A week to go 'til Christmas

SB and I have no plans today and it feels marvellous. Knowing us, it's still a time to get things done (and get the house in apple-pie order - nothing sexier than a guy cleaning the oven, even if it is because he spilt pizza all over it last night!) but we can go at our own pace and be relaxed - and that's fantastic! The days ahead are busy with final preparations for Christmas, helping Mama Scribs prepare the house, spending time with my lovely french "sister" C and visiting wee J (clucky much?). And just because I don't like making things easy for myself, I'm changing up my lifestyle.

I've started a new medication for my PCOS and it has had some interesting side effects! PCOS sufferers often suffer from insulin resistance, making it harder for them to lose weight. I've plateaued with my weight loss and so in conjunction with my doctors, I made the decision to start taking a drug (Metformin), commonly used for diabetics. While it's a common prescription for PCOS women (if you are not on the pill, you're likely to be on Metformin and I'm on both), it's considered an off-label use; basically, we know it works but we aren't willing to do the official clinical trials required to put it on the label. Ergo, most of the information about side effects available is for diabetes patients! Luckily, an online PCOS forum made me realise I'm not alone in my side effect...

HOT FLUSHES

Yes, that's right, in adjusting my hormone levels, it's making me heat up like a menopausal woman. Interesting to say the least! I think that's the reason I had to take a nap before going out yesterday afternoon - running hot and cold all day during a humid Auckland afternoon is exhausting! Given that the side effects can be far more debilitating, I'll take that. Especially my PCOS sister seem to think that it is a temporary thing :)

So hopefully this kick-starts my weight loss even over Christmas, with all the delicious food. I can already notice a diminished appetite and zero cravings so that's gotta be a good thing! Will be squeezing myself into wedding dresses come January and it would be great to lose at least four kilos by then!

I'm on a buzz...

I have SO much energy at the moment! I had a nutritional consultation on Tuesday morning and definitely got given some "food for thought". You'll be able to read more on The Shrinking Violets tomorrow about the rest of the consult, but one of the biggest changes to come out of it is my new-found love for green smoothies!

Now maybe I am totally the last one on the boat about this but wow! The recipe I'm following is so easy - one chopped up banana, two cups green leafy vegetables (any) and two pieces of any type of fruit. I whizz it all up in my "Amazing Bullet" and it's a deliciously creamy start to the day. Before anything else I've had a good solid shot of nutrients and it really seems to be putting me off on the right foot :)

So what have I been doing with this new boost of energy? It's school holidays at the moment so I've been tearing through the house on a cleaning and organisational bender. Yesterday I tackled our kitchen - it is tiny so it doesn't take a heck of a lot to make it cluttered and hard to use. Reshuffling cabinets and putting things in places according to frequency of use. One thing I won't miss when we move on from this place (don't worry, no plans to move yet!) is that tiny kitchen!

Today I ventured outside the house to get some storage solutions for a few areas in the house that were bugging me. Being winter, a lot of the outer layers of clothing I wear can get more than one use; I feel weird about putting these items back in the dresser or wardrobe. I've been using my "floordrobe" but it's so untidy. I grabbed a flexi-bin that fits neatly between my bedside table and the wall - amazing the difference that it makes!

I also tackled that abyss known as the bathroom cupboard under the sink with seven containers - we now have cleaning (mouthwash, soaps, shampoos, etc), grooming (manicure kits, creams, hair spray, etc), contacts equipment, face cloths, medical (pills, plasters, ointments, creams), first aid kit and *ahem* lady stuff (tampons, etc). I got rid of so many expired items that I am sure we have been dragging from house to house and NEVER use.

So I haven't had the most thrilling holiday, but I'm feeling good with how productive I have been. How about you, Scribblettes? Does it give you a kick to see things well-organised or are you far more laissez-faire?

It's the small things...

Right now I am sooooo full of germs I sound like a pug! Yet instead of feeling down in the dumps I actually feel quite positive about things... weird, no? Maybe it's been the enforced down time, allowing my brain to sift through all that's been going on; maybe I'm just feeling less overwhelmed. Regardless, I'm not going to look an emotional gift horse in the mouth!

