Geocaching and finding a turtle…or not as the case may be…

Geocaching’s a new discovery in our house and this afternoon, when I was trying to motivate myself to get out the door for a walk, I remembered it gratefully. It’s fun, interesting and best of all, it’s exercise with a purpose, which makes it so much more likely that I’ll actually do it.

We chose one reasonably close by, about 20-25 minutes walk away and one that was labelled ‘easy’ on the phone app, then off we set. I wore my very groovy pink trainer shoes. They’re bouncy and fun which I always think is a great start to anything at all! 

It was a good walk, afternoon sun, kids tumbling like puppies along in front of us in the late afternoon sunset.

We didn’t find the cache but we’ll go back again because it’s supposed to look ‘turtle-ish’ and I’m curious.

 

Simple Life Enhancement 101

Fresh, colourful foods. Foods that feel good to make and even better to eat. Foods full of all the good, vitamin enriched, healthy, life-giving things. Crunchy, alive wonderful and……

The more I think about it, the more I wonder why on earth I eat anything but this stuff? Certainly not the wheat-laden, sugar-heavy, dairy-rich foods I’ve habitually fed myself….and that’s just it I think. It’s habit as much as anything. Doing what seems to be easy. Grabbing whatever’s closest instead of really thinking about it.

Sometimes I actually crave salads and hot chilli soups and have eaten meat and veg instead, followed by….well, let’s draw a veil over that shall we? 

Sometimes in fact, I find myself fondly remembering ‘salads-I-have-eaten’ and have to shake myself from my reverie in order to eat those cheese and crackers on my plate.

One of my favourite salads was eaten on Murano, Venice while we were travelling, pre-children. In a pizza place, we were served a simple chopped salad of the crunchiest, deliciousest (yes I know it isn’t a word but say it out loud and you’ll see why I kept it) salad veg, dressed with vinegar and olive oil

Today, to go with our Baked Barramundi in Tomato Sauce, I made my version of it and it was everything I remembered.

 

 

Now if anyone can help me with a recipe for a salad that includes grated carrots and fresh beetroot, sultanas and….other yummy things I can’t remember….I’d be really grateful. I had it at a Mind Body Spirit Festival in London and it’s lingered in the corners of my taste buds’ memory ever since. 

Green Smoothies and Heavy Duty Treadmills

This is one of my Green Smoothie Jugs, into which I put a combination of greens, fruits and water. Sometimes just the act of buying the ingredients and putting them into the blender is an uplifting experience all by itself. The bright colours, the sharp, clean, fresh smells, together with the knowledge that every bit of this concoction will be fantastic for my body and give me the gift of a brighter morning.

Sounds a bit far-fetched doesn’t it? But it isn’t, I promise. Try it and see.

My usual smoothie is made with greens (kale, baby spinach, parsley, or whatever I have in my fridge), a green apple, an orange, a handful of mint, a chunk of ginger and some cold water. Delicious, healthy and gorgeous.

50c a kilo for Granny Smith apples!

Not everything I eat is so healthy of course, else I’d not be heavier than I’ve ever been before, which is a rather neat segue into the next part of this post….The Heavy Duty Treadmill…..

After doing some more research and reading some more reviews, it’s come to my attention, that though pretty good value and reasonably sturdy, the treadmill I’d decided to buy may not be up to the job and that the Confidence Fitness MTI Motorised Treadmill might be better suited to my starting weight.

It’s a bit of a lowering reflection but heigh ho, getting healthy and losing weight is the name of the game. It’s a bigger machine but I’d rather have something that will carry me, and the motor’s bigger, which feels strangely comforting.

I’m looking forward to not even thinking about stuff like that. You know…whether something will carry me, or whether it’ll groan and collapse with a sigh and a wheeze….

 

 

A Fidgety Meeting

So today I went to a meeting, held in a hotel conference room, complete with men in suits. It was an interesting subject and I was glad to be part of the discussion but I couldn’t help but notice that around the table, for the duration of the meeting, people were clicking their pens, taking off their jackets, smoothing their ties. All signs of restlessness.

It occurred to me then, that since everyone there was fully engaged and it wasn’t that they were bored or wishing themselves elsewhere, that it might be a restlessness born of excitement…or just the need to move as they talk…..and unbidden, the image of this same meeting being held while we were all walking on treadmills popped into my mind and I smiled broadly. The woman sitting across from me was gracious enough to smile back despite her momentary puzzlement.

Something like this

It seems entirely sensible to me and I’m pretty sure it would have worked beautifully with this group. Sitting still, waiting for your turn to speak, being mindful that everyone is allowed their say, is admirable but if we’d been moving, there’d have been less leaning on the table, bad posture and that clicking….I had to physically restrain myself from leaning over, placing my hand on the arm of the man sitting next to me and whispering quietly “That’s enough now”