure good 'fuel' will help me more than just eating whatever - celery and carrots are now my new 'best friends!' 😉
I have also booked myself an appointment to see a personal trainer, as with the spinal injury I got a few years back, I know I need to be careful with what training I do!

So, if you're local to me, don't be surprised to see me puffing (and probably sweating - sorry if TMI!!) to the lakes and back - prob 2-3 times a week!

Wish me luck! Hugs xxx

Trying to Get Fitter Challenge!

Hello lovely little blog!

I'm aiming to try and write an entry a week, then I won't feel guilty for being neglectful like I did with my old blog 😉

Well, Little Miss turned 5 on Saturday! (don't know where that time has gone!?!) she had a lovely little birthday party at our local pottery painting place, with some of her friends and family.
We've enjoyed loads of party food and an amazing cake (from Costco!) so now the fun is over, time for me to get down to the serious business - my 'Get Fitter Challenge'

It's safe to say that although I'm not the heaviest I've ever been, I'm definitely not happy with my current weight! I have too many wobbly bits too (sorry if TMI 😉 ) and so have decided that there's no time like the present to start making changes!

After getting diagnosed with gallstones and a fatty liver last year, we made some changes in our diet as a family - swapped to brown pasta and rice. My mum and I eat mainly brown /rye / multi-seed bread now, or rice crackers. Mum and I have swapped the big bars of chocolate that we would share every night for single small bars (like Freddo's!) Some nights, I don't even bother with them at all!
Those steps have all helped, but not enough!

So, to give me a good 'kick start' on my journey to becoming a 'fitter, healthier me' I have decided to do a 14 day shake challenge! (started yesterday - Sunday 7th January)


For the next 14 days, I am going to try to;
- have a shake for breakfast and another for lunch
- try and have only healthy snack if I need them (carrots, celery, special 'protein bars' that should help fill me up and fruit)
- try and go for a 30 minute walk every day (rain or shine!!)
- eat a healthy dinner with the rest of the family every night
- swap my latte coffees with 2 sugars for a cup of hot lemon and a spoonful of honey

I already had a very 'naughty' moment last night, where having been good all day, I gave into my urges and had a piece of Little Misses birthday cake and some cookies! Felt very bad, but I think if I'm going to make it through the next 14 days, I'm going to have to practise showing myself a little kindness! If I slip up, then I'll try again the next day!

I did manage to stomp up to our local lakes and back before dinner last night, so that was something 😊 took me about 40mins to do the 2.2 miles in total, as with one arm still in a sling, my balance is surprisingly off! I couldn't walk straight, or swing both arms to help me keep going!
I also learnt that the best way to keep my headphones in was to turn them upside down and have the wires trailing down behind my ears! (I learn something everyday!)

I'd love to hear from any of you about your new years challenges!
Or have any of you got any tips on how to keep hunger at bay, when trying these shake / other weight management challenges?? I need all the help I can get! 😉😊

Hugs xxx