// Health and Fitness
The Glass is Half Empty
This morning I became aware (again, if I’m totally honest) that I really am a glass half empty type of person.
I noticed over the last couple of days that I have been tripping over the bottoms of my jeans. Not in a major way, mind, just finding that they catch my heel occasionally.
And, after a day or so of this, I have finally realized that the problem is they are sliding down because there is now, without a belt, quite a sizeable gap between my waist and that of the jeans.
Now, you’d have thought that - for someone as obsessed with their weight as I am - I could take this as a good thing, a sign that I am well on the way to becoming a buff beach-bronzed Adonis and that maybe I could give myself a pat on the back and adjust my self-image accordingly, wouldn’t you?
But no. My first thought was “oh, bloody hell - I have to buy more sodding jeans”.
On Planet Rob, it seems, every silver lining has a cloud.
Posted on June 2, 2008 | Filed Under Health and Fitness, My So-Called Life | 1 Comment
Now I’m only falling apart.
A word to the wise… if, for whatever reason, you finally decide to get your sagging arse back down the gym for - oh, I don’t know - say, the first time this year, you really should be a bit careful about it. You know, ease yourself in, take it a bit slowly and don’t just throw yourself into it with gay abandon.
Because if you don’t, you don’t so much hit the gym as it hits you.
Not that I have any personal experience of this you understand.
(Whimper.)
Posted on January 22, 2008 | Filed Under Health and Fitness | 4 Comments
Gay MRSA
Here’s a little story that takes the whole concept of STDs to a new level: a virulent form of MRSA which can be contracted simply by touching.
Sadly, since it has so far been 13 times more prevalent in gay men in San Francisco than in other people, it’s something that seems to be getting known as the “Gay MRSA” which is really annoying - although thankfully BBC News is a little more balanced in its reporting.
I think the thing which annoys me most with the “Gay MRSA” tag is the fact that - like with HIV’s previous status as “the gay disease” - it creates a feeling of complacency in the straight community. And as we all now know, although in HIV’s case the initial stages of the epidemic in the “developed” world were largely restricted to gay men, the reverse is now true. (Interestingly, the earliest cases are now believed to date from as early as 1959 and involve straight people).
But no, calling it “Gay MRSA” is a nice easy piece of tabloid shorthand - no matter what the dangers of lodging that idea in the public consciousness might be.
To be honest, I’d even argue it’s not technically an STD since it’s transmitted through any form of skin-to-skin contact. This means that anyone who has physical contact with anyone is actually at risk. Wrestlers are mentioned in the article - for a spot of balance you understand - but you do have to ask the question: do straight people not shake hands?
There are times I think we should bring back public information films because people seem to be getting increasingly stupid. Trouble is, in affairs like this it’s common sense really that leads the way, so any advice is likely to be a bit KYTV in its content:
If you are a sexually active gay male, or a wrestler, or sexually active gay wrestler, and you are concerned about Gay MRSA…
DO!
- Shower after sex with a good supply of hot water and an antibacterial shower gel.
- Avoid having multiple partners in the same period without washing.
- Check yourself regularly for boils and signs of infection.
DON’T!
- Lie face down in a sauna for three days letting hordes of sweaty strangers have their wicked way with you.
- Take part in a game of Naked Jelly Twister with anyone who has a suppurating skin condition.
- Marinade any boils or sores under a poultice of stale urine and a protective layer of cling-film.
Forewarned is Forearmed!
(That was a blisteringly patronising Public Information Film.)
Needless to say the Christian Right have seized upon this in a big way, missing the point totally.
Bless their little cotton brains.
Posted on January 17, 2008 | Filed Under Health and Fitness, The World we Live In | 0 Comments
Count ‘em.
Twelve pills I’ve just had. It’s ridiculous.
Between the Nurofen (oww!-ey back), Beechams (a cold is determined to bring me down, I can feel it forming), 5-Hydroxytryptophan (my SAD syndrome kicked in majorly two weeks ago and really left me feeling utterly depressed until I started taking it again), Conjugated Linoleic Acid (fat burner), Milk-thistle and Artichoke (system cleansing) and Fibre-sure (well, guess) it’s a wonder, frankly, I don’t rattle when I walk.
It’s a slippery slope, this supplements lark, I tell you.
Posted on December 10, 2007 | Filed Under Health and Fitness, My So-Called Life | 3 Comments
Furtively Fertile
Apparently men with deep voices are more likely to be more fertile according to a recent study.
Obviously I’m stymied in the reproductive stakes by the complete lack of interest in breeding and rearing (in any sense) children at all, but it’s nice to know all the same.
Posted on September 28, 2007 | Filed Under Health and Fitness, My So-Called Life | 0 Comments
Sugar-Dodging and the Potato-Swerve
What with the new job, I have taken to popping into WHSmith of a morning to stock up on Pepsi (Max, that is, not the full fat) and a couple of bottles of Lucozade Hydro-Active which, I must confess, I have rather taken to.
And every morning I suffer the onslaught of offers you can get from around the till-point. At the moment I am declining, on a daily basis, the offer of a pack of Haribo at half price. This is not, you understand, because I don’t like Haribo, but simply because at the moment I am trying to eschew sweets and anything too dangerously calorific.
Today, however, there was an additional trap. Having picked up a copy of some random periodical I also got an offer of a tube of Pringles too - again one which I politely declined for the sake of my somewhat amorphous waistline.
It does occur, however, that WHSMith’s current desperate touting of sweet and potato-based temptations is maybe not entirely in line with the current Government panic about obesity and making sure you get your five a day and so on.
