One Step at a Time

Right now, I'm finding myself feeling a little unsettled with life and trying to do far too many things in one go to fix it and not getting very far.

So I'm choosing to tackle one problem at a time, the first being weight loss. It's crazy how much being overweight affects every single aspect of your lift but you still choose to eat that cake or packet of crisps. It affects my confidence, my relationship, my job, my motivation for life...everything! I find myself surviving rather than living and that is not me, it's not what I do and it needs to change.

Losing weight is one of the hardest things I've ever done. I previously lost 4 and a half stone and vowed that I would never ever let myself put the weight back on. Sitting here, I find myself 4 stone heavier and furious that I did this to myself again. I know how much more I enjoyed life when I was thinner, I lived it!

Me after losing 4 stone vs me now

It's time to start improving my life and I am choosing my weight as the first place to start.

Happy Chinese New Year!!

New year = New Blog! http://luckyduckette.blogspot.co.uk/

See you there :-)

One Step at a Time

Right now, I'm finding myself feeling a little unsettled with life and trying to do far too many things in one go to fix it and not getting very far.

So I'm choosing to tackle one problem at a time, the first being weight loss. It's crazy how much being overweight affects every single aspect of your lift but you still choose to eat that cake or packet of crisps. It affects my confidence, my relationship, my job, my motivation for life...everything! I find myself surviving rather than living and that is not me, it's not what I do and it needs to change.

Losing weight is one of the hardest things I've ever done. I previously lost 4 and a half stone and vowed that I would never ever let myself put the weight back on. Sitting here, I find myself 4 stone heavier and furious that I did this to myself again. I know how much more I enjoyed life when I was thinner, I lived it!

Me after losing 4 stone vs me now

It's time to start improving my life and I am choosing my weight as the first place to start. Tomorrow and I am going to join the gym and Monday - Friday I will workout and swim each day along with eating a healthy diet. Screw you weight, you won't get the better of me!

The Problem With Beijing

I love living in Beijing, but the problem is that I don't actually live IN Beijing. I live in Shunyi, a little expat town about 40 minutes fro Beijing. I live in a little expat down with absolutely nothing to do! With a subway trip taking approximately 1 hour 30 to reach the centre of town, it makes it almost impossible to do on a week night and a bit of a pain in the ass on a weekend.

Next year I have the option of moving into town and taking the school bus to school each day but adding 2 hours travelling onto my day doesn't seem like such a great idea. We have decided to stay local to school but make sure we go out and explore Beijing every weekend.

Beijing isn't the easy city to explore. It's not particularly tourist friendly and despite the metro being convenient, it can take a long time to reach places and involve a lot of station changes. Luckily, at only 40p a ride, you can afford as many station stops as you like. I much prefer walking around Beijing, it gives you a chance to see some of the cool little hutongs and sights you might not otherwise see. Yesterday, we chose to walk to a local park instead of getting the subway and we walked through a really cool little hutong with lots of traditional Chinese décor. As I walked through I remember thinking 'this is what you expect to see in China!'

 

 What I am finding because of the lack of things to do in Shunyi, is that I am living for the weekend. I'm counting down the days til Friday and that is a lot of days to just count away. I need a hobby! I need something to do that I can look forward to during the week and fill up my nights.

 

So what are my hobby options...

 

Reading - I love to read. I could set myself some reading goals and allow myself time to read each evening.

 

Swimming - With my new gym membership I also get use of the swimming pool at the Crown Plaza Hotel. The problem with the swimming pool is that it is a fresh water pool and the Chinese love to spit giant blobs of phlegm into it which makes me feel a little sick!

 

Painting my nails - I enjoy painting my nails and while I may not have the most steady and skilled hand, I like to practise. There are loads of tutorials online!

 

Scrapbooking - I enjoy scrapbooking but it's difficult to get the things to make a good scrapbook in Beijing. I believe there are websites that allow you to scrapbook online though, definitely worth looking into.

 

Cooking - Cooking really isn't something I'm into but both me and Paul are trying to lose weight so it could be a good thing to get into. Trying out some different healthy foods.

 

Blog - I want to make my blog into something I am happy with. Something that shows me and my interests.

 

They may not be the best options and I would prefer to be out, meeting people and socialising but unfortunately, in Shunyi, I have to make the best of what I have and this is it. At our next location, there are certain things we will need to consider before we move there.