SB has been so wonderful with me being sick. He's sole charge at work, dealing with his family dog being seriously ill yet he has come home two nights in a row and cooked dinner. I am so blessed to have him in my life as both my best friend and my husband to be. Bearing this in mind, I got angus beef patties out of the freezer this morning so that he could make burgers tonight. We didn't have any buns but we live 200m from a bakery so I thought I would attempt the walk.

It's winter here so the weather can be kind of miserable - I can hear heavy rain as I type this. The weather was cold but fairly mild as I headed out on my mini-journey. As I walked along there was a light breeze but it didn't cause me to cough. The sun shone down on my face and I could almost feel my body lapping up the Vitamin D. I may have had a sore ear, a blocked nose and a phlegmy throat but in that moment I was pretty darn happy.

I'm hoping that this phase of happiness and positivity continues... I was pretty over feeling flat and blue!

Exercise - my goal nemesis

Remember my list of goals from the start of the year?

The hardest one by far this month has been exercise. I could make all the excuses in the book about migraines and massive bruises after blood donating and and work stress and life stress... and to a certain extent all of that stuff is true. It's also what let me get out of shape and flabby in the first place.

I can keep my diet under control for the most part (with the occasional addition of an exceptional fail - like the KFC chips today to satisfy my PMS salt craving) and I am losing weight... but part of the journey towards health includes exercise and becoming fit. It is my hope that I'll experience less fatigue and ill health as I get fitter and healthier... which means that I need to push through the fatigue and ill health now.

I did make it through a Zumba Sculpt and Tone work out this afternoon - 35 mins of an moderate intensity exercise. Thirty minutes of activity a day has to be the go from now on.

*In secret news today, there were discussions today of a position at work that would see me a lot more physically active next year... so I DEFINITELY need to get in shape.

New world and all I wanna do is sleep...

I think one could safely say that I crashed and burnt this week - by Friday I was struggling to keep my eyes open past 8:30 pm. Thursday dinner had been a complete and utter fail (Hell Pizza chicken tenders and garlic bread) and Friday's followed (a bacon and cheese baked potato) and my calorie/point intake had shot up dramatically. I always seem to eat more when I am exhausted - like my body wants extra fuel because I'm forcing it to keep going when it doesn't want to anymore.

Why did this happen? I think that whenever we're placed in a new environment (house, job, city), you can be subject to brain overload. Starting my new job in a new school, learning 100 new names, new rules, new routines has definitely been mentally taxing. I'm also in a position where I am constantly more active than I have been in previous positions and that adds up to exhaustion!

So what did I do? Slept for eleven hours last night - I don't do it often but boy, does it make a difference when I do! I woke up this morning feeling like my normal self again, full of energy to start the day. Sometimes early to bed and late to rise is the answer!

What is the longest you've ever slept, Scribblettes? Why?

Goals Update - Feb 2011

Goals are nothing without accountability so I am updating how well I have done to date!

1. Lose 22 of the 31 kgs I have left to lose - only lost 1.4 kgs in January, less than expected. Amping my efforts up for February!

2. Get out of debt (apart from student loans) - I can definitely see the progress in this so far, feeling much more at ease. SB and I have also set a financial tone for the year so that we can reach our goals.

3. Organise a monthly social event with all my girls - All set for Wine Club this Friday!

4. Exercise at least three times a week - Have stuck with this aside from the week in which I had stitches in my arm.

5. Have monthly filing/organisational binges - having one this Sunday! I had hoped to have it on the last weekend of Jan but it was just insanely busy (three major events)

6. Take the stairs whenever possible - my attitude to exercise has definitely changed... I'm feeling more and more that it is something that I want to do.

7. Dry-brush before every shower - not 100% but I definitely feel better when I do, more energetic

8. Moisturise daily - again not 100% but definitely more than I used to. Can totally tell the difference in my skin!

9. Read 52 books this year - 10 so far!

10. Spend less than $60 per clothing item this year (except bras and dresses for extremely special occasions, ie. weddings) - all good so far! Have a wedding coming up this month and I'm waiting until the last minute to buy the dress. Hoping for a couple of really big loss weeks.

