CHECK UP PART ONE

BP: 104/65 - excellent result. Peter says I dont have enough stress in my life LOL.

BMI: 24.?? - Dr Mark says to keep this under 25 (at which point I officially become 'overweight'). I confess that I'm a few kilos heavier than I'd like to be. He reassures me I'm lighter than on another occassion (he doesnt say when). We agree it comes on too easily and is hard to get off.

Fasting bloods will be done tomorrow morning then back for results a few days later. Problems at the 'other end' are not considered a problem (no risk of over servicing here) and I'll qualify for the government's free faecal screening (eeeeuw!!!) in a year and a bit anyway. Mark that down as a milestone to look forward to LOL.

Dr Mark agreed that mum being type 2 diabetic was a small warning to me but regular check ups would highlight any potential problems. I'm ok with that.

So tomorrow is a no breakfast day so I can front up for the "lets dig the needle in and pray we find a vein" torture session so some sadist can collect vials of my blood for one big science experiment. Looking forward to getting all the numbers back :-)

Good night all

M

CHECK-UP TIME

Wow, another busy weekend has bitten the dust. My boy had his final skating lesson until after our holiday so I get a few weeks leave from sitting in the ice box on Saturday mornings. On Saturday evening we went briefly to a school function for year 4 parents but sadly those parents that we know better werent there so we kept it short and sweet. We were home and tucked into bed just after 10pm LOL.

My mum's birthday is coming up soon and I cooked dinner for our family as an early celebration on Sunday evening. I bought some pork fillets and cut a long slit in each one and stuffed them with a mix of sauteed onion and mushrooms mixed with home made breadcrumbs and an egg. Then I wrapped each fillet in very thinly sliced prosciutto, lightly pan fried them and then baked them in the oven. I did a potato bake along a similar theme with thinly sliced potatoes, a little olive oil and lightly sauteed slices of peperoni all mixed together and oven baked til soft and crispy. Dessert was a Greek style semolina cake with a lemon syrup. It was delicious and my work colleagues enjoyed the left-over cake so Peter and I wouldnt have to eat it all.

Tomorrow I see my GP for my annual check up. I dont think I've seen him since Feb last year when I had my last check up, me being so damned healthy and all LOL. But now that mum is type 2 diabetic and I have a few extra kilos on me, I cant afford to stick my head in the sand and pretend that it couldnt hapen to me. So I'll be getting bloods done along with the routine checks and following up another private matter that could be problematic. My motto: 'Tis better to know and do something about it than to kid yourself thinking ignorance is bliss'.

Cheers all

M

MEETING SANDRA

Every now and then somebody comes into your life and you just click.

I dont have lots of friends and I'm ok with that as I'm not the type of person who seeks constant company and socialisation. The few good friends that I have, have been in my life for a LONG time. One since I was 14 and she was 16, another from 15 and 16 respectively and the third from 1989. Pretty good track records, hey.

Funnily, it was through blogging that I met Sandra and we just clicked. Today we met for real as evidenced in the photo above. There was no doubt we'd click again.

I was waiting for her in the foyer of her hotel. She came out of the lift and for a moment I wasnt sure it was her as she had darker hair than in her photo in my blog followers. I think she recognised me though but was surprised at my height. At meeting, it was a case of "Sandra? You have dark hair" and "Magda? you're so tall." I'm not really, I just had high heeled boots on.

We wandered around the corner from her hotel and had a 2 hour lunch in a nice restaurant and we talked and talked and talked some more. During our conversation we found out we had both done something identical recently that neither of us had blogged about and we just cracked up. When it came to paying the bill we reached into our purses at the same time and pulled out the exact same notes, laughing again.

It was a wonderful time and she was as lovely as I imagined her to be. And for somebody who kept telling me she wasnt at her best, her warm and genuine personality just shone and I'd never have known that deep inside she didnt feel great.

Although we live in different states, I know we'll keep in touch and meet up again at some stage. Life is too short to let distance keep friends apart.

:-) M

CHALLENGED BY THE COLD AND WET WEATHER

Tell me I'm not alone in my 'challenge' of staying motivated to eat well as the weekend draws closer. Or maybe its the bitterly cold and wet weather we had today, but the tin of salmon that was going to be accompanied by a shop bought salad (a place near work does fresh organic salads) just had Z.E.R.O. appeal for lunch. I had nothing packed due to there being slim pickings at home to prepare and we all finished dinner later than usual due to an impromptu request for pancakes for dessert. So today ended up being a bit of a 'buy lunch and try not to do TOO much damage' day. Oh that and 'yes I want a feta and spinach scone for morning tea but I dont NEED one so I'll settle for a skim cappuccino only' day.

