So today I am writing a blog on the topic of WALKING. Nic did offer to do it but I said leave it to me. If you want to know about walking, ask a dog!
Did you know that May is National Walking Month? Well, every month is walking month as far as I’m concerned, but next month is going to even better.
I’m going tell you all about it so you can join me (in a virtual sense, at least) and we can all walk together.
First up, my manifesto for walking. I have spent a lot of time on this so please don’t laugh. I already have a touch of alopecia and I don’t think my nerves could take it.
Here are some stats for you sporty folk. Did you know that 40% of adult humans who go to the gym less than two miles away actually drive there? And 13% of the ones who have to go less than one mile drive. You humans are so silly! Walk!
The charity Living Streets asked me to ask you to walk more during May – National Walking Month. There’s Walk to Work Week (13-17 May) and Walk to School Week (20-24 May) so don’t say they haven’t tried to tempt you!
Living Streets is the national charity that stands up for pedestrians (mostly humans, but they care about dogs too). They’ve been the national voice for pedestrians for 80 years now and it’s them we have to thank for the introduction of the driving test, pedestrian crossings and 30mph speed limits.
Check out the National Walking month website and get signed up before May. I’ve had a look (with Nic’s help) and it’s really good, there are virtual challenges, log books and route planners, it’s really fun to use and there’s so much on there. Registration (which is free) is open now. You can also like Living Streets on Facebook and follow Living Streets on Twitter.
Hey guys! It’s been ages since I blogged but I know you’re all interested in what I get up to (can’t blame you) so I thought I’d put paw to keypad and tell you about yesterday.
Most of my working days are pretty boring really, sleeping in my bed whilst Nic types, or sleeping in my bed whilst Nic is at meetings, or helping Nic think by whining or chomping loudly on a chew. But some days I really have to step up to the plate and basically be Nic’s assistant.
(^^^ my thinking face)
Yesterday we drove to East Grinstead to help out on a DVD and photoshoot for Muscle & Fitness magazine. It was really cool and I thought you should all know what happens on one of these days.
Remember the time I went to The Training Lab gym, met WBFF World Champ Shaun Stafford and was sick on the floor ? That was for a photoshoot and magazine article (inexplicably, the magazine didn’t want me in the photos – I am still waiting for the Editor to get back to me with exact answers on that).
It was the same yesterday, I wasn’t so much required to be in the DVD but, like Nic, I was a very important part of the behind-the-scenes activity.
Nic’s jobs:
- to sit down
- to write stuff down
- to talk to people and ask them things
- to remember all the funny things that were said and write them down for later
- to think a lot
Well now take a look at my list of jobs and I think you’ll start to see that I’m just as important:
- to lie down
- to get patted by people and try to lick them
- to watch all the funny things happening
- to think a lot (whilst sleeping)
- to guard the gym door so nobody came in during filming
- to guard the camera equipment
- to not get in the way
- to be a team mascot so all the people being filmed were chilled out and happy
Um… HELLO… how can a day like that happen without me? I haven’t asked Muscle & Fitness what my fee for the day is but I’m sure they’ll let me know in due course. Probably they will add it on to my fee for the other time when I was so helpful with the photoshoot.
Every time I do one of these jobs I make lots of cool new friends. Me and Andy McKenzie, who owns and runs The Training Lab gym, are basically best friends now. Especially since I wasn’t sick on his floor this time!
But also yesterday I met a man called Nick “Headhunter” Chapman, who was really big and sort of scary but secretly I think he’s not that scary at all, it’s just his job (he is an MMA fighter, which means Mixed Martial Arts). I caught him smiling at me when he walked past and he said “hellooooo there!” which really wasn’t very scary. But shhh don’t tell anyone, in case any of his MMA opponents are reading.
I also met a nice man called Mike who is very clever and invented a thing called a Unikurve (which is the fitness equipment we were making the DVD about). He showed me photos of his own dog and even gave Nic some advice on my bald patch (too embarrassing to blog about), thank you Mike.
