August Blues

I have been very aware over the last few weeks that my training and healthy living regime has dwindled. What with moving house and all the stuff that comes with it, sorting out my new job, getting generally sorted career-wise and being very sociable, the Egg-Goes-Healthy motivation has been put on the back-burner. A friend of mine very sensibly said yesterday "Egg, it's called 'life' and that's ok".. wise words indeed.

However, I'm not sure it is just life. I think I have discovered what the problem really is, and it's been sneaking up on me like a ninja in the shadows.

Wine.

You see I've been doing a lot of celebrating in August. The month started with a very heavy week and I don't think I've fully recovered since then. It was as I scoffed down a curry with all the trimmings last night and polished off a bottle of wine that I realised what I'd been doing. From being almost teetotal for a couple of months I've somehow gone on a wine binge without even noticing it was happening. Maybe this is how alcoholism starts?!

Luckily now I have spotted the problem and will cease all my celebratory activities with immediate effect. Maybe that's a bit too harsh, maybe I'll just continue to celebrate but do it with some lovely fresh juice instead - much better idea. I'm not even sure what I'm celebrating to be honest. Maybe tonight I shall celebrate not drinking wine.

In addition to the wine I will also make a confession. I have been a the cookies. I've had maybe four packets throughout the month thus far, Tesco keep putting their Finest range on offer and I am merely a weak-willed cookie-munching monster. Today I picked some up on the way to the fruit section, then I realised they were a very unneccessary addition to my shopping basket, so I put them back. Then the whole way round the supermarket my mind kept drifting back to Belgian chocolate chunks. I caved and had to go back and get some. I hid them under the nectarines.

My current goals have gone by the wayside a bit. I put this down to not running at first but I can't keep using that as an excuse. I am chuffed to bits with the 5k I did last weekend at the Relays, not quite the sub 24-minute I was aiming for but a good time nonetheless considering I have done no running in the past few weeks. The 400m swim time is getting there, I managed an 8:33 in the lake yesterday morning but the real test will be in the pool. Eating and sleeping-wise I have really been slack, but now that I am in my new place I can really start putting these into action.

What I need to do is write August off completely. Start afresh. I will be going away with a friend on Monday to walk the 101 miles of the South Downs Way in four days, whilst carrying hefty rucksacks. This is the perfect fresh start I need and I shall return in September to my new house, start my new job and get into a new routine. Lovely.

Might start celebrating my fresh start!