I now have DOMS in my chest, glutes and adductors so a nice spread of the love/pain hapening there. I dont mind the constant reminder that I worked hard(ish) and my muscles are feeling it. Tomorrow I'll round off my weight training with shoulders, bis and tris and that'll be full body done over the course of the week :-) VERY happy with that.

But there is one thing that I'll be even happier about tomorrow. My blogging buddy Sandra is attending a conference here in Adelaide and tomorrow we meet face to face for the first time and have lunch together. I have my camera packed in my bag and am REALLY looking forward to it. We talked on the phone last night and she has a lovely, well spoken voice. I dont have to say 'I know we'll hit it off' because we already have through our blogs and comments to each other. Stay tuned for the pics.

Anyway its time to get ready for an early bed so that I'm up and at it at 5 again. That too is a challenge on these cold, wet mornings but I've managed to suck it up and just get on with it so far.

Good night all.

:-) M

UPDATE AND LIFE MUSINGS

Eegads its been a busy few days and a blog post typed at lunch time yesterday has never made it home in the rush and hubbub of work issues. Oh well, here goes my update and life musings.

True to my recent word I have weight trained twice in the last 3 days. Monday was back, chest and core work - a favourite session and today was Legs: Back-to-Bascis + 100 Abs. Just baby weights, good form with a longer term goal of slowly building up strength without doing myself any nasty injuries by going too hard, too fast. Oh, BTW my trusty old friend DOMS is back reminding me to "be consistent and dont break the cycle."

Yesterday was cardio day and I knew I had to ramp it up so I sucked it up and did my 1 song walk: 1 song jog combo which is a safe way to ease back into running when the aerobic fitness is lacking. And oh my, is it lacking??!! After finishing the (42 minute) session it took over 10 minutes for my heart rate to return to normal. Talk about UNFIT!! But I did feel great that I had pushed myself out of my comfort zone on this occassion.

On the diet front I've been dabbling in a few lower carb days but not being anal or obsessive about it. Whilst there is some temptation to go "hard core" to drop as much weight as possible before my holiday, deep down I know its more important and I'll be much better off just aiming for moderation and consistency. So I tackle the food side of things by choosing mainly healthy clean options with a reasonable protein intake and cutting right back on the junky treats. I dont like weighing, measuring or logging so I have to trust my instincts to know what, when and how much and be confident that I get it right.

Finally I'm conscious of not going at this like a bull to a gate and then just fizzing out after a couple of weeks. If I can temper my motivation and enthusiasm and stay more even keeled then there's a better chance that I can maintain this over a longer period. Yes motivation goes up and down naturally but hopefully less peaks also means less deep and dark troughs. Well thats the theory I'm testing right now.

M

HONOURING THE THINGS THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO ME

Fridays night’s talk with Peter has really flicked a switch for me – a much needed flick that has changed my outlook on training, food and how I use that space between my ears. I have a calendar month (with 31 days in it) to make a positive difference before going on holidays instead of just wallowing in my “I’m fat and miserable” headspace.

Saturday started early with a Bikram yoga class where I really gave my all. The rest of the day was very busy even with no ice-skating as my boy was suffering a head cold and we had our fingers crossed he’d be ok to go to a friend’s birthday party and sleep-over that night. My food was a fraction of what it was over the last week (yep the comfort eating was happening again) but I hardly felt hungry as I threw myself into the busyness of the day. I felt great at the end of the day.

 

Sunday was Bikram yoga again although I was pretty tired after the Saturday class so my effort wasn’t quite as stellar. I have one more visit from this 10 class pass and then I’ll be breaking from Bikram for a while.  Again, really happy eating less, upping my protein and dropping lots of the more crappy carbs.

I went to bed last night feeling considerably lighter even though I know my weight would have changed very little, if any.

 

I have decided to commit to weight training again for a number of reasons. I like that it maintains/builds muscle for a non-squidgy look. I like that more muscle = higher metabolism or in my case – minimising metabolism slowing with age. I like that I have a pretty good set up in my studio at the back of our yard and I’m not restricted by class times or additional cost. And finally I like that it’s a step towards a lifestyle committed to being fitter and healthier. Hey, I’m never going to be rockin, smokin 50-year old from a daily walk and enough carbs to fuel me for a marathon LOL.

