Don’t stop moving

My revelations from last week were going well, until Tuesday night, when I severely strained a tendon in my wrist at soccer and have spent the last 5 days in a sling, and still have another week in a wrist brace-thing. This left me unable to wash my hair until yesterday (Saturday) and Ant is evidently not very good at tying my hair up. Thankfully, today I feel the most normal  I have since I injured my wrist and even managed to put basic makeup on and paint my nails.

With the start of a new week comes more improvements I want to make. After the wrist fiasco, I will re-try to present myself in a way that will make the best impression I can wherever I go, but I really, REALLY need to get my act together when it comes to eating well and exercising. It takes a lot of energy to be me; when I am not working or studying, I do what I do to keep Ant’s life running a smoothly as possible coming into what is a busy time of year for him. Usually I do eat well and exercise EVERY SINGLE DAY, but I haven’t been going to the gym or to yoga as much (or yoga at all in the last fortnight) and my eating habits are still recovering from the stress of exams (3 weeks of living on too much takeout, red bull and m&m’s). My body is starting to show it as well, my skin is dull and has more imperfections than normal, I am bloated and my clothes in general are feeling tighter. Coming into the busy social summer we have planned, this is not what I want for myself.

Over the last week I have been working hard on meal prep, making sure I have healthy breakfasts to eat on the go, this week it is bircher muesli pancakes and for lunch I have either fruit salad, home made bruschetta, or pear, rocket and Parmesan salad with walnuts, prosciutto and balsamic vinegar. I am a very lucky woman, because the barista I work with is also a personal trainer, so not only has he given me some great workout programs, but if he sees me even looking at the food we sell, he does nothing short of tackles me to the ground to stop me eating anything I shouldn’t. God blessed me with the gift of a quick metabolism, so fingers crossed I am able to lose my exam-binge weight quickly and feel my fabulous self!

Summer school starts in a week, which means my life is about to get a whole lot busier, but because I already live a busy life and am organised to the point of being obsessive, I plan on getting a head start this week with my day off on Tuesday. I enjoy being busy though, I couldn’t imagine being any other way, I get too bored/distracted/restless when I sit still for too long: the world is too exciting to sit on a couch. Ant is very similar, which is great, because when we aren’t working/studying we are at the gym together, walking our dog or playing sport, such as tennis, basketball or soccer (yes, Ant was the cause of my wrist, but I saved an incredible goal in the process).

Time to pack lunches for Ant and I, pack my gym bag for after work, hang out the laundry, shower and maybe fit in some meditation before bed… No rest for the wicked they say

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Keeping Up Appearences

I am the first to admit that I love to learn, and this lead to me reading a chapter of my Human Resources Management textbook that wasn’t covered during the the semester: Career Planning. With the changing nature of work and careers due to globalisation, the economy and advances in technology, I already understood the importance of this process as part of the HR function. However, there were a few topics that were covered, that I hadn’t previously considered as part of career planning; Appearance, etiquette and networking.

After reading these topics, I now whole-heartily agree that these attributes are important for everyone who is in the corporate world, including corporate WAGS. This also led me to reflect on my historical behavior in regards to these attributes and came to the conclusion that if I wanted to be taken seriously in management, as well as represent Ant in the best possible way, I really need to up my game.

I am blessed with a bright and bubbly personality and that people generally find  me interesting. Networking has always been a strong point for me, and working as a barista has given me to not only refine these skills, but meet and socialise with a number of influential business people, and their partners. It also landed me a highly sought after work placement opportunity with the local bank as part of my degree. However, when it comes to appearance and etiquette, things aren’t currently to standard.

I am by no means a slob; I am always clean, but I do love my yoga pants a little too much, and often find myself make-up free and walking around with my hair in a top-bun from the night before. As a self-confessed tomboy, poor Ant often has to drag me by my top-bun to put on a dress and put on something other than my Adidas. After reading this topic, as well as a few online articles, I now see that I should probably make more of an effort. I spoke to Ant about this over a coffee while walking my dog, and he agrees to an extent. While it is unnecessary for me to dress up everyday given my occupation and that I do spend a lot of time at the gym and my local yoga studio, Ant also argues that it is not always best that I show up at his office in my yoga pants and a hoodie with my university logo on it, and I now agree.

So here I am, making a plan. I will continue researching this topic to determine what I should be aiming for and refining this so that I don’t become something that I’m not (because that is just not right) but for moment, I aiming for improvement. Doing my hair and putting on basic makeup will become a daily occurrence , rather than a special occasion. I will also leave my yoga pants, 2XU tights and sneakers for the gym/yoga/walking tracks, and put on real clothes: clothes that I am not ashamed to be in if I saw my work placement supervisor in, or Ant wouldn’t be ashamed to introduce me when we run into a business associate down the street.

My many roles

I have established that with Ant’s growing commitments with work as he travelling more frequently, working longer hours and attending more work social functions (golf days, dinners, and the myriad of other events) that my commitments are also growing, my commitment to running our lives. Without even realising it, I have developed into much more than a loving WAG, I find myself doing domestic chores that I would have never seen myself doing before Ant got his promotion a few months ago. Ant and I often joke that I am his PA, PR and HR consultant, as well as his barista, chef and occasionally his chauffeur.

This is definitely not the life I expected, and as a self-proclaimed tomboy, it has been a steep learning curve. But my passion for learning has turned Ant’s career progression and my entrance into the world of corporate WAG’s as an opportunity for me to learn. I am studying psychology, so naturally I am interested in reading about other’s perceptions about their role as a corporate WAG, and it is refreshing to see that I am not alone in the mix of emotions that I experience. I also count myself very lucky, because Anthony is reasonably self-sufficient in comparison to some of the other corporate hubbies we know. Being an accounting major, he takes care of all the bills/finances in the household, and he is a bit of a fashion nut, so he buys almost all of his own clothes without my assistance.

I have just finished my final exams for the year before a 4 month break from university for the summer, which Ant is thrilled about because I have more time to attend social events with the busy Christmas period rapidly approaching. It also means he doesn’t feel quite as guilty asking me to do all the things he normally tries to do when he is home. At the moment that is reminding him to confirm the details on a client function at the end of the month, so that I can finish organising my outfit, and find someone to cover my shift at work if necessary.

I would like to say TGIF, but in reality, as a barista, my week is far from being over…