Some interesting things out there

Gwynnie Paltrow and Madonna swear by Tracy Anderson and while I don't want to look like the knotted piece of gristle that Madge is, I think Gwyneth is looking good. Plus she got Scarlett Johansson onto this regime and as a result she has lost almost 7 kilos for the new Iron Man film. Now that has been over less than 2 months training.

With all of these great people and methods it can be a bit difficult to choose who or what is the best style to adopt for this regime. So I will download Tracy's online guides and attempt them after the David Kirsch fortnight - and after trying them I'll give some feedback!

I want this blog to be a culmination of ideas, methods and proven results that can be a bit of a reference for whoever is interested - so please give me any tips on who/what I could have a look into!

Today is the day! Rehab time for me...

What I am going to do is break down this 'lifestyle regime' into 3 lots of 2 week methods.

Weeks 1&2

• No alcohol mid-week
• Walking to & from work each day
• Lighter meals in the evenings (soups and salads)
• Start some light cardio exercise
• Reduce caffine intake to 2 per day (so for me this will be my morning coffee and mid morning or afternoon tea)
• Start taking my antioxidant tablets each day
  
• Drink no less than 8 glasses of water each day
• Slowly increase exercise and start pilates classes (once I get paid!)
  

Weeks 3&4

• Start the David Kirsch diet and work out plan for pre UNYBP
• This will mean starting at the gym & no alcohol at all whatsoever (sniff)

Weeks 5&6

• Start the UNYBP (clicky)
  
• So this is 2 weeks of intense workouts and restricted in take of foods such as carbs, dairy, fruits, sugars, alcohol and any processed foods.

After this I am going to try to harness another form of eating and living - the French style! Mireille Guiliano wrote French Women Don't Get Fat - and I get it. I love cooking and I love the idea of daily exercise coming from the way that you. Futhermore, Madame Guiliano and I agree that champagne should never have a reason to be consumed... we should do it whenever we please (in moderation).

So wish me luck - today(and this week) is going to be difficult for me to implement much as

1. I am dirt poor and can only afford to eat cheap food
2. Technically I'm starting at midnight tonight (because of above reason)
3. It's easter and we are flooded with easter eggs!
   

When will this all start?

Right - now that I've stopped my blog from turning into Arabic text (I clicked a button that did it)...

I have consumed my second cupcake for the day - each one was from a different publisher. So it is time to put in a time line and a plan. I am going to say 1st April - but I may push it back to the 8th depending on whether I can get out of some planned parties.

The Challenges ahead

1. Work - I know for a fact that there will be loads of mornings fuelled only by coffee and toast that I will have to substitute.
   
2. Home - I live with my boyfriend and another guy so the food consumption is against me. They are always ordering from Pizza Rio (which is so deliciously good) or making massive steak and chips, pasta or Oporto - it really isn't fair at all. I never stood a chance, that food is just impossible to day no to.
3. Friday nights - it starts off with the well deserved beer/wine at around 4pm and continues until 7pm when we all head off. This normally leads onto a dinner (more wine) then onto a bar (vodka, gin) and then onto another bar (tequila shots) then home onto a friends place (more wine or beer) then bed. Followed by a bacon and egg roll the next morning to feel better.
4. Weekends - saturday afternoons while it is sunny calls for a bottle of champange to be popped or a beer while you are basking in the sun. Also there will be yum cha or fish and chips if we go to the beach.
5. Me - when I am stressed at work I crave sweet things, or something to nibble on. When I am bored and watching a DVD or television I normally snack on cheese and crackers or popcorn.

However - it isn't all bad!

I used to really love eating on a strict regime and exercising for at least an hour each day. I was living in different circumstance then (at home, in the country and not working 8-6pm) so I am sure that this helped. Furthermore I don't think I have let myself go too much - so hopefully I will be able to deliver some decent results within a month.

The plan

I've been working in Media for just over a year now and two things are very important to me at the moment. The first of these is getting the Carat blog up and running as I do see this as an important way to get involved in social media and seeing what influence it can have on people. The second this is my ever expanding waist line and lack of physical activity - this coming from me becoming accustomed to the media lifestyle rather quickly, hence my title 'Wine and Cupcakes'. At no stage during my studies at University did I have publishers temping me with cupcakes at 10am nor did I get access to so much free booze!

I have had a wonderful time working here but I do believe that there comes a time when you need to review your lifestyle if you have to start buying larger jeans and have more hangovers a month than David Hasslehoff.

I'm not sure when I will start this health kick - but I am thinking within the next fortnight.