Sunday 10 May 2015

Peace.

   The blog has been quiet lately, and I apologise for that. I've been feeling unwell for the past week, in part because of picking something up off of my sister's kids and also because I'm simply exhausted. I've been overdoing everything lately and stressing out about weight loss (which has slowed down considerably over the past 3 months), my book, my next book, and my art exhibit in July. I've not been sleeping well and, though I hate to admit it, I've been eating horribly, turning to chocolate for comfort even though I know it doesn't truly help and just leaves me feeling worse in a number of ways. Plus it's been nothing but cold and cloudy these past two weeks and I'm longing for the positive brightness of spring. I had a taste of it last month and my energy and enthusiasm went through the roof, and I've found myself in a slump now.

   So I've taken time back from the blog, and, though I desperately don't want to because it feels so counter-productive, I'm taking a step back from exercise for the next week, too. I completed week 1 of Ripped in 30 and it was great, but I've been too exhausted to give it my all, and you can exercise all you like but if you don't give yourself the chance to rest, you'll never lose the weight. So for the next week I'm going to move away from my usual workout system and go for just 30 minutes of yoga every morning, and that's it. No dance, no cardio, to weights, no HIIT, nothing. Just yoga. I did consider taking a week off entirely, but if I were to do that the structure of my day would fall apart and I'd end up eating more, being bored and generally being in an even worse mood. Yoga lifts my spirits - not as much as weights and sweat do, but it does help to calm my mind, and given how I've been feeling lately, I think I need that.
   I've stocked up on Nakd bars again, lots of green and herbal tea, a new top by Under Armour and a deep desire to spring clean myself. So lots of water, lots of tea, lots of fruit while pushing away other forms of sugar, and all of this, coupled with yoga, should also help me to slow down and sleep better. What I wouldn't give for a good night's sleep.

   Normal blogging will soon resume, I've got a couple of product reviews to post as well as some recipes to try, and then on Monday the 18th, everything will return to normal. This is the first time in a year and a half that I've made the decision to step away from exercise, and it's no wonder I feel as haggard as I do. I admire my own dedication, and there's no shame in saying that because 3 years ago I never thought I'd love working out and I also never thought I'd be a size 8, so I am proud of my dedication. Unfortunately I think it's been sabotaging me lately, so if taking a week off to refocus my mind and recognise that while working out is what will lead to weight loss, recovering is what secures it, and if I'm pushing myself too far I'm going to end up going backwards.
   So, fingers crossed that I can stick to this. Seeg has been tasked with checking on me every morning to make sure I'm not doing any dancing, push-ups, kettle bell swings or burpees, but I'm going to try to make sure that he doesn't need to check up on me. I'm taking Wednesday off completely and I'm planning on finishing the paint work on the last 2 animals for my art exhibit - getting that finished will also be a massive weight off my shoulders, then all I'll need is to sort out the jars and put them all together. Fortunately I'm too tired of the task to be nervous about it now!


So, the goal of this coming week is simply peace.



I'm dead chuffed with this picture. I took it 4 years ago and it's been buried on an old memory stick, so I'd forgotten all about it. I think it's quite suitable - I'd love to return to photography but it's just not something that comes naturally to me. This was a lucky shot.



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