A Cheeky Chin

Following on from yesterday's post about my super-duper fitness regime - I decided to share one of my before photos.

Why? Because I'm not actually sure that anything will make a difference to my cheeky chin/neck area so it might get ditched in the big 'ta-da' reveal photo blog! My mum says it's just my face shape and someone could no more change a square jaw than I can make a difference to my round face. But I'm going to give it a try by doing some hilarious chin exercises (seriously - google it if you're ever feeling down) and see if, any differences are made.

The downside of posting this is that I draw attention to it. It's like when someone says to you - can you notice my big nose, giant spot, big hair, ripped tights, giant booger, missing teeth...? And then you notice it and can look at nothing else when you see that person.

And then I realised that I'm an introvert and don't like people. So it became less of a problem.

But if I see someone looking at me strangely in the street I'll know what they've been reading!

On that slightly stalkerish statement - I will show the picture and leave.

Oh - the red lines surround the bit o' chin that I will be tackling thusly.

If only photoshop worked in real life... hmmmm.

The Before Photo...

Today I have taken 'the before' photo.

That being the photo that I will hopefully display alongside my 'ta-da' photo after I have completed my planned fitness regime.

A planned fitness regime? Sounds serious.

Well, it is and it isn't.

A couple of years ago I lost a couple of stone to get down to my "ideal" weight. I have since crept back up to what I call my 'resting weight'. This is the weight that seems to be my norm when I'm not doing any extra activities and while eating what I want. It's not a bad weight to be and I'm fairly happy with my body. I say fairly and that word is definitely key.

The dreaded BMI scale says that I'm a couple of pounds from being overweight. Even when I was ridiculously ill and got down to single figures with my weight, it still said that I had a few pounds to go until I was 'ideal'. Pffft.

I know a lot of people say that the fashion industry and media put a lot of pressure on people to have an (unrealistically) "perfect" body. While I don't disagree - I'm going to suggest that the 'health' industry are as equally responsible for making people feel badly if they don't conform to the rules.

BMI doesn't take into account body shape, skeletal structure and I feel it could lead people to feel like they need to lose weight even if they are perfectly healthy.

Don't eat 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day? Shame on you - bad human!

Aren't you doing 30 minutes of exercise every day? You're going to get this disease, that disease - blah, blah, blah.

I'm not saying that eating fruit and veg or doing exercise are wrong (I am saying that the BMI scale is wrong, in case you're wondering!) but if you have to shame people into doing things then surely there's something wrong.

Which leads me to my current dilemma - I have fitness fear!

Before I got Tilly, I thought to myself that if I could just tone up my tummy and lose the flabby chin then I'd be happy enough with my body. Having been outside to play with the energizer puppy, I have realised that I am SO out of shape.

I can hardly run around for more than 10 seconds without having to stop and catch my breath. I suddenly realised what people have been saying (on Pinterest, where else?) that fit is the new skinny.

It doesn't matter a jot if you're a skinny minny or a chunky monkey - if you can't run around with your puppy (or child, hamster, whatever...) for more than 10 seconds then you're not fit!

Okay, fine - I've just looked on Pinterest and it's actually 'strong is the new skinny'. Too bad - I've changed it for fit. I don't need to be strong! :)

So I'm ready to start getting fit when I realise - where on earth do I begin?

I googled, Pinterested and searched through my magazine cuttings about healthy things that I've collected over the years (obviously in preparation for this very moment, years later!). It got too much!

Should I stretch for the splits? Do I want that beach bum? The toned arms? Pert booty? Get rid of that muffin top? (Muffins - mmmmm!) Should I do cardio? Stretching? Running? Swimming?

Oh good lord - I don't know!!!

So I decided to do something that every health blogger suggested was vital - I had a rest day. Actually, I've had a few. I rock at rest days.

Then I realised that I'm as bad as the BMI people (I've decided there must be an evil BMI organisation somewhere filled with evil BMI people), the health people and the media - putting FAR too much pressure on myself to be 'perfect' and have all the perfect bits. And bobs if you're a boy.

So the plan - there's no plan.

• I'm going to take Tilly for walks. 
• I'm going to run about with her in the garden.
• I'm going to run up and down the steps in my garden while waiting for Tilly to do her business.
• I've already compiled a list of my favourite tunes and I'm going to dance like a lunatic to them when I get the chance.
• I'm going to ride my exercise bike when the notion takes me.
• I'm going to get awesome at the hula hoop (the plastic variety - not the crisps!)

I'm pretty much just going to mince about, trying to add exercise to my life and not put too much pressure on myself.

Hopefully, by the time Tilly has calmed down, I'll be able to keep up with her as if she hadn't.

Maybe by summer I'll share the 'before' and 'ta-da' photos. We'll see. No pressure.

New Blog Header

I've been playing about with my blog header for a while now (which if you've visited more than once in the last week, you will realise was left in a state of disrepair as I couldn't be bothered to fire up my old computer and find more photos!).

But now it's done.

Ta da!

I thought it might be fun to explain the photos in the header...


Snowy Tree
I took this photo in my local park which is at the bottom of the street I live on. It was early morning and I had the whole park to myself as I trudged through the snow to my parents house. It was peaceful, beautiful and I snapped the photo on the spur of the moment so I was thrilled it came out so well. I decided to use this photo to remind me of the peace and tranquility you can find close by.


 
 

Double Biscuits
I enjoy baking and made these scrummy double biscuits at some point in the past. It's likely they didn't survive the day!





 

Rosie
My Rosie. We had her for 10 years and I will love her forever.







