The hundred workout

I am pleased to say that I have lived to tell the tale of the 'hundred workout'. I honestly don't know who thought of this crazy idea but I kind of think that it may actually be something that most of us are up for {even those of us of the athletically challenged nature}.

So here it is, plain & simple.

Now honestly, even I was surprised that I made it through the workout. Me, the girl who was found in her gym kit, sitting on her yoga mat, 'watching' a fitness video, eating a bowl of cereal. What...So you are saying exercise doesn't happen through osmosis?  

I must admit however, somewhere between the 90 crunches and the 80 squats I did feel myself losing some form of consciousness. Thankfully, the thought of having to write this blog and confess that I managed to complete the 'twelve workout' seemed to jolt me back into the world of reckless enthusiasm. 

As I finished my 10 minute run, I gave myself a high-five. Actually, I didn't but I did amuse myself for a good few minutes on how ridiculous a self administered high-five would make me look - as if the running in public hadn't already achieved that feat! 

Yay me! It was done for the day. In the meantime, I will spend my day thinking about all the muscles in my body that I now know exist and hoping that my abs stop burning in time for me to continue tomorrow's set. 

Anyone with me? 

The dreaded D word

In the name of research {or er...a socially acceptable bikini body for the summer} I have embarked on one of the scariest missions of my whole entire life.

The dreaded D Word

Detox 

I think I am pretty much allergic to the whole concept of diet & detox and generally tend to break out in hives at the sheer thought of it. But as they say, desperate times call for desperate measures! Who the 'they' are I do not know, but I may wish to harm the 'they' after this little experiment of mine.

With new found enthusiasm I will embark wholeheartedly on the detox train in the hope that I will feel healthier & more energetic {and ready to party the summer away}. The plan is that every day for the next 2 weeks, my sweet little delivery man will drop off on my doorstep my daily supply of fresh juices to get me through. Goodbye coffee, chocolate & wine, you will be missed. But don't dismay, my new found superfood friends are going to keep me company for a little while.

My aching head is already regretting the no caffeine rule & my poor stomach has no idea of the deprivation I am about to put it through. I do sit in fear when I wonder what the next few days hold for me and how long I will actually last in this {ridiculous} quest for health & vitality! I also wonder what special juice concoctions mr delivery man will bring me tomorrow. 

So wish me luck as I sit here sipping my carrot, beetroot, pineapple & ginger juice. Mmmmmm, delicious...Mind over matter, people. It's actually not as bad as it seems, especially if you put a wedge of pineapple on the glass, add a straw and pretend it's a pina colada.

So cheers to me and my cocktail of detox yumminess...

Don't let the rain get you - go out there and smile

So this morning, my handbag was stolen on the way to work. Not entirely the magical and perfect start to the day I was hoping for. It all happened so fast and before I knew it, I was handbag-less and on the verge of tears. 

Now, in my mind's eye, I was the superhero girl who stood up for herself, took authority and reclaimed my bag after an athletic chase {in high heels of course} that gave Lara Croft a run for her money. Unfortunately however, my response was more reflective of the dead man in Weekend at Bernie's. I literally just stood there and watched it all happen. So much so that a lady near me had to verbalise "ma'am, I think that young man just stole your handbag" At this point I was in shock...firstly because I was called ma'am, and secondly because I did absolutely nothing to stop him.

Right at this moment, I had a choice to make. Was I going to wallow in self pity or move on and get on with my day. I must admit, the thought of wallowing totally made me feel better for about 2 whole minutes, and then after that, I got a little feisty with myself and refused to let this determine my day.

A lady at the bus stop held out her arms and embraced me. Bless her. She was the sweetest little lady ever. Another man then reached out and handed me a £5 note and told me to use this to get to work. 

Once on the bus, I used my new found resolve to try and remember what was in my handbag in the first place. I called my bank. This proved to be the first of many difficult conversations.  

Lady:"Miss McBride, for security purposes, can you please tell me your account number or the long card number?"
Me:"Um, well actually, that information is on my card and I don't have my card anymore as it was just stolen..."
Lady:"Ok, let's try another one. What was the exact amount of the last direct debit made to your mobile phone account?"
Me:"I'm actually not entirely sure. As it's a mobile phone account, it changes every month - that's why I use direct debit."
Lady:"I'm afraid, Miss McBride you did not pass the security questions and I am unable to reissue you with new cards. I am pleased to say that I can block them now though..."
Me:"Can't you just ask me my d.o.b and my mother's maiden name? I know those answers for sure?
Lady:"I'm sorry Miss McBride, that is not how our system operates..."

And then just when I thought it couldn't get any worse.

Lady: "Thank you for contacting DVLA. Can I please take your license number?
Me: "Both parts of my license were just stolen so unfortunately I don't have access to that information."
Lady: "Ok, that's fine, let's see if we can find you..."
Lady: "Great, now in order to process your new license we need to take payment. Can I have your long card number..."
Me: "Right. Well that was just stolen too so I guess I will be calling you back when my cards are reissued then."
Lady: "We really suggest you do this now if you are likely to drive a vehicle in the next few days."
Me: "I appreciate that information but unfortunately I don't have access to a card..."

And another one.

Me: "Hi there, my Oyster card has just been stolen and was hoping you could cancel my current travel card and transfer it over to a new one?"
Man: "Certainly Ma'am. Do you have any identification?"
Me: "Um, no, it was all just stolen..."