 

I guess one of the pivotal things that came out of Friday night is a realisation that over the last 5 years I’ve lived at both ends of the fitness and health spectrum. In 2007 I was training twice a day with no rest days and eating a very restricted diet as I prepared to compete in Figure. Everything about my life was extreme and it really took its toll on me physically and even more so mentally. It took me years to ‘recover’ and I eventually turned to distance running which of course I couldn’t keep up due to chronic injuries. I have sampled intuitive/mindful eating and had some periods of success but it bred laziness in me towards my training and for that and other reasons, it was never the perfect fit for me.

So I’m testing that happy medium on the fitness and health spectrum looking for a place where my daily choices serve me well in both the short and long terms. It’s sort of like looking beyond the tip of my nose if I’m serious about the future and honouring the things that are important to me.

Thanks for listening.

M

PARKING THE EMOTIONS - ENGAGING THE LOGIC

In my despearetly miserable headspace of late, I have entertained many a wierd and wonderful thought - some healthy, some not so. Two of the thoughts in my head have been "I need a life coach" and " I need a psyche". I honestly didnt know what I needed, I was just desperately grasping at straws.

Well I can tell you what I needed. I just needed to have heart to heart, warts and all talk with my wonderful husband who knows me better than anybody. He knows I'm very sensitive so he started gently but he firmly drove his point home hitting the nail right on the bloody head. Sometimes you just need to get out of your head and hear it like it is. Park the (Cancerian) emotions and engage the (Virgo) logic.

The conversation went something like this:

Peter: "So whats your plan for exercise next week?"

Me: "I'll get back into it." sounding very half hearted.

Peter: Blah, blah, blah (cant remember everything) but the upshot was him pointing out the following:

1. My current exercise (walking some mornings) is ineffective and a waste of time - and I know it. If I'm getting up at 5am then at least make it worth my while. Get back into weight training and be consistent.

2. Some weeks ago I made a decent effort to cut back my alcohol and junky snacks and then I couldnt be bothered any more. I was firmly reminded (by that wonderful husband) that I used to have the mindset that I would do whatever it took to stay in good shape - train hard, eat well etc - and now its like I've waved the white flag and surrendered to overweight and frumpiness.Ouch - but dammit he's right.

3. I had a string of excuses and buts only to have each one shot down.

4. He pointed out that lately he's been more committed to exercising properly and watching what he eats than I have. This is a turn around as its always been the other way.

5. There was more talk and more tough love and with each point raised I knew he was absoultey right and it was time to pull my head out of the sand and get on with this. He said he'd support me in whatever I decided training wise, diet wise, even if I decided to accept where I am and NOT want to make any changes.

6. But he cleverly pointed out that with me its VERY much a case of "if the physical is not right, then the mental cant be either." No beating about the bush but that is me to the core.

7. At the end of the day, I have to ask myself if I'm happy as I am. And if I'm not then I have to put the hard yards in to fix it. Nobody said its an easy overnight fix but deep down I know its a step in the journey back to the new and improved version of good ol' me (if you know what I mean).

:-) M

EVEN 'UP' PEOPLE HAVE DOWN DAYS

I know its normal to feel down at times. I know its unreasonable to think that every day will be fantastic, that I'll be slaying dragons, leaping tall buildings in a single bound or dazzling the world with my brilliance. Thats just not how life is.

Even 'up' people have down days, they just dont go on and on about them. I'm usually an 'up' person - I'm just having a down time.

Cancerians note!! I read today that there is a new moon on the weekend. It will bring a change of routine - a bit of 'out with the old to make way for the new'. Well I can tell you, I could use me a bit of that.

Now I'm a bit stuck for words so on that note I'll sign off and pray for a better day tomorrow.

M

THIS IS NOT 'ME'

I'm convinced this is the week when the Universe says "its your turn to cop the shit". We have now rectified Monday's fuck up and life goes on. Typically another "issue" reared its ugly head late today. Not as bad as the first but serious consequences if its not fixed quick smart and fixing it is mostly out of my control. But enough of work woes.

I'm not going to pretend that I'm handling this well. Things are tough but because I'm not in good physical and mental shape its harder to deal with them in a positive way. This is not 'me'. This is not how I want to feel, think or look yet I'm too deep in thought - a lot of it negative - to have the energy to take action.

