If you want to increase your chances of survival in the zombie apocalypse, and you have a choice of anyone at all, who will you recruit to your ultimate zombie apocalypse survival crew?

My choices are drawn from my favourite tv programmes and in no particular order they are:

Buffy Summers

Strong

Quick reflexes

Resourceful

Experienced fighter

Not phased by the undead

                                                                  

  Debra Morgan

  Tough
  Good in a crisis
  Logical
  Takes no-nonsense






 Jessica Hamby

My girl crush
Strong
Fast
Deadly
Vampire






 Tom McNair

Strong                    Werewolf
Trained fighter       And look at those puppy dog eyes!

Daryl Dixon

Experienced tracker and hunter

Focused

Willing to do what needs doing

Has a crossbow

Can ride a horse
Has a motorbike

Jaqen H'ghar

Killer

Mysterious

Pays his debts

 Tyrion Lannister

Intelligent
Witty
Able to laugh at himself
Loves deeply
Willing to fight







 Jason Stackhouse

Isn't he pretty?!
Loyal
Unintentionally funny
Handy with a gun
Has a truck













What do you think? Are the odds of survival a bit more in my favour now?

I'm interested to know who you'd choose so let me know!

Today's guest post comes from Ruthy who you may remember from my 12 days of Buffy challenge. Ruthy joined in with the challenge by making a daily audioboo about each of the first season episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer whilst also tackling her to do list. It may have only been a short challenge but it left both of us feeling very positive about what we'd achieved.

Ruthy started a blog called Minibreak Mummy last Summer. Her plan was to write about minibreaks in the caravan and day trips with her toddler son, but she got sidetracked into talking about all sorts of other things! Topics include retro items found in charity shops, how she uses her filofax, her love for dark chocolate and her quest for the perfect handbag. For Ruthy, her blog is a place to share the fun things in life as this makes it easier to cope with the not so fun things.

You can follow Ruthy on twitter, where she's known as @minibreakmummy. You can also listen to Ruthy's audioboo audioblog here.

And now to the main attraction...

Zombies shuffle slowly and relentlessly along. I can easily outwalk them! No need to break into a sweat. It's all about stamina and being able to keep going, not sprinting away and getting a stitch and collapsing with exhaustion.

So I'm going to slow the pace down a little here. Running is not my thing. Instead, I am walking back to happiness. Since I started having regular lunchtime walks a year ago I've never felt better.

Walking has several advantages over running:

* I can fit a walk into my lunch break

* It is not necessary to change into special clothing

* No need to take a shower afterwards

* Plenty of time to appreciate the scenery

I was involved in a 4 week trial of using a pedometer. I aimed for 10,000 steps a day, but didn't always manage it. My percentage body fat decreased from the 'cause for concern' bracket to the 'healthy' bracket. I had to hand the pedometer back at the end of the trial but ever since then I've almost felt like I am wearing an imaginary pedometer. So I do not use the campus shuttle bus or accept lifts home from the local shops, because every little bit of walking helps.

Walking is also very uplifting. It helps me to 'unscrunch' myself after a morning sat in front of the computer in my office. I can breathe the air into my lungs and clear my head. It makes me feel good to be alive.

I am seriously coveting Ruthy's shoes! I love this style!

When I started my Grr Argh challenge, I made a commitment to publish a weekly blog post with an update of my progress and...that's not really happened!

My last update was on 21 May 2012 and since then, I've only run twice. Yep, you heard that right, in the last 2 and a 1/2 weeks, I've completed 2 runs so I haven't even completed week 6 yet.

I actually feel okay-ish about this. We had another period of illness here and with the baby waking more in the night, I spent a lot of my evenings in the last couple of weeks either enjoying doing nothing or reading. I also managed to lose my sports bra (and trust me when I say it is impossible to run without it).

I feel a bit guilty that I don't feel guilty about the fact I've been so slack! Maybe it's because the 2 runs that I did went well. Maybe I'm just being a bit kinder to myself. Whatever it may be, it's okay. This is my challenge and  even though it's taking slightly longer than it should do, I'm still working on it. I haven't given up.