Finally I met a cool dude called Wayne who gave me lot of cuddles, here is a picture of us (sorry I am a bit blurry, I was very excited). Wayne used to be in a TV show called Gladiators where his character was called Doom, but personally I think that’s silly because he wasn’t Doomy or Gloomy at all. And I know just how annoying it can be when strangers only refer to you by your stage-name (I am so famous all around the town for my dog-coat modelling, sometimes I just want to free myself from the shackles of fame and cry out “but my name is Frankie!”) So I was very respectful to him and didn’t call him Doom once, just Wayne, which is his proper name.
Anyway that’s enough chit-chat for today. I will be back soon with a more fitness-themed post, probably on the topic of powerwalking and why it is my cardio of choice.
I hope you enjoyed this unique insight into what it is like to be a dog working in the fitness industry.
Hi guys! I know Nic often does kit reviews on the blog so I thought it was about time I did one of my own.
A few weeks ago, Nic was in a coffee shop (I know – massive shocker!) and she saw a dog wearing a really nice coat. She asked the dog’s owner where the coat was from and the lady said “I made it, I have a little business called Woof Coats.” Nic was so impressed at Willow’s lovely coat that she asked the lady if she would make me a coat, too.
Nic had to give the lady lots of info via email including various measurements (being measured with a tape is very fun – my top tip is to wriggle around loads!) and any choice of colour/material. I told Nic my favourite colour is YELLOW which is the colour of bouncy balls but Nic said she thought red might be nicer for a coat. The coat lady used to be work as a fashion designer and textiles person in London, so Nic thought it best to leave the choice of design and material up to her.
Well! I got my coat today and I have to say it is just about the best thing ever!
We went out and about for a photoshoot and I felt like the bee’s knees! (In fact, Woof Coats strapline is “our dog coats are the cat’s pyjamas”, which I thought was really offensive til Nic explained that it means they are the best).
I posed in front of the Racecourse, and the entrance to the Castle, because truly in my Harris tweed coat I feel like a posh dog who lives in a stately home or something.
Then we went to the beach, because I am not a posh dog who lives in a stately home, I am just a Staffy cross who lives near the sea. I worked on my model looks – one I like to call “whimsical horizons” (middle left) and one I like to call “steely glare” (bottom left) -
I posed on the beach. And I posed on the rocks, in case anyone ever needs a dog to do modelling in an outdoors-wear catalogue.
About 10 different people asked Nic where my coat was from and she told them Woof Coats in Sandgate! One man said he preferred my coat to his own coat, and another man said “well Frank you are a male model now mate!”
All in all I have to say that I love my coat. Nic says I should give a proper review so here are a few points to note:
Why I love my Woof Coat, by Frankie (aged 4)
- Harris tweed with a decorative patch made of contrasting fabric
- made to measure and a one-off design
- lined in cosy corduroy
- very smart button with a stretchy loop
- easy to wag my tail whilst wearing it
- easy to run in (I checked this)
- easy to wee and poo in (I also checked this)
- very well made
- not restrictive in any way
- not embarrassing to wear like some coats you see on other dogs
- only £30! (Nic says she can’t quite believe this and that the lady should put her prices up)
- designed and handmade by a proper clothes designer who used to design clothes for humans
You can check out Woof Coats online (I might be featured on the website, how exciting!) and they are also on Facebook and Twitter.
Thanks Woof Coats for my great coat! I really love it a lot! Frankie xx
Today’s blog post is all about a wonderful Christmas gift thefitdog and I received all the way from sunny Florida (because I’m certain it is always boiling hot and blissfully sunny there, right?)
I took part in one big international gift-swap between members of a friendly Facebook group dedicated to women who like to train with weights. Many of us are female bodybuilders or Figure competitors and some are ladies who just like to lift. The group is absolutely huge now (big thanks to Jenny for setting it up and maintaining it so beautifully) and this was the first year some of us did a gift swap.
I was paired up with a lady called Kesha, who’s in Orlando. Our parcels took a bit longer than most to get to their destinations but it was worth the wait! Kesha sent me the most wonderful, generous and thoughtful collection of items! She either did some very good detective work around my blog (…and FB page. And Twitter. And Pinterest…. And, er, Instagram… #overshare #addictedtosocialmedia #noneedtohashtaginablogpostNicola) or we were simply very well suited as gift-buddies.