11. Make more - definitely trying to do more at home meals, make more of our own entertainment at home - it definitely helps with goal number 2!

Making improvements...

If you follow me on Twitter, you may have seen that my morning was spent getting my teeth whitened by a mobile teeth whitening service. I keep walking to mirrors and holding my mouth open like a horse getting teeth checked. They aren't super-white but they are definitely whiter and it makes me more confident about smiling with my lips parted.

It got me thinking about my goals for this year and how there's an overarching theme of making an improvement in the way I look. I think that this year (well, the end of last year) is the first time in a long time that I've been honest about the dissatisfaction I have with the way I look. It's also the first time in a long time I've been willing to make looking after myself a priority.

I think a large part of it is my relationship. SB encourages me to take that time for myself, doesn't care if dinner is late on the table or if I want some time to exercise. It's not that he wants a super-hot, super-skinny girlfriend (boy, would he be SOL if that was the case) but he wants a girlfriend who is confident and happy with how she looks - someone who loves herself as much as she loves her boyfriend. I struck it lucky, guys!

Any supportive partners out there, Scribblettes? How are they helping you "make improvements"?

Working out?

One of my goals for this year has been working out (or exercise) at least three times a week. It's all very well accomplishing goals when you are buzzing and full of energy and activity but I knew the challenging week would be when all that disappeared.

This last week I have felt awful! I am on the pill for PCOS and I usually take it in six month bouts because quite frankly when I don't take it I feel scummy - persistent headache for about three days and the water retention of the Hoover Dam. I'm determined to hit my 5% weight loss goal on Monday weigh-in and knew three days out on the couch was out of the question. I needed to pull out my inner Jillian!

Anyone who has see The Biggest Loser knows that Jillian is far more scary than Bob. Usually my inner Bob works just fine... "Push it for another five minutes, you'll feel better for it, just think of how happy you'll feel when you see those (kgs) dropping" but I knew it wasn't going to cut it this week. I knew I'd defeat my inner Bob.

It was time to bring out my inner Jillian. On the treadmill, interval training..."Unless You Puke, Faint or Die, Keep Going!" "Do I look like the kind of person who gives a ****". I managed less than I would have liked but more than I could have imagined possible.

Sometimes you should be nice to yourself... but sometimes it works better to be just a little bit mean! It takes time to adjust to new habits and sometimes you need to give yourself a little kick up the arse when it feels hard to go on.

Your thoughts, Scribblettes?

Answers

Ever find yourself in a situation and you simply don't understand how you got there? Isn't it just so much more satisfying when you discover why that is?

For those of you who have been reading the blog recently, you'll know that I have been feeling under the weather for WEEKS now. In the last couple of weeks it has been even worse with me feeling absolutely cabbage (tired, vegetative) when I get home from school. I cook dinner and that's me done for the night.

I finally got back my blood tests from the doctors, expecting it to perhaps reflect a deficiency of Vit B12 as it has in the past. To my surprise, I found I was very low on Vitamin D - the sunshine vitamin! A common ailment in this age of sunscreen and SPF. To put it in perspective, the range of normal is 50-150 with a recommended level of around 80. My grand score?

33.

Hearing this, SB and I went on the search for information on foods that would boost my Vit D levels. Were they foods I liked?

Fail - we found four things that contained good levels of Vitamin D. Eggs (don't eat), mushroom (don't eat), offal (ewwwwww) and fatty fishes. Guess it's a lot of tuna and salmon for me! In all seriousness though, we knew we needed to come up with a better solution than just taking the colcalciferol that the doctor had given me.

Reading through information that my cousin (a nurse) had sent me, my deficiency would also account for not only fatigue but also my struggle to lose weight (low Vitamin D causes insulin resistance) and my propensity to get colds, especially in winter. Reading further, I have decided to take a Vitamin D3 1000 iU(the type recommended most highly) supplement daily to see if this helps me improve my health.