I've been keeping a note of my run times, distance and calories burnt using the Runkeeper app and I can see I've been averaging a 14 and a 1/2 minute mile. I'm surprised and pleased by my consistency but if I don't get back on track and put a bit more effort in, I'll find by the end of the plan that I may be able to run for 30 minutes but I won't have reached the 5k in 30 minutes marker that I'm aiming for. And there's a competitive streak in me that says to feel like I've truly succeeded, I need to be able to do this.

Apart from buckling down and getting on with some good old fashioned running, is there anything else I can do to improve my speed and distance? I'd love to hear your tips as well as your stories about how you got yourself back on track after an exercise blip.

I also need to get myself a spare sports bra. I've had a quick google to get an idea of what's out there but if you've got any recommendations, I'd really appreciate them.

If you've ever struggled with your weight or wondered how to kickstart your weightloss efforts, I hope today's guest post will inspire and motivate you.

Written by Tina, it reveals how she managed to lose 60lb in a year and change her BMI score from "obese" to "healthy" with the right incentive, an eating plan that worked for her and the introduction of an exercise regime.

Having supported my husband when he needed to lose 7.5 stone and seen the hard work and commitment it takes, I have the utmost admiration for Tina's achievement and I'm sure after you've read her story, you will too.

In her own words, Tina is "a Mummy, a Wife, A Geek and a blogger! I blog about my family's adventures, our loves, hates, successes and failures. I am a huge fan of gadgets, technology, history, and lego (See - told you I'm a geek)! We live in Manchester, and our 11 month old Son is nicknamed Batman. I am currently pregnant with baby number 2 (Robyn) - due at the end of June!".

Tina writes a blog at MotherGeek.co.uk. You can also find her here on twitter as well as over here on Facebook.

Happy reading!

Way back in 2009, my best friend got engaged. At the time, I was 14 stone 8lb (204lb), and OBESE! When she asked me to be her chief bridesmaid at her wedding the following Summer, I knew immediate action was required. I had tried (and failed) at countless diets in the past, so this time I monitored my food intake for 2 weeks, to see what my flaws were. It became very obvious that I was eating too much fat. (Cheese, margarine, pastry, olive oil, etc). I decided to create my own meal plan based on a low fat diet. As a vegetarian, I get limited protein so I guess this is why cheese had become such a staple part of my diet.

On July 1st 2009, I began monitoring my fat intake. I kept it below 20g a day (of fat - not saturated fat). I also did 30 minutes a day, 7 days a week on my Wii Fit. I weighed in weekly and blogged daily on my weight loss blog. I found I got a lot of support from other "losers" and they encouraged me a lot to stick with it. By 1st August, I had lost 14lb! (1 whole stone in 1 month, and I hadn't been near a gym). I continued the same way, and by my birthday in November, I weighed 11 stone 10.5lb (164.5lb)! I had gone from being OBESE to being in the normal BMI range in just 20 weeks!

By this point, it had become harder to lose the weight. I was losing 1lb a week at best, and it was frustrating. I decided to switch things up and bought a couple of exercise DVDs. I had become a huge fan of the American version of The Biggest Loser, and bought Jillian Michaels' 30 days shred. I swear to god, that DVD almost killed me, but it did the job and kick started my metabolism again. It was a 20 minute workout, and very intense, so I did that for a month.

By January, I was down to 11 stone 1lb. I then found out I was pregnant, and we were thrilled. In February, my other half popped the question! I was continuing to eat healthily but had increased my daily fat intake to 40g a day - the recommended amount for someone of my then weight. At the end of February, we found out at our 12 week scan that we'd lost the baby. We were of course devastated, and initially, I wanted to eat everything in sight. My other half managed to prevent this by ensuring the cupboards contained only healthy things. I was very poorly after the procedure to remove the baby, and lost a lot of blood. It was May before I felt fit enough to start exercising again, but as I was still losing blood, I could only do light exercise.

I had signed up to do the Race For Life in July, so I started walking 5k a day on the treadmill. By the time the race came around on 4th July 2010, (a week before my Bridesmaid duties were to take place), I was down to 10 stone 4lb (144lb)! I had lost 60lb in a year! I managed to finish the race for life in a fairly good time, despite only doing half of the C25k training. I finished it in 35 minutes, 20 seconds.

