Progress

And the fitness regime has begun! I was half preparing for a blog post on how last week's plans fell through (negative, moi?) however I guess even I can manage a few days of exercise when the gym is about a minute away from where I work.

Unfortunately all the exercise classes I want to take are at really awkward times (and I don't think 'legs, bums 'n' tums' is an adequate reason for leaving work early). This meant that I had to face the actual gym. Now it's not that gyms particularly intimidate me (I'm quite partial to watching the guys in the weights room), I just find running on the spot really tedious. And the TV doesn't help (mainly because I still have issues working it but that's besides the point). Anyway, I went along to the running club a couple of nights later which was much better. I mean there was the close shave with the fire brigade, and I did almost get left behind towards the end, but I suppose that's the risk you take when you break free from the safety of the treadmill.

I also managed to get to a Box-Kick Fitness class which I would thoroughly recommend to anyone with pent up rage. Seriously though, it's a great workout and the novelty of wearing boxing gloves adds to the enjoyment factor.

I fnished off with a run on Saturday which, in all honesty, was hell. You know when you keep trying to psyche yourself up only to realise it's just not working? I remember reading somewhere that the bad runs are actually the most effective ones, which I guess makes sense seeing as they're more of a struggle, however I managed to replace any calories burnt by consuming large quantities of nutella on my return. As much as I joke about my horrendous diet, I'm starting to admit that it probably does affect the way I feel when running. Maybe I'll take baby steps and just give up chocolate on exercise days and see how it goes. There's no waaay I'm jumping on the deprivation bandwagon for Lent and going cold turkey. I've done it before and have no intention of doing it again!

All in all, quite a good week exercise-wise. Although it has drawn my attention to the fact that I'm in need of a decent gym bag (my Topshop shopper isn't really cutting it). I do have my eye on a neon pink asos number however it will clash horribly with my winter coats (yeah I'm obvs not ready for Spring time yet). Any suggestions? Perhaps accessories would be a better exercise incentive than the prospect of another jar of nutella...

Back at the start line...

So I have finally decided to get back into the whole fitness thing. I genuinely miss the aching muscles the day after a brilliant work out and the feeling I get after a run. It's not even about thinness anymore (okay maybe it is a little, all that chocolate is catching up with me!). I don't think I'll ever be as motivated as I was during my military fitness/healthy eating stint and, seeing as I no longer have the pressure to be beach ready, I know I'll need more than a little push to get back into things.

Luckily my job comes with free gym membership (did I mention I also get free diet coke? Yeah that's job satisfaction for you) and, as most of my office seems to be on some kind of fitness kick, there's certainly no shortage of gym buddies. Funnily enough, I haven't actually made it to the gym yet (what? Talking about exercise isn't enough?) however did manage to go out with the running club last week. I knew it would be a bit of a struggle seeing as I haven't properly exercised yet this year (apart from one pathetic run) however I didn't quite anticipate feeling so sick as we were made to sprint up and down the car park. Nor did I realise I would practically need to be dragged as we ran up and down the steps to the Cathedral (my calves are still not back to normal...).

It was also strange to class myself as a 'beginner' again. Having already trained to a stage where I could complete a half marathon in a decent time, it's kind of disheartening to be back at the start line when it comes to my fitness levels. I mean I wasn't that bad during the running session, however I certainly have my work cut out if I want to enter another race (which I think is pretty essential if I want to stay motivated for longer than a week).

I have actually always wanted to run a marathon however I know I'm not in a place in my life where I could committ so much time to training (that's probably more down to laziness than being particularly busy). Instead I quite like the idea of doing another half marathon but possibly somewhere more exotic than Liverpool this time. I have been talking to Kathyrn about doing one in Paris (a bit Bangs and a Bun style!) however, for me, the main attraction is the number of macaroons we could consume for energy purposes. There's also a 10K through the Mersey Tunnel which I've always wanted to do and might be a more realistic aim for now.

Anyway despite all of this talk, I'm still yet to go for my second run (I'm blaming the aching calves) however I have high hopes for next week! The plan is one running session (with the running club) and two exercise classes a week which I will then step up when I have a bit of discipline back. Despite knowing how great I will feel after some exercise, it's likely I will either need a friend physically dragging me to the gym or a big piece of cake waiting for me at the end of a run (preferably both) in order for me to follow through with this fitness pact. Maybe I should carry some photos of macaroons around with me as a reminder that every run will be one step closer to the Paris Half Marathon- forget thinspiration, foodspiration is where it's at!