After skipping my morning exercise yesterday, I forced myself up and out this morning in the freezing cold. I just walked but I had to force myself to divert my thoughts away from my 'woe is me' negative mentality. After all, morning exercise is meant to make me feel good but I was just dragging myself further and further down.

So there you have it ... 'life as I see it' which right now is NOT through rose coloured glasses. The good thing is that every down and dark episode is followed by a bright and positive awakening. Its on the horizon, I just have to wait for it to arrive.

SHIT HAPPENS - PART 2

Today was all about fixing yesterday's fuck up with the roller coaster of 'ok, things are looking up' to 'shit, this could get worse'. In the scheme of things nobody died, nobody lost their job, nobody lost lots of money so it wasn't that bad. But working in government means that anything politically sensitive (and yes this was) must be reported to your Minister and any other relevant Ministers. I scored our Minister and the Treasurer! It ended as well as it could have at 6pm today with my boss and I working together to do the last bit of 'fixing'. By that stage I had a stomach ache (stress related) and was exhausted. In fact I had the stomach ache for most of the afternoon. I skipped dinner at my parents' house and came home to unwind on my own. Thanks to Peter for stepping up and dealing with a difficult parenting issue as well. I just wasn't up to it tonight. I'm off to bed now. Tomorrow will be a better day. I will exercise. I will eat well and I will tackle the other jobs that desperately await my attention. M

SHIT HAPPENS

Have you ever concentrated so hard on avoiding a disaster that you inadvertently pull off the colossal fuck up of a lifetime? Upon having it brought to your attention, have you felt sick to the stomach, started shaking and almost lost your voice? Have you wished the ground would open up and swallow you or that you could crawl into your office and cry buckets? Has it left you feeling fragile, sensitive and feeling like a dumbass failure?

Well today ticked all of those boxes for me. I was responsible for a major fuck up at work and I'm feeling really crappy about it. It will take time for these feelings to go.

On the up side my boss was fantastic about it, never blaming me or reprimanding me - just getting on with finding a solution - much of which is currently out of our control. Of course I sucked up how I felt and did whatever I could to help fix the problem instead of running away from it. However, the saga will continue into tomorrow and beyond.

There was some comfort eating today but at least I didnt go for broke with the sugar and crap. I'm looking on this as a positive as I know just how much worse it (a binge eating episode) could have been.

So, today in two words .... SHIT HAPPENS.

M

THE 5 HOUR LUNCH

Once every couple of months I get together with a special girlfriend that I've been friends with since we were teenagers. We meet for lunch on a Saturday, always dressed up and choose nice places to go. A bottle of bubbly is usually on the menu and some retail therapy to follow. Her husband is often on stand-by to pick us up when we're done - always several hours later.

Today was that lunch day. We went local so I wouldnt be too late after meeting my ice skating taxi service obligations. We had a lovely meal, the obligatory bottle of bubbly and then wandered around the local shops and boutiques. We had a coffee out, shopped some more and then "nightcapped" at one of the really nice pubs in my area. The lunch date went for 5 hours LOL.

As I write this tonight, I'm not feeling my best physically (could well have skipped dinner but Peter cooked it so I ate it.) but that doesnt detract from how good a day I had. The last time I met her was right in the thick of my depression when I was feeling fat, miserable and ugly. That lunch was a struggle. It was good to see and feel the difference today. I guess I just need to get better at balancing the food and drink on the social ocassions so that I dont slip into this blaaaah feeling. But I'm sure all will be good for tomorrow.

Good night all

M

FUTURE POSSIBILITIES

Its been an interesting week. I did manage to train on Wednesday doing back, chest and core strengthening work. Training chest after some time away always gives me DOMS to remind me to keep training consistently. Yeah, yeah I know but I still get slack about it. On a roll, I got up yesterday and did my trusty Legs - Back to Basics session. You couldnt get more basic than barbell squats, static lunges (I think most people call them split squats), stiff legged deadlifts and wide legged squats. And the weights I used were as piddly as, because again, I dont train consistently enough to improve my leg strength. But I did focus very strongly on good form, tight core etc and today I have the DOMS as my reward for my efforts.

Sadly the roll didnt last to this morning as I awoke and heard rain drops on the roof so immediately used that as an excuse to blow off my training. To compensate I finished work earlier and did a nice brisk 45 minute walk home. Training?? Not exactly, but better than nothing.