The day of my best friend's wedding rolled around, and I wore a size 10 dress! It had to be taken in to fit me! I had NEVER worn a size 10 in my life! When I was initially fitted for my dress, she said I needed a size 20 dress, so I had lost 5 dress sizes by the dress maker's reckoning!

Since then, I have had a baby boy, and am now 8 months pregnant again. I suspect I will be a good 12.5-13 stone once I have had my baby, so I shall once again be taking to my low fat plan (after breast feeding duties cease, of course)!

If I had to suggest one thing to people trying to lose weight, it would be a support network. I genuinely think I did as well as I did because I had the support of my other half and an amazing online community.

It would be easy for you to assume I must be a fan of horror films. I'm not. They scare the absolute bejeezus out of me. My brain doesn't seem to accept the logic that they're not real and there's nothing to fear. Instead, it leaps straight to "holy crap, this could really happen, what the hell am I going to do?, I'd better keep all the lights in the house on as a warning to any vampires/demons/evil spirits/mass-murderers etc to keep away".

Zombies are pretty much at the top of my "things that scare me" list. I think it's because they're so single-minded. You can't negotiate with them or appeal to their better nature. If they get you, that's it, game over.

And lets face it, it's not going to be a quick death. They'll rip lumps of flesh from your body using their dull, unsharpened teeth and you'll feel every single bite until you die from shock or blood loss.

It's not like it even ends there. You'll then have the joy of reanimating and trying to eat your family and anyone else that crosses your path.

Overall, it's not an experience that'll ever be going on my bucket list.

So how did I get here? to a point where the reason behind my desire to get fit is to avoid becoming zombie fodder? to a point where I'm having regular zombie apocalypse survival discussions on twitter?

It started when I found out the computer game "Resident Evil" was being adapted into a film. I'd never played the game myself, or had any desire to, but I was really excited about the film, as I'm a huge fan of Milla Jovovich who had been cast in the lead role of "Alice". I even ventured to the cinema on my own to watch it!

Although the films in the Resident Evil series tell the story about how the zombie apocalypse begins and what happens afterwards, they're all about the action rather than the deep thinking so I never thought any more about the subject until I came across what, in my opinion, is one of the best tv programmes to have been made in recent years; The Walking Dead. 

Focusing on the relationships, conflicts, and dilemmas faced by a small group of survivors of the zombie apocalypse, The Walking Dead is very much a programme that asks how you keep your humanity in inhuman times and it makes you question what you would do under the same circumstances.

I'm not the only one that started thinking about how I'd survive in the event of a major catastrophe; the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions also got into the act with their zombie preparedness campaign. It may have been tongue in cheek but it definately helped them to connect with a new audience and as their director, Dr Ali Khan, notes "If you are generally well equipped to deal with a zombie apocalypse, you will be prepared for a hurricane, pandemic, earthquake, or terrorist attack". Good to know.

So like many, my fascination with the zombie apocalypse isn't to do with the zombies themselves, or driven by any desire to scare myself, it's about how I'd survive if society and life as we knew it collapsed. Will I be able to keep myself alive? What will I be prepared to do to achieve that? How much of my humanity will remain intact? What am I willing to sacrifice? 

Am I ready? I've made a start but I've a lot more to do, including a beginner's Archery course in the Autumn. Because no zombie apocalypse would be complete without a woman with a crossbow.

If it's good enough for Buffy, it's good enough for me!

How prepared are you? I'd love for you to share your thoughts with me.

Welcome to another in my series of guest posts; this time by Ben (or The Fool Tweets as he's known on twitter).

Ben writes a blog over at Mutterings Of A Fool and has this to say about himself: "You are what you eat which most likely makes me a sausage. Crazy runner type, dad to the beautiful Matilda and owner of the craziest English springer spaniel".

If you're familiar with Ben, you'll notice straightaway that he wrote his bio before his wife gave birth to their second child; a little boy they've named Henry. Please do pop on over to his blog, or send him a tweet, to congratulate him. You can even take a peek at the newest addition to his family.

And now for Ben's post...