Moral of the story: If there is something wrong with you... tell somebody. I feel so much better knowing there is a solution and that I don't have to feel like this. We can't always rely on our diet and lifestyle to provide us with everything we need and getting the right information is important! Be well Scribblettes

I am a fool or a flamingo...

I'm not sure what makes me do it... perhaps I am part flamingo. When I am sitting on the couch or in office chairs I tuck one of my feet up underneath me... a half-lotus position if you will. Usually this leads to nothing more than a numb foot or a case of pins and needles. Usually.

Yesterday, after checking my emails in the morning, I needed to get the computer packed away. My favourite place to work during the holidays is on the couch - I have a sway-back so this is the post supportive position for me. Flicked my foot out... oooh that's a bit numb... walk it off. Take a step... waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah.

Somehow with the numbness of my foot I hadn't realised that my toes were actually under the rest of the foot. Like trying to walk en pointe without the ballet shoes or the awareness that it was what I was actually doing. Fell over sideways with my right arm in the year holding my laptop aloft (can't hurt the electronic baby). Got up and walked it off... put my socks and boots on and headed out to do what I needed to that day. Bit sore, but OK.

Last night, got home and took my boot off. Rookie mistake. Big fat swollen foot right now with a healthy side serving of pain. Bandaged it up and got on with my day... no rest for the wicked.

I wish I could say that this sort of injury was rare... unfortunately, not so much. And as I sat down to write this blog post I realised that I had automatically popped my uninjured foot underneath me. Think this plants me firmly in the 'fool' camp.

I think I've missed the point...

If you follow me on Twitter, you will have gathered that I was ordered by the doctor on Monday night to spend two days off school resting my poor congested lungs in order to get well. It was not a "You should rest but...", it was a "You need to rest because right now you sound like you have started smoking again".

So doctors orders in hand, I scheduled a reliever to cover my classes, I spent Monday night organising work for my classes and hit the hay early. Only to wake up on Tuesday morning to phonecalls saying that they hadn't received the emails for my class. Sent again, no dice. Had to drive the work in to school, couldn't see the resource person anyway, spent about a half hour trying to get things sorted for my classes. Drove home and collapsed, no energy to go feed the parents' cats. Settled in on the couch warm and watching telly - hello power outage. Waited for SB to get home (the power company being as useful as tits on a bull) and with no sign of the power coming back on, packed a bag to stay at the parents... you know, where there are helpful things like working heaters. Ready to leave, power comes back on. Drive-by feeding of the cats then home and bed.

Restful? Not exactly.

Today I woke up, took my antibiotic and went back to sleep. Got up and felt quite a bit better than the day before (not to be confused with actually being well). Had breakfast, got dinner out to defrost and put the first load of washing on. Went out and picked up cat food and bribes for one of my classes at school, went to my parents and fed the cats, home again and a huge amount of laundry (pre-holiday catch-up), blogging and then cooking dinner.

Restful? Fail.

More restful than teaching, sure, but probably not what the doctor ordered.

I seem physically incapable of doing nothing. Anyone else have this issue?

Flat batteries...

Sitting on the couch with my wet hair wrapped in a towel turban, I'm wondering when I lost it. I used to be able to get up at six in the morning, drive a quarter of the way down the country, play in the snow for hours then head back and go out with friends until four in the morning. Now I make it til the end of the day at work, come home and cook dinner and maybe do a load of washing. When did I start feeling so old?

I think part of it is my profession. Being a teacher makes it so hard not to care. The kids can be absolute mongrels and you still hope that you can do something to make them into decent people. You never stop managing their behaviour and hoping that one day they will shock you and manage it all by themselves. You take the small wins as your reward.

Part of me really hopes that I'm struggling because I'm not over my cold... cause at least that means I'm going to feel better next week. Right now I'd settle for not feeling so achey and worn at the end of the day. Hoping this weekend gives me the rest I need to make myself feel normal again.

New Job Haze

Do you find, upon starting a new job, that you feel completely drained?

Don't get me wrong, I love my new job. The kids aren't perfect - to be honest, sometimes they can be darn hard work - but it's still more rewarding than any other job that I've had. There are some really great people in my department and the deputy principal in charge of newbie teachers has checked in every day to make sure I am settling in well. It's been an overwhelming experience of meeting over 100 people in three days - and that's just the students, not the teachers.