Here’s what she sent…
A t-shirt dress from her home gym in Orlando, Vixen (how cool!)
And two pairs of cute knee-length socks (Kesha, I’m a sock fan too, like you!) One pair has already been duly rocked at the gym (the stripey ones).
This amazing shopping bag from Whole Foods (my love of veg – particularly Brussels sprouts – is now reaching legendary proportions… ) I don’t think we can get these bags at the WF here in the UK and I love that I’ll have a “limited edition”
Some little sampler sachets of supergreens and PB2 – honestly, Kesha you couldn’t have chosen better!
A coffee-mug sleeve made by CTC International, an organisation which promotes sustainable change amongst women in Kenya (a charity close to Kesha’s heart and definitely one which strikes a chord with me too). Kesha knows I love my coffee!
Mrs Dash! I love these salt-free seasonings and always ask friends in America to send them to me! And some spicy dark drinking chocolate which looks amazing (I only really like very dark, bitter chocolate).
And last but not least, some gorgeous spa cosmetics which are amazing (the only problem is that I think I am now addicted to one of them… Kesha, I may need to set up a monthly paypal to you so you can keep me in supplies!)
And of course Frankie thefitdog was not forgotten: Kesha’s own pup, Scooter, kindly sent a couple of squeaky balls which have gone down a storm!
Kesha, thank you so much for the thoughtful gift, it really made my day! Happy New Year xx
In this blog series, I take inspiration from one of the day’s Olympic events. Today: mountain biking.
It’s the final day of the Olympics, and the final day of this series. I toyed with the idea of the marathon (bit long), I desperately wanted to try the modern pentathlon (no horse, pistol or epee/sword thingy), and I realised too late that I was meeting up with one of my cousins, who is not only a talented hockey player but also plays handball.
Hi guys! Have you been watching the Olimpics? Hasn’t it been totally great? I’ve watched loads of it and have also been listening to it on the Radio (5 Live) when Nic goes out. My favourite bits have been the running ones where a lady or a man runs round and round the track and Nic goes crazy and tells me to “speak!” and I bark and she cheers and then the lady or man wins the race and everyone goes mad! I like going mad.
Anyway today Nic said I had to join in on her daily Olimpic challenge so I said could we please do the cross-country biking because I have always wanted to have a go. It’s my kind of sport! She said sure.
First of all we started with me on my lead just walking alongside the bike whilst Nic rode really, really slowly (she was quite wobbly). I found it a little bit scary because the wheel is quite big when you are only my size, and the bike was making funny squeaky sounds, but Nic said I was a Good Boy so I got used to it.
Then we got to the park and things got really gnarly, dude! Nic let me off the lead and we rode round and round the field and I had to learn how to run or walk right next to the bike, always on the right hand side. It was quite hard work!
People always ask me “Frankie how do you learn so many tricks?” and I tell them firstly it is because my head is quite big, so lots of room for lessons. But apart from that, I’m not sure really. Basically what happens is, Nic tells me to do something, and then she either gets cross and says the thing louder and louder (that means I’m not doing it right) or her voice goes really nice and she says cool things like Very Good and What a Good Boy and I get a nice feeling in my brain and that’s when I know I’ve got it right. Then the tough bit is just to remember to do it that way all the time!
For instance today I learned:
- “here” which means I have to be close alongside the right hand side of the bike
- “this way” which means we are turning left and I have to go with the bike
- “we’re turning!” which means we are turning right and I have to sort of do a little turn or I’ll get run over
- “no! here!” which means I have run in front of the bike which is not a good thing to do
Here’s a quick vid of me during my gruelling event today, as you can see I am working very hard
Let me tell you, mountain biking is a totally tiring sport! We only did about 10 minutes of it but that was enough for me! I was really tired and so thirsty I had to go in the duckpond in the park.
Anyway guys I hope my guide to mountain biking helped you out. Now excuse me as I must have my tea and then settle down to watch the Closing Ceremony.
How have the London 2012 Olympic Games inspired you today?
Hey guys! Sorry it’s been ages since I wrote a blog post. Nic’s been hogging the blog with all that Olympics stuff. Anyway, I’ve kicked her off the laptop tonight (she says sorry, no Olympics-inspired blog post today) cos I’ve had a WELL exciting day and I think you all need to hear about it right now!
