// Health and Fitness
Of Work, Quizzes and Reduced Alcoholism.
Yes, yes, I know I’ve been a bit remiss in posting of late, but it’s been all go, I tell you.
I’ve started a new job, you see (or rather been enticed back to my old one) which has been occupying my thoughts more than anything else of late I must confess. So I’m now back in the exciting world of client reporting and busy rebranding / amending documentation, rewriting training materials and – only a week and half after joining – presenting training courses to clients.
Lord, I’d missed the training. I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed it actually.
And all told I’m feeling much more relaxed than I have done in quite some time actually. Which is evident from the fact my skin is starting to look less haggard and that my desire for alcohol has somewhat reduced. (In fact on many days I’m down to half what I used to tank away.)
The Vauxhall Griffin quiz is still going strong too. In fact, spurred on by a £300 jackpot the last two weeks (which is still to be won) and improved bonus prizes the number of attendees has increased hugely. In fact we had twenty teams on Tuesday which is unheard of. Admittedly controlling that size of audience is trickier and makes the marking a bit more fraught, but to be part of such a success is rather gratifying (and of course the pub’s happy because they’re raking it in).
So, if you’re not up to owt else on Tuesday night, why not pop along? Get there before 7:30 is my advise. I know we don’t start till eight but at this rate you won’t get a table otherwise.
And I can heartily recommend the food too. (Last orders for which are at 7:30.)
Posted on August 11, 2007 | Filed Under Health and Fitness, My So-Called Life | 0 Comments
Legs and Co.
The Personal Sadist decided the other day to do a leg-workout with me.
I have come to regret this decision.
We hadn’t done a session on my legs in about six months – I used to do some work on them in the days I went on my own, but what with work and play I’ve basically only been going to the gym when the sadist is making me go so legs have rather gone by the by.
Thursday afternoon they were so tired I could barely finish the crosstrainer session.
Friday I found myself going “ow” whenever I moved a leg. Walking was tricky.
Yesterday it was nigh on impossible. I could barely move without yelping and gasping and my attempts at going up and down stairs were something the flatmate found extremely amusing. Eventually as I found myself going step, “Argh!”, step, “Argh!”, step, “Argh!”, a voice came from the depths of his room: “Yeah, you like that, don’t you bitch?”
Sadly, at my age it’s probably the nearest I’ll get to taking part in a porn script. Ho hum.
Today I have more mobility, so perhaps by the time I see the sadist on Tuesday I’ll be able to run a mile.
Posted on May 13, 2007 | Filed Under Health and Fitness | 2 Comments
Finally! An Update…
Hello there! Gosh it’s been a while.
Thanks to all of you who have got in touch to offer kind words of encouragement and so on. I’m feeling rather more upbeat and relaxed at the moment, even if I still seem to be afflicted with hayfever of the most virulent kind and the dragging mucousy remains of a cold. Ho hum. It was ever thus!
So what have I been up to? Sleeping mainly, if truth be told. And having a good old think about what changes I need to make to my life to move forwards. The CV has had a much needed update for one – the boss actively encourages us to keep them updated as it happens, it’s just that I’ve just not had the time to do it in ages. I ran it past a couple of people I know and their only complaint was that they didn’t like the way the Garamond font italicised, so I think – once I’d altered that – it’s in pretty good shape now. I’m just awaiting some agency details from a former colleague and I’ll start whoring myself around I think (as it were).
Other than that the most notable events were a visit to the Popjustice! Live! event at “Punk” in Soho to see BWO (formerly Bodies Without Organs) in their first UK gig, lunch with young Simon yesterday (bless him) and the small matter of my 30th Birthday.
The birthday was rather good fun it must be said. I did get horribly (or more accurately “pleasantly”) trollied, at Rocktronica at Wyvils and got an excellent turnout and various presents of a serious, readable, drinkable and occasionally bizarre nature (TARDIS Can Cooler anyone?). Got to see lots of people I hadn’t seen in ages – my not-brother Paul and his lovely wife Ellie even turned up too on their way back to Kent which was lovely – and I got to hear a lot of tunes I hadn’t heard in ages too.
Carrying that much stuff through Vauxhall in order to find a taxi rank was a little disconcerting, though.
And BWO were fabulous. Martin, the lead singer, is – despite some shockingly bad photos for their latest album – absolutely stunning in the flesh. Sadly he didn’t show nearly enough of it, but on the plus side they also promised and delivered a “ballad-free” set which was just simply marvellous. (Popjustice’s notes on the evening suggested that this should be encouraged in all live acts – even if it would reduce Coldplay sets to about six minutes – a viewpoint with which I heartily agree.)