 

Music can sometimes be the difference between finishing a run and not. The right song, at the right time has the ability to get you through the wall when you’re really up against it. I have to be honest and say that if I’m running out in the countryside or along a trail then I don’t tend to listen to music, mainly because I enjoy taking in the scenery and in a somewhat sadistic manner quite enjoy the sound of my puffing and panting in the still dawn air.

So here, especially for you, is the ultimate 5k playlist, it’s about 30 minutes long which is a good marker to aim for and would see you doing roughly 10 minute miles (yes I know we should use metric but I honestly can’t visualise what a 6 minute kilometre feels like).

But of course if you are aiming for a longer time then just chuck a few more tracks in the middle to bulk things out. You need something that is relatively calm with an even beat, but not something too mellow that slows you down.

In my mind a good playlist starts relatively easy as you’ll have enough adrenalin pumping at the start of a race without high tempo music also. Then moving into songs with a good beat that distract you and keep you motivated. Finally it should pick up the pace at the end to help keep those legs turning and maybe even a sprint finish.

1.       Robert Miles – Children

2.       Black Keys – Gold On The Ceiling

3.       Doves – Black and White Town

4.       Stereophonics – More Life In A Tramps Vest

5.       Pendulum – Slam

6.       Journey – Don’t Stop Believing

7.       Arcade Fire – Wake Up

8.       Queen – We Are The Champions

A mix of music there but of course it won’t fit everyone’s taste, but if you don’t like some of those classic tunes then quite honestly you have no taste! But whatever your running or fitness challenge is, make sure you enjoy it and set goals that are realistic and achievable for you. If music is the thing that will get you through that challenge then spend some time getting your playlist right, it’ll be worth the investment.

Today, I'm welcoming one of my favourite twitterers to my blog, Posh Bird aka Bryony.

Posh describes herself as a "40 year old mum, wife, animal lover, social commentator, world class runner (I can dream!) and all round good egg!".

But even more than that (and she'll be embarrassed I'm saying this), Posh is kind, thoughtful, funny and supportive and when she calls you "pet", it's like receiving the biggest, warmest bear hug! Okay, I may not have actually met her in real life but her sincerity and genuineness (is that even a word?) shines through her tweets. I heartily recommend you follow her on twitter.

Posh Bird writes a blog called Views from the Lounge Window so pop on over and read more of her thoughts once you've read this post.

And now for the main attraction...

I have been given the opportunity of writing a guest post for a 'Hell of a Woman' aka Rhiannon! Seeing as she is undertaking her couch to 5k challenge, I thought what better than to write about my couch to half marathon experience!

This epic journey (well it was epic for me!) took place way back in 1997, when I was a mere 26 year old new mum to a terrifying toddler. The first Harry Potter book had arrived! I was watching Titanic and dreaming about being in a freezing sea clinging to the divine Leonardo and to be honest, I thought Tony Blair was a hottie! Well compared to John Major, you see my point right?

At the time I was a knackered (no surprise there!) slightly depressed fledgling mum, pretty disorganised wife! and fairly rubbish wannabe runner! To say I lacked motivation and felt overwhelmed with life is a fairly accurate statement. Having my first baby was a total shock to my system and the responsibility felt beyond huge to me, coupled with the fact I was a southerner recently moved oop north! My world had been rocked and I needed to reclaim just a little piece of the old me back again. A piece which didn't involve a confrontational toddler and suffocating family in law. I'm used to them now btw!

I had always enjoyed running, jogging or plodding (well mostly plodding!) and being married to a 'good' runner was bound to rub off a little on me. My hubby and I both joined the local running club and babysitting was organised as a priority twice a week so we could escape the demands of a grisly toddler. We were able to meet our mates, go for a run and sneak in a quick drink before heading home.

These Monday and Wednesday nights became my saviour if I'm honest, and gave me a chance to breathe (even if it was in a gasping fashion as I tried to suck in as much oxygen as possible!). I could  be myself again for a while and talk uninterrupted to my hubby. The running was enjoyable for sure as I got to catch up with my friends and gossip. Our rule was that we never ran fast enough to get so out of breath that we couldn't talk! An excellent rule if you and ask me and one which to this day I STILL haven't broken!

We would choose routes of about 5 miles and at a 10-minute mile pace with a warm up and cool down; this gave us an hour's worth of chat. These hours we filled with gossip, advice, laughter, problem solving, parenting solutions, marriage guidance and general bitching sessions if needed!