Have you ever been a fitness model in a fitness photoshoot? Nor had I – until today! Nic and I drove down to somewhere called The Training Lab which is a really mega-cool gym in East Grinstead because a magazine called Muscle and Fitness had asked her to write an article and be in the photos for it, too. (I have never read Muscle and Fitness but I don’t read much as a general rule).
Nic and a man called Shaun Stafford (who is an actual fitness model) had to do a workout and another man called Andy McKenzie (who is a coach) had to tell them what to do and then another man called Simon Howard (who is a photographer) had to take photos of them. It was a bit confusing for me, meeting so many new people, but I got it in the end. Andy was the one shouting at Nic and Shaun, Shaun was the one with loads of muscles and no top on, and Simon was the one who kept putting a camera in front of his face (I think perhaps he was a bit shy, I’m not sure).
We got there and I warmed up for the proper photos by posing outside The Training Lab
Then I lay down in my bed in the physio room and Nic tied my lead to a kettlebell so I couldn’t go off exploring by myself.
Then Nic and Shaun did lots of cool stuff like jumping over hurdles and putting chains around their necks – I really wish I could have joined in, especially the jumping (which I love) but Nic said no I had to sit in my bed
At one point I could hear everyone shouting and yelling at Nic and I got really angry so I pulled the kettlebell and wandered into the gym. I was so mad I was ready to bite them (even though I’ve never bitten anyone before but, you know, don’t push me!) But Nic laughed and said “it’s OK, go to your bed”. Apparently the shouting and yelling was to do with Nic squatting a bar with chains on?
What I learned today is that everyone has a role on a photoshoot. For example, today:
- me: artistic director. Basically what I did was sat on my bed and transmitted my excellent ideas for photos into Simon’s brain and then he did them. He was pretty good! My job was the most important, obviously, although many people might say you wouldn’t know it. That’s because I am a true professional and don’t like to make a song and dance about my high skill level. - Simon: the photographer. This is a really important role in any photoshoot otherwise you have no photos and then the magazine gets really cross. - Nic and Shaun: the models. Nic said I must point out that she isn’t really a model, she just pretended to be one for the day. Shaun however is a real one, it’s his actual job and he even won a big competition and got his Pro Card! And you could totally tell – he was way better than Nic. Plus I really like his hair. - Andy: the coach. You don’t have to have one of these on a photoshoot but if it is a sport or fitness photoshoot then it’s a good idea, because the coach can tell the athletes what to do and make sure they are doing everything right and not hurting themselves. He was a really nice man too and even said I can come back again.
There was only one strange thing about the whole shoot – Simon only took one photo of me? I can only assume that the photo he took was so perfect that he didn’t need to spend ages asking me to do the pose over and over again. That is what you get for being a top model like me. I did offer Shaun some tips but he said he was OK thank you.
Luckily Nic made sure she took some on her little camera so here they are (these aren’t Simon’s, I expect they’ll be a bit better)
Everyone said I was really good today, for example let me tell you a few things they said:
- Hasn’t he been good?
- How cute
- Good boy
- What a lovely dog
- Aw he is cute
- Hello there fella
- Hello fatty (????)
- Very good
Again I can only stress that professional and experienced models like myself can expect compliments like these on shoots. Those of you who are new to the industry might have to work a little harder until someone calls you Good Dog or Fatty.
One last observation from today – being a fitness model is exhausting! I am really tired now and very thirsty. And on that note I am going to go to bed – I haven’t had any naps today and my brain is very sore from all the thinking.
It was lovely to meet Shaun Stafford, Simon Howard and Andy McKenzie and I really enjoyed visiting The Training Lab. If you’re nearby, you should totally go! Oh and you should wish my new best mate Shaun loads of luck in his upcoming competition which is the WBFF Worlds in Toronto (which is in Canada, which is abroad). I reckon he’ll win for sure but as I said to him today, if he’d like any last-minute tips from me on how to be really brown or how to have shiny hair, or how to get really muscley by sprinting after a football, I will be happy to oblige.