The problem with all of this is that I get home absolutely exhausted. School day ends, I wrap up my work for the day (choosing something small to bring home if necessary), come home, crash, cook dinner, crash again. I was so excited this afternoon when I actually managed to do some laundry. Seems pathetic I know. Whenever this happens, I get really nervous that this is how I am going to be in perpetuity... it's never the case, and I don't see this time being any different... I just wish I had a better way to get through it.

Any tips, Scribblettes?

Clumsy doesn't even start to describe it...

If you have noticed my relative quietness on the blogosphere this week and do not follow me on Twitter, you may be wondering what is going on at ScribblesHQ. I've injured my left hand and thus all typing has to be done one-handedly, a very slow process. I am still reading your blogs (yay for it not being my dominant hand) but find it difficult to comment.

What great feat of daring was I completing when I injured myself? None. I don't even know precisely what is wrong with it yet. But about 36-odd hours ago, heading home from the Arts Centre, I went to release my hand brake... and my poor left ring finger has been in agony ever since. Bizarre, right? I have a doctor appointment this afternoon so I'll know more then.

In the meanwhile, please bear with me that my posts are sporadic and short. I'm sure I'll be back to my usual verbose nature in no time.

Long Days...

It sounds like an odd complaint but yesterday I was in a grumpy mood... because I had fun things to do. I woke up in the morning and popped the laundry on (which was fine, we all need fresh knickers) and then toodled off to church. Which I enjoyed. I then stopped at the supermarket to pick up some scrumptious food type presents for Ms B, which I dropped off at her place and sat on the deck hanging out with my adorable "niece". I don't need to tell you that I enjoyed that too. I got home to the laundry freshly hung out and did the dishes while I waited for SB to get home. I sat on the couch and realised... I was in a bad mood. What the heck was wrong?

In around half an hour's time, I had to go with SB to his parents' house for a family afternoon tea.
SB: Do you not want to go?
Scribbs: No, I do want to go. I'm looking forward to meeting Aunty C and Aunty P, as well as your cousins
SB: Then why are you sad?

I worked out that for the last few weeks, I've always been switched on. If it wasn't group assignments at uni, it was dealing with customers at work. If it wasn't work, it was doing family stuff - both mine and SBs. If it wasn't family stuff, I was online trying to organise things and chatting with people. If it wasn't that, it was hanging with SB. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE hanging out with SB... but I felt like I hadn't had any hermit time to myself. So after the afternoon tea, SB took the cars out and gave them a wash and I switched off and curled up on the couch with a book and a bowl of fruit. Bliss. Better than a sleep.

Scribblettes, do you need your switch-off time too? How can you tell when you've had enough?

Nail Biting...

Thank you guys so much for your kind comments on my last post - my life certainly is a roller coaster at the moment and it means a lot that you all are holding on for the ride. Yesterday I had a mini-freakout at my computer while working on an assignment and actually started feeling tight in the chest... I obviously don't handle anxiety as well as I thought. Casting my mind back, the last time my life was this full on I was a smoker - it was definitely a crutch. I'd never smoke again but part of me wishes I could get the calm without the cancer stick.

The tension helped me knock a couple of assignments on the head yesterday which has taken a bit of the pressure off. I emailed one of the schools I applied to, asking a question that I hadn't thought of when I met them a wee while back. I found out in the reply that they took that as my interview, they had short-listed me and were checking references before making a decision. I'm hoping upon hope that I get this job - the job market is so tight right now. I'm going out next Friday with some friends to celebrate the end of my studies and it would make my day to be able to celebrate having a job for next year as well.

It's funny how quickly this time flies... and how we want it to be over. A wise friend told me yesterday "Don't wish this time away. You'll find yourself where you thought you wanted to be, longing for the past you can no longer have". So I'm embracing this hectic time of life and trying to stop and smell the roses. Have any of you Scribblettes had experience with anxiety? Do you have ideas of how to fix it or are you in favour of riding it out?

Looking after yourself...

