Category Archives: Fave Rave

‘One More Nail in the Coffin of Discrimination’

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I know I usually shy away for politic-fuelled posts on this blog, and I will continue to do so – but I wanted to give you all the opportunity to break from your usual blog perusal and consider something a little bigger than ourselves.

Last night New Zealand Parliament passed legislation to legalise same-sex marriage.  One of only 13 countries in the world to do so.

“marriage means the union of 2 people, regardless of their sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity”

The Bill to re-define marriage in these words passed 77 votes to 44, in front of a packed house.

I’m proud of you, New Zealand.
(And it’s about bloody time!)

 

Our Next Miss Pin Up New Zealand

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Anna Miranda
Ladies and gents, I’m about to do something you will rarely ever see me do – ask for a sneaky favour.

A friend of mine – the one and only gorgeous Anna Miranda (hi Anna!) – is competing for the title of Miss Pin Up New Zealand 2013. She is one of several beautiful, talented and deserving entrants. And leading in the online voting by only 10 votes – it’s so close!

So: the favour. I’m being cheeky and asking you to head over to the competitions voting page and check out the contestants. If you like someone more than the others – vote! If your favourite happens to be my dear friend Anna, then definitely vote for her!

This woman is a shining light of positivity and talent. She never has a bad thing to say about anyone, and she doesn’t hesitate to drop everything she’s doing to help someone who needs a hand.

Plus, she’s a stunner with an amazing wardrobe, and hearing her sing live has been known to send chills down my spine.

If we can help her win this, it would mean more than you know.
Please, just take two minutes to check out her entry.

Looking for a Lil’ Gym-Spiration?

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GYM-SPIRATION 3D Book Cover

Those of you already in the know will have been eagerly counting down to February, when Helen Foster’s (aka healthehelen) book ‘Gym-Spiration – 52 Ways to Wake Up Your Workout‘ goes on sale and we can finally share it with everyone else.

Helen’s book is one for everyone.

It’s helpful, practical and easy to read.  Not only that, it’s targeted at helping us with one of the few things we can all relate to – boredom.

Anyone can read this book and take something useful away from it.

The book offers 52 suggestions for ways to mix it up in your workouts, and oragnises them into a series of groups; ‘New Ideas For The Gym’, ‘HIIT It’, ‘It’s Time to Tone’, etc.  How you go about using the suggestions is left entirely up to you – and the book is better for it.

This book helped me get out of the rut I was in late last year when the thought of yet another workout was mind-numbing.  Does this sound like you?   I definitely recommend getting a copy.

I haven’t tried all of Helen’s suggestions yet – but I thoroughly enjoyed those that I have. Particularly the activity that’s described it the book as “Gym Stalk”, but perhaps that says more about me…

Over the next couple of months I will continue to refer to Helen’s gems as I make the most of what’s left of our summer and head outdoors.  So you’ll be hearing more from me as I test-drive some more.  Want to join me?  Grab your copy of the e-book.

Oh, and did I mention that it’s super, super cheap?
No? Well it is, so there’s really nothing to loose in checking it out for yourself!

Christmas Wishlist

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There’s not long left until Christmas now – only 15 sleeps.  Since I fly out for San Francisco on Christmas Eve (14 sleeps!), I won’t be doing the full traditional Christmas with the family this year and we’ve agreed that we won’t be doing presents – just a casual weekend together before I jump on the plane.

While I’m gutted that I won’t be woken first thing on Christmas morning by a pair of large, hyperactive dogs and my mother laughing menacingly from the doorway, I’m kind of stoked that there won’t be any presents this year.  And not just because I’m too cheap/lazy to get something for everyone before the Boxing Day sales.

One of the upsides – I can be totally selfish and make my own no-holds-barred Christmas wishlist.

Top five coming up… drumroll please.[Insert appropriate paradiddle here]

1.  FitBit

simple.b-dis-png.hb450d61faad3f6ac2a69902bbd0f3a79Who doesn’t love a gadget?

Do I need a fitbit?  Of course not.  But I’d love to try one out – I can see myself getting addicted to the badges/achievements you earn.

And it has a corresponding iPhone app.  For tracking.  And general obsessive-compulsive-ness.

Would I buy one for myself?  Probably not.  I have a tendency to be pretty full-on with new products for a couple of weeks until the novelty wears off, and then they lay abandoned on the dresser while I pick up the next gadget.

Have you got one?  What do you think?  Would you recommend it, or is it a two-minute-wonder?

Marc2.  Marc by Marc Jacobs, Simple Leather Duffel

Beautiful.

At NZ$660, there is no way that I am ever getting this as a gym bag.  But a girl can dream, right?

Marc Jacobs makes nice bags (understatement of the year), and I’d love to have one.

Gym bags are practical – so it’s justifiable to spend more money on yet another bag… right?