I’m now concentrating on flinging this cold out of the window, dosing myself up on Piriton and unwinding further and – since I now have a mood which is conducive to it – doing some actual writing. “Hosting Solutions” has approximately doubled in size already (admittedly this is only just over a 1000 words, but it’s a start).
Posted on April 26, 2007 | Filed Under Health and Fitness, My So-Called Life | 1 Comment
Argh! Mucus!
Trust me, eh?
I end up with an enforced period off work, start to relax and the first thing that happens is that allergies kick in and I start sneezing and being horribly snotty.
And this on top of the throat and ear thing.
Falling apart. I may not actually arrive at tomorrow in one piece.
Posted on April 20, 2007 | Filed Under Health and Fitness, My So-Called Life | 2 Comments
Woo! I’m bonkers!
So once again I end up with another ENT problem. Sore throat, blocked nose, ears that feel like they’re popping and oozing the whole time. Coupled with my general increasing down-ness it’s no wonder I ended up having a spontaneous cry yesterday morning. There was a general feeling of “will this never end?”
So I went to see the doctor* this morning, assuming I’d get a pat on the head, some anti-biotics and a quick bums-rush out the door (actually they’re not unattentive at the surgery by any means, but I do try and take as little of their time as possible) but no, bless her… she was actually rather concerned. The fact I’d managed to end up with another infection – aside from about two other standard colds – of the last four months worried her and so she started to talk, ask about how my life was working out.
At which it all poured out.
The result is that I’m now signed off work for a week due to stress and depression (which I have to say sounds utterly feeble when written in three words, but hey – it was quick for her to write and is technically the cause of my current gradual collapse). She’s also recommended – as opposed to anti-depressants – a referral to the practice counsellors which, whilst it won’t happen for weeks (they’re quite busy) is definitely a preferred option as far as I can see.
Still, I actually feel that now something is actually being done by someone else it’s like I have a bit more power over things too. “The power of two will get us through”, or something.
Perhaps with people behind me (albeit not in that way) I may actually be able to move forwards, as opposed to continuing the terrifying paralysis I’ve come to find myself subjected to over the last few weeks.
* Yes. Yes I did type it with a capital “D” orginally. Doctor, for me, is first and foremost a proper noun after all.
Posted on April 18, 2007 | Filed Under Health and Fitness, My So-Called Life | 1 Comment
Out of Warranty
Despite the happy, restful, head-clearing (and at one point ruinously retail-therapy-oriented) nature of my Bank Holiday weekend in Canterbury, there was one element that cast a significant shadow over the time off.
No, it’s not having to return to work today – although now you mention it: “ugh” – but instead it’s the fact that I seemed to spend much of my time in a state of some physical agony.
On Thursday I had a late session with the Personal Sadist who for some reason decided to combine a cable-crossover machine with a diagonal shoulder-press to seriously unpleasant effect. During one of the sets I found a ligament (or something) in my arm protesting mightily about the particular exercise and – whilst I managed to complete it – I had a bad feeling about what might go on next.
As it turned out what went on from Friday through to Sunday was my inability to bend and raise my left arm at the same time without a red-hot dagger of pain cutting through me. It made putting on clothes rather tricky I can tell you.
Still, rigorous application of Nurofen Plus and Movelat cream over the weekend finally left me able to move it freely on Sunday afternoon, so I was finally free of pain by the time I left my parents’ to come home.
Sadly I was only free of pain up to the moment I stepped out of the taxi whilst trying to carry my suitcase at the same time, that is. Within seconds of doing so the excruciating pain in my back left me barely able to stand, let alone walk. Thankfully during the course of the evening I did manage to regain some movement and recovered enough yesterday for it to be a distant memory now.
Today, however, I’m suffering the occasional twinge in my knee, which rather suggests that – all things considered – I may just fall apart before I actually reach 30 next week.
I dunno… it’s one thing after the other at the moment, it really is. Clearly my body has now passed out of warranty and should be left for recycling.
Posted on April 10, 2007 | Filed Under Health and Fitness | 0 Comments
Ill-thought-out Campaign #7978951235
You can tell spring is just round the corner.
Fitness First have just started doing a “Get Yourself a Beach Bum” campaign – big splashy logo on their website and everything.
Unfortunately, due to some clever positioning of their current corporate maxim in the same advert, what the current picture says is “Get Yourself a Beach Bum. Join the World’s Largest for only 89p.”
So here I am: a member of the worlds largest bum.
I feel so proud.
Posted on March 8, 2007 | Filed Under Health and Fitness | 0 Comments