Surely they should be pushing apples and bananas instead? Or just not be so heavy handed with the promotions?
Posted on September 3, 2007 | Filed Under Health and Fitness, Musings | 1 Comment
Of Work, Quizzes and Reduced Alcoholism.
Yes, yes, I know I’ve been a bit remiss in posting of late, but it’s been all go, I tell you.
I’ve started a new job, you see (or rather been enticed back to my old one) which has been occupying my thoughts more than anything else of late I must confess. So I’m now back in the exciting world of client reporting and busy rebranding / amending documentation, rewriting training materials and - only a week and half after joining - presenting training courses to clients.
Lord, I’d missed the training. I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed it actually.
And all told I’m feeling much more relaxed than I have done in quite some time actually. Which is evident from the fact my skin is starting to look less haggard and that my desire for alcohol has somewhat reduced. (In fact on many days I’m down to half what I used to tank away.)
The Vauxhall Griffin quiz is still going strong too. In fact, spurred on by a £300 jackpot the last two weeks (which is still to be won) and improved bonus prizes the number of attendees has increased hugely. In fact we had twenty teams on Tuesday which is unheard of. Admittedly controlling that size of audience is trickier and makes the marking a bit more fraught, but to be part of such a success is rather gratifying (and of course the pub’s happy because they’re raking it in).
So, if you’re not up to owt else on Tuesday night, why not pop along? Get there before 7:30 is my advise. I know we don’t start till eight but at this rate you won’t get a table otherwise.
And I can heartily recommend the food too. (Last orders for which are at 7:30.)
Posted on August 11, 2007 | Filed Under Health and Fitness, My So-Called Life | 0 Comments
Legs and Co.
The Personal Sadist decided the other day to do a leg-workout with me.
I have come to regret this decision.
We hadn’t done a session on my legs in about six months - I used to do some work on them in the days I went on my own, but what with work and play I’ve basically only been going to the gym when the sadist is making me go so legs have rather gone by the by.
Thursday afternoon they were so tired I could barely finish the crosstrainer session.
Friday I found myself going “ow” whenever I moved a leg. Walking was tricky.
Yesterday it was nigh on impossible. I could barely move without yelping and gasping and my attempts at going up and down stairs were something the flatmate found extremely amusing. Eventually as I found myself going step, “Argh!”, step, “Argh!”, step, “Argh!”, a voice came from the depths of his room: “Yeah, you like that, don’t you bitch?”
Sadly, at my age it’s probably the nearest I’ll get to taking part in a porn script. Ho hum.
Today I have more mobility, so perhaps by the time I see the sadist on Tuesday I’ll be able to run a mile.
Posted on May 13, 2007 | Filed Under Health and Fitness | 2 Comments
Finally! An Update…
Hello there! Gosh it’s been a while.
Thanks to all of you who have got in touch to offer kind words of encouragement and so on. I’m feeling rather more upbeat and relaxed at the moment, even if I still seem to be afflicted with hayfever of the most virulent kind and the dragging mucousy remains of a cold. Ho hum. It was ever thus!
So what have I been up to? Sleeping mainly, if truth be told. And having a good old think about what changes I need to make to my life to move forwards. The CV has had a much needed update for one - the boss actively encourages us to keep them updated as it happens, it’s just that I’ve just not had the time to do it in ages. I ran it past a couple of people I know and their only complaint was that they didn’t like the way the Garamond font italicised, so I think - once I’d altered that - it’s in pretty good shape now. I’m just awaiting some agency details from a former colleague and I’ll start whoring myself around I think (as it were).
Other than that the most notable events were a visit to the Popjustice! Live! event at “Punk” in Soho to see BWO (formerly Bodies Without Organs) in their first UK gig, lunch with young Simon yesterday (bless him) and the small matter of my 30th Birthday.
The birthday was rather good fun it must be said. I did get horribly (or more accurately “pleasantly”) trollied, at Rocktronica at Wyvils and got an excellent turnout and various presents of a serious, readable, drinkable and occasionally bizarre nature (TARDIS Can Cooler anyone?). Got to see lots of people I hadn’t seen in ages - my not-brother Paul and his lovely wife Ellie even turned up too on their way back to Kent which was lovely - and I got to hear a lot of tunes I hadn’t heard in ages too.
Carrying that much stuff through Vauxhall in order to find a taxi rank was a little disconcerting, though.
And BWO were fabulous. Martin, the lead singer, is - despite some shockingly bad photos for their latest album - absolutely stunning in the flesh. Sadly he didn’t show nearly enough of it, but on the plus side they also promised and delivered a “ballad-free” set which was just simply marvellous. (Popjustice’s notes on the evening suggested that this should be encouraged in all live acts - even if it would reduce Coldplay sets to about six minutes - a viewpoint with which I heartily agree.)
I’m now concentrating on flinging this cold out of the window, dosing myself up on Piriton and unwinding further and - since I now have a mood which is conducive to it - doing some actual writing. “Hosting Solutions” has approximately doubled in size already (admittedly this is only just over a 1000 words, but it’s a start).
Posted on April 26, 2007 | Filed Under Health and Fitness, My So-Called Life | 1 Comment
Argh! Mucus!
Trust me, eh?
I end up with an enforced period off work, start to relax and the first thing that happens is that allergies kick in and I start sneezing and being horribly snotty.
And this on top of the throat and ear thing.
Falling apart. I may not actually arrive at tomorrow in one piece.
Posted on April 20, 2007 | Filed Under Health and Fitness, My So-Called Life | 2 Comments