Our little running group was a diverse mix of ladies of varying ages, backgrounds and life experiences. I knew we could say anything we wanted, were not judged and whilst getting things off my chest I also shifted the stubborn baby weight that was still loitering with the intent of making me look frumpy! I still have a few ounces of it left to this day and my daughter is nearly 17 but I've decided to keep it to remind me of her!

So as the weeks and months went by our chats became longer. I'm not sure how this happened exactly, whether we got fitter so ran more miles, or we just had more and more 'stuff' to chew over; but for whatever reason, I decided along with one other lady, Cath, to run a half marathon.

I knew it was feasible. Others at the club including my hubby had done loads of them. I also knew I only wanted to plod around it and I certainly wasn't bothered about a time at all. It just felt like a challenge I had a pretty good chance of completely and at that point I thought I'd better do it before I got too old!

Oh how young and naive I was back then! My 26 year old self wasn't brimming with confidence or self esteem and as running was gradually improving both for me, I felt empowered by the idea or running 13 miles without stopping. Besides I'd been so very proud of my husband who had run 2 London Marathons and I wanted him to be proud of me too!

Training began in earnest and if I'm honest it was surprisingly easy! I happened to have a great running partner who kept me motivated, was both flexible and reliable when organising runs and she was undoubtedly hilarious. Many a mile slipped by without us even noticing, as we giggled our way along the cold, dark streets of Manchester, looking like 2 neon teletubbies in our high Vis running gear! We didn't need to be plugged into ipods cut off from the world, we simply enjoyed each other's company, nodded hello to other runners or dog walkers and when I ran, my life was simple and relaxed.

OK so it wasn't ALL plain sailing! There were the runs I had to do on my own to keep the miles up, the runs in the pouring rain, the runs when I'd had hardly any sleep and the 8 mile barrier that had to be broken through. I struggled with running even one step more than 8 miles for a couple of weeks, thinking at this point that maybe my body had reached its maximum running distance. Luckily for me however, my daughter was such a bloody pain in the arse one day that I reached for my running shoes as soon as my husband opened the front door and 'ran away' for 10 miles!

With my discman pumping out Oasis, Blur, The Spice Girls, U2, The Verve, No Doubt and Hanson's Mmmbop, I smashed my previous 8 mile brick wall. Well it was either that or throttle my toddler!

I didn't look back from that run and the remaining few miles were added easily over the last few weeks leading up to the race. We even ran a couple of 15 milers just to give us the confidence that we had the distance in our legs. It was the perfect time of year for me too; training over the winter suits me better as I like nothing more than wrapping up on a frosty cold day to run. I even went for a small run on Christmas Day and all that training meant I could eat pretty much what I wanted over the festive season without worrying about gaining extra pounds!

When race day arrived it was freezing wet and miserable and I was both nervous and excited beyond belief! My husband and daughter came with me and cheered me on from a couple of different points along the route. At the time I remember feeling cold and sick and scared about whether I'd be able to run the whole way. I was getting out of breath simply warming up! This didn't feel like the calm, no pressure easygoing training runs! However I soon relaxed into my slow plod of a pace and started to thoroughly enjoy myself.

I ran with Cath until 9 miles but then we separated as she quickened up a little. I will admit this was a tough next mile for me as I adjusted to running by myself, and suddenly tiredness descended and my legs started to fill with lead. It soon passed though as the crowd helped to lift me and before I knew it I was at the 11 mile marker, which cruelly guided us up a hill! From the top however it was a gentle jog down to the finish and I even managed a teeny tiny sprint to the end.

Finishing this is still one of the best feelings I've ever experienced. I was chuffed to bits, had my medal, my goodie bag, my T-shirt and one huge warm bubble bath when I got home! I glowed inside for weeks afterwards with the sense of wellbeing and achievement and even now, years later (and even after I've lost the medal) I still feel proud of going from running a single mile to completing 13!

I still run these days and enter the odd 10k race. I still love running and the buzz it gives me and I know without doubt it helps keep insanity at bay!

So good luck Rhiannon with your challenge. We're all here willing you along your way. You won't regret taking part for one moment, I can vouch for that!