Ditching sugar & taking control of feeling ‘eurgh’

I have, for a while now, been making an effort to listen to my body & especially take notice of how it reacts to the food I eat. I know that there are certain foods that would make me bloat up uncomfortably within an hour of eating them & there are some that have a slow burn, but I can wake up feeling like I’ve drunk 4 bottles of wine the following morning after eating them, even if I haven’t touched a drop! Whilst I have been off work, I had quite a bit of time to myself & decided to do some investigating into what could be causing this.

It’s good to talk.

One of the biggest things that concerned me when I found myself in the fog of hopelessness was telling other people. I was embarrassed that I had let myself get to this point & ashamed to admit that I couldn’t cope. I was also acutely aware that – compared to many – I have nothing to be depressed about; I have a son & husband who love me, loving parents, good friends, a roof over our heads & a job. I have over 1000 friends acquaintances on Facebook, yet I felt totally isolated & like I couldn’t speak to a single person about how I felt.

I will not be beaten this close to the end….

I’m on day 29 of 30 NaBloPoMo & I have been struck down, but refuse to be beaten. I have been feeling off it all week & for the last few weeks, it’s been creeping up on me, if I’m honest. This time of year is always super busy for me at work & I think I have probably been running on adrenaline for a little while now, as I finish off my meetings & do my end of year appraisal.

My appraisal was on Tuesday & I had got myself so hyped up over wanting to do well in it, that it literally felt like a physical weight had been lifted once it was over.

My body obviously picked up on this & my health has crashed & burned over the last few days & now I have a kidney infection. After going to the out of hours GP this evening, I am on bed-rest & antibiotics & – providing I am not sick again – will avoid being incarcerated at our local hospital.

It’s Little T’s birthday party on Sunday, so this is not ideal timing, but I’m hoping to be on the mend by then. This does mean Mr T is going to channel his inner Paul Holywood tomorrow & bake 36 fairy cakes, but I have every confidence in him.

Night night. I’m off to recover.

It’s (not currently) all about me

When I started Project Happiness, one of the things I noticed was that I’d forgotten about myself. I am a wife, a mother, a daughter, an employee, a sister, an aunty, a friend, a housekeeper & a cook, but somewhere along the way my identity of just being ‘me’ has got a bit lost. I’m not totally sure I know how it feels to shed these other titles & be me.

My Ultimate Running Top 10 (well, 11 but who’s counting!)

It’s fair to say I have a pretty eclectic taste in music, but I’d like to share with you my favourite songs & the reasons they get my legs pumping & my brain happy! They’re maybe not obviously upbeat – although some are – but each one is special to me & here’s why:

#everycloudeveryday Sochi Winter Olympics are less than 90 days away! Yippee!

As I mentioned in my It’s Red Cup Day! Hooray! post, I flippin’ love winter.

Throughout my teens, I used to ski race. I had the pleasure of racing, travelling & training alongside some of the stars of the Alpine Ski Team who will hopefully – selection permitting – be representing us in Sochi in 87 days, so it will be extra special.

I go running, but I’m not ‘a runner’

In January 2012, I was 3 stone (if not more) overweight, unfit & – knowing I needed motivation to get off my large bottom – I decided I needed a challenge & this challenge was going to be the Great North Run.