Yesterday we got some of the stuff we have been trying to get for a while.

I ordered 4 powdered superfoods thinking I would get one, but got all of them.

Quite overwhelmed, but excited as I want to get back into some sort of shape.

We got some cannisters and latte. just discovered it has cows milk in. Unfortunately I am allergic to cows milk, so need to rethink this. Got a different idea to try today.

I drink water tea and Japanese broth, so these might be more doable.

The canisters are great though.

I have an old drinks cabinet stuffed with exercise DVDs, so might dust these off and put into storage, as they still work once I get a tv and DVD player again ~ if you can still get those?

Then will store my green tea, superfood powders and alcohol for different party themes in it.

It is an old IKEA cupboard with a tiki design glass front.

Where I got the idea for the original party.

Quite miserable reading.

In fact I had to stand my ground to do a summer holiday abroad party rather than a WW2 party.

Hope this filters out to you if you feel like I do or have been pressured into doing themes you don’t like or know nothing about.

This idea was also inspired by Margo’s drinks cabinet in The Good Life.

Mirrors/project body dysmorphia

Haven’t had mirrors in my bedroom for a while now.

Had a bit of a nervous reaction at first, then realised it was my body dysmorphia.

I haven’t been able to do my beauty treatments properly or measure my weigh-and-measure day properly either.

Once I grounded myself, I wasn’t very happy with myself.

My posture needs a lot of work and the worst area is cellulite around my lower body.

With all the narrative around of late, I kind of looked at myself differently and was kinder to myself.

I’m definitely going to work hard at reducing cellulite and getting down as much weight as I can.

But ultimately we are all our own unique size.

I’m what is classed as a girl body type, so expecting me to be a tall supermodel or hourglass and so forth is physically impossible.

This week the perfume junky is Portofino 97 by Victoria Beckham.

She is obviously the girl body type as she was a spice girl.

Now I have rediscovered her, hopefully she will be coming back more as a role model for the average height women, which is actually the majority height in the UK.

Not sure how bad it is where you live, but our area is aimed at an unusual size woman.

The high streets of the North of England have no girl dress shops left, instead they are Beryl Cook-style dress shops.

artbrokerage.com/Beryl-Cook/original-paintings

This obviously puts strain on women who haven’t massive busts and it is a completely impossible shape to aim for.

This woman is obviously vital and should have a dress shop, but so are girls, so where are our dress shops?

Beryl Cook

Actually she is quite a naughty painter if you are into the larger lady or are one yourself.

Have to say she can paint.

Another problem is proper artists like Beryl Cook have been replaced by artisan as well.

Used to like art.

Art needs to be something you can live with for a long time in my opinion, that you don’t get bored with. You wouldn’t get bored of a Beryl Cook painting.

Not my size or quality ~ no ones quality really

Won’t name and shame the shop but this used to be a designer shop I often shopped in and often bought my Fiorelli handbags from.

no way is this size 10?

It only retails at £35 ~ says it all really.

I get my everyday stuff at George or TU.

This doesn’t even compete?

The woman who used to own this boutique was young and probably hounded out of her business like many pre covid independent boutiques. Then replaced with clothes like above.

I can relate to that bum lol!!!

Mine won’t go down much more, if it was smooth it is obviously attractive, it is the cellulite I don’t like.

This is like the Wimbledon poisoner.

One of my ex-best friends looked like the woman in the back of the taxi lol!!!

Quite a good painter!!!

In fact my bust has gone down to 34b and as a girl shape, I look a lot better.

I’m planning to get back to my old bra size which is under average and I’m feeling a bit revolutionary about it.

If large busted ladys can be militant so can small busted ladys, if you think about it.

Personally I think there should be hundreds of different dress shops for every body type. I am a people person and love life and laughter.

When one woman type is the best, if it isn’t your type you can’t go shopping, it is boring and miserable.

If all the women go shopping and look good it is great for businesses both dress shops and hospitality businesses.

Even if the woman who owns it looks like a Beryl Cook painting, she would make more money selling better quality fashion at the same standard as the woman who owned it before.

This is far too big and too cheap compared to what used to be in this shop.

£18.00

Wonder if the owner is just having a larf here?

Olive Green Frill Neck Polo Neck Top

When there’s an ‘r’ in the month, you can’t go far wrong with this frill polo neck in your basics drawer. It’s got a nicely relaxed shape that works on it’s own, or layers smoothly when called for. Soft material that washes like a dream- all the quality you expect from a truly versatile top you’ll wear on repeat.

One size fits 8-16

95% viscose, 5% elastane

Machine washable on cool

£12.00

Obviously for large busts and will just look saggy or dumpy on other body types.

It is obviously size 16 which doesn’t ‘fit’ all sizes. You could put it on, but that doesn’t mean fit.

