Without a hitch

The cats visited on and off all night the tinkle of their collar bells woke me up. A few times in the night I was licked on the face by a wet dog tongue (not as pleasant as it sounds - ugh) but relatively restful night. I think it will be alright.

I ventured off to the local leash off park this morning at 6.15 am, it was still dark. Despite being told that the dog would lead me there, I eventually asked for directions. Chatted to a few of the local dog owners. Met Jack and Gemma. Traded dog bios… yes he’s about 18 months, from the lost dogs home his name is Guyus Maximus Finklepuss… Guy for short. I am dog sitting. Yes he is gorgeous.

I am looking forward to the late evening walk to see who turns up.

The other plus about living in East St Kilda for a week is that it is only one train stop from work and a 10 minute bike ride (woo hoo). I could really get used to this. Last night I sampled some of the local fare.

I have also been relishing the access to a very eclectic music collection. Last night I added Kate Bush, Elvis Costello, Massive Attack, The Carpenters, Goldfrapp, Mika, Miles Davis and The Velvet Underground to my music library. I can’t wait to spend some more time sampling from this collection.

It’s fun to step out of your usual routine and try new things.

Peace

Since when is size 12 big

It amazes me that models like Megan Gale are referred to big when they are a size 10-12. It’s because mainstream media would have women all looking like anorexic rakes. Australian’s of both genders are getting fatter. But when did size 12 become big. The average size of an Australian women is now according to this article in The Age figment of marketeers imaginations.

A colleague has just returned from the States and he was amazed how much weight his friends and family had put on in the years since he had seen them last. But something I have noticed is fatism, where the overweight are increasingly marginalised. Obesity is definitely an health issue but people need to get real. It is one of the hardest things to tackle. You have to eat.

As someone that has struggled with yo-yo dieting and obsession about weight, it has taken an awfully long time to get to a place where I can eat certain foods without feeling guilty. Now I try to focus on fitness not weight. I exercise regularly but it took over two years of forcing myself to go to the gym to start enjoying it.

It has to be a lifestyle thing otherwise it will never work for you. I love feeling fit and strong. I try not to let the main stream media dictate what size I should be. But it is damn hard not to get sucked in. So don’t buy into the insanity be happy being who you are whatever your size or shape. Ideals of beauty change constantly. Who knows what the ideal will be in 5-10 years time and really who cares.

What have you got in your gym playlists

I recently realised the value of using the on-the-go feature of the ipod to create play gym play lists whilst warming up on the treadmill. It allows me to create play lists that reflect my mood of the day rather than listening to something that is going to really annoy me.

Today I had a sprinkling of hunters and collectors - Throw your arms around me! The song really transported me back to a time and a place. Angst ridden teenage years. God I definitely had nothing to worry about then. Not that I do now. Life is pretty damn good.

I tend to listen to a mix of RnB and 80s stuff to get me through my session for eg. Come on Eileen (Dexys Midnight Runners) , Millionaire (Kelis). I also like a bit of Justin Timberlake too. Stuff that I listen to the gym tends to be a bit faster so that I can get my heart rate up. The only time I exercise without my ipod is when I am doing a class. If I forget my mp3 player I just turn around and go home.

At my gym they play the radio which I find it really tedious. So music is my number one motivator for exercise. What song gets your heart rate going?