Tag: healthy

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Adulthood Non-fiction Observations Writing

A healthy amount of lone time…

(NB. I wrote this two weeks ago)

Today, so far, has been bloody lovely. My friends have gone away for the weekend and said I was welcome to their house. Having worked another exhausting week surrounded by people (lovely, but people) I took them up on this offer without a thought.

Sometimes you just need to clock off from life.

It is 1pm and I have spent every minute of this day alone. Apart from a couple of texts, fewer than my usual, I have been alone in every aspect of the word. When I lay there in bed this morning I thought how happy I felt to be able to enjoy this amount of lone time. Realising not everyone is this lucky due to either never getting a window of alone time to enjoy or fighting with their inner demons for each second of it, I count my blessings and realise how lucky I am.

It’s been the laziest morning I’ve had in a long while, but also one of the best.

I woke at 8am and gave myself a further thirty minutes sleeping time because it’s Sunday and I felt reckless. I then read The Wind In The Willows chapter 1 because an article in Writing Magazine suggested we all do this during lock down. A chapter a day, he said, will boost our spirits. It certainly lifted me up.

With my second cup of tea, having devoured a lemon and saltana danish (naughty), I continued reading another book I have on the go and one which I am LOVING. The Olive Tree by Lucinda Riley – check it out.

I rose. Showered. Popped to work to check the ice cream machine which had been put together by me yesterday hadn’t completely exploded everywhere. A mess I do not wish to have to deal with at 6am tomorrow morning. Warmed up some pasta and spotted that my bottle of white had just about enough left in it for a glass.

Don’t worry, it’s past 12pm.

I poured myself a glass and now I sit writing, listening to the wind, totally at peace and absoloutly loving this day!

A healthy amount of lone time and it felt so good.

(NB. I finished reading The Olive Tree yesterday and I would recommend. I also continue to read a chapter of The Wind In The Willows for a pick me up during these mad times.)

All blog posts can be found at https://www.harrietmills.co.uk/ and to read my published work visit my portfolio.

Categories
Adulthood Non-fiction Observations

The Write Diet

Today is a good day because today I was told that I look slimmer! This is possibly the BEST compliment you could give to me EVER. Well, for today anyway.

I’m not vain, I’m just a typical girl; always wanting to be prettier, thinner, funnier etc. Since January I have been on a very half arsed version of what most would call a “diet”. In other words, I try not to eat the entire packet of Haribo followed by a two course meal and pudding. Here are some pointers from a very amateur dietitian.

  1. My desk is usually filled with unhealthy delights. Munchies are often found there, crisps, biscuits, fizzy drinks, tins of baked beans with sausages in (the best!!!!) – you name it, my desk contained it. Of course, to a certain extent this is OK and everything is fine in moderation (to quote the old adage) but this was also something I knew I could easily cut out.

    Working at a shop that sells all of these things, I found it hard clocking off from a six hour shift and heading to do some more (writing) work not to carry a selection of goodies with me. One word – WILLPOWER! That’s all it takes. By skipping the extra chocolate bar, the bag of crisps or the fizzy drink, I have not only lost a few pounds but also felt much better for it. Take a piece of fruit, drink water, there are always plenty of answers.
  2. Another huge helping factor in my (poor) efforts to maintain a lesser weight and become generally healthier has been AFD. Alcohol Free Days. Monday and Tuesday nights are, for me, (mostly) free. Occasionally I convince myself that a Gin & Tonic contains hardly any calories so what does it matter, but mostly I avoid the good stuff and feel slightly better, enjoying a huge glass when Wednesday evening comes around.
  3. Yoga is another part of my newly improved health and fitness regime and it is something that I have been fairly consistent at. Whether it’s the notion of the first alcoholic beverage of the week after class, or the sheer relaxation that I get from every session, I’m unsure. All I know is that I love it!
  4. I also try to walk everywhere that I can. My motto is if the distance can be reached on foot, then on foot I shall go. I ensure that I go on a half hour dog walk daily but I also make a conscious effort to walk wherever else I can. I am lucky in that my work is walking distance away as are many of my social events, but by walking that bit more and faster I am noticing healthier lungs as well as a healthier waistline.

Editing this post some time on I can safely say that I am by NO MEANS an expert in all of this. Today is Tuesday. I drank half a bottle of white last night, I plan to drink this evening and so far in October I have attended zero yoga classes because instead of the healthy option of Stoptober (quitting booze for a month) I have decided to STOP yoga.

Nobody’s perfect, right?