Summer's Setting

BANK HOLIDAY BLOW OUT

The summer has nearly come to a close. There's been some hard partying for more but It's been even more concentrated in this whirlwind month of August because of my girlfriend's 40th birthday. We've been celebrating for 4-6 weeks at least. Making the most of the sunshine and our longer days for socialising, has meant there's been little regular exercise, no budgeting and not enough focus on learning or bettering myself. 

Keeping Track

Thankfully, I put a lot of hard work doing a yoga session every day for 4-6 weeks prior to this excessive period - preparing myself in the run up to the big 40th birthday. It's kept me going where so many would have gotten Ill. 

My best trick for keeping on top of things, has been the daily diary. Not only has it helped me take daily assessments, but it's also helped me remember my movements on a daily basis too. This has been very handy for remembering those potentially lost nights! So, last week, I returned from my holiday in Spain and discovered that I'd put on over 3kg (6-7lbs). This whole week, I've been watching my intake by writing down everything that enters my mouth and working out the calories consumed per day. My daily diary and weekly blog posts that I've been doing since the 1st Jan 2015, coupled with the daily food/drink calorie watch, have really helped me stay balanced. Under the circumstances, that's quite an achievement. Something so simple, yet effective, has meant that I could get through a period of craziness and come out the other end being perfectly ok. 

Closing Party

In a way, I'm glad to see all the leaves turning brown and the party season coming to a close once again. I am looking forwards to my return to mindful mornings of learning, exercising and improving my physical & mental wellbeing. I have some commitments that need to be met - my daily exercise routine plus a consistent study of languages, understanding body & mind, now needs to get underway. The next few months should see a return to form, especially now the other temptations are removed from my life. Summer - it's been fun, but I'm moving on to an early Autumn, thanks very much!

Weebles Wobble

SELF STABILISING

Weebles Wobble but they don't fall down. That's the marketing statement for this 1970's British toy.

I recall throwing my Weeble Bus in the road, along with it's full load of Weeble passengers, whist having a tantrum at 5 years old. I don't recall the reason for the hissy fit but I remember being very upset at the time - especially after my self-defeating moment of destruction. The bus was in bits, but the Weebles - true to their marketing claim, merely wobbled and lived on to see another day. 

I kind of feel like the Weeble people at the moment - thrown in the road of life - getting bashed around, but still re-righting myself to live another day. Thing is, how many more times can I be thrown (or more likely - throw myself) in the metaphorical road of life, before the self-righting mechanism breaks? There's going to be a limit and I really don't want to approach that limit any time soon through my self-destructive lifestyle. 

Enjoyment of the summer time seems to be the paramount objective for me right now. I'm sure that's the same for most. It's peak season and yet there's not been enough sunshine moments. For one, the sun hasn't been out much here in the UK but also, there's been too much alcohol and late nights to fully take on board the vitamin D from daytime environmental activities, plus too much depletion of the energy levels in general to keep from fully bouncing back up again. 

The seasons mostly determine the activity we do from day to day, what we choose to do at the weekends and keep up doing as a routine over the coming months. 

The winter is mostly becoming a no/low drinking season for me (alpine holiday aside), with the spring a mostly no drinking (Easter and birthday aside), bike riding/general fitness enhancement season. Whereas, the summer has become an endurance test of sleepless weekends, roller-coaster recovery weeks and balancing my sanity when the work responsibilities require much more than a dulled brain power. Autumn as I recall from last year, is a time for recovery and also a battle against the habits that have built up through being repeated throughout the summer months. A tough resolve is required to right the Weeble during this time. Every year seems to be getting tougher and I'm not sure if it's the age difference, the excessive levels reached - or maybe a combination of both. One thing is for sure - in order to keep the Weebles righting themselves, the amount of wobbling needs to be reduced. August will be a big month. An early swan-song for the summer and an even earlier start to the recovery & rejuvenation season starting September.