Love thy self

Well after yesterday's tears and pity-party 'Unhappy V-Day' post; the fact that I hate ending on a sad note; and the most beautiful comments and emails later...   I've taken it all into my own hands and decided to celebrate on MY terms!

Went and bought myself a couple of little presents today - a bunch of flowers (a necessity... a $5 necessity, haha) to brighten up my house (and my spirits) and two brand new friends for the kitchen!  

Mmmm.... tastes like green!

  
Meet Basil and Minty!  My two new [very tasteful] friends for the kitchen!  We shall embark on a tirade of mysterious crusades of culinary magnificence...

Err...   or something like that?!

I'm not much of a cook, but decided in my great wisdom today - whilst out buying myself fresh flowers and lots of fresh, healthy foods for this week [... because this IS loving yourself... the right way] - that it was time to change it up again, and try something new!  I'm now the proud new owner of two little pots of awesomeness!!  

Minty fresh goodness!

No idea what to do with them yet, but needless to say, they look, taste and smell divine - so can't wait to test them out in some marvelous dish I'm yet to create!!!

SO...  just how many dishes can Amy add mint to?!   (I reckon Jamie Oliver would be really proud of me right now...  either that, or he's having conniptions on his kitchen floor...... hmmm..... I never did promise I was a good cook?!!)


I was VERY humbled by all the beautiful messages I received after yesterday's post - and it had me thinking (and clearly, ACTING too)....   It IS about time I woke up to myself and realised I'm worthy of being loved - not enough to just 'talk the talk' anymore (which is easier to do than the action!).   It goes against ALL my hard work and success so far, to turn around and question my worth like I do - and I'm in no position these days to blame a "questionable outlook on myself" anymore, because I'm no longer the person I used to be...  excuse gone!

Nope - it's time to LOVE THY SELF - and reap the benefits!

SO with that in mind, Valentine's Day is back on!!    HAPPY Valentine's Day to all the most gorgeous hearts out there - I'm SO very fortunate to know quite a few!   You brighten my day, you help me shine, and most importantly, you push me to believe....

Thank you for being you - you're all freaking AWESOME and I'm so very grateful for having you in my life!

xxx   :)

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WORKOUT REVIEW:

Busted bum with a new workout DVD this arvy - feeling rather sore and sweaty now (still) which is always a good sign!   Thought I'd share my experience with you guys - for anyone else who wants to give something new a try in the comfort of their own home!

Jillian Michaels' BANISH FAT BOOST METABOLISM - a little DVD that I picked up for a whole $13 at Big W!!   Now, I'm a big Jillian fan, but I've always been a little scared to try her workouts (she really does push.) Irrespective of the fact I have other DVDs in the cupboard from previous purchases (still in their wrappers!!), I bought this one the other week, and thought I'd put this one in this arvy and give it a little test drive...

Holy hell...

Workout consisted of a warm up, then 40 minutes of 'circuits'  (and they make you burn - everything from leg kicks to jumping squats to burpees [I freaking did burpees on my loungeroom floor!!! OUCH!] right through to oblique crunches) and then a nice little cool down at the end.

Not for the faint hearted, let me tell you!  That's 50 minutes of some high energy cardio right there - and I'm SO sore!  I've found muscles in there that I clearly haven't been working alot lately - and managed to burn 1100 cals during the session (did I mention I had sweat pouring from my face at one point... no?!  Niagara Falls has got nothing on me, haha!).

No equipment necessary (other than a padded floor mat, or a couple towels)  - but there's floor work, and you end up on your knees at various points...  which for me, is a huge NO-NO (I have very bad knees) - BUT I've managed to still pull through ok, so maybe not so bad after all?!

I LOVE her attitude - it's infectious!  She's a strong willed, little powerhouse - and you really want to keep up with her the whole way through.  .... not that I could mind you!!!  Had to keep stopping to catch my breath - and given my level of fitness these days, it's AWESOME to find something new to challenge myself!  Definitely be coming back to this one every now and then...  when I need a bit of a kick in the pants!!

Now go, GET MOVING!