Picadilly

11 July 2012

The (not-so) secret ingredients for change

I have quite the soft spot for cupcakes, Smarties, ice-cream and (more than I should) biltong – anytime of the day or night, and finishing a packet of NikNaks – no problem there either. Like most I knew my lifestyle was not the healthiest and over the years I have tried changing it, each time failing dismally. Until now. 

I am officially halfway into week three of my USN12-Week Challenge. Now I realise that I am still in the ‘easy’ phase, but trust me it hasn’t been challenge free. 

On day seven we were invited to a friend’s birthday – at an Italian restaurant. Not only did I have to say no to delicious looking pizzas and pastas, but I had to avoid the cupcake table too. I had visions of running past the table and diving face first into the cupcakes, and, at one stage, I thought, “one cupcake, surely it can’t make that much of a difference?”. Truth is, it can. One cupcake could’ve set me back those seven days, and that is when I made a conscious decision that I will stick out the 12 weeks – no cheating.

So why did I fail in the past with changing my lifestyle? Simple. I didn’t have goals, the knowledge, a plan of action or a reward system. I believe that these are four vital ingredients to any behavioural change. 

The goals. My goals are not in kilograms or fat percentage, but rather in perception. My goal is to look in the mirror and like what I see. To know that I look the best that I can. 

Also, I have never owned a pair of shorts (and my dresses and skirts are all knee-length). For once in my life I would love to own a pair of cute shorts, which I wear to flaunt it, rather than (boardshorts) to hide it. 

Gain the knowledge. Now here I am quite privileged. Because I work in wellness, I am exposed to things like what is a healthy lifestyle, the healthier choice and what healthy weight loss is. But remember, Google is your friend. If you don’t know then read up about it or ask. (PS: One of my favourite websites is ShapeMag.)

Go and see the dietician or fitness consultant. Spend the money to see a professional and know you are doing it right rather than attempting it on your own. Not finding out the necessary know-how can lead to you not seeing results and giving up. If you are interested in the USN 12-Week Challenge, contact USN for any tips or advice – they are great at getting back to you. 

Have a plan of action. Changing something is like finding your way to a place for the first time, you need directions. I took about two months reading up about low GI food, the USN products and getting together some recipes. Based on my research, I then selected my USN products and drew up a meal plan. I also made sure I knew how to do the exercises properly – to optimise results and ensure that I don’t hurt myself.

The reward system. If you work hard, you deserve a little reward. Once a week I treat myself to some guilt-free dessert. While you can have the USN Protein Dessert every day, I prefer to use it as my reward. I also plan to extend my tattoo once I have reached week six, and to get a decent pair of jeans after the 12 weeks.

To add some sprinkles to the ingredients

A lifestyle change requires commitment – remind yourself why you are making the change, what the benefits are and visualise yourself having reached your goals. 

Dedication – say no to that cupcake. Get up on a Saturday morning and go to gym, run that extra two minutes. 

Motivation – when those last four lunges seem impossible the drill sergeant in my head reminds me that today’s weakness is tomorrow’s strength. And in any case impossible actually is (I'm)possible. 

Cut it out – your taste buds will adjust. Cutting out the sugar out of my coffee was hard. When I started the USN 12-Week Challenge I was still putting in half a teaspoon of sugar. A friend then gave me the advice; cut it out – your taste buds will adjust – and it has.

Support – it helps – a lot! When we were at the Italian restaurant, bf didn’t mention once how nice the pizza was, only when we got home did he say that was the best pizza he has ever had. I appreciate that. It’s the small gestures of support and words of encouragement from bf, my (wine loving) friends and my mom. 

When it comes to a healthy lifestyle, I often hear people say, but I don’t have the time. I don’t think it’s time you need, it is support (think about it), but that is another blog for another time.

04 July 2012

Review: Linkin Park, Living Things Album

Hidden in my perfectly alphabetised CD collection, under the letter “B”, are all the Backstreet Boys albums. Yip, back in the day I was quite the pop princess, not something I like to admit, but we all have our dark secrets. 

My taste in music changed one day in 2001. I was lazing in front of the telly, like most matriculants do, watching MTV, when on came a band called Linkin Park. I loved the combination of the screaming vocals and rap, not to mention the sound of the electric guitar.

What started out with Linkin Park progressed to Korn, Rob Zombie, Slipknot, Disturbed, Apocalyptica and Amon Amarth – to name a few bands known by the average person.

While I was introduced to a world of wonderful bands, Linkin Park held a special place for me and I remained a great fan. Hybrid Theory and Meteora benchmarked Linkin Park as a nu-metal band, taking music to a new level with their brilliant and unique sound. 

Then came Minutes To Midnight. While the album wasn’t a complete disaster, it wasn’t the band’s best attempt either. But, I reasoned, no band can bring out masterpieces all the time. Korn’s Korn III: Remember Who You Are and Marilyn Manson’s High End Of The Low are good examples. 

However, the release of A Thousand Suns was like an asteroid the size of Texas hitting Earth. Enough said. 

Living Things review
When I first heard Linkin Park was bring out a new album I cringed ever so slightly.

One of my favourite online music webzine, Music Review, reviewed the album and gave it 85/100, stating that “LIVING THINGS is the band at its finest in years…”. The reviewer included that the group has (constantly) reaffirmed that they’ve moved away from the nu-metal sound. So I wasn’t expecting the Linkin Park that was.

The first three songs were listenable and it gave me the hope that I would be clicking on the ‘Like’ button on Linkin Park’s Facebook page. The tracks that followed made me realise that never again will I click that ‘Like’ button. 

A complete overkill on the electronic sounds, which drowns out Chester Bennington’s vocals on some parts, made me want to bounce the ball in mockery. Other songs made me want to take out the album and recheck that it really is Linkin Park and not some boy band from my previous life. Perhaps Linkin Park should contact Wade Robson to choreograph some synchronised moves for them during their next tour.

Both Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda have insanely brilliant voices. Mr Hahn clearly still got the moves and Rob, Brad and Phoenix are still masters in their respective instruments. The lyrics to the songs are still deep and meaningful, but the sound is awful.

I remember the last time I bought a Backstreet Boys album. I listened to the first two songs then shoved it in my CD collection and forgot about it. The same will happen to Linkin Park, the exception being that I listened to Living Things twice (all the way through).

Living Things is a sad reminder of a band that was and will never be again – and I can’t get over it.

Listenable tracks: Lost In Echo, In My Remains, Burn It Down – skip to track 7 – Victimized – eject CD.

About the scribbler

My photo
Lover of cats, books and red wine. Wife and mom-to-be.

Followers