My November Fitness Routine

Please not that I am not a professional in any shape or form, I just found that this routine works for me.

Things have changed a bit. I have recently left my old gym to join a new one, and I've got to say, I am really happy!

Here is my November fitness routine for 2014:

Monday am: Kickboxing for 40-50 minutes (with pushups, squats and sit ups inbetween combo sets)
Monday pm: Yoga/Core/Meditation

Tuesday am: Yoga/Core/Meditation
Tuesday pm: Body Conditioning Class (a 45 minute strength training class that involves dumbbells, kettlebells and body weight training)

Wednesday am: Kickboxing for 30 minutes and Spinning bike for 20 minutes
Wednesday pm: Yoga/Core/Meditation

Thursday am: Yoga/Core/Meditation
Thursday pm: High Energy Class (a 30-45 minute HIIT class incorporation cardio and strength training using kettlebells, dumbbells and body weight)

Friday: Kickboxing for 30 mins and 3 sets of 10 reps of 5 strength machines using heavy weights (I usually just use the machine that I feel like using that day)

Saturday: any workout dvd that is either cardio, strength, yoga, core/pilates or meditation (usually between 10-50 minutes, just something to keep me busy on that day)

Sunday: Rest/Lazy Day

I have never been a fan of pure cardio workouts such as running/walking/cycling I tend to get bored easily but I have been doing cardio kickboxing for over a year and fell in love with it.

I also do two workouts a day because I like to incorporate yoga and core workouts into my schedule as they are equally important as strength and cardio.

Always warm up with light cardio and stretch after EVERY workout to prevent injury.

Insane TBR list

Book Club: Insane To-Be-Read

My name is Heather and I am a compulsive book buyer. I have no idea what has driven me to this insanity of collecting books but I continue to visit the nearest Bargain Books and spend most of my savings and time rummaging through the sale items. I sit here typing this on my bed with my "to be read" pile (more like an avalanche) taking up half of my bed. So I'm going to share with you the books that I have bought but still have to read.

E-Reader

1. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
2. Six Earlier Days by David Levithan
3. The Time Machine by HG Wells
4. Dash and Lilys Book Of Dares by Rachel Cohn/Daid Levithan
5. Positive Discipline for Children With Special Needs by Steven Foster
6. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
7. I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter
8. Unremarkable Heart by Karin Slaughetr

Paperback/Hard Cover

1. The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien
2. The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory
3. The Scent of Lemon Leaves by Clara Sanchez
4. The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory
5. I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella
6. The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory
7. Cujo by Stephen King
8. The Virgin's Lover by Philippa Gregory
9. Perfect by Rachel Joyce
10. The World's Greatest Unsolved Crimes 
11. Oos Van Mamagele by Jack Hurter
12. Spud: Exit, Pursued By a Bear by John Van De Ruit
13. Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
14. The Kingmaker's Daughter by Philippa Gregory
15. An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
16. Hamlet by William Shakespeare
17. The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald
18. White Dog Fell From The Sky by Eleanor morse
19. The Prince, The Princess and the Perfect Murder by Andrew Rose
20. The Young Victoria by Allison Plowden
21. Poison Farm: A Murder Unmasked by David Williams
22. Silver Ring Thing Abstinence Study Bible
23. The Little House by Philippa Gregory
24. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (Happy 186th Birthday, Leo!)
25. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
26. Bridget Jones Diary Omnibus by Helen Fielding
27. Out of The Easy by Ruta Sepetys
28. Operation World by PJ Johnstone
29. Readers Digest Book Collection (Before I go To Sleep, Siege, Women And Children First, Outwitting Trolls)
30. Shakespeare by Another Name by Mark Anderson
31. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
32. The Man Who fell In Love with His Wife by Paul Burke
33. Saving CeCe Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman
34. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
35. Key of Light by Nora Roberts
36. The Suspicions of Mr Whicher by Kate Summerscale
37. Brand by Henrik Ibsen
38. Cocktails for Three by Madeleine Wickham
39. Three Years to Play by Colin MacInnes
40. The Sealed Letter by Emma Donoghue
41. The Borgias by Mary Hollingsworth

49 books in total!! I better get right to it then.

-Heather McIntosh

Next Week Tuesdays post: The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks review

Our Deepest Fear

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.We ask ourselves, ' Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?'. Actually, who are you not to be?..." - Marianne Williamson

The above is a quote from my favorite film, Akeelah and the Bee, which tells the tale of young girl who despite the odds against her, excels in spelling bee competitions. I have watched it quite a number of times, and yet it never ceases to leave me with feelings of inspiration tinged with nostalgic memories of my own spelling bee days.

I cannot even fully capture how pertinent this quote is. As we navigate our way through life: school, relationships, health, spirituality...Fear pops up like a pus- filled pimple in our lives. 

We are too scared to audition for that play, because there are so many other better performers. We shy away from applying to that school, because, heck, who would accept me with my grades? And we are too afraid to write, and share our work with others unless it is " perfect". Perfection remains elusive.

This quote is especially pertinent right now as I am a candidate for a position in the News Department of my school's community radio station. Applying was the first step. Then I got the interview, and got enrolled in the training program where I am now to learn how to write and produce a news broadcast.

 But there is a catch. Over the next couple weeks, the station is to monitor or assess our progress during the training sessions, and make the final decision. Not everyone is going to get into the News Team. Our station manager described  it as a "Hunger Games" type of situation where we are all competing for the same title...And they can only be one victor, and the rest of us just die ( BTW: if you don't know what the Hunger Games are, do read Heather's review:  http://imaniandheather.blogspot.com/search?q=Hunger+Games+). 

It is quite intimidating to think that one of us might be sent packing. I often have to snap out of those thoughts of comparing myself to others whenever I am placed in competitive environments. 

The thought of failing scares me. The thought that I am not the only person is the world with the similar aspirations.

Comparison then sets in. You become so focused on what other people can do better,that you miss out on your own unique attributes.  That is not to say that we should just sit around, and not improve ourselves. But we shouldn't be so transfixed on our inadequacies, that we neglect actually addressing them. 

So my approach this month is drumming into my head that each and everyone of us in this " Hunger Games" -esque is special.  We are all meant to shine.That is why we have been shortlisted among heaps of applicants. 

And thankfully our lives are not on the line. 

Peace and Love

Imani Dlamini 

Do feel free to comment and share your thoughts.
 

The difference between infatuation and love

• Definition for infatuation according to the pocket oxford dictionary: "To have an intense passion for."

• Definition for love according to the pocket oxford dictionary: "a strong feeling of affection."

We have all been there before. Whether you are 14 or 80 you will get these insane crushes, where you start to think that you are falling in love with that person, but is it really love?

Despite those two definitions sounding similar, there is actually a  huge difference between the two.

Infatuation, in layman's terms, is nothing more than you having a crush on someone that you don't even know that well but you have fallen for their persona. These infatuations can actually be quite hurtful and obsessive if not dealt with properly. I know plenty of friends who have had their hearts broken simply because the relationship moved too quickly to begin with. A recent incident happened with someone that I knew, she met this guy on our first day of vacation and by the second day they were in a relationship and he was already telling her that she was the love of his life. A little over a week later she broke up with him because he was getting too possesive and in return called her some hurtful names and made her feel bad.

Love is different in the sense that it is more complicated. Too be completely honest, I am 21 now and have never been in love (in a relationship sense). Its a strong word, and I don't believe that it should just be thrown around. We are born to love our family members and love in friendships grows from bonding with that person. Love in a relationship sense, however, is meant to grow like a flower. It starts off with friendship, then from that grows respect and trust and then you learn to love that person for all their positive and negative aspects.

Be careful of using the word "love" as it is so powerful. Don't ever hurry falling in love with someone because it won't last. I personally don't believe in love at first sight as I believe that it is actually infatuation. Some people beliefs about love are different and I respect that, I am simply sharing my advice with you.

Next Monday's Blog: Friends With Benefits: Yay or Nay?

- Heather McIntosh

The Kite Runner - film review

 The Kite Runner Review – 4.5/5

Amazing. Terrific. Electrifying. Words do not suffice in expressing how I found this adaptation of Afghan American author, Khaled Hosseini’s novel by the same name.

The Kite Runner tells the tale of Amir – a young Afghan boy growing up in Afghanistan amidst tumultuous political events – the 1979 Russian invasion of Afghanistan, the mass exodus of Afghan citizens to places of refuge, namely Pakistan and the United States of America, and the genesis of the Taliban regime.

The story opens up to decades later- when Amir, having fled from Afghanistan with his father, following the 1979 Russian invasion, on the eve of a book tour of his novel, receives a phone call from a family friend, who asks him to return to his homeland in Afghanistan to help out the son of his childhood friend. 

The film is told in a series of flashbacks, tracing his childhood in Pakistan and the undying loyalty that bound these two friends together embodied in one of the most memorable quotes of the film : 

" For you, a thousand times over" 

This film had me cheering, sitting at the edge of my seat and metaphorically chewing my popcorn a little faster – in the metaphorical sense.  Everything about the film, from the actors, the cinematography, soundtrack and all those technical and artistic elements were great.

And what added to the authenticity of the film was that some of the actors were locals, despite most of the scenes being filmed outside Afghanistan (due to safety reasons). It is a beautiful piece of work and I would recommend this if you’re looking for a story of loyalty, friendship, betrayal, historical, actions, romance… heck, just watch it already!

Imani Dlamini

·         * Image : http://www.imdb.com/

My week as an introvert #1

This is a weekly diary series of the struggles of not being able to always speak your mind.

This week was a rollercoaster, and I'm not exaggerating.

Tuesday: 
 I returned to the gym classes on Tuesday where everyone was apparently in the mood for chit-chat and kept on asking questions about my mentorship, which is not the kind of conversation you want before a yoga session. Chit-chat is just the worst for me "what are your plans for the future" "how are the studies going" can't they ask me something a little more miscellanous like: "who is your favourite author?" or "Which Cary Grant film do you enjoy the most?". The rest of the day was fine, I stayed home and worked on a bit of my Afrikaans. "Hoe gaan dit?"

Wednesday:
Wednesday was a better day for me. I attended gym class with a big smile on my face as I found out that I passed all my exams and to celebrate I got 16 books for the low low price of R500. I also celebrate with nutella, enough said. It was one of those days where I felt confident and invincible.

Thursday:
This was probably the worst day for me. I got in a huge fight with my mom, I was stressing about my application for my degree in August and I had a huge headache. Not a day that should ever be repeated.

Friday:
This day was chilled. Went to a circuit training class with my sister, ate popcorn and watched Episodes and hashed things over with my mom.


-Heather McIntosh
@heatherluvpink

Book Club: Paper Towns by John Green

"Quentin Jacobson has always loved Margo from afar. So when she climbs through his window to summon him on an all-night road trip of revenge he cannot help but follow. But the next morning, Q turns up at school and Margo doesn't. She's left clues to her disappearance, like a trail of breadcrumbs for Q to follow."

After reading Looking for Alaska and The Fault in Our Stars, I have to be completely honest by saying that I was a bit disappointed in this one. I actually started to get bored of the story after a while. Don't get me wrong, I love John Green, this novel just didn't captivate me like the other two did. But it is the perfect novel if you just want to chill out in your PJs all day and read.

Next Week: The Importance of Being Earnest and other plays by Oscar Wilde

Written by: Heather McIntosh
Twitter: heatherluvpink
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