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7 October - I want to be a whale ...

I wanted to share this with you all, Ive stolen it from a friend on Facebook - Thanks for the inspirational story lovely, gorgeous lady, you know who you are : )).



A while back, at the entrance of a gym, there was a picture of a very thin and beautiful woman. The caption was "This summer, do you want to be a mermaid or a whale?"

The story goes, a woman (of clothing size unknown) answered the following way:

"Dear people, whales are always surrounded by friends (dolphins, seals, curious humans), they are sexually active and raise their children with great tenderness.
They entertain like crazy with dolphins and eat lots of prawns. They swim all day and travel to fantastic places like Patagonia, the Barents Sea or the coral reefs of Polynesia.
They sing incredibly well and sometimes even are on cds. They are impressive and dearly loved animals, which everyone defend and admires.

Mermaids do not exist.

But if they existed, they would line up to see a psychologist because of a problem of split personality: woman or fish?
They would have no sex life and could not bear children.
Yes, they would be lovely, but lonely and sad.
And, who wants a girl that smells like fish by his side?

Without a doubt, I'd rather be a whale.

At a time when the media tells us that only thin is beautiful, I prefer to eat ice cream with my kids, to have dinner with my husband, to eat and drink and have fun with my friends.

We women, we gain weight because we accumulate so much wisdom and knowledge that there isn't enough space in our heads, and it spreads all over our bodies.
We are not fat, we are greatly cultivated.
Every time I see my curves in the mirror, I tell myself: "How amazing am I ?! "

The girl on the picture is model Tara Lynn.


All women are beautiful, gorgeous and amazing, we are all unique 


30 September - Learning overload

Work work work - Ive been in mental overload for the past week, in fact for the past few weeks. Ive been learning learning learning, and Ive reached my capacity. At the same time, my tolerance and patience levels have reached zero. Dont get me wrong, this new job/contract is the best job Ive had since arriving in the sandpit. However, Im starting to actively seek my next job role, my ideal job - living in Mauritius and looking after a region of Mauritius, Seychelles, Maldives and Thailand - throw in Malaysia or any other Asian country and Im a happy lady. Ive been networking with colleagues in the office, and these opportunities are REAL!

I think I missed the memo when I wasnt supposed to get emotionally attached to my job, but this is me, this is who I am. I try my best, I give it my all. But Im learning to let go and walk away, though 5pm is my goal for mext week.

I missed many other memos too. Let me list what I discovered this week :
  1. When stressed at work, dont sit on the sofa watching TV whilst stuffing my face with take away (most likely pizza) - instead I should head to the gym, sweat out my frustrations, anger etc. When I left the gym on Wednesday evening at 8pm, I was feeling good. I knew the old me would never have done what I had just done. I worked hard, and I liked it
  2. In planning my weekends, I try to see my friends and do nice things for them, and make sure they know Im thinking about them and love them lots. But its ok to be selfish sometimes. So I cancelled some of my planned social drop ins, catch ups and even the Shape Up Show - it wasnt priority. I wanted to do somethings for me. And I did, I went shopping and got everything and more that I needed for my RAF Bootcamp with the Juicemaster team in Turkey in 2 weeks. I took my time, I looked at everything. I also managed to see LL's family AND spent some time at the salon taking care of my nails, eyebrows and eyelashes : )
  3. I dont have to feel deprived if I dont stuff my face with whatever I WANT not what I NEED. What I needed today was something fresh and tasty. I chose not to feel stuffed, bloated and uncomfortable like a TellyTubby. I chose sorbet over nachos. I chose sparkling water over something modified and full of pretend sugars
  4. At the mall, whilst I was shopping, I was thinking about what I would eat for lunch. I thought it would be ok for 1 sandwich, I havent had one this week. Then the utter happiness and relief when I spotted a juicebar as I headed back to my car after walking the mall for a few hours. Carrot, apple and orange - regular not large. Sorted :)
  5. Walking and moving is good. I CAN make time for this in my week on days I dont go to the gym. I can walk 2.5km on my doorstep. It doesnt cost anything, and I get to try out all my new sports clothes. Or walking around a mall will do just fine instead
  6. 8 sports bras is not excessive ......................
  7. Nor is 20 new pairs of socks
  8. I can possess 4 pairs of trainers and wear them all. Blue zigazigaaaaa!
  9. I MUST REMEMBER TO EAT
  10. I MUST REMEMBER TO DRINK WATER
  11. Dr Scholl shoes arent that bad really - ok not all of them, but there is one deisgn that is OK - I need to get this right ankle in order and soon. I have to give in sometimes and its not always about the fashion
  12. Waking up at 7am on a Saturday morning to get to the gym for 8am to ensure I get to aqua aerobics for 930am, is better than sleeping in til noon. I WILL feel better and more awake for doing so
  13. Its ok to have an apres-gym snooze as long as I work hard at the gym early on a Friday morning
  14. Never eat a salad thats worth 1400 calories. Sorry Chili's, thats just not clever. Sumo Salad is back  on the menu
  15. You CAN dance in the car and burn calories
Ive got 6 hours til I wake up and burn more calories. We never stop learning, only when we die. Im alive and kicking so its OK to keep learning. And Im feeling gooooood. 