TheFitDog on… training partners
Hi guys! It’s been a while since I last blogged but I am a dog of action so I thought, time to put claws to the keyboard and give you a few more words of wisdom out of my massive square head.
I’m really glad so many of you enjoyed my blog post on the important topic of BALLS. I was a little worried that you might not share my passion but it seems that many of you realise the serious nature of balls. Do you know, I even got a piece of fan mail! Well it was an email but it still counts. Here is a snippet from it:
“I love Office Dog’s blogs – I had to nip out of my office as I was giggling so hard at the blog on balls!”
I am thinking of printing it out and framing it above my bed.
Anyhow, this rainy weather is not much good for ball games (too much skidding) and it’s not much good for sitting outside in the sun, either. So I thought I’d write you a blog post on the topic of training partners.
Recently I met a fine lady by the name of PEPPER. She is brown and stripey like myself so I knew we would hit it off. Now, it can be tricky finding the right training partner, sometimes they are too slow, sometimes they are too quick, sometimes they prefer to use different equipment (balls vs sticks for example) and sometimes their bum smells bad. (Usually bad is good but sometimes bad is just bad!) Pepper and I really hit it off, which might be because we are a similar breed (probably; the jury’s still out on my parentage) or might be because we have similar humans (Pepper’s owners are both into bodybuilding, too).
Here are a few pictures of us enjoying a great workout. This is what we did:
- warm up of walking
- pre-exhaust of jumping in and out of a stinking river
- main session of long sprints
- some stick work
- cool down (walk) and stretching
- PWO meal of water
Do you have a training partner? This is what I look for in a good training partner (like Pepper) and I think you should probably take my advice on this (like most things):
- Are they a similar breed? I mean, are you both big and muscley, or both thin and fast? Just take a look at their breed and build, you will get a fair idea of whether or not you want the same things out of your training session
- Does it make you feel good to be around them? I am pretty positive about things, on the whole. I don’t want a training partner who’s always going on about their sore paw, or their mange. Make sure your temperaments are about the same (but recognise that everyone has bad days)
- Are they likely to turn vicious and bite you? Best avoid these types (unless that’s your thing, of course!)
- Are they hygienically acceptable? I don’t mind a bit of mud and spit but I like to keep myself quite clean. Again, this is your call. For instance, my friend HARVEY is great but gosh he smells. (Sorry Harvey if you are reading this, but you do!) I think he maybe needs a bath. Or his glands seeing to.
- Have they got decent kit and are they willing to share? It’s all very well getting a training partner and thinking “wow, ace ball collection!” but what if they’re all sniffy and precious about the balls? No fun!
- Are they willing to train as hard (or not) as you and as frequently? You don’t want to get attached to them and then find out they only want to train once a month or something boring like that!
I hope this little checklist helps you out so you can find a training partner who can help you meet your goals.
I’m off to eat a fish oil capsule! Nic’s been adding them to my food and, once I worked out how to eat the damn things, I have to say they’re very good. Kind of… fishy! Bye!
Hi again guys! I said I’d blog about BALLS and that’s what I’m going to do!
BALLS are really important. Most humans don’t give them enough thought. Unless you a footballer, cricketer or golfer I bet you haven’t even played with a ball in ages! More fool you. Balls are really important. If you ask me (or any dog), it’s no coincidence that the world itself is shaped like a ball.
Think about that for a second.
I am here to tell you all about balls and to inspire you to maybe run after a ball or two this week. So I thought you would probably love it if I went through my BALL collection with you and told you a bit about how I got the ball, what I use it for and why I’d recommend it. Let’s go!
1) Oldest ball
This is the first ball I ever found. What a day that was! Good times. It’s leather based and a bit tatty but that’s probably why someone threw it away. I don’t care. It’s like an old friend. Every once in a while I will dig this one out and have a play, but only if it’s a fine day with no mud underfoot. Plus it doesn’t kick very well. This ball is special!
2) Patchy ball
This was the second ball I found over the park. Are you getting a theme here? Again, it’s a fine leather ball, no real reason to get rid of it, but sadly some people discard their balls once they get a bit old. This one is great for chewing.
