Lovin' Monday!

Wow, what a fab day I've had! I was up early to go to the gym as hub was working from home, so to start the day off with a boost was a good start!

The website is now back in my name and registered with my new host - I need to come up with the funds for the hosting to get it officially back online ... but it's all going according to plan so far!

I did some number crunching today with L and worked out that I can save around £4,500 a year purely by buying my wax in larger quantities, changing payment processors and questioning some of my maintenance bills. That's crazy. Scary crazy!!!

Also ... finally the website re-design is coming together. I'm really happy with how it's working out and it'll mean that by the time the site is back online, there will be a whole terrific new look for it!!!

Pause for breath!!

Whew what a busy day! LOL it's been non stop! I was up with the birds (okay 7am) to be at work really early as the fire alarm system was being tested and they needed access to all units ... and as soon as they'd been in and tested my alarms, I locked up and hauled my butt over to the gym! I did a quick workout and then headed back to work!

I got quite a few orders poured today - although I won't be able to dispatch anything until Monday (kids off for one more day tomorrow!!) ... but it means that by the time Monday morning rolls around I should be hopefully up to date on all orders as I plan on being in there all weekend. Whew!!

I've had an evening OFF from the paperwork and number crunching tonight ... by the time I got home from work I was knackered and I knew my head wasn't up to concentrating ... so I've been working on a website redesign instead :-) it's still technically work, but it's fun stuff!!

Tomorrow I still have the kids off school so I'll take them up the park if it's nice ... and then crack on with the numbers! Plan is to have completed the entire year end up to 31st March 2005 by the end of the afternoon tomorrow so I can get started on working through the credit card statements.

Tomorrow evening I am going to have to get into work for a few hours to do prep for the weekend and aside from working my butt off all weekend, that's the sum total of my plans!

Yeah back in my comfort zone!

Well, according to the scales anyway! How mad is that ... I join the gym (went three times this week plus the body pump class) and spend a week watching what I eat ... and 3lb just drops off of me!!

I'm at the top end of my "comfort zone" ... but hey, at least I'm back in there again! My comfort zone has a 3lb barrier, so I want to at least lose that other 3lb as my first target and then do away with my comfort zone altogether!! I tell ya, stress is great for weight loss ... your mind is so pre-occupied with worry that you can't even think about eating, let alone actually eat anything!

My clothes feel looser, I can SEE the difference in the mirror and most of all, I feel it in myself and that is what counts. I've been through so much over the last few months and recently it's felt like I'm finally heading for the turnaround in my luck that I know I deserve!

I'm not taking a sleeping pill tonight ... we'll see how it goes!!

And she procrastinates no longer....

I was up, motivated and raring to go this morning! I went to the gym as soon as I’d dropped the kids at school and had a really good workout… I’m finding my routine pleasantly gruelling, i.e. I feel the burn while I am doing it, but I think I will definitely be looking to increase the resistance when my 6 week review comes up! I came home for a quick shower then headed straight into work.

Wait, it gets better! I spent a couple of hours going through things at work, then it began …

** drum roll **

The paperwork has been started!! I had a friend helping me today, and I swear that L was a worse slave driver than I thought I was! L is firmly of the “touch every piece of paper once” - i.e. file it or shred it school of thought, and I have to agree it’s a much better way than my “throw it in a box and worry about it later” method! L is one of the few people in the world who I can really count on for an honest to god bottom line opinion and who also isn't afraid to tell me either! A perfect person to help get me organised!!

We got through SO MUCH in just a couple of hours - it really didn't take THAT long and it wasn't THAT bad at all. I was really kicking myself for putting it off for so long ad not doing it sooner. If I had just spent half an hour a day for a week I’d have achieved the same thing myself and I could have done it months years ago. Okay enough kicking, I'm doing it now and I am NEVER going to let myself get to this point ever again. Besides, even if I didn't want to get straightened out (which I do!!) well, let's just say that I don't think I will be given any choice in the matter! LOL

This box was FULL - and I mean stuffed FULL of crap! This is only one of the boxes that I have with paperwork in, but it was certainly the bulk of it!

And look at it now!! It's less than a quarter full and it's totally organised! All of the paperwork is neatly filed in date order with card separators until it moves into the filing cabinet when we've been through the other boxes. All of the rubbish got shredded and every piece of paper got anally sorted into date order! The result is a much lighter box ... and an enormous weight lifted from my shoulders!! There is still a serious amount to do and I'm not entirely sure that I have every single piece of paper together yet, but damnit it feels so good to have really started it.

The next stage is probably going to be the worst, but it's also going to be the most interesting, because that is the part where I will find out my numbers and THAT is what I need to know to stay in business. I need to log absolutely every single piece of paper, every incoming and outgoing that I have and work it all out to the last penny. I need to know where it's all coming from ... and where it's all going!

It scares the crap out of me, but strangely, I am looking forward to it at the same time! If I have a hope in hell of making this work, then I need to be absolutely on the ball with my paperwork... and it has helped enormously to have had someone else there today to keep me going.

I feel so motivated and ready for it. Bring on tomorrow!!!

Midweek mutterings

I was really motivated first thing this morning after another good nights sleep. I was in work early and filled in my new dispatch form with all of the details for all the current orders - and it works really well. I was able to get ALL of the completed orders sent out today too!