27 September - Resisting Temptation

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2041723/Curb-cravings-New-book-reveals-impossible-resist-moments-telling-you.html

I will be reading this in more detail and taking the quiz tomorrow, but looks like an interesting article and book.

I need some resistance tools. Im off to brush my teeth, nothing to do with Maltesers at all ... !

26 September - Anyone wanting a smaller waist?

As long as the smaller waist comes with a smaller butt, butt shelf, hips, belly no1, belly no2, thighs, knees, bingo wings, chin etc. Im in!

http://www.realage.com/health-tips/get-skinnier-with-these-2-small-changes?eid=1010648541&memberid=16660044


I like the principles of this article (Mr Harte obviously didint write it!). MUST get that pedometer back on my hip each day, I usually forget. Im looking forward to a return to walking sometime this week. had a great 2sn trip to the physio for my damaged right ankle, HUGE improvements already in a few days so Im excited that I will be OK for my Juicemaster retreat in just under 3 weeks - in fact its now 18 days away. I must start packing ...

Papa Meldrew has given me some feedback on my "I hate men" blog - apparently (and I say this very loosely .....) not all men are *****! He is the new man - hes been harping on about this for years, even though he has never been independent enough to drive a car, or learn to drive, though I will give him credit for his banana yellow scooter in the 70s ; ). Enough said on that before I get told off ....
So, apparently there are single men who DO have responsibility. Now the question I have is, do THEY spend hours in the gym or out of the domestic diva role trying to get fit, and hand the bubbas over to a babysitter or do they also sacrafice themselves for their childrens needs, health and welfare before their own health and fitness? Im putting cash on the latter. I knew Id make my millions at some point this year! 

On the new man point, yes Papa Meldrew DOES do most of the cooking in our family home, and he is a great cook, though very messy at the same time. Perhaps a bigger dishwasher is required next time. Papa's food is also fab, though sometimes the experiements are a little risky. I do miss Christmas Day feasts, and his many fabulous Sunday dinners. But my most fond memory is from my childhood - waking up on a Saturday morning to the smell of spices cooking in the oil as he prepares that nights curry. In our family, we all love curries, especially with tons of coriander - his lemon and coriander chicken is divine! All of his food is. And he made his own beer back then too. My big sis and I regularly sampled it as it developed through the weeks and months - well who would hide the barrel under the stairs where we played hide and seek for goodness sake!

So now Papa Meldrew, I challenge you to a low fat, low carb, high protein curry for my next trip home. Then I can add it to my blog. I will sit in your kitchen feedling you red wine as I write down the recipe. Im thinking something along the lines of your lemon and coriander chicken.....

In the meantime, I will be sticking to some baby steps, and working on being the new woman. Im busy, not retired without a hobby like Papa Meldrew. Though he is soon to be promoted to Papa Professor - enjoy being challenged by those lovely students! Congrats Papa xx