Last night after work, myself, Curly and our friend D Dog were sitting on the verandah having a 'shmoke and a pancake' and the topic of the upcoming local elections came up.
Curly: "I feel really guilty that I didn't register" (which he should, but in fairness was in between homes so didn't know what his local ward was)
D Dog: "I don't, I don't care."
And that comment made me want to rage.
And I told him so, saying then fine he has no right to complain about our Government. Nothing. I don't want to hear a word about corruption, potholes, road works, expensive electricity etc etc etc.
"But I pay taxes."
No D-Dog that is not enough.
If every person thought like you there would be no chance in ever making a change to government.
And even though the DA is not going to be taking over running the country any time soon, the local elections give the opportunity to elect your DA ward councillor - who will be the person instrumental in making changes to your suburb, your street!
And what with all the in-fighting the ANC is doing at the moment and the debacle over candidates not being put on lists etc, now is the time for the DA to show off Cape Town as their service delivery example and grab hold of wavering votes!
So yes, D-Dog, you should care.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
What motivates me?
This post on Spark People really struck a cord with me...what really motivates me to go to gym at 5.50am in the cold and ark - or snuggle back in to bed.
If you marked this statement True, and gave it a high score (5+), you are relying too much on external (extrinsic) forms of motivation and need to work on developing your internal (intrinsic) motivation.
There is nothing at all wrong with extrinsic motivation—we all need to see some concrete, measurable progress towards equally concrete and measurable goals. But, since these external results are so fickle and unpredictable when it comes to weight loss, you also need some internal motivation to keep you going when the scale (or your body) isn’t cooperating with your expectations. Here’s a simple exercise you can do to find out which sources of internal motivation might work best for you:
Imagine you live on a planet where scales and mirrors have never existed, where everyone wears one-size-fits-all unisex robes that effectively disguise their actual physical appearances. There are no standard height and weight charts, and your doctor has never heard of the Body Mass Index or waist-to-hip ratios. How will you decide whether your body is the way you want it to be? If you decide some changes are necessary, how will you know whether you are making progress towards those changes?
For example, ask yourself how you’re handling everyday tasks, like squatting down to pick something up, getting up from a chair, or working on your feet all day. If you’re carrying some extra weight, it may begin to affect your performance or comfort level when doing these activities. To make things easier, you may decide to reduce your calorie intake to get back down to a manageable size and building strength to make moving easier. Set a concrete, measurable goal that will make you feel better—like getting up out of the chair without using your arms—and set up an exercise program that will strengthen your muscles and improve your endurance. Keep track of your progress by noticing changes in your ability to handle your daily activities.
Use the same approach if your physical condition is causing problems with your moods or energy levels. Remember when you felt mostly good and ask yourself what you did to feel that way (not what your weight may have been). Start doing more of what you did then, as best you can, and experiment with different exercises and foods until you come up with options that help you feel the way you want to.
You get the basic idea here: weight is not the real problem, and losing weight is not the real solution. The problem is how you feel and what you can do. The solution is doing things that make you feel better (physically and mentally) and improve your functional abilities. To find out what those things are, you need to look inside yourself and observe what happens when you try different things.
Once you have some ideas along these lines, try to turn them into specific goals and measurable outcomes you can incorporate into your SparkPeople program.
For the full article, follow this link.
True or False: My motivation seems to depend on what the scale (or tape measure, fit of my clothes, etc.) says. I feel motivated when I see results, but unmotivated when I don’t. SCORE (1-10): _____
If you marked this statement True, and gave it a high score (5+), you are relying too much on external (extrinsic) forms of motivation and need to work on developing your internal (intrinsic) motivation.
