Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Virgin Active - Back to Basics

After three years, I'm finally back at Virgin Active. Very strange to be a member of a mixed club again, before joining VA,  I was part of Zone Fitness for Women in Tygervalley (and then we moved...), and Curves - also for women in Stellenbosch (who decided to move..)



Being back at a large gym definently has it's advantages (and it's disadvantages...)


         Advantages:
  • I can keep a proper record of my weight, body fat % and blood pressure
  • There are more than five treadmills available
  • They offer a large variety of group exercise classes, including hip hop, funk dance & zumba
  • There's a steam room and a pool (not that I'll be doing any swimming...)
  • Kauai!

              Disadvantages:
    • It's noisy during peak times and hard to listen to music you've brought - even at full volume
    • Lot's of sweaty people :/
    • Getting used to the few who are only there for the sake of ogling the other sex

    All in all, I'm really happy to be back and excited to get back into shape for summer and bikini ready! Three months and counting..

    Thursday, July 7, 2011

    Insomnia


    The last time I had really bad insomnia was when I was in Matric and busy writing exams. Since then, I've slept like a baby every night...every night until last night. I don't know what it was,  but my brain refused to let me go to sleep. I couldn't stop thinking about things, it was like there was a movie playing in my head that just wouldn't turn off! I tried all the usual remedies - counting sheep, I got up and made myself a cup of milo, I read a few pages from my book....but nothing seemed to help. 3am was the last time I looked at the clock and I'm not sure what time I eventually got to sleep.

    I found a few useful sites on insomnia, trust good old google to have all the answers - let's hope a few of these help tonight or when next insomnia decides to strike.

           Well Known Remedies for Insomnia
    • Eat a bedtime snack
    • Avoid caffeine, alcohol and nicotine
    • Sleep in a well-ventilated room
    • Get some physical excercise during the day
    • If you can't sleep, get up
    • Avoid illuminated bedside clocks
    • Get up earlier
    • Drink herbal tea / warm milk
    • Take a warm bath / have a massage
    • Avoid stimulating activity or stressful situations before bed
    • Practice deep breathing
    • Yoga and meditation
    • And of course counting sheep or other animals helps for some!

    And for interests sake, a few common causes of Insomnia...

    • Are you under a lot of stress?
    • Are you depressed? Do you feel emotionally flat or hopeless?
    • Do you struggle with chronic feelings of anxiety or worry?
    • Have you recently gone through a traumatic experience?
    • Are you taking any medications that might be affecting your sleep?
    • Do you have any health problems that may be interfering with sleep?
    • Is your sleep environment quiet and comfortable?
    • Do you try to go to bed and get up around the same time every day?

    Sunday, July 3, 2011

    Poetry


    This post has been deleted by the author