Time for change

The time has come to make some drastic, dramatic changes in my life... time to re-take control of my life, my health, my family's health and well-being, and my home! Time to take the bull by the horns (plural, please note), time to shape up or ship out, come right, however you care to see it; before death do I part!

Fact is it's time for change! Serious, life-changing change!

"What happened, who put a cracker up your arse?", you may be wondering. Well I've known for a while now I'm not the healthiest looking or feeling chop around but a long chat with my mother on Sunday night sparked that cracker up my arse and got me thinking quite seriously about my life and where it's going in terms of my health and lifestyle. Nothing she said to me was new to me, I've just been too lazy, drunk or hungover to take seriously the fact that I have been killing myself slowly with my lifestyle, though with good intentions of changing my ways at some stage or another, but "just not today, it's been a kak day and I need a drink when I get home, and a cheese sandwich!".

But no not just change with the drinking, as my alcoholism is no secret, but also with the crap I eat, the smoking, lack of exercise, and general unhealthy and lazy lifestyle!

I know I've had this photography thing going, and it's still going as seriously as when it started, it's given me something to focus on and at least make some constructive use of my semi-pickled brain. The progress with the course and the photography training in general has been slow going despite my efforts and intentions, a lot of time has been lost and wasted being drunk and hungover all too often. And of course there's the small matter of a family to attend to, let alone a home which has fallen by the wayside in it's running and maintenance, again thanks to the booze.

AND, yes you're right I did recently "give up the bottle", which I did wholeheartedly and determinedly, but like the previous few attempts it didn't last! I won't bother listing the reasons that justify sticking my head back in the bottle yet again because it will just be a list of futile excuses. And I'm not promising this time it's forever either, I've learned about making that commitment publicly and then going back on it sheepishly. But as always the intentions are there!

This time it's different in my mind because I have honestly realized that my lifestyle, not just my drinking, is going to kill me before I reach 40 if I don't make a massive U-turn on the direction I'm heading! But also, this time it's different because it's not just me making a futile attempt at major change and tackling it all by myself with few people aware, let alone giving a shit; this time I'm dragging my wife with me!

Family diet; cutting down portion sizes, cutting out snacks, cheese, bread, etc, and generally tackling a healthier eating lifestyle of which we still need to design a plan.

On top of that we are going to gym again. At least twice a week, EVERY week!

We have set ourselves a target, one which I think is quite generous, of each losing 5kg by Christmas. If we both get there we will reward ourselves with a holiday in January, if either of us fails then no holiday, and whoever doesn't meet the target has to sign up for a marathon of at least 15km in January! So far Liezel is keen, she said so with her dessert of cheese on toast and a bag of popcorn in hand last night!

I've stuck up a chart outside our bathroom whereby we will weigh ourselves every morning and log it to track progress and motivate each other if either slacks off.

Personally, I am setting myself a goal of reaching 90kg by February next year, currently I'm at 104.5kg. That's nearly 15 kg in 3 and a half months!

Also as part of this big health drive plan, we are going to put up a whiteboard in the kitchen and plan our meals, lunch and dinner, weekly, based on a set of healthy recipes. Each day's meals will fall under a roster which will also include planned activities for each evening, eg walk on the beach on Mondays, gym on Tuesdays (the whole family), Tammy's swimming on Wednesday, sort & fold & pack washing on Thursday, etc, something like that. We'll sit down and plan it out in the next few days. Our grocery shopping will be done weekly and according to the meal planner, which should work out cheaper than our usual random trolley loads of heart-stopping crap!

I am also now on a mission, as part of the plan and as a distraction to the booze, to catch up on all maintenance and DIY that needs doing around the house on weekends, like fixing stuff, clear and tidy my garage, get my garden looking like some sort of living garden and not a desert with 2 shaggy trees, install the intercom, etc. All stuff that could have been easily done over time already, had I not been rendered useless by hangovers at least one day of every weekend!

This all sounds great and glamorous and you probably don't believe a word of it. But I am dead serious, before I really am dead! All of this is for my daughter! The thought of what will happen to her if both her parents are dead because we didn't look after ourselves is terrifying, I can't have her grow up without parents, and I for one am going to make sure I see her grow up and live her life, and be a positive part of that life as the dad she adores!

Thanks mom for the kick in the chops that I needed! And thanks Liezel for the support!

Watch this space, soon you will see photo's of a family looking fit and healthy and happy!