It’s time to get serious with my health and lifestyle. I need to make some changes and I need to do it right now. Why do I need to make some serious health and lifestyle changes? I’m a 47 year old mother of 2 teenage boys, very small boned, carrying almost 15 kilos of excess weight around my torso, have an underactive thyroid and a family history of Lupus and other autoimmune diseases. I have not regularly exercised since my teens, although over the years I’ve joined about 10 different gyms, gone crazy for about 3 weeks then stopped. I watch people who exercise in group sessions at local parks and wish I could do that too, but then I go home and eat some chocolate!

Did I mention that I’m also a serious chocoholic and can’t go a day without chocolate? I’d like to think I’m a reasonably healthy eater because I’m careful not to eat processed foods, I don’t drink very often, I mainly eat dark chocolate and I stay away from preservatives, artificial colours and flavours. However, I eat large portions, I eat chocolate often, I eat when I’m bored, I eat chocolate often, I don’t eat enough vegetables and did I mention that I eat chocolate often? I think you’ve got the picture now. Basically I kid myself I’m quite healthy because I do some of the right things, but really I’m a long way behind where I should be.

I have seen some recent photos that have really made me feel disgusted with myself. My belief on weight loss is this – not everyone is thin and not everyone looks good thin. In fact most people look better with some weight, including me. I have always been very tiny, so seeing myself looking weighty is quite a shock to me. Others would say I already look small. As they say, beauty is all in the eye of the beholder. To me I look awful.   I certainly wouldn't "do" me!   People may say I'm being harde on myself but read on ... it's not only about looks.

Today I had a couple of conversations that involved talking about life's simple pleasures.  I thought I'd make a list of some of my favourite things.   I'm actually humming the song from The Sound of Music as I type ...

• Seeing the people I love, laughing and smiling
• Kisses & cuddles from my boys (Mike, the teenagers and Sammy the dog - except not kisses from Sammy - that wouldn't be right - that would be rather gross and not deserving of this list)
• Friday nights - the thought of two whole days where I don't have a morning routine
• A hot cup of tea with a naughty Scotch Finger biscuit for dunking
• Getting the first load of firewood for winter and knowing I can light the fire that night (it's nearly time)
• Going to bed when it is raining - we have a tin roof outside our bedroom window
• The smell of Jasmine
• Picking fresh herbs from the garden
• Twitter of course - couldn't put it at the top because I don't want to look like an addict.  (I'm not an addict you know - really I'm not)
• Reading blogs - this is a relatively new favourite, but I'm hooked.
• Curling up in front of the fire with a book (or even the laptop and Twitter - but I'm not an addict)
• Mike & I taking our dog for a walk
• Walking really early in the morning as the sun rises
• Working from home when it is raining and staying in my pyjamas all day
• Hearing a favourite song from years ago that instantly makes me feel good
• The smell of puppies (they smell like sausages)
• The smell of babies (they smell like babies)
• Dark chocolate Tim Tams
• Full Moons
• Tulips (and Tiny Tim singing Tiptoe through the Tulips - yes I'm a teensy bit strange - but that song reminds me of when I was 2)
• The smell of washing as you get it off the line
• An afternoon nanna nap with Mike and when we wake up it is dark (I love that)

They are some of the simple things in my life that make me feel good inside ... what makes you feel good?