Forget about the price tag...

21^st February 2012

The things in life truly worth having don't come with a price tag.

I downloaded a 10 mile training plan yesterday and I’m going to see if I can get my level of fitness up to that level, I started running last August and over the last month or two or three, it’s slowed down to once a week, even once a fortnight because it is difficult to get the enthusiasm to go out in the freezing cold when you’re not 100%.  I thought following a plan would give me some focus, so yesterday I started on day 7 of week 3 of 12 weeks as that’s where I thought my fitness level was, we shall see!  I did 40 minutes which was 3.65 mile, it wasn’t pleasant but I’m sure it will get easier, I got on holiday at the end of May and would love to be able to do a ten mile run along the coastal path or country lanes.

I’m still eating healthy and not drinking and yesterday I had the tastiest tea, fried egg and baked beans on granary toast – oh my word, I don’t remember the last time I had that for my tea but it really was scrumptious.  I fried the egg in oil and put butter on the toast and it was worth every one of the 16pp it cost me, the beauty of running for 40 minutes is the activity ProPoints it earns me.  Everything is okay in moderation including oil and butter.  Did you know there’s approximately 50 ProPoints in a half pound block of butter, so obviously you wouldn’t eat it straight from the packet as a snack, but we’ve had the block in our house for over a week already and we’re not even halfway through it, so as long as you don’t eat things too quickly it’s okay.  It’s a bit like the chocolate Philadelphia cheese I mentioned the other day, mines still in the fridge with about a tablespoon gone, one of my members was telling me yesterday how she’d eaten the whole tub ;) moderation really is key to long term success.  And some foods just taste so much better when cooked in a certain way and fried egg with toast and butter is one of those times.

I ordered a book that arrived yesterday and I can’t wait to read it, ‘The World Book of Happiness’  in it 100 leading experts in positive psychology from 50 countries share the best ways to find and keep happiness in our lives.  I personally believe if you can find inner happiness you can cope with anything, even this recession we appear to be in the middle of!

I know I’ve often heard my mom say, “when I win the lottery, I’ll…..”, but would it make you any happier – I’m guessing you’re all nodding right now!  But according to this book, not necessarily, what would you do if you did come into money – save it, buy something or give it to a good cause?  And which of those would make you happiest? 

Well according to the expert who wrote one piece in my book, money and material possessions are often said to hold the key to happiness but can money really buy everything, even happiness?  Surprising but compelling research has concluded that money has little capacity to make us happy, and that happiness gained through material wealth fades quickly. 

Psychology teaches us that happiness originates from satisfying, loving relationships and reliable and trustworthy friends; from the ability to enjoy the pleasures of life; and from a meaningful and socially relevant job.   You may agree or disagree, but looking round I tend to agree, I’ve visited very poor countries where the children laugh all day long and I’ve seen the damage having money can do to people in the media.  I was at my most unhappiest when I was earning my biggest wage and driving the company car, one reason being I spent more time working than I did living.

The key points of what I read were;

-      Don’t imagine that you can buy happiness with money.

-      Happiness bought with money soon melts away.

-      Instead, invest in relationships and friendships – and enjoy them.

-      Look for a job which is meaningful both for you and for society.

I feel fortunate to have found such a job.

Can’t wait to read the rest of the book, and later on today I might revisit my sunshine list, which for those who don’t know is my list of things that make me smile, as from memory I know twenty pound notes aren’t on there ;-)

Enjoy your day, smile and go eat something you really enjoy guilt free – you are allowed to take pleasure in your food, even when you’re losing weight. xx