The big V

I seem to be disproportionately excited for tomorrow considering I am single and the only person buying jewellery for me is, well, me (during today's lunch hour to be precise). Anyway, regardless of my relationship status, I have never been one to shy away from Valentine's Day. Whether it was sending a carnation to an unsuspecting boy back in year seven, or living up to the stereotype with a rom com and my single girlfriends, I've always been a firm believer that February 14th is there to be celebrated.

This year I shall be drinking cocktails with one of my best friends (because nothing says 'I love you' like a Cosmopolitan) and potentially feeling awkward when we realise we're the only non-couple out on date night (actually that won't happen, I'm sure there'll be tons of fellow singletons out in force trying to ensure they're coupled up by this time next year).

I did have the idea of sneaking into work early to change everyone's screensaver to pink puppies however, seeing as I barely make it in on time anyway, that may be a bit of a challenge.

Anyway, this isn't going to be a post aimed at dissecting the meaning of relationships or exhibiting any form of bitterness (honest!), just my general musings on the whole V day. I think any kind of themed day will always be a winner, even if only for comedy value (because changing my email signature to Cupid's would be hilarious and not at all unprofessional...).

Whatever you're doing, have a fabulous day x

The land of Tim Tams and Koalas

Seeing as I made such a big fuss about needing a bikini body for Australia I thought a blog post about my trip was in order (so that you can see I did do other stuff apart from moan about a few extra pounds!). Having been home for almost a month now, I'm kind of dragging this out a bit (yeah I don't think 'jet lag' is an acceptable excuse for being late for work again) however at least blogging about my travels means you can just exit this page if you're bored as opposed to feigning interest as I recount another story involving sand, sunburn or koalas.

Melbourne

I started off with my parents and sister in Melbourne, where my sister is currently studying for a year. This city is amazing. I keep telling people it's like Liverpool in the sun (which is a good thing, honest!). I loved the whole cafe culture, quirky bars and the general friendliness of the place.

Being the typical Brit English rose that I am, I managed to get sunburnt on the first day by misjudging the need for sun cream (rule of thumb: always wear the stuff). Luckily my sister and I have nursing sunburn down to an art thanks to years of experience. Premature skin ageing aside, we had a great time. We stayed in a place called St Kilda which was full of bars and restaurants (and cake shops. Lots of cake shops). There's a nearby beach (Elwood) which is refreshingly laid back and has a cafe that sells the loveliest milkshakes. As you can see by the food talk, any attempt to look half decent in my swim wear was quickly forgotten.

We spent quite a few days wandering around the city, stopping more often than necessary for snacks. Being a city which clearly likes its food, I was right at home. In fact one of the bloggers I follow, Gourmet Chick, has been blogging about restaurants and cafes in Melbourne and she knows her stuff. I was also introduced to Tim Tams (penguins will taste rubbish after you've tried these bad boys) and lemon lime bitters (makes vodka go down a treat although you can actually get these in the UK, I'd just never seen them before).

Wise words for a paper cup

Aside from stuffing my face, I did manage to take in some culture. And get my Christmas shopping done (so much easier when you're just with your family!). Rather than turning this into a day by day account of what we did, which is no fun for anyone, I thought I'd let a few holiday snaps do the talking.

Shrine of Rememberance

 

Royal Botanic Gardens

St Paul's Cathedral

T'Gallant vineyard (wine time counts as culture, right?)

One of my favourite things about Melbourne was how understated the run up to Christmas was. Now I'm no scrooge but I do get irritated by the new levels of tackiness the festive period often brings. It wasn't that nobody over there cared it was Christmas, they just seemed to be busy enjoying life in general as opposed to building up to one individual day. I guess if Christmas day was slap bang in the middle of our summer (and we had an abundance of fabulous beaches to choose from...) we mightn't be so ridiculous about the whole thing either.

Even the Christmas trees don't over-accessorize

Christmas day itself was spent on the beach (obvs) although I tend to leave out the part of the story where we hid inside from a thunderstorm. So in actual fact Christmas morning was spent on the beach and the remainder of the day was pretty similar to Christmas in Liverpool (except Australian TV is very disappointing and we gave the turkey a miss this year).

More highlights from Melbourne include the Great Ocean Road (stunning scenery and if you're lucky you'll see some koalas in their natural habitat), a day trip to the Grampians (complete with creepy tour guide) and the Victoria market (anywhere selling that much food is always a winner).

