PUSH IT… TILL IT HURTS!

Transformation isn’t a future activity, it is a Present Event…- Jillian Michaels

2013 has thus far been a year in which transformation has become a big deal to me. I am all about self-improvement, change, personal growth, it’s like my inner new-age hippie has been unleashed!

That being said, I pay attention to everything I do, because there’s a lesson there in the triumphs and in the failures (although I have to point how much I personally despise the word). Anyhow, this week my lesson drew me to the above quotation I chose to start this piece with…in a big way.

You see I heard the amazing Jillian Michaels say this toward the end of a DVD’ workout of hers that I had purchased… see 2013 hasn’t only been about transformation mentally but also its been about transformation in the physical sense, you know keeping my body moving and strong. Let’s face what better way to keep the body through exercise?

Exercise…to think back in primary school when they forced us to exercise under the guise of ‘physical education’ I really hated it and never quite got the point. But somehow through my teenage years and now early twenties I have come to find that I actually really love exercise. Somehow exercising has become a form of therapy for me, I love it…it allows me to dig deep and challenge myself in ways I never thought possible. 

And if you want a challenge Jillian Michaels is the woman to go to. You feel nearly every move she challenges you to do, you want to scream, you want to cry, you definitely want to quit ‘because it hurts it so bad (or so good as she likes to say)…and it’s at the moment you feel you can’t go on that you realise that you actually finished you did the whole workout, it wasn’t perfect, it was downright sloppy but you did it… and it feels so GOOD to admit that to yourself…I  remember that it was in exactly that moment that realisation, that I heard her say those words…’transformation isn’t a future event it is a present activity’.

Amazing, simple but powerful truth… it is easy to hope for things to tell yourself that it will happen and so forth, but sometimes you have to get uncomfortable and make things happen, you going to get frustrated, you going to cry and you might want to quit but when you push yourself a little bit harder and with greater effort you will be amazed at what you have accomplished.

When you set goals for yourself, like keeping fit and healthy or getting that dream job or house… the truth is it won’t always look pretty, it doesn’t always feel good but when you accomplish something, the feeling itself is insanely rewarding and motivational. I guess as you grow and look back at certain points you never thought you could go through, the feeling is the same. So here’s to moving forward when you think you can’t, because those are the moments in which you learn just how strong u are.

The  Notting hill Carnival

I was lucky enough to attend Europe's largest street festival this past weekend and needless to say my expectations were surpassed in style. Huge floats, a jubilant atmosphere and colourful costumes were the order of the day.  Having lived in a small town like Windhoek I always read about carnivals of this scale and often imagined what it would be like to attend one. It was a mixture of different cultures whose different stories where told just by looking at the  visually attractive  floats and elegantly designed costumes.

My journey to the Carnival wasn't easy. I had the same plan as thousands of other carnival goers and as you can imagine travelling was a little bit of  nightmare. Buses were diverted and the main Notting hill tube station was also closed due to the festival. Of course I went with friends as going alone to something like this didn't seem optional, meeting up in a group was made so much more difficult than it should have been due to the masses of people found everywhere. When we finally met up with each other we decided to follow the parade right until it reached the end point. This was a way to ensure that we did no miss any of the astonishing sights on display at the carnival and allowed us to take as many pictures as humanly possible.

 My Only criticism of the carnival would have to be that it was overly sexual in its nature. People were dressed in as little as possible and were grinding all over each other. Alcohol was everywhere and most of the people at the carnival probably will not even remember seeing such an amazing parade.  It somehow made me feel uncomfortable in the beginning but I was able to overlook this minor  part of the event and focus on aspects I enjoyed. I loved the fact that there was a carefree atmosphere during he whole day, people forgot all their problems and came out to do one simple thing, which was have fun. Strangers smiling at strangers  and people being happy for no apparent reason was something I often don't get to see on a normal basis. My favourite part of the event was undoubtedly the food  (jerk chicken, rice, corn) and coconut water which was absolutely refreshing given the hot temperatures of the day. The music was so contagious and even though I am not much of a dancer I found myself moving to the beats of the drums and watching the dancers in the parade in complete awe. Summer is almost over here in London and this was by far the best way to savour the last signs of the sun before the cold strikes in a few months time.