3) White ball
Now we are on to the actual workout type balls. This is what you’d call a workhorse kind of a ball, an every day ball which you can rely on to kick really well. It’s more a plastic vinyl type material. It skids really well on dew and snow. When Mark kicks it, it goes miles! When Nic kicks it, it doesn’t go so far. Sometimes it doesn’t go anywhere. Nic isn’t very good at kicking. My favourite thing to do with this ball is to wait til it bounces then jump up and catch it mid-air!
4) Blue ball
This is the third ball I found. Can you believe there are so many unwanted balls out there been discarded by their owners? Blue ball used to be my everyday ball but it’s a bit deflated now. But it’s great to have a blue ball because sometimes I fancy a change of colours.
5) Rugby ball
This ball is stupid. When it bounces, it goes off in another direction?! Mark says this is the whole point. I find it very frustrating and I feel sorry for rugby players. They must spend their whole time wondering what the hell is going on! I don’t really like playing with this ball, but Mark does, so sometimes we have a quick kickabout. Plus it’s actually Mark’s ball anyway and he doesn’t like me to chew it. Are you a rugby player? Does the weird ball annoy you?
6) Orange ball
There is a great story behind this ball! I was on a normal everyday walk with Nic when I saw a garden full of old balls. I was transfixed and I just stopped in my tracks and stared, wagging my tail. Seeing all those balls just made me feel so happy inside! Then a lady came out of the house and Nic thought maybe she’d be cross so she explained that I love balls and was just having a look. The lady said “well my kids leave them all over the garden and I think your dog would appreciate them more anyway” and gave me one of the balls! It’s a brilliant ball because it’s a totally different size to all my other balls, and it’s bright orange, and it was a gift. The greatest gift of all, you might say! Anyway on a related note, that whole walk is a great example of why you should always be optimistic in life. On paper, it was going to be a boring weekday evening walk in the dark. In reality it turned out to be a walk where I got given an orange ball by a stranger! Stay positive guys and remember that sometimes the most ordinary things turn out to be the most amazing!
7) Golf ball
This isn’t really a ball I play with but it’s a fun one to add to my collection. Nic found it once whilst we were walking. The funniest thing about it is that the golf course it comes from is like five miles away! That person must be a really good golfer! Please note this ball is no good for bouncing or chewing. It is OK to push around the carpet and chase for a bit.
8) Comic Relief ball
This ball is a blast from the past. When I first came to live here, Mark and Nic used to bounce it at me because it makes these freaky laughing sounds. I went a bit mad to be honest with you and Mark and Nic took it off me. But they only put it on top of my crate: I might have been a puppy but I wasn’t born yesterday! I found it again straight away. It now lives in a drawer in the kitchen. I might ask for it this evening and have a laugh.
Gosh I didn’t know I had so many balls! It’s ironic, really, because I don’t have any *you know what* balls. This man who is called a vet stole them from me whilst I was having a nap at his place. I’ve asked around locally and it seems this man has done this a lot to many, many dogs (and even some cats). No-one has intervened and to this day he is still carrying on with this practice. What a greedy man! How many balls do you need? I mean, I know I’ve just listed eight but he must have loads more than that now. And what does he do with them? They’re no good for chasing!
Bye, guys! Have fun doing a kickabout or ball-chasing session this week! Just make sure you drink tons of water after.
EDIT 08/03/12 Since writing this post, we have discovered another “white ball” and also a tennis ball in Frankie’s collection
I regularly get Tweets, Facebook requests and direct messages asking for more blog posts from my dog. Yes, really. The thing about Frankie is, he’s not that great at typing. He has lots of ideas, but then he forgets them. And if there’s food around, forget it (forget what?!) But we can not deny the repeated requests of such a strong fanbase.
Hi guys! Today I thought I’d focus on DIET. Diet means food! And food is brilliant.
I wanted to talk about FOOD for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I haven’t been doing much training, just cardio really: long walks and then HIIT chasing after my football (blog post to come on my collection of balls, how I came about them all and how I select a ball depending on what I want to achieve out of my session).
Secondly, Nic recently posted the picture below on her Facebook wall, and I know most of you are probably thinking “wow, how did he get that ripped and muscular? What is his diet?” So I am going to talk you through what I eat, what I like to eat, what I wish I could eat and maybe even some of my favourite products.