Sydney

I feel I should get the generic tourist snaps out of the way first...

Sydney Opera House

 

Harbour bridge

I think Melbourne spoilt us a little and it took quite a lot for me to get excited about Sydney. Granted, my first impressions of the city were of Kings Cross (Oz's answer to Magaluf) which is fine for an alcohol fuelled night out however not so fun when you're walking past strip clubs with your parents in toe. My sister and I also booked the rest of our travels here and so Sydney will always be the place that left a massive dent in my bank balance!

Anyway, I started to warm to the city on our second day when we stumbled across Harry's Cafe de Wheels (although I must admit I prefer Pie Face's offering). I think at this stage of the trip I was past caring about my waistline and eating so much pie was some sort of rebellion against all of the toned bodies around us. Seriously, people would jog past us whilst we were still catching our breath from climbing the steps near our hotel. I really don't think I'd survive in a place where everyone is so damn skinny (unless Pie Face came up with a low fat option).

This was also when things became quite hectic as we realised just how much we wanted to fit in. We welcomed in the New Year at the harbour (next NYE has a lot to live up to) and then were up bright and early the next morning to squeeze in jet boating followed by the obligatory visit to Bondi Beach.

I'm not really one for posing in the sun (at least not for extended periods of time) and so it's often the sea which will make or break a beach experience for me. Bondi is definitely a favourite as the waves were amazing (if not slightly dangerous when I was pushed under water for longer than I was comfortable with!). Despite the crowds (and the slightly too-cool-for-school vibe the surrounding area gave out) I loved it and will someday live there with my surfer husband (it's important to have aims).

Cairns

My sister, her friend and I continued our journey up the East Coast, starting with Cairns. Turns out there's not a great deal to do in Cairns apart from book expensive trips and/or drink. A guy tried to sell us tickets to a party with perks such as a free toga however we politely declined as we had to be up bright and early the next day for white water rafting. I also felt I should give him a lesson in knowing your audience. Showing a 24 year old photos of drunk people will not convince her to hand over $20. It's not that I don't want to get drunk, I just don't want someone younger than me trying to sell me the idea. We ended up drinking in our hostel bar instead where we were subjected to topless jelly wrestling and so, in hindsight, we probably should have just gone with the toga party...

Whitsunday Islands

You can't really go wrong with being on a boat for a few days, especially when you're fed regularly and are taken snorkelling. Whitsunday Island itself was beautiful and, apart from the charming guy who decided to comment on my sunburn whenever I walked past, we met some lovely people. I think limited space definitely helps the bonding.

Fraser Island

Despite having reached a stage where budgeting was becoming a necessity (the meals out with our parents had turned into noodles in our hostel), I'd say this was one of my favourite places. Having facebook stalked people who had already been to Fraser Island, I was under the (mistaken) impression that it was pretty much just a shipwreck on a nice beach however turns out it's a little more than that. For one thing, getting about without a four wheel drive would have been quite a challenge (not least because of my abysmal sense of direction).

In short we went to lots of lakes, which doesn't sound like much however don't underestimate the novelty of crystal clear water and a lack of sea salt (finally, I could open my eyes under water!). There was also one lake surrounded by sand dunes where you could sand board into the lake. Unfortunately this was easier said than done and my attempt (having asked a family if I could lend their board) resulted in what could only be described as rolling into the water having screamed all my way down the hill. Guess that wasn't the best day to wear my tiniest bikini.

It may look pretty but that damn sand burned the feet!

We camped on the island which was an experience in itself. Our tour guide kindly told us just how many species of snakes it was home to and advised us to go to the toilet in pairs (well somebody has to be on dingo watch).

Dangerous creatures and unfortunate sand boarding incidents aside, we had a brilliant time (however felt the need to disregard the hostel's five minute shower rule on our return).

Brisbane

Ah the land of affordable shops and cheap drinks. I only had a couple of days here before flying home however made the most of them by fitting in some much needed shopping, more Pie Face (dessert pie really is the way forward) and koala hugging (money well spent I'd say). 

All in all an amazing trip which has made me even more determined to travel and/or live in another country at some point. I was so jealous of all the people we spoke to who were in Australia for a year and so had months to explore the east coast at their own pace (as opposed to sleeping on night buses and running about like crazy people with back packs on). There were some people who had moved simply because the job situation back in their own country was so dire which was a little depressing however as far as new homes go, Australia certainly isn't the worst (just don't mention the bikini body maintenance).