Lockdown, laziness and lippy

Let’s be honest, since working from home, have your clothes become comfier, baggier, contain a lot more Lycra?  Has your image gone from glam to grim?  Do you now consider walking from the lounge to the kitchen and up the stairs a full-on workout?  Have you become a bit more angry with life?

Lockdown:

To be honest, I feel I’ve got off quite lightly and that’s down to a number of reasons but mainly keeping myself busy. As we all know, lockdown has affected people in many different ways.

What have I changed?

• We’ve all been negatively affected in some way by lockdown but, unlike most of society these days, I prefer to keep a little mystery in my life.  
• The longer this drags on, the more creative I’ve become with my time. I’ve come up with new routines for home and exercise. I’ve kept busy plotting evil sessions for my fitness clients. 
• I talk to the people I need to when I’m having a bad day but no-one else needs to know the minutiae.

What can you change?

• Be aware of what you say to other people as it can change their perception of you for no real purpose or outcome.  Your words might imply you are coping when you’re not and vice-versa, you might have exaggerated things and caused other people to worry about you unnecessarily.
• Don’t ignore any underlying problems but try to keep yourself busy and on the go by doing different things or in different ways.
• This is not the time or place in a light-hearted blog such as this one but it goes without saying that if you’re really struggling then you should seek professional help.

Laziness:

Even me, a mildly obsessive fitness freak has struggled these last few months.  My running club has stopped for the time being and it’s been dark and miserable for the last few months.

What have I changed? 

• I decided not to torture myself and do something I wasn’t enjoying, so until the light mornings and evenings return I’ve been going out for a walk or run at lunchtime instead.
• I do yoga every morning to gently ease me into the day, usually followed by a short meditation session.
• After work I do whatever I’m in the mood for, which could be more yoga, weights or intervals on my exercise bike.

What can you change?

• Don’t battle on with an exercise routine that’s not working for you - change it!
• Do something different - if you have the opportunity then go out at lunchtime, even if it’s just for a 10 mins walk round the block.
• Are you missing your fitness buddies if you usually go to group sessions or play sport?  Why not try a live online fitness session.  Despite me having to move all my fitness sessions to Zoom, my clients love the fact that they can still see everyone.  It's the social side they enjoy, just as much as the fitness.

Lippy:

Back in the old days when I went to the office every day (remember that time?), I used to wear dresses and high heels; it was part of being my ‘work me’.  I’m one of those people who likes the split between ‘work me’ and ‘home me’.  The first thing I used to do when getting home from work was change into my workout gear or joggers and t-shirt.  Over the last 10 months, the ‘work me’ and ‘home me’ has become a bit more blurred round the edges so a few weeks ago, I decided that things had to change.

What have I changed?

• I obviously still want to feel comfortable whilst working from home so I’ve treated myself to a couple of easy to wear comfy dresses and tops that are a bit more glam than a t-shirt and hoodie.
• I haven’t skimped on the make-up, for a bit of extra glam it’s full-on mascara, eye-shadow and lippy.
• I've turned this into a bit of a joke but my weekly Thursday night shopping trip is turning into a big night out.  Last week's supermarket outfit consisted of a chiffon low cut animal print blouse, slim fitting black trousers, high heeled boots and the rock chick look was finished with tousled bedhead hair and smoky eyes.  I think the nice young man on the checkout at Tesco has marked me as 'cougar' grrr.  Come on, you've got to take your opportunities while you can and have a laugh!!

What can you change?

• Spice things up a bit, do your hair differently, treat yourself to a new glam Zoom friendly outfit or wear something different than you normally do.
• If all fails, put some bright red lippy on to give yourself a boost. Sorry guys, I’m not sure what the equivalent would be?!

On a slightly more serious note, when you feel good within yourself it DOES make a difference to your outlook on life.  Your challenge next week is to do more things that make you feel good about yourself. Is it time to get out those hair straighteners or curlers again?!  Put a bit of fun and glam back into your life. 

Please remember that these blogs are my own light hearted take on life from my own perspective, so don’t get all arsey with me and say “oh it’s alright for you”. Humour is my way of dealing with things.  Just saying!!

#2021