By the way, for all you bodybuilders out there who wish you could do such a great rear-lat spread, here’s my top tip. It will never fail you. Just turn around and imagine there’s a CAT in the GARDEN! Honestly, it will make you so puffed up and enraged your lats will flare like mad and you will look massive. Top tip right there, guys!
Obviously I mostly eat actual dog food, but that’s by far the most boring part of my diet, so that’s all I’m going to say about that. As well as dog food, I eat:
- vegetables, mainly cruciferous.
I love the crunch!
Favourites: cauliflower (only the outside leaves), brocolli (only the stalks), cabbage (red or white), brussels sprouts (bit tricky to get a purchase on, can fall out of the mouth and roll around), cucumber. Once, I stole availed myself of a whole entire cauliflower, but I only ate the leaves. Another time I stole caught (as it was falling off the kitchen surface) a red cabbage. I ate the whole thing! Then I was sick a bit on the carpet (which is cream coloured).
- meat! Sometimes I am lucky enough to get odds and ends of whatever Nic is cooking. Here is me taking a look at what she’s got out of the freezer for the week, just so I know what might be coming my way.
When Nic makes something in the slow-cooker, I get to eat my dinner out of the slow-cooker bowl once it’s empty! This is probably my favourite meal of the week.
Nic gets her meat from various places but, in my expert opinion (I am a dog, after all), the best ones are:
- Athleat (I even made it onto their website! OMG! Look – can you spot me?) Nic says put nicolamillichip in at checkout you’ll get 10% off your order. My favourite product is their grass-fed mince, Nic’s is their chicken breast.
Westin Gourmet – I love their sausages (Nic loves their chicken and turkey) and on the topic of sausages, if you go to here, you’ll get free sausages on your order! Whooo-ha!
Nic also cooks quite a lot of “exotic” meat as her treats, I just asked her where she gets it from and she said Osgrow and Kezie. She also gets her fish from Regal Fish Supplies, but I can’t give a personal recommendation on these items as I have never once been allowed to sample any
- Coconut oil.
I just can’t get enough of this. Here are a few pictures of me with an empty tub, and even a video. I just wanted to show you all how much I love it. Nic gives me about a tsp of the oil (it’s solid) on her hand every morning and I go crazy when I see the tub. I think it gives my ears a nice shine; what do you think? Shiny ears are very important. Nic got this tub from myprotein but you can get it other places, too.
Here’s a video of me and an empty tub
- Water!
The only thing I drink is water and I honestly believe it is a big factor in my all-round awesomeness. I’ve tried tea; don’t like it. I don’t fancy coffee and I’ve never been tempted by booze. One thing I would say – from experience – don’t fall asleep of an evening and then wake up really thirsty so you end up drinking a ton of water just before bed. You’ll only need to bark to be let out for a wee in the night!
Anyway, I hope that answers some of your questions about how I manage to be so muscly and shiny. If there’s anything else you’d like to know, feel free to drop Nic a line and she will pass the message on to me. My next blog post will be about BALLS!
A while ago, I put a general shout-out for bodybuilding questions you would like to see answered here. I’m far from an expert but, as ever, I’m just writing from my own perspective. So, here goes!
“Firstly – why no dairy? Secondly – what difference does 8l of water make to the government recommended 2l, for example?”
OK: the dairy. It’s a personal choice but I choose to leave dairy out of my diet from about 8 weeks before competition, partly because I want to use my limited calories for things which are chock-full of nutrition (I’d rather have more veg than a bit of yoghurt) and partly because dairy tends to be pretty high in carbs which normally isn’t a problem, but I do limit my carbs when I’m dieting for a comp. Again, I’d rather get the carbs I am allowed from loads of veg, or something with chew-factor like potato, than a glass of milk. There is also a school of thought which suggests dairy can make you look a bit soft, smooth or bloated. I’ve never tested this properly but I’d rather not risk it. Interestingly, since cutting out dairy, I’ve found that I really don’t like the taste of cows milk. It tastes kind of… claggy? And leaves me feeling a bit phlegmy. (Lovely) Having said that, I am looking forward to greek yoghurt and cottage cheese – I love both of those. I don’t think I’ll go back to drinking cows milk though (I like coconut milk – the stuff in cartons, not tins – and have even been known to make my own almond milk, although those uber-productive, spring-in-my-step days seem a long time ago at the moment!)