There is nothing at all wrong with extrinsic motivation—we all need to see some concrete, measurable progress towards equally concrete and measurable goals. But, since these external results are so fickle and unpredictable when it comes to weight loss, you also need some internal motivation to keep you going when the scale (or your body) isn’t cooperating with your expectations. Here’s a simple exercise you can do to find out which sources of internal motivation might work best for you:
Imagine you live on a planet where scales and mirrors have never existed, where everyone wears one-size-fits-all unisex robes that effectively disguise their actual physical appearances. There are no standard height and weight charts, and your doctor has never heard of the Body Mass Index or waist-to-hip ratios. How will you decide whether your body is the way you want it to be? If you decide some changes are necessary, how will you know whether you are making progress towards those changes?
For example, ask yourself how you’re handling everyday tasks, like squatting down to pick something up, getting up from a chair, or working on your feet all day. If you’re carrying some extra weight, it may begin to affect your performance or comfort level when doing these activities. To make things easier, you may decide to reduce your calorie intake to get back down to a manageable size and building strength to make moving easier. Set a concrete, measurable goal that will make you feel better—like getting up out of the chair without using your arms—and set up an exercise program that will strengthen your muscles and improve your endurance. Keep track of your progress by noticing changes in your ability to handle your daily activities.
Use the same approach if your physical condition is causing problems with your moods or energy levels. Remember when you felt mostly good and ask yourself what you did to feel that way (not what your weight may have been). Start doing more of what you did then, as best you can, and experiment with different exercises and foods until you come up with options that help you feel the way you want to.
You get the basic idea here: weight is not the real problem, and losing weight is not the real solution. The problem is how you feel and what you can do. The solution is doing things that make you feel better (physically and mentally) and improve your functional abilities. To find out what those things are, you need to look inside yourself and observe what happens when you try different things.
Once you have some ideas along these lines, try to turn them into specific goals and measurable outcomes you can incorporate into your SparkPeople program.
For the full article, follow this link.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Most useful present in the world
Thanks to my dear Mumsie there is no need for me to be scrambling in the bottomless pit that is my bag for my keys or phone.....or realise that I left my business cards in my other bag......or that once again I don't have tissues....
All problems are solved thanks to my new Kangaroo Keeper.
Me suggests every girl gets themselves one asap x
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
10 things I learnt this weekend...
- Splashy Fen was awesome!!
- Splashy Fen was awesome!!
- Splashy Fen was awesome!!
- Splashy Fen was awesome!!
- Splashy Fen was awesome!!
- Splashy Fen was awesome!!
- Splashy Fen was awesome!!
- Splashy Fen was awesome!!
- Splashy Fen was awesome!!
- Splashy Fen was awesome!!
My piece of Africa
Here's a little snapshot of home - Dundee, a little town nestled in the heart of the Battlefields route in northern KZN.
This is Africa
Welcome to the newest section of the blog - T.I.A - a random compilation of beautiful pics taken across South Africa (and further if I start crossing borders)..... just small reminders of the land we live in and too often cannot see through the haze of corruption, work pressure and crime.
An absolutely stunning wedding venue where my friends, Jill and Bejangles tied the knot last weekend.
Besides the very long drive down (11 hours of roadworks, stopping off in 1 horse towns and a flat tyre right next to a grooving shebeen)...it was a magical weekend.
Game lodge accomodation, beautiful scenery (despite the thunder showers that forced the ceremony in doors) and yummy food (warthog was the wedding feast....slightly disturbing after seeing warthog running around the lodge grounds all day) and best of all - wonderful friends, old and new
xxx
 |
| Pongola Game Reserve, KZN |
An absolutely stunning wedding venue where my friends, Jill and Bejangles tied the knot last weekend.
Besides the very long drive down (11 hours of roadworks, stopping off in 1 horse towns and a flat tyre right next to a grooving shebeen)...it was a magical weekend.
Game lodge accomodation, beautiful scenery (despite the thunder showers that forced the ceremony in doors) and yummy food (warthog was the wedding feast....slightly disturbing after seeing warthog running around the lodge grounds all day) and best of all - wonderful friends, old and new
xxx
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