Health, fitness, Zumba and antibiotics.

Well, what a crazy month I've had! Once I started this thing I thought I'd be blogging all the time but apparently, life gets in the way quite a lot. Funny that.

As any of you who follow me on Facebook will know, a good two weeks of September for me were taken up with dying. Well, that might be a bit dramatic. I actually had a hideously painful throat infection which antibiotics and painkillers didn't touch, coupled with what Mother reliably informs me was most definitely flu. I tended to agree with her when, after two whole weeks, I was STILL waking up with a blocked nose, fuzzy head and a cough. Influenza can go do one.

I say that painkillers did nothing to help me but that was until I discovered co-codamol and extra strong ibuprofen. Mix those two bad boys together and after 20 minutes, I felt like someone had taken a magic wand to my throat! Sadly the relief only lasted two hours and I could only take four lots per day, so it still wasn't perfect, but safe to say I'm a big fan of the hardcore painkillers. Yum.

The most amusing part of the whole illness was sitting in my doctor's waiting room at 9am on a Monday morning. It was completely full up (I had to share a chair with a small child), full of screaming children (some were screaming in happiness and delight and although this is nice for the child, it didn't really make a difference to the 30 odd ill and exhausted people in the room) and no-one seemed to be getting called in. Eventually an elderly couple put their fingers in their ears and started tutting about the noise. I had to laugh or I would have thrown myself on the floor, curled up in a ball and wept until they removed me.

My lovely throat/tonsils/mouth in general seem to delight in catching infections, and they always kick up when I have really important plans. Once my whole family were spending Christmas in Germany at my uncle's and he'd bought TONS of booze. I ended up with severe tonsillitis and on antibiotics for the whole week. This year my wisdom tooth got infected a few days before my birthday. I was prescribed antibiotics that on pain of DEATH you were not allowed to drink on, or you'd be violently sick. My friends and I also had a massive boozey weekend to Manchester planned. I just can't believe my luck!

This time round I missed out on a trip to see Shrek the musical in London and a weekend in Wales with some old work friends. Over 100 quid completely down the drain. I think this time I did throw myself weeping onto the floor and curl up in a ball, but behind the closed door of my bedroom.

Anyway, all that is but a distant memory now. I'm pleased to report I'm feeling human again. And I'm now on a health and fitness mission! I joined Slimming World on Monday which isn't so much a diet but a way to make sure you eat the right things and eat healthily. I've heard only good things about it from friends and I'm determined to shed some pounds before Christmas. I've been sitting around for too long thinking "I'm getting fatter, I feel a bit crap" yet not doing anything about it. I also thought it would be good to track my progress on here for people as a bit more of an incentive. So, current weight: 10 stone 10lb. Goal to lose: 1.5 stone. I'll update after my weigh-in on Monday!

As well as the healthy eating, this week I have also done my first Zumba class, ridden my bike for the first time and signed up to the gym. I know, I'm in shock myself! Zumba was great. After the aerobics type bit and all the salsa-y stuff, the crazily sweaty and uber fit instructor shouted "Let's go down to 42nd Street!". A whole Broadway style dance routine with jazz hands and everything! AWESOME! We basically ended up doing moves that could quite easily have been me after a bottle of wine in Jumpin' Jacks on a Saturday night. Just minus the heels and drunken grin. I could get used to it!

Today I rode my bike to the local fitness centre for a little swim. I say rode... I actually mostly just rolled. Very fast. Turns out that the entire route TO the Brentwood Centre is basically downhill. "WEEEEE!" I thought, with the wind in my hair and the sun on my face. "This is well easy!" Then it dawned on me that the ride back would definitely not be so pleasurable. Damn.


I came away having signed up for a month's gym membership (which includes classes and swimming) and having booked a gym induction session for tomorrow afternoon. I'm not quite sure what's come over me. Maybe it was all that antibiotics?

Time for a slight change.

Bonjour my lovely blog readers! Apologies for the lack of musings lately but, believe it or not, I sort of hit a wall moan-wise! I know, shocking isn't it?

I was going to write a post about the horrors of public transport, to which I have eluded once in a past blog. I continue to be adamant that I am cursed by some nasty little Public Transport Fairy who gleefully waves her magic wand just as I am about to step onto the train platform, making all the overhead wires in Essex malfunction or snow appear on the tracks to stop the trains running. In June. She's also the same little minx who makes buses run late (or not turn up at all) and closes the Circle Line every weekend. And you thought it was Transport For London.

But that didn't seem like an amusing enough blog. I could also try and write about how frustrating technology is (it's AGAINST me I tell you!) or about how it annoys me when people queue about 10 feet back from the cash machine/KFC counter/till in Boots. These people are idiots. (*Breathe*)

But other than those minor points, I think I have covered my main pet peeves and moans in all previous posts. So where does that leave me now? I don't want to stop writing. I actually find myself in daily situations thinking "Hmmm, this is quite a funny scenario, I could write about that. But it's not really a moan. Oh well, no blog about that then." Sad face.

But here's where the essence of my blog is going to change! I've decided that I will discuss, divulge, dissect and detail (phew) general events that occur in my every day and change my little grump-fest into general light-hearted musings. I am confident that the odd moan (or 12) will probably sneak in, and if something gets my goat, I will let rip with the full force of... well, me. But why not share my daily joys and adventures with you all! I'm confident (I hope) that you will still enjoy reading it.

Thanks for all the support so far. Here's to more lots more blogging!