 

Herbs
I am a novice gardener and enjoy pottering about. There's something about these terracotta pots of herbs that sit on the steps outside my back door that make me happy.




 

Harewood House
This is Harewood House in Yorkshire. This place was amazing and I'm definitely going to set my romance novel here. Visiting historic places, especially houses, is something I very much enjoy.





Tilly
Crazy Tilly. She's 13 weeks old as I write this and she's already changed my life so much!




 

Crafts
I have so much craft stuff and it's definitely something that I want to do more of.





 
Me!
This is me! I'm sitting in a window seat, reading a romance and staring out onto the quiet countryside. This, to me, is bliss. Now, if only that was my house!!



 

Keep Calm
The last one is a hot steaming mug of tea (milk, no sugar, please) in a pretty mug. I'm chilling on my couch in my comfy trews while watching the TV. I'll bet there's a book not too far from me, either. Happiness.





So that's my header and what the photos represent. Hopefully they show what kind of things that I'll be blogging about here from now on!

Don't Change...

I saw this quote this morning when I was doing my daily (hourly?) trawl through Pinterest.

I just love it.

I love it.

I need to have this tattooed on my brain.

So with that in mind, I'm going to list a few things that I don't tend to tell people for fear that I'll be judged from one group or another!

• I like doing jigsaw puzzles.
• I love trashy TV shows like The Real Housewives and Jersey Shore.
• I'd love to be a housewife. I mean a real housewife, not like those on the TV!
• I prefer books to people.
• I'm scared of horror films. I mean terrified. I can't even watch the adverts.
• I like Star Wars and Star Trek.
• I adore cuddly toys and I still treat them as if they are alive. Try and convince me they're not!
• I don't like 'fancy' foods. All these frou frou flavours - not for me.
• Anything you say to me will be disected at length when I'm alone.
• Small talk exhausts me. Sometimes I need to be alone to recharge.
• I prefer animals to people.
• I sometimes pretend not to know or understand things so I don't upset other people or come across as a know-it-all.
• I worry so much about what other people think of me that my mind never shuts off.
• I like Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
• I don't drink alcohol.
• I love musicals.
• I've never seen the film Titanic.
• I don't like what I look like but don't have the willpower to change.
• I worry more about other people than I do about myself (and I seriously worry about myself!)
• I'd prefer to stay in than go out.
• I don't have many (any?) friends.
• Chatting online (even emailing) is just as horrible for me as conversing in real life!

Okay, this is getting a wee bit upsetting for me now so I'm going to stop.

But that's me - warts and all.

I've just realised something - I've got to be the real me and love the real me, too.

More Conversations with Tilly...

Just over six weeks in and things continue to be, well, strange regarding with my dealings with Tilly.

I find myself moving into the role of grown up - a real grown up - where I am the disciplinarian and the person that always says no. It's disconcerting and I feel rather like a giant stick in the mud. Is this what happens when you become a parent?

On the other hand, my mum and dad have taken on the role of "the indulgent ones" who spoil and rile Tilly up and send her back to me. I feel there might be some sort of payback going on here. It's definitely suspicious!

And there continue to be more conversations with Tilly of a strange and disturbing nature as evidenced below:

"Well, em, I really don't know what I'm supposed to say about this..."

Said to Tilly when I discovered all the heads of my snowdrops sitting neatly beside the pot of (now headless) snowdrops. All the while she looked at me with an expression that clearly said: Look what I did - are you proud? No. The answer is no, I'm not!

"Kindly stop licking the wall."

"Don't worry - it's just a prostitute!"

I had paused the telly during an episode of Cops and it just so happened to freeze frame on a *cough* lady of the night. In an appalling (yet hilariously well timed) twist of fate, the reason that I had paused the telly was because my sister had started a video chat with me and her face had just appeared onscreen. So, it may have appeared to some that I was referring to her. Oops!

"You really don't want to eat that."

Think of everything you wouldn't want to eat and things it's not possible to eat, and there's a good chance that I've said the above in reference to that object.

"Come out of the dishwasher."

No word of a lie - this has been said more than once! I'm talking full body in the dishwasher.

"It's okay, I don't like him either."

Said when Tilly ran inside in fear because my odd neighbour was being very noisy.

"If you eat him, he won't be there anymore."

Some wise words about life given to Tilly regarding the orange pony (who, like the pink pony, also no longer has a nose).

 "You're almost through to Australia, for crying out loud!"

Said in horror when I saw the extent of the hole Tilly was digging in the path.

No doubt more daft things will be said soon. I just wait for the day that she answers me back!

Frame of mind...

I always liked the following saying and I find it's so true. It's all about your outlook and frame of mind.

Life is a Rollercoaster...

I was going to call this post 'Up and Down' but then I realised that I wouldn't get that song out of my head if I did so. You know - the one from the 90s - up and down and up and down (repeat for 3 minutes 20 seconds in a techno beat). I decided to go with 'Life is a Rollercoaster' instead. A better song and not just because it has more than three words!

Anyway, that was some frivolity on a day that I just don't feel like it.

It's so frustrating when I felt so upbeat and positive the other day. Now I just feel defeated and overwhelmed. It's exhausting for me so I can't even begin to imagine how it makes those around me feel.

I don't mind having 'downs'. Well, I do - but with depression I kind of expect them and must train myself to handle them.  It's when they come so quickly after an 'up' that really upsets me. Then, I've not just got to handle the depression and all that brings, but the disappointment from myself and others that I can switch so easily between 'up' and 'down'.

If I knew how to stop it I would. Believe me.