It is so shoddy there is already a thread hanging off it.

Shame someone doesn’t hound people who obviously aren’t making any profit in dress shops out and put the people who were back in the shops.

We could all go for days out again then.

That’s near where I live.

If my bum didn’t look so bad I might be crying now.

Not sure what the leather thing is?

Hopefully I will tone my bum up at the same time fashion comes back.

Sometimes I worry I’m in my old world moaning and maybe it has gone back to normal and people think I’m mad.

Then I take a look and realise it is still weird out there and not very good.

Evans used to be the Beryl Cook shop as my cousins shopped there.

It was really high-end quality.

I think it was possibly inspired by Dolce and Gabbana.

The above stuff is inspired by God knows what?

Tone up your body shape and stay young

With all this in mind, My goal for September is to tone cellulite, firm abs, get fitter and hopefully loose weight, but not worry too much about the scales like all the experts keep saying.

Also I’m introducing elixirs of youth for my face ~ trying out loads of new products which I will review when the products are either showing results or are empty.

My bum won’t go down to flat, but it could lose inches and the cellulite could hopefully smooth a bit.

Realised I’m going to need a lot more birch oil and nivea firming cream.

Have to say now I have studied fashion more if you are happy with your shape, hate exercise but want to get rid of cellulite, (which sadly all women get and men unfairly don’t get).

Due to not having a mirror I’ve proven the Birch oil works.

My thighs look loads better, but my bum or glutes look horrific and up my back.

It is like sunbathing under a fence or wearing sunglasses and so forth.

Need to concentrate on that area as well now.

Highly recommend Weleda Birch oil.

In my experience all cellulite oils and creams work to be honest.

The trick is to get into the habit of using it twice daily, if you miss a day here or there it doesn’t matter too much as long as your consistent the rest of the time.

I use six drops of this each session. It smells gorgeous.

Just rub it between your hands first then massage onto cellulite areas.

I don’t massage heavily or anything either and it works. You could spend longer like the instructions say to do.

Then I go in again with Nivea cellulite and firming cream.

Again rub this between your hands to warm the product, especially with Autumn coming up.

This works too.

Trying to firm up my abs with this also.

I let the oil absorb a bit first before applying the cream.

If you balance this out with facial treatments you can let face oils dry while you apply body cream and so forth.

Set yourself a time allowance Morning and Evening for Beauty treatments

What I’ve started doing is getting up earlier to get my beauty treatments in before The August morning challenge.

If you get up an hour earlier you will get your beauty treatments and 15 minute walk in before breakfast.

Then if your done earlier you feel more organised for the day.

You could get the whole thing up to speed and go fast, but I prefer to get up earlier and go slowly.

It is all personal preferance.

Hope you are enjoyed the August morning challenge

In September it steps up to a mile a day.

Just get up an hour before breakfast, (if you have beauty treatments to get in first), or half an hour if you don’t or do them later.

This means a total of 7 miles a week.

I’m adding Zsa Zsa Gabor weights 3 x a week plus Jane Fonda and abs

Cardio – do reduce if you are walking in the morning?

No

I can’t give you quotes as ‘the nerd’

(this is back from techy nerdy days so it is a compliment of someone knowledgeable),

Looked up loads of information fast to get this info.

What I’ll do is put 3 cardio and weight training routines, with the 1 mile walk in the mornings.

Ideally, September will be perfect and we will complete it all.

If not, not to worry.

Jessica Smith points out in the August challenge, it is what we achieve over the year on whole that counts.

I have done all the morning challenge, but had 1 and 1/2 days off due to bank holiday.

To be honest I think I needed a bit of a rest, which Jessica says is also important.

Conclusion

I think doing an inventory of our bodies can be shocking at first, (unless your perfect).

But then the best thing to do is just laugh at ourselves a bit and not be too serious.

As fashion doesn’t exist in British Highstreets and shopping centers at the moment, we aren’t really missing out on anything yet.

If fashion does come back, I want to look better than I do at the moment.

Laughing aside after this month’s rest at the end of the month at the August Summer holiday abroad party, I want to give it my all in September.

Check with your Dr and so forth, but as long as you are OK come and join the September challenge ~ why not.

The only thing that could happen is you will lose a few inches, feel a lot fitter, drop some weight, get into a smaller dress size, tone up and smooth out that cellulite.

If you need a day off here or there it doesn’t matter as long as you get straight back on the tracks.

At some point fashion will come back, so why not be ready for it, look your personal best, and compete with whatever the best is out there to the best of your abilities!!!

You don’t have to climb mountains, pull ropes, or lift heavy kettlebells off the floor either to get fit.

Now I have found the Jane Fonda system I can see the way to go forward. It is about wanting to turn up to exercise as it is fun, not finding excuses not to exercise as it is too hard and boring. Not