This blog has probably sounded like a broken record the last couple of weeks... so busy, so busy, things broken, me broken, so busy LOL. This week and next, I have the benefit of being on holiday from university (and also for the most part my job, the hours drop right back in school holidays) and I'm using the time to get my life back on track.

Big and small changes occuring in the Scribbles household. I'm moving out into my parents' internal entry garage. My abode during my teens, it gets me living at the opposite end of the house with my own private entry, making life at home far more tolerable when I'm not at SB's. For many reasons, this seems like the best option over summer so I am quite excited. However, my sister left a lot of junk behind when she moved so there's a fair amount to tackle there. This along with walks with Mama Scribs is good exercise!

Today I went and got a pedi and my brows done; after my hair cut next week (huh, just typed Hair Cute... hope it is) I think I will feel much more pulled together and professional - job interviews are hopefully just around the corner. As well as teaching position interviews, I'm currently on the look out for a job over Christmas to bring in some extra cash. I'm so picky though, and lucky that my parents are willing to pay me to be their housekeeper to cover my basic bills over Christmas. Meaning that I'm going to be staying at mine more often to be here to tidy... thus the move to the bigger, more independent summer space.

On that cyclical note, I'm off to finish tidying my room. Hope that you are managing to take time for yourself, Scribblettes!

I'm blind but will soon see...

After SB's trip to SpecSavers a couple of months ago, I have been saving up my pennies to visit the optometrists also - I think you are meant to go about once every two years and it has been about seven for me - oooops.

A wee way into the eye exam, we started veering off into some non-standard tests - I started to wonder what was up. That was when the optometrist told me that I had convergence insufficiency - basically, when your eyes have to look inwards to focus at a text, mine don't do it properly. The headaches, eyestrain and general mental fatigue I've been having lately (part of the reason my blogging has fallen off) all started to make sense!

The symptoms can be varied, and I've highlighted the ones that I have been experiencing lately
A person who has convergence insufficiency may show and/or complain of the following while doing close work (i.e., reading, computer work, deskwork, playing handheld video games, doing crafts, etc.):

• eyestrain (especially with or after reading)
• headaches
• blurred vision
• double vision
• inability to concentrate
• short attention span
• frequent loss of place
• squinting, rubbing, closing or covering an eye
• sleepiness during the activity
• trouble remembering what was read
• words appear to move, jump, swim or float
• problems with motion sickness and/or vertigo

Not only that, but I can see that this is a problem I've probably had for the majority of my 24 years on the planet - the list below are common problems in kids growing up with convergence insufficiency (highlighted again the ones I experience)

• trouble catching balls and other objects thrown through the air
• avoidance of tasks that require depth perception (games involving smaller balls traveling through the air, handicrafts, and/or hand-eye coordination, etc.)
• frequent mishaps due to misjudgment of physical distances (particularly within twenty feet of the person's body), such as:
  • trips and stumbles on uneven surfaces, stairs, and curbs, etc.
  • frequent spilling or knocking over of objects
  • bumping into doors, furniture and other stationary objects
  • sports and/or car parking accidents
• avoidance of eye contact
• poor posture while doing activities requiring near vision
• one shoulder noticably higher
• frequent head tilt
• problems with motion sickness and/or vertigo

It's amazing to realise that the optometrist (all those years ago) made the mistake of saying I was just short-sighted... I'm not short-sighted at all! For a decent chunk of my life I've basically been shutting down the functionality of one of my healthy eyes - usually not the same one - in order to better focus on things when I've been doing work that requires focus. It even explains why when I'm trying to focus on things I close one eye... I did it today at brunch when SB pointed out something... it just makes me laugh now!

I cannot wait to get my new glasses and see what a difference it makes!

Tell me Scribblettes, do you have any unusual medical problems?

Literary Inspirations: John Wanamaker on Recreation

People who cannot find time for recreation are obliged sooner or later to find time for illness.

