Warriors Can Resist Cupcakes

It has not been as easy as I thought it would be. I have been wee-ing like it's going out of fashion but guess what? I still am thirsty. I down 3 litres a day as well as part of the Detox.

Courtesy of Where Magazine

What I have found is that there is a lot of time commitment involved in being a Warrior. Having said that, you will agree that any thing you expect good results from will require some amount of time commitment.

I have enjoyed being a warrior especially as yesterday was exercise free. I did struggle on Thursday though. I found the push ups so hard but guess what? Afterwards, I sat through a 3 hour meeting with a tin of cupcakes in front of me and just enjoyed their beauty and inhaled the aroma without thinking of reaching for them. In fact one of my co-warriors is a cupcake maker.

The key for me now is to get better organised. I think cutting up some of the green juice ingredients ahead could save a few minutes in the morning such as celery and cucumbers.

Other ingredients are cocoa nibs, cinnamon, blueberries, a handful of green leaves, coconut milk and coconut water which all taste amazing.

So, stay with me and I'll let you know once Nikki starts taking on a new set for her 21 day detox programme.

P.S: This detox will not make you hungry it's full of veg, salmon, venison and yummy coconuts x

Why I'm A Warrior

If you remember a while ago I blogged about shedding my post-natal weight. Well, as I'm still post-natal and the weight is still evident I decided it was time to wage war against the bulge.

Courtesy:John Christian Fjellestad

Luckily, a friend on Facebook who is a trainer, Nikki held a competition and how lucky am I to be among the chosen few called Warriors.

It's a 21 day programme and today is day 1. I have exercised parts of my body I didn't know had muscles - my thighs - hamstrings for example.

However, I'm no novice when it comes to warring against the bulge. Name it I've done it - Dukan, Weight Watchers, Juice Machine and some I don't even remember now. My issue with them is that I don't see myself continuing the way recommended.

Have a look at Nikki's page on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/357417637850/. Look at her posts from day to day and you'll see she's real and committed. Plus, all the things she asks are do-able.

Even my Mum won't believe I can do push-ups not to talk of a burpee! Burpees are hardcore man! Anyway, keep checking to see what I'm up to in the 21 day Warrior programme. I'll be updating this blog on Monday, Wednesday and Friday for the next 21 days. Don't miss out on this battle.

What would you do if your child received 48kg of chocolate in the post?

I'm not taking the piss at Omar Shah's mother because she was reluctant at her son's decision to take part in a competition run by the Jeddah Hilton to win some chocolate. Well, how did he end up with his own weight in chocolate being delivered at home then? Quite simply the competition was to guess what a 2.5 metre chocolate camel weighed.

I think once I got that phone call to say we'd be getting 48 kg of chocolate, I'd start writing out a list of people I could send chocolate boxes. Or, check the expiry and save them as Christmas gifts? Selfish, stingy? Ok, what would you do?

You can read the full article here.

Want to Live Long? Eat Chocolate

Photo:Josephine Tesauro

I just read an article about a 100 year old who credits chocolate for keeping her going. Her daughter says that Edna Hoover, her mother eats some chocolate everyday and up to 2 pounds a week! If you're thinking what I'm going to say next is go ye and do likewise then my answer is no.

I think life is all about balance. And I'm sure Edna eats a balanced diet or did or might not at all and is just lucky to have a strong body. My maternal grandmother died at 92 and enjoyed her chocolates regularly. However, I remember she ate very balanced meals and always had breakfast fit for a queen. She may not always have though.

I am a stickler for balance and I hate regret. I am committed to doing what is right as much as I can especially if it's in my power to do so. Eat some chocolate - preferably some with a decent amount of cocoa and enjoy it but also try to do what's recommended - 5 fruit and veg a day etc. I can't say I'm there yet but I do try.

What every business can learn from LinkedIn

I've recently become more of a LinkedIn addict simply because the profiling is more detailed so I really know who I'm connecting with (to an extent). One thing I have noticed in the last one month is the amount of changes that take place on LinkedIn almost everyday.

I've just logged in this evening to find that the way my inbox is configured has changed and I like it. Only last night I was looking for a message from a new contact and found it difficult to identify because I couldn't remember her exact name but I knew she had recently sent me an invitation to connect.

Well, today as I logged in I saw that LinkedIn had separated the invitations from the messages. How useful is that! And I say that as opposed to Facebook's new 'Like' Ok...I thought that was what being a fan meant?' or Twitter's 'Retweets' that can't be edited'. As a business, it's important to keep innovating but I think considering how useful it will be to the end user should be priority.

Love Your Chocolate and Lose Baby Weight

I am several months post natal and have decided it's time to shed the baby weight. I was however happy to see two celebrity Mums who have just had babies as well talk about their diets but not as if it's a do or die affair.

I read in the US Magazine that Kendra Wilkinson recently visited a chocolate factory not quite 3 months after giving birth, then had a chilli hotdog and even joked about it saying she's on a chocolate and hotdog diet.

Zoe Ball also confesses to eating some chocolate in the evening while watching TV. Yet, she has lost 2 stone already!

Credit:Isaac Brekken/Wireimage.com

I think it's important to decide to diet but not kill yourself if you via off or have to eat something you shouldn't. If you're dieting it should be for your own good and benefit not for your Mum's best friend's niece who lost the 3 stone she gained a month after giving birth.

We all can't be Tess Daly in a bikini 10 weeks after. We're all different. I can only promise to do my best and be happy with my results. Wish me good luck :)

Making the best of follow friday

If you're on Twitter, you might have found that it's quite easy to get distracted by Follow Friday as you get mentioned several times. Maybe you are ignoring it altogether as some sort of popularity contest that you cant trust or just dont have time for. However, you can make the best of every Follow Friday if you keep your goals and objectives in mind on Friday. Even if you don't tag people on Fridays, as your followers start tagging stay focused by asking yourself:

1. Who are the people I need to connect with that will make my time on Twitter worthwhile? Use Follow Friday to find these people. If you've followed a few good contacts watch out for who they hash tag with a follow Friday. Check out their profiles and decide if they're worth a follow.

2. Can I relax now? Yes and No. Yes because you are now using Follow Fridays to do the right thing - find new followers which will shortly bring you new ones as well. No because you have to be consistent. You dont have to do it every week but do make it part of your Twitter strategy. 

It may be Friday but still keep your business antennas tuned for the few minutes you'll spend tweeting. How do you use Follow Friday or is it a distraction?