I went to the gym for a workout before picking the kids up from school and although I was knackered, I did it! I had to skip the rower as I ran out of time, but other than that ... it was good! Even after the pump class last night I wasn't too achy - we'll have to see how I feel tomorrow!

Had a bit of a non-evening really - just watched TV and relaxed ... yeah I know ... imagine that - Dee is relaxing!! LOL Am gonna take a chill pill and get me another good sleep tonight!!

The start of a new me!

Well I did it! I was up early and at the gym for just after 8.30am this morning. I did my full workout with no cheating and it was actually okay! I was tired and sweaty at the end of it ... but I got through it all. The crunch machine absolutely killed me as it's right at the end of my workout! I nabbed this photo from the web but it's a very similar machine to the one at the gym.

You grab the handles at the head end, and your feet go through the other end. You have to use both your arms and your legs to bring them both up together at the same time and woaaahhh you feel the burn on your abs!. I have to do 2x15 reps ... and by the time I got to the 11th rep on the second set I really had to force myself to do the last four ... but I did!!!

Got home, had a very quick shower then went into work to finish off the prep for my show tomorrow. I'm home in time for a quick sandwich before I'm off out this afternoon taking photos!

Part of me wishes I hadn't said I'd do this as I'm exhausted and could do with chilling out and get more stock made for Sunday ... but it will be fun and I know I'll enjoy myself once I get into it!

Hub and I have been friends with A and F for years ... F wants to go out on a motorbike and A has just got a new camera and wants to play ... so we're "wife-swapping" for the afternoon but strictly for motorbike riding and photo taking! Hub is whisking F off on his bike, and A & I are off for a bimble around Chichester taking photos and I'm going to set him some challenges!

Right, best go charge the camera battery!!

Bye bye comfort zone!!

Well, hopefully in the next 6-8 weeks anyway! I went ahead and joined the gym today ... and there was a slot for an induction tonight so I took it! I'm now a fully fledged member and already been inducted! LOL :-)

The gym at Lancing Manor has been completely been refurbished and it's massive - absolutely massive!! I love the new system there too! I've got a "wellness key" which is hooked up to the main computer system. My trainer programmed my workout into it, and this key slots into all of the machines to keep track of exactly how much effort and work I am putting into my training! It means he also automatically knows when I've been and when I haven't!



The wellness system is absolutely brilliant - it keeps track of your fitness and how many calories you've burned, I'm so impressed with it! These are the keys ...

It's great - as you finish on one machine, it tells you where to go next!!

The scales may well go up though ... I remember from when I was really fit before that because muscle weighs heavier than fat ... the scales go up but the dress size goes down! THATS what I want!

I've not even changed dress size or anything ... I posted this morning that it's only been a slow 5lb gain over my comfort zone, but I just want to knock it on the head before it really makes a difference ... and going to the gym and working out 3x a week will give me fairly rapid results. We like rapid results!

I get a review in 6 weeks ... I've promised myself I'm going first thing in the morning before I head into work! My workout is totally focused on my "problem areas" ... well I'm a girl so it's gonna be legs, ass and thighs! LOL

Wow, I feel so motivated and up for it!!

Out of my comfort zone ....

By about 5lbs! ... I'm going to join the gym.

I used to be really worried about my weight. It used to affect me daily and my confidence level was zero... but I worked through that and learned to really like who I was - inside and out. Lately though I've not been happy ... and that's been inside and out too!

I went to the gym regularly before my dad passed away (in 2003) and it was terrific ... I could eat and drink literally whatever I wanted and I was losing inches. I even did a triathlon at the gym and didn't come last!! I guess I eventually fell out of the habit of going after dad died ... and fell into my comfort zone!

My comfort zone has been around the 3lb mark ... so I could go up or down by about 3lb and not worry overly. It's allowed me not to worry and to be able to still actually eat food without resorting to carrot sticks and obsessive tendencies (and we all know how well I can obsess!)

BUT I really don't like being outside of "the zone" and I hadn't even noticed my weight creep outside it! I'd managed to stop obsessing about the scales and stop religiously weighing myself every morning... well, until today! My clothes still fit, so it's not as if I've suddenly become a blimp, but I *have* noticed that my wobbly bits are wobbling more than usual ... and I don't like it! It's only by a few pounds but I want to knock it on the head right now!!

So I'm going to do something about it.

The gym is *literally* over the road so I really have no excuse. It will cost £33 a month for an "off peak" membership which means I can use the gym 7-4 on week days. It also gives you unlimited classes so it is well worth the money. When I was a member before, I used to go in the evenings, but life is more hectic these days and I know damned well that by the time I've got the kids home from school, tidied the house, checked any homework and organised dinner ... that I don't want to be going anywhere!

Sooo I figured I usually leave the workshop around 2pm anyway ... so 3 days a week if I leave at 1.45pm (and stay till 2.45 the other days), I can get a good hour workout before I pick the kids up from school and then shower as soon as I get home. It would work really well. I'm motivated in the middle of the afternoon so it's a great time ... and it would give me something POSITIVE to do instead of sitting on my backside for an hour before I pick the kids up!

PLUS ... I'm a girl ... when I know I look better on the outside - I feel better on the inside. What more reason is there? LOL Sooo I'm off to work now, then I'll be heading to the gym to sign up this afternoon while their half price joining fee is still valid!!