"Mental Virus"

My virus has taken it's toll on me so much that it's affected my mood, mindset and mentality.

Had anxiety attacks and just feel plain awful.

Ok I was gonna write an entry but it's so whiney that I'm just gonna go shower instead.

Busy Sick Busy Sick

I haven't been updating for a while because I've been alternating between really busy at work and then getting ill, normally with just the sniffles and my normal ailments, but last week I started to get a pain in my throat which became a full-blown virus.

I've been on a lot of bed rest. I took a day off work and - except for the day this week where I did 10 hours - I've been allowed to come in late or go home early.

Right now I've got a bit of a headache, sniffles, wet cough, sweating, reduced appetite and weirdly passing a lot of water. Perhaps overshare but meh. So I'm trying to keep my fluids up even if I'm not eating much.

Tomorrow is a 12 hour day at work, I need to be there an hour earlier than usual too. Which sucks for someone like me who is not a morning person. I'm fine with staying late, but coming in early is bad for me. But it can't be helped, it's the big meeting for the grant I've been handling the paperwork for. It's going to be a long, long day and I might have to go for dinner with the attendees of the meeting afterwards too.

My CoE is on its way from Japan, so soon I need to go to the embassy to get my visa. And I received a card from the staff at the school I'm going to be working at, so I need to send them a card in return. And finally write a card to my former student. She sent me a Christmas card but I was far too busy/disorganised to send Christmas cards this year, despite buying some.

I got a new lipstick last week, Shu Uemura, a lovely purple one which I can wear to work. I'll hopefully wear it tomorrow. Need to look all pretty for the meeting. In fact, I think I'll do my nails. Maybe I should write the cards before I do my nails... but I'm not sure I have the mental capacity to write cards atm. This entry itself is just rambling!

Back at work

I'm back at work after 2 weeks of holiday. It's only the second day - only the first full day for me, mind - and all I want to do is go home and sleep!

I'm exhausted! I'm still having insomnia but forcing myself out of bed to not be late for work in the mornings. Yesterday I at least had time to wash my face properly and take all my supplements, but not this morning.

There's things I need to do, but I'm busy every night this week :( which also means no gym for me. I've been trying to find the drive to get myself to the gym for a while now. The closest I've come to working out was a 2 mile walk I took on Sunday to the nearest open train station (my station was closed as part of engineering works). Was a nice walk for sure, and just the push I needed. But now I'm too busy seeing friends and family to go to the gym this week. Except for possibly Thursday, and perhaps Friday, but I do have something scheduled as a maybe on both days.

The doctor gave me some sleeping pills to try and reset my body clock. These pills worked really well last time, but I lost the pack so she gave me a prescription for some more. Now I just need to find the time to go get the prescription filled! Hopefully tomorrow at lunch I'll have some time.

I would have gone today at lunch but I spent this lunch chatting to my colleague while we both ate in the kitchen, and then filling in a medical customs declaration for Japan...

...because I've booked my ticket now (!). After some initial confusion as to whether or not I was supposed to wait for my Certificate of Eligibility (turns out it's my choice but it only arrives about a month before your departure date), I decided to go ahead and book it. So I have the date I'm leaving London, provided nothing goes wrong with the Certificate.

Monday March 11th.

So I've been trying to get things organised as much as possible. Checked in with my doctor yesterday, filled out as much as I can of the medical customs form, bought 3 smart skirts, have made a note of other smart clothes etc I have my eye on... informed supervisor at work of when I would like my last day of work to be...

Speaking of work, I should get back to it. But I'm just not enthused about work right now. I need to rest.

Food info from Boots WebMD

Finally remembered to bookmark the Boots WebMD page so I could put some of the info on here.

1. High fat foods aren't the worst for belly fat. The worst are alcohol (especially beer) and calorie-dense foods. Genetics, diet and lifestyle all play a role.
2. Sugary drinks and oversized portions are also bad. Alcohol however has a particular association with fat around the abdomen - the liver is working too hard burning off alcohol and then doesn't burn off the fat.
3. Salads can be bad if eaten at a place that drowns them in dressing e.g. typical crispy chicken bacon salad with Caesar dressing and a large soft drink would have around 540 calories and 35g of fat, and is worse for you than 3 hamburgers.
4. Trans-fats are the worst kinds of fats for belly fat. They can redistribute fat from other parts of the body to around the abdomen. They can be found in margarine, pastries, biscuits, crackers or fried and convenience food.
5. Green tea, blueberries and soy all show promise for reducing belly fat but more research is needed.
6. Fast foods are bad for belly fat because they are typically high-fat, calorie-dense, and come in large portions.
7. Whole grains are better than refined grains i.e., brown pasta and brown bread are better for you than white pasta and white bread.
8. Popcorn is actually a whole grain food and can be good for fending off belly fat. But not if it's smothered in butter or toffee etc. Whole grains tend to be better because they're high in fibre and take longer to digest, satisfying hunger and helps you more efficiently use blood glucose, lowering blood glucose levels and reducing fat.
9. Men are more prone to storing belly fat than women. Women before 40 tend to store fat in hips, thighs and buttocks, but after 40 the body fat is redistributed to the belly when oestrogen levels drop.
10. Belly fat is usually the first thing to go when you begin losing weight. Belly fat is typically a "visceral" fat - more metabolically active type than others, so is easier to lose.
11. Strengthening your core muscles helps to hold in the belly fat, but not to lose it. Aerobic exercises (running, swimming, cycling, tennis) are some of the best to reduce belly fat.
12. Belly fat is more dangerous than fat around the hips and thighs because it is "visceral", which wraps around the inner organs. It produces hormones and chemicals that can cause hormonal and blood chemistry imbalances and inflammation. Researchers think the belly fat's location near the portal vein (carries blood to the liver from the intestines) makes it easier for fatty acids produced in the breakdown of belly fat to travel to the liver, where they can raise the amount of fat in the blood.
13. Belly fat has been linked to heart disease, dementia and osteoporosis, diabetes, bowel cancer, metabolic syndrome, high blood pressure and other health problems.
14. Cutting calories and getting more physical exercise is the best way to reduce belly fat. Most scientific evidence suggests that a calorie-controlled diet rich in fruits, veg, whole grains, low-fat dairy, beans, nuts, seeds, lean meat, fish, eggs and poultry is the foundation to reduce the waistline, combined with 150 minutes of exercise across most days of the week.