At beer o'clock tonight Peter and I got onto the subject of fitness, weight, goals etc as he is outright perplexed that I cant seem to get to my 'happy weight' despite knowing how miserable I am when I'm heavier than I like to be. It was a great conversation and without going over the minutae of it, I'll just say that its sparked the possibility of an exciting future goal. Ironically the idea is something I've been tossing around in my head for a little while so it was interesting that Peter brought it up because I certainly hadnt. Anyways its something I need to give a lot more thought to not just in my head but also in my heart.

Having said all that I've been happy with this week becasue I havent aimed for perfection, just a reasonabe consistent effort and I've managed that.

Cheers all

Magda

MY NAPPING MOJO

Are there any other early morning people out there who are struggling with their early mornings lately? I managed an early night last night and my alarm went off at 5am. Normally I wake up quickly and easily but after promptly turning my alarm off I fell back asleep almost instantly. It was only our pussy cat meeowing for food that woke me and forced me out of bed. So without enough time to do a decent weights session I went for a walk/jog instead. Well that was my intention until my right knee started aching like mad on my second jog interval and I downgraded to a walk the rest of the way. Over our morning coffee out later, Peter commented that I was sounding like an old wreck and admittedly I found it hard to dispute :-(

I spent this morning at a leadership training course that focussed on workplace wellbeing. It was well run and well presented and helped me to connect some dots that had been a constant mystery to my ever inquisitive brain. It had quite a large psychological component and the presenter really knew her stuff. It was the sort of course where I could have stayed all day happy to learn more and more. Alas my desk was calling with lots of "real work" waiting for my loving attention so it was back to the grind for the afternoon.

Well I'm keeping it short and sweet tonight with the intention of bouncing out of bad at 5am to lift heavy things and put them down. Whilst I havent lost my mojo, I'm finding that its taking lots of naps when I most need it.

M

THE BACK VERDICT

I last went to my chiro in March when my back and everything around it was playing up badly. At the time I had some x-rays done and then my pain settled down and I didn’t need another appointment for treatment.  However, by the time my exams were over, I was well overdue for a visit and of course there was my x-ray result to follow up as well.

 

So, lo and behold my x-rays showed advanced degeneration between L5 and S1, or as my chiro called it ‘advanced arthritis’ which I swear makes me sound like I’m 80 years old so I’ll use the ‘degeneration’ term. Yep, we’re talking about bone on bone whereas the other spinal joints had the obligatory finger space between them. No wonder I get so much stiffness and soreness in the area and surrounds.

 

The prognosis was underwhelming – basically manual treatment as and when required; no long distance running (max of 30 minutes) and expect to be stiff when I first get up in the mornings. He didn’t have to say it but I know that any strength I can develop through lifting weights will only help me. What he did say though was that I needed to improve my core strength. I do work at it but not consistently enough to make a difference.

 

Having said all that, I got to bed later than usual last night and turned my alarm off to get some extra sleep. There’s always tomorrow when I’ll be firing on all cylinders after an early night tonight.

CELEBRATION TIME

Its so good to be writing some good news in a week that started off in a pretty crappy way. Monday was totally chaotic at work with 2 crazy deadlines that were impossible to achieve without help from my team. Thanks to a huge effort from our Admin Coordinator and my Director, I made it but it certainly left me drained and headachy for the rest of the day.

Fast forward to 4.30 and it was exam time and I was going in knowing I had prepared well but there could always be something to throw me off track. By about 7pm I was so exhausted I couldn’t think straight. I had to literally shake it out and press on but even then, I didn’t finish all of the questions.

Well the final results came out today and I’m over the moon for achieving my goal of a credit mark. I set out with this goal and I must admit, there were times when the going got so tough I downgraded to “OMG please just let me pass” before my confidence bounced back to “yes I CAN do this and I WANT that credit.”

Why is this such a big deal?

Because I forget SO much stuff. I have days when it feels like my brain is full up and nothing else can go in. Then I have days where I feel ‘totally blonde’ or ‘vacant’.

Because I doubt my abilities on just about every level.

Because lately I’ve been setting goals and then blowing them off instead of achieving them.

Because it just is …for me.

Its was chess night tonight so I’ll save the celebration to the weekend – oh well I did have a glass of champagne – you know me J But honestly, what a relief just knowing I made it and the credit mark is a real bonus.