Surely there has to be a more fun way of doing this! {Mental note: Thinking of getting all my bank account numbers and all security passwords & logins tattooed on my arm in case this ever happens again}

Ok, so the cards were sorted {if sorted means cancelling everything and getting nothing reissued} Now to working out what was actually in my bag. Thankfully, all I had in my bag {other than my wallet} were my gym clothes, iPod, a book, make-up and a bottle of perfume. And I'm pretty sure that not even the iPod will bring joy to the new owner. It was super old and quite frankly, starting to annoy me by freezing all the time. And as for the music, well I am not sure we would have the same taste at all. This reminds me of the time where my car got broken into whilst I was living back in Sydney. I had about 20 cds in the car at the time. All the cds were flicked through...and left. Not even thieves wanted my music! Way to go Amy! 

So, little bag thief. Be blessed with my monthly travel card. I honestly hope it takes you somewhere where you will meet someone who will change your world for the better. Enjoy my music, maybe it will speak to you. I will not cancel my Unlimited Movie Card for another week. Enjoy it until then & keep out of more trouble! And as for my gym kit, I'd advise you to stay away from that, I didn't actually wash it last night. That was today's job.

So, was it fun to have a bag stolen? No.
Did it ruin my day and steal my happiness? No

Happy Thursday Lovelies, in spite of everything xx 




 ^27-30"To you who are ready for the truth, I say this: Love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer for that person. If someone slaps you in the face, stand there and take it. If someone grabs your shirt, giftwrap your best coat and make a present of it. If someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously. {Luke 6}

Bloom where you are planted

Where do you find yourself today? Is it where you thought or hoped you'd be? Somedays, I wonder why I am where I am today. Many decisions {albeit good and bad}, trials, loves, passions and adventures have led me to the place that I now stand.

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Those who knew me 'pre' London, would have told you that I was like a little homing pigeon. Always gravitating back to my sweet family and friends in Sydney. This was until almost 8 years ago, this little lady jumped on a plane bound for London. Now honestly, the plan was to spend 12 months travelling the world and then my plan was to head back home to Sydney and 'settle down' like the rest of the sensible & grown-up population.

Little did I know back then that my life would actually flourish away from 'the plan' I had in my mind's eye. I remember all those years ago that I made a decision to embrace and appreciate every situation or season I found myself in. Through this, I found a joy and peace that has enabled me to live a life bigger than I had ever dreamed or imagined.

So, be encouraged. Maybe your life is not where you thought it would be. Take heart and know that you can flourish where you are standing, with the resources you have available to you. Decide to make the most of your situation and stay true to who you are.

So, wherever in this amazing world you find yourself, bloom where you are planted & make it beautiful xx

Oh, how i've missed you

It feels like such a long time since I last wrote. Honestly, I have been aching to get back onto my trusty Mac and just simply write. For me, writing is therapy. Nothing compares to the sound of the continuous rhythmic taps of the keys on my keyboard. It calms and inspires me.

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I have masses of words swirling through my head and I can't wait to show expression to the things that have been on my mind of late. 

So, until we meet again, keep well & live beautifully.

See you soon x  

The smell of summer

Hello my dear Londoners, the sun is out and summer is definitely on it's way. Time to kick off your shoes, roll up those sleeves and put on your sunnies. May the picnics in the parks and the drinks by the river bring you all much joy, laughter and happiness. Go out and make some memories. May Summer 2011 be your best yet!

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Happy warm sunshiny days, lovely people! Let the romance of summer begin.

Much love xx

Start strong {finish stronger}

This year, I started strong. I set out a list of my goals, I joined the gym {again}, I ordered my finances and I organised my house. I declared that this year was going to be my best yet.

All was going well until my body has decided that it would like to declare war...on itself. About 2 weeks ago now, I had that niggling sore throat that just didn't seem to want to go away. The usual hit of 1000mg of vitamin C powder just didn't seem to cut it this time. As the days dragged on, I realised that my body was in full blown combat with the dreaded cold. I tried every remedy under the sun, to no avail {countless packets of sudafed, strepsils & paracetamol were harmed in the process}

My attendance at the gym plummeted to an immediate standstill. As I bid a sad farewell to my much loved gym routine, I wondered how this 'holiday' from the gym would affect our relationship. Previously, a break like this had completely crippled my ability to get back to the gym regularly and with the same vigour that I started the year with, I could sense a break up was imminent. I found myself in very volatile territory. 

Added to this very emotional struggle of not being able to work out is the fact that I live with 5 other very energetic and health conscious exercise bunnies. Not a day goes by where I don't see countless pieces of lycra running past me in the hall enroute to or from a workout. And there I was, barely able to lift a tissue to blow my nose, dreaming of the day when I could wear my lycra again. I was so jealous of health. I wanted it back.

And if this wasn't bad enough, my fear of being sick on a weekend reared it's ugly head - 5 days on and this cold still had it's hold on me. As my sad eyes watched all of my flatmates get themselves all ready and beautiful to go out and celebrate this beautiful Spring weekend I knew my body had other plans. As I looked in the mirror all I could see were my puffy eyes, my red raw nose, the beginnings of a cold sore on my lip and yesterday's hair. An attractive picture of health right there. Back to bed for me.

Day 5 came and went. As did day 6, 7 and 8. The highlight of day 8 was that I could stand for periods of over 12 minutes without feeling light headed and needing to rest. Day 9 I saw breakthrough! Day 9 my hope was restored. The haze of desperation {and isolation} lifted and I could see the world clearly now.

I had a choice to make though. Would I let the past 9 days determine my next 9 days? Would I use the fact that I hadn't been able to go to the gym to convince myself that I didn't need to go or that it would be too hard?

So today, I grabbed my gym kit and put on my trainers. I decided that no matter how hard it was going to feel, I would get my feet back on that treadmill.
It was hard.

I started strong. I had a moment of weakness {well about 2 weeks worth} but I got back up and have decided to be committed to finishing strong - actually stronger!

Here's to the road back to health & happiness.

Much love xx
{promise i'm not contagious anymore}