Day 13
This is one of the entries I really love, because whatever weight I've been, I've always been a good exerciser.
But I didn't start out that way...neither of my parents was particularly sporty - my father was big into tennis and cricket but more of the spectating than the doing, and when I was at school, it took a while for people to realise that I needed glasses and that was why I kept missing the ball....when I got to school we sort of divided up into those of us who were not into sport and the girls (I went to an all girls' boarding school - v. Malory Towers, not!) who were FKJ - frightfully keen and jolly. I was not cut out for all that hockeysticks stuff and we had to play lacrosse which was nightmarishly even worse than hockey.
At university, a friend introduced me to squash and I also swam regularly (the university pool was one of the few really warm places during an Aberdeen winter, with limitless hot showers available), plus I was cycling everywhere, so I got pretty fit, but it was almost sub-conscious.
Starting work made me soooo miserable. And there were always people running out to buy Kitkats...and when was there ever time to fit in an exercise session, plus I was no longer cycling - I put on something like 30lb in a year. It took a little while to get rid of it, which happened when I changed jobs and found that I had time to go to the gym in the morning before work plus sessions at weekends and I took up cycling again. So I was back on track.
And I've been a pretty regular exerciser ever since. The problem was, I was also a champion eater of things that are just bad for me. Ben and Jerry's, Nigella's chocolate puddings, Choccy-woccy doo dah cakes (Brighton's wackiest cake makers), and portions that were the same size as my husband's...who is 7 inches taller than me...I saw friends who were also hitting their mid-thirties and getting a lot more careful about their diets...it didn't really sink in that I needed to do that too. Getting the balance right between diet and exercise has been hard work, but I really feel I am getting there. I'm prepared to accept that I can have the occasional chocolate praline, but three a day is not occasional. I can have some cheese every now and then, but not every afternoon when I get in from work. And mainlining chocolate chip cookies is not the right way to handle stress.
Meanwhile, am in a very stressful place, caught up in a situation where there is a lot of ill feeling and bad decisions being made at work, and handling the fall-out, including having one of my closest work colleagues really upset - a few months ago, I would have been comfort eating, but now I'm blogging. I guess the whole thing will blow over, but in the meantime - I hope all you guys are hanging in there!
As for your upset colleague, be there for her but remember to give yourself some space as negativity is very erosive and emotionally exhausting - you need time for you.
Good luck honey - I'll be thinking of you...
Hang in there and keep blogging.
You are so right.. Its much better therapy than comfort eating.
Totally with you on that one.
Hope things improve soon.
PP xx