I work from home, a lot. I like it at home; it’s peaceful and allows me time to GET SHIT DONE. I make it into the office occasionally, just not as often as I should. So I’d made a commitment to myself that I would go into the office more..because it’s a half an hour walk…and walking is a GOOD THING.
But while I was in Australia something happened that’s made me look at the pros and cons of office working in a different light.
Pros
- My home to the office is a 6000 step round trip
- I can speak to people on the phone without my dog barking in the background
- My team are in shouting distance of me
- There is no TV in the office so I can’t be distracted by old episodes of Catfish and Bondi Rescue
- Broadband is a zillion times faster
- My PA listens into my calls – which means she then actions most of the things I’ve just committed to do, which is really handy, because I’ve usually forgotten what I’ve just committed to do by the time I finish the call
- The office is in a gorgeous grade 2 listed building on one of the shortest streets in the UK – and it overlooks the Kennet and Avon canal…if you stick your head out of the window and twist your body like a contortionist.
Cons
- The gourmet burger chain 7Bone has just moved into the vacant shop right underneath the office.
Shit.
The 5:2 diet is easy. And made even easier by Marks and Spencer. Small pots of salad and trays of sushi are the way to go in my view.
I’ve discovered that it’s easier to skip breakfast (which also plays into the intermittent fasting diet) and push through the hunger pangs that make me want to eat my dog, until around 1pm. The key is forward planning, and having the food already in your hand / bag. Not being able to get to M&S in time to stave off the aforementioned hunger pangs ALMOST saw me buying sushi from Boots. And buying sushi from a chemist is wrong on every level.
Again one of the days I chose for the ‘2’ was a day in London doing a speaking gig. I can’t eat before a gig because adrenaline completely ruins my appetite. If I did talks every day I’d be skinny in months. This is what I ate in an entire day: Chicken salad, bag of peanuts and a nectarine *sigh*
The best thing about 5:2 is breakfast on the first 5 day. Rye bread, avocado, mushrooms fried in a little coconut oil and (the treat part) one piece of really expansive bacon (rind removed) with a little pepper and chilli flakes. Makes starving for 2 days totally worth it.
Here’s an amazingly quick, easy and healthy meal courtesy of Waitrose – Thai soup with chicken (or fish, whichever takes your fancy);
Put a litre of coconut milk (or water), half a litre of chicken stock, a stalk of lemongrass and two tablespoons of Thai green curry paste in a large saucepan, bring to a simmer and then add 125g of jasmine rice and cook gently for 12 minutes. Then add some diced chicken (or fish /prawns/ whatever) and some green beans and cook for another 10 minutes. At the last minute add some fresh coriander, fresh basil, a splash of fish sauce, juice of a lime and then serve. It’s fantastic.
I’m still impressed with courgette spaghetti but spiralised butternut squash with pasta sauce is all kinds of revolting.
Next week I’m in Marrakesh for a few days with my husband..and no kids. In a weak moment I promised to go running with him. I’ve no idea who I am anymore.
Outcome – I lost 2lbs.
P.S. In an earlier blog I mentioned that the newly found park on my walk to the office had been taken over by moles. Clearly moles wreck the shit out of grass but they are seriously cute little critters that don’t seem to hurt anyone. I was surprised to see that the mole hills have been totally flattened since my last walk. Seriously, who does that? And how? I’m visualizing some sad bloke coming out at night and stamping on the hills as they surface. Either that or there’s a f**king huge elephant loose in the park.
52 in 52 