-John Wanamaker (19th century merchant)

In my steps to create a healthier lifestyle moving forward, I have to bear this in mind. I went to have a look at what the actual definition of recreation is (English teacher, hello!):

rec⋅re⋅a⋅tion 
/ˌrɛkriˈeɪʃən/ [rek-ree-ey-shuhn] –noun
1.
refreshment by means of some pastime, agreeable exercise, or the like.
2.
a pastime, diversion, exercise, or other resource affording relaxation and enjoyment.
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.

I picked a few important pieces out of this -

Refreshment: It is important that whatever I consider doing as recreation actually refreshes me in body and in spirit. A walk along the beach in brisk winds? Yes! A walk along an avenue of a crowded mall? No!

Exercise: A leading defence against the illness that has plagued me this year is exercise! I'm one of those people that loves getting out and enjoying time and activity in the sun and warmth. Wet cold winter? Not so much. I've been getting SB to show me how to use his home gym to do some exercises and I really need to make an effort to get out and walk about when it's sunny to get that cardio input. I'm already looking at getting a treadmill next winter if SB and I have moved in together (which looks like it may be on the cards).

Relaxation: Going out clubbing and partying hard with friends is all well and good in moderation, as is using my time at home to study and complete assignments. The issue here is that neither of them are particularly relaxing things to do. Moving forward, for the next month or so, I will make sure I'm reading at least one book for pleasure each week and that my weekends include one night that is relaxation, whether it's a night in with SB or a quiet chillout at a friends house.

Enjoyment: I recently changed my plans this weekend - I had made plans to see someone I knew from a long time ago. As I sat flicking through my plans for the weekend, it struck me. Why? Why would I go? This particular person and I never had a particularly strong friendship and although I'd be seeing other people that I did care more for, the effort seemed disproportionate to a friendship that really only lasted a season. It would frustrate me more to go than the enjoyment I would get from going. So I sent my apologies and instead will be relaxing (see point above LOL) with SB, spending some quality time together.

I will be making time for recreation, peaceful and wonderful moments in my life for the people that count - stuff this being sick bullshit LOL! How bout you, Scribblettes?

Lifestyle changes...

In the 2 and 1/2 months PianoMan and I have been dating, I've managed to get seriously ill twice. I'm still struggling to kick this flu, although I think I'm almost there. They say that kissing boosts immunity but we're yet to see the benefits of that. Obviously something has to give, we (and especially I) need to start making some lifestyle changes to make sure that we're living full and healthy lives.

Don't worry, this isn't one of those posts where the author declares a huge change in their lives - we aren't going to go live on an ashram, we're not turning vegan or singing the praises of colonic irrigation. It's the small things that you often don't notice disappearing - you don't notice the nut wearing down until the wheel flies off the car as you're driving down the motorway.

Sleep - Both PianoMan and I have a habit of getting to 10:30 at night and then thinking - wow, I should really go to bed. Which would be fine apart from the fact that we both compulsively get things ready the night before. And the fact that when alone, I like to read before sleep. And when we're together, we like to talk before we sleep. On a weekend, that's fine. On a week night, not so much. We've made a committment to try and get to sleep by ten on a weeknight. So far this seems to be working for me. I don't always hit the hay as early as I had planned - and I will admit to sometimes having a sneaky read until half past ten - but I'm definitely feeling more energetic. If there's things that I feel like I should be staying up later and working on, I set the alarm an hour earlier - the reality is that I'm doing a much better job of things coming back to them when I am refreshed than if I kept on slogging on indefinitely.

Vitamins- I'm looking into taking some supplementary vitamins. Being lactose intolerant, there are some vital nutrients that I'm missing out of my food. The next time I visit my doctors I will ask for a Vitamin D blood work. I've had issues with it before and I worry that this is part of the reason for my general malaise. PianoMan might want to look into a general multivitamin too - while he's not allergic or intolerant to any foods, a general multivitamin could fill in the gaps.

Water- PianoMan is soooooo good at keeping his fluids up. I, on the other hand, am really shocking at it and it affects my ability to flush my germs out of my system. I'm making it my mission to drink at least 1.5 l of water a day. Hopefully I'll see an improvement in my skin also!

See? Nothing mind-boggling, just a few small tweaks to avoid major breakdowns in future. Are there any lifestyle changes you're attempting at the moment?