The water thing. This is in reference to the fact that I drink a lot of water every day at the start of “peak week”, tapering it off towards the show. This is something many bodybuilders do but, at the same time, many others don’t do anything special with water at all. Bodybuilders want to appear “dry” on stage (“ripped”, “cut”, etc) One of the theories is that you can drop some subcutaneous water (the layer between the muscles and the skin) on the day by minimising water intake. The theory then goes that, if you water “load” in the days leading up to the show, you’ll encourage your body to release or flush out extra water. I’m not sure there’s any definitive proof that one approach is better than the other (water load/deplete vs just drinking as normal) but in this sport people tend to do what works for them until such a time as it doesn’t work, then they’ll try a different approach. Having only done 3 shows, I haven’t had much of a chance to play around with ideas and approaches so, for now, this is how I do it. It does mean I need to be near a toilet for the first half of peak week!
“What I would be interested in hearing about is how you keep your focus during the bit where you’re all on stage (pose-down??)- I wasn’t prepared for how physically close you would be to the other competitors.”
Yes, there can be a bit of jostling during pose-down (and sometimes during the compulsory poses) either by mistake (we can be a bit wobbly under the lights, and sometimes lined up quite close together) or by design (pose-down is a time to have a bit of fun, and – if you know the other competitors – really go for it by posing sort of as a duo). I’m not sure how I keep my focus, I hadn’t thought about it! I guess I am just very focused on getting my poses right, on listening to the person calling the instructions, on trying not to shake too much and on trying to remember the squeeze/spread/hold bits of me in. It does break my focus a bit when I touch another competitor – it’s happened more than once to me during the compulsory poses and I am always torn as to whether to be terribly British and say “sorry!” at the time or just get on with it! Honestly, though, I don’t find it difficult to focus when on stage. The lights, the audience, the judges sitting there… they all focus the mind pretty sharpish!
“You look very elegant and almost balletic when you go into your poses – is that innate or something you’ve been coached to do?”(bless you, Sally – I promise I didn’t pay her to say that!)
Well, first of all a big thank you. Elegant is one of the last words I’d use to describe myself so to hear that I come across even remotely like that on stage is very nice to hear. As for balletic – here’s a funny story for you: family legend goes that, when I was little, I was kicked out of ballet classes had it gently suggested to me that tap might suit me better than ballet. I can’t remember this and I’m sure it’s been hammed up over the years, but certainly I was not a balletic child. Anyway, the short answer is no I wasn’t coached to be particularly elegant. My coach Kat and our friend Annie U did coach me through all the poses, and I practice lots, but the focus is on posing to show the muscles and shapes and symmetry we need to try and show. The bits in between – how you get into and out of the poses, how you choose to stand during “free moments”, is up to you. I do feel very happy on stage, perhaps that comes across!
“I’m wondering if you would do 2 comps so close together again.”
This is with reference to doing the NPA South East and then the BNBF Finals just a week apart. You know what, I think I would. It really helped my motivation: instead of prepping, peaking, waiting, peaking, it meant I was on a roll and just trucked on through. It was logistically easy: I had all my peak week foods in, lots of food prepped, I was in the zone in terms of what to cook and prep and eat. And I think I found it pretty easy to maintain my condition and mindset in those few days between the comps. I actually think it’s tougher to do competitions further apart. 6-8 weeks between comps seems to be pretty hard going for most people I’ve asked.
Thanks for asking! If I can (try to) answer any other questions, please leave a comment.
@sash1987 I am like a ghost! haha! Yeah know what you mean - full day y'day (work) then a few hrs today - more than enough! Glad you enjoyed= 7 hours ago
Ahhh there's nothing nicer than a hot bath after a tiring weekend and long drive. Shame my BOILER'S BROKEN :'-(= 7 hours ago
Posted by Nicola Joyce 
but Nic said she thought red might be nicer for a coat. The coat lady used to be work as a fashion designer and textiles person in London, so Nic thought it best to leave the choice of design and material up to her.
