Life. Where have I been?

I have been missing in action. I don't even know how long it has been since I posted (too afraid to look!) and whilst I secretly hope loads of people missed my witty posts, it is pretty unlikely. Are you there? Can you hear me? I'm sorry I have been so absent but I truly I hope that the days of my slackness have ended. I have pretty decent excuses though.

Me in my awesome winter gear getting ready for London!

I handed in my last assessment for uni on sunday! I shed actual tears. I was overwhelmed with the enormity of finishing another degree (and p.s I managed a 4 year degree in 3) and the relief I felt was incredible. When I finished my first degree I was pretty darn happy, but that was nothing compared to this. I submitted my assignment online then proceeded to do a massive clean out of my room and to throw anything remotely university related in the bin. I've been slowly tackling the amassed crap that is my bedroom in preparation for leaving the country, so it felt great to get through some more throwing out and general organising. Lately I have been thinking 'will I use this in the next 2 months? No? Gone' and so far it is working.

Completely unrelated to the post, but oh my god these peking duck pancakes were amazeballs.

I have also been working loads. I have averaged three days a week of casual teaching work for the past two months which has really been amazing. It's been nice to feel I have a purpose to my weeks aside from finishing assignments. It has been exhausting though! Casual teachers really have a difficult job, but it is often contrasted with periods of complete boredom. Sometimes all you have to do is supervise a class, other times you have to deal with some outrageous behaviour and attempt to have some control over the classroom. The term has just ended, and whilst I am looking forward to a couple of weeks to really truly relax for the first time in three years, there doesn't tend to be a lot of work in term four for casuals so I am a little stressed.

I'm asking the universe to provide. So far it is working!

I am slowly but surely getting myself together for the London move (70 days away as I write this!) but it still feels like I have loads to do. I have a growing collection of proper winter clothes and accessories which I am super excited to wear come December. I am still yet to sort out the whole UK bank account thing but I think it will be much easier to do once I am there. I am considering purchasing a UK arrival pack like this one from 1st Contact but I still need to do some more research. I have basically done everything I need to get teaching work in London, booked a weeks accommodation (fingers crossed I find a flat in my first week but it is pretty unlikely I'd say!) and booked flights to Ireland for Christmas. It is completely spinning me out that I will be in Ireland for the holidays, so bizarre but exciting!

Ear muffs! Question: do people actually wear ear muffs in London?

As time slides closer to two months from my departure, I am starting to freak a little. Not in a 'oh shit what am I doing' way but more about my stress over how organised I need to be and how much I want this. Two months ago I was wanting to leave immediately but now I am glad for these next couple of months to sort myself out. Now that uni is done I can really get down to business and get organised for the adventure of a lifetime. I have been wanting to travel and live overseas since I was 13 and I am absolutely over the freaken moon that I finally got my butt into gear and made it happen.

Savings! I am about half way to my goal which is amazing! 

Ooh on one final note, I have been amping up my fitness/healthy eating big time these last few weeks. I am managing a 30-40 minute power walk most days and some light weights and abs/leg work 3 times a week and I feel amazing. I have lost another three kg and have so much energy. My anxiety is also basically gone which is probably more amazing than the weight loss. I have really started to notice that my diet and exercise has a huge impact on my mood and stress, even down to the fact that eating loads of sugar can actually give me anxiety!

Woah that is a lot of information isn't it? I'm officially on holidays from work for 2 weeks so I will be relaxing and writing a few posts, including my winter favourites which should be up in a couple of days.

xx Samantha Alice

Life. Fitness and Food Update.

I have been taking steps towards a healthier lifestyle. Dolly steps. Baby steps. But at least I am walking right? I AM SO HILARIOUS.

If you are like me and are generally not a lover of exercise, and specifically a lover of chocolate, you might find yourself on the unhealthier side of the tracks. I got sick of always feeling tired and unhappy with my weight, and it wasn't the first time I'd felt fed up. Something had to be different this time if I hoped to change my lifestyle. My attitude needed to shift big time.

Over the last couple of months I have reached two conclusions (total epiphany moments in my books):

1. Worrying about a problem is always going to be worse for your mental well being than actually taking steps to fix the problem

2. There is a reason, a brilliant reason in fact, why people say it is best to set small and achievable goals rather than big long term ones.

These two realisations came once I had started my new (baby step) routine and have helped me keep going.

So what have I been doing to live a healthier lifestyle?

• I think it would be a big ask for me to go from not exercising at all, to hitting the gym 4 days a week. It was just not going to happen. Instead, I have committed to doing at least two 15 minute walks a day. I don't go far, just a couple of blocks and some stairs at the sports field near my house. It is small and achievable and is making a real difference to my energy levels. If exercise just isn't your thing, I really recommend this!
• Being more food smart. I haven't gone all 'I'm going to starve myself' which is never a good idea, but I have made some fairly big changes in the last year. Mainly
• Limiting my sugar intake (and yes this means fruit and honey as well, not just sweets)
• I finally stopped ignoring the fact that me and dairy don't mix, so I have cut out all milk products from my diet.
• I am super organised with my meals, including lunches for work. I make sure I have balanced healthy meals readily available. It helps avoid temptation. 
• I bake. Cake isn't healthy right? Wrong. You can easily whip up yummy and healthy treats like my raspberry nut muffins and freeze them so they are always on hand.
• Urge Surfing. 'WHAT?' I hear you say? Well psychologists are starting to recognise that urges (like the urge to eat a whole block of chocolate) tend to come in waves. They have a beginning, a middle and an end. Urge surfing is the act of being mindful of these urges and the way they rise and disappear, rather than trying to ignore them or fulfil them. After a while of practising this, the urges will appear further apart, and eventually not at all. 
• Take guilt out of the equation. If I miss a walk or eat something not so great, my mind goes something like this 'bummer, but next time I'll make a better decision' where as before, I would have gone down in a guilt/hate spiral that did not help at all. Be kind to yourself, I promise it is important. 

I guess I started to make some of these changes last year, especially the sugar, but the daily walking has only been happening since sometime in April I guess. So far I am feeling mostly great, though stress and anxiety still have a big presence which isn't fun at all. I have lost about 10kg (which is about 22 pounds) but to be honest I don't weigh myself all that often. I do know I have gone down a size in jeans which is very very exciting! 

xx Samantha Alice