 

M

PRESSING 'REPEAT'

One of the things I love about blogging is the inspiration you draw from fellow bloggers. When I'm stuck in my rut and set in my ways its enlightening to read another perspective or another's experiences which then sparks a different train of thought within me. I'm referring specifically to KatieP from head-heart-health who earlier this week posted on FB that she was attempting to give up smoking ... again.

There was lots of support and advice for her, some of it being around dealing with addictions and it got me thinking about my own struggle with binge eating. I'm not sure I'd label it an 'addiction' because there have been (many) times when faced with a situation that would cause me to binge, I've chosen not to. But then there are many more times when I do (binge). Its a tough one. If I liken that to quitting smoking perhaps then I was in an "I've quit" phase only to later relapse, like many smokers do by going back to their habit/addiction.

Now here's something many of you might not know... I too have been a smoker and I have successfully quit (last one was several years ago.) But the journey to quitting was not easy or straightforward with many relapses over several years. However there is no going back for me now, despite having the rare thought about it, I know its not a thought that I'll ever indulge in or follow through.

So how did I do it?

1. The time had come that I really wanted to quit. My husband detested it and I smoked in secret. I hated living my life that way.

2. I remember getting a cold that was nastier than usual so there was this physical opportunity to say "enough" and whilst I had the cold I didnt crave cigarettes anyway.

3. I took myself out of situations where I would smoke. Avoidance therapy maybe? Who knows but it does work.

4. When the cravings came I just didnt give in and it wasnt long before they left and I was still smoke-free.

But method aside, the really important thing here is that I did it then so I can do it now with binge eating. I had it in me to tough it out and stick to my resolve and it goes without saying how much better I felt after quitting not just physically but emotionally too.

I'm not in a risk period now for binge eating but when it comes around again (and it will) maybe I need to dig deep into that place where I had the grit, the smarts and the determination to quit smoking and press 'repeat.'

ONE THIRD DOWN, 2 TO GO

I lay in bed on Sunday night determined not to be thinking about accounting and exams. Instead I thought about the next day being the 30^th of April or the last day of the first third of the year. Wow, a third of the year gone already. I looked back over that time and did a quick assessment of how it had panned out; what I had achieved; what I hadn’t achieved and how I felt about it all.

Here are my high and low lights:

I began the year immersed in study and that didn’t ease up until I walked out of my exam last night exhausted and very happy it was over. There was a period in February/March where the workload was overwhelming and I let my health and fitness slide BIG TIME. This resulted in me falling into a depression and not coping well with work, let alone how exhausted and miserable I felt 24/7.

On the bright side though I recognised this fairly early and was able to fix it through time off work, going back to eating well and moving regularly. Mine was only a brief encounter but gosh it was awful. I really feel for people who suffer long bouts of darkness, hopelessness and feeling overwhelmed by it all.

On the diet and fitness front things have been totally lacklustre.  Overall I’ve felt stuck somewhere between ‘in a rut’ and ‘no man's land’. I started the year working with Hilde from Get Active on Line but when the study became overwhelming my intentions to eat well and train hard disappeared. I bumbled along for a little while forever complaining about my extra kilos blah blah blah yet never doing anything about them. By the end of Easter I felt like a mini whale and desperate to feel more like an eel, I did something I said I’d never do again – I gave more money to the weight loss industry. For a week I was all fired up, motivated to the max … you know how it goes … and then my boy’s birthday was here, as was my MIL from Queensland and it was all about the food and the wine and who could be bothered dieting.

I don’t want this post to sound like a big whinge but its hard to write upbeat and positive when you’re not happy with stuff but that stuff is within your control. Yet when I’m rational and honest with myself, I know for me it comes back to habits and actions as opposed to deep seated emotional issues. Sure, I eat when I’m stressed and in other ‘emotional situations’ but I could just as easily choose NOT to eat then. I’ve done it before so what’s stopping me from doing it again? What’s that saying … “old habits die hard?” You bet!!

Ok now I’ll stop playing that old broken record because its time to move on and that’s what I’m doing. Today is the start of a new month, a new ‘third’ (of the year) and maybe a new attitude. Well that’s my intention anyway. I have a 3 week break before my next module starts and although I want to enjoy a couple of lunches with girlfriends and a dinner out to celebrate my exam result – I also plan to commit to moderation and consistency with food and training with a purpose. The plan is to start my marketing module in a better place both physically and mentally. I’m sure I can do it.