3.  Lug Puddle Jumper Gym Bag

puddlejumper_sun550This gym bag is a serious option – far more practical, and much, much cheaper too.

It’s perfect – there are separate pockets for everything, including a large pocket and the base of the bag for your shoes.

Ideal for taking my gym gear to work to get a workout in on my way home – practical and bright enough that no one at work will have anything quite like it.

The hardest decision with this one is whether to get it in the orange, lime green or purple.

I won’t be surprised if I come home with one of these in the new year…

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4.  Stella McCartney Hoodie for Adidas

Another bold colour choice – are you seeing the trend here?

If there really is such a thing as too much black in one woman’s wardrobe then I’m definitely guilty.   I’m going to make a conscious effort in the new year to wear more colour.

This is a perfect way to get it.

And it’s cute – great to get to/from the gym on the weekends.

5.  Return to Tiffany™  Heart Tag Bracelet

TiffantOkay, so this one’s not fitness related – but it’s pretty.  And shiny.  And simple enough that I can definitely wear it to work.

Pretty, girly win.  Whoot!

I’ll be in New York in January so I’m thinking… a present to myself?

What?  I’m not lucky enough to have a Fred to spoil me.

Modern woman and all that jazz.
Rwoar!

Yeah.  So , what about you guys?
What’s on your wishlist this year?
Be bold – if you could have anything – if your budget was unlimited – what would you choose?

Fave Rave: 50 Shades Of Grey

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WARNING: Contents of this book may disturb some readers, and lead others to postpone workouts in favour of self-indulgence and excessive reading.

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Have you guys read EL James’ 50 Shades Of Grey? I started on Saturday evening, and have powered through it. I haven’t got to the end yet (don’t tell me!!!) but it’s such an easy read.

Sure, it’s not something that teens will be studying in high school (not here, anyway). The writing isn’t going to win any prizes, and the content is… Well, adult. It’s the perfect book to curl up with on the couch in the midst of this horrible weather.

And it should be compulsory reading for anyone who has trouble with blushing. Okay, not compulsory, but I’d like to see you get through the book with a straight, unamused face and pale cheeks!

I spent most of Sunday reading it in the living room while The Boyfriend and his mum watched the first Lord of the Rings movie. Not recommended if you struggle with your poker face. There were a number of raised eyebrows that had to be hidden.

Granted, the whole situation was made a little easier by reading off the Kindle, so it wasn’t clear what I was actually reading.

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If this is the first you’re hearing of this book then I’ll clarify a key point – it’s, well, smut. And not for the faint hearted (though I’m sure there’s far worse out there).

If you’ve read it – what did you think? I know I’m not doing it justice here, but I want to make it clear that it’s not for everyone.

Have you read the whole trilogy? Is it worth reading past the first book? (I haven’t finished yet, so I might not be left with much choice… I imagine I’ll have to keep going…)

Fave Rave: My Favourite Medicine

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Would you exercise for just 30 minutes a day just because you know it’s good for you?  Okay, so you’re probably the wrong type of person to be pitching this to – you’ve searched the internet for fitness blog posts and have ended up here – you’re already conscious of the fact that exercise is good.  Fitness is good.  Healthy is great.

But so many think of exercise as a chore that they don’t have the time for.  That it’s something to be fit in among everything else.  Yes, sure, it is in a way.  If you don’t love it that’s alright – that was me for the last, oh, decade.  It’s still good for you, and it’s still something important that needs to get done.

How many people would look at it differently if you told them that for half an hour of exercise, they could have 23 and a half hours of free time to do with as they like?

Dr. Mike Evans over at My Favourite Medicine puts that exact concept to the world in this excellent video:

If you don’t have the time to watch it now, I highly recommend you bookmark it to watch later – the illustrations are fantastic, and Dr. Evans’ talk is fast paced enough that it doesn’t feel like a lecture (though you can learn a lot).

He’s got a few videos over on his website (which you should bookmark, too), including this one below which I found particularly interesting and probably more topical given my recent situation and take on life:

As you can see, this one rocks the awesome illustrations, too.

Amongst others, Dr. Evans’ website got me thinking – the internet is this huge resource of videos, pictures, essays, audio files, articles, etc, but what good is all that if you don’t actually do it?  You can research all you want, read every magazine on sale and subscribe to every podcast available, but these alone won’t get you change.  It won’t achieve your goals (unless your goal was to read every magazine available).  But they can serve as excellent motivators when in the right form (and found at the right time).

So I put it to you:

How has the internet inspired you to start/continue working towards your goals?
What goals have you achieved with the help of internet resources?
What were the resources you found most helpful?

Take this time to gloat in the comments – show others what you’ve achieved, what you’re in the process of achieving, or what you’re working up the courage to start!  You never know, someone might come across you comment tomorrow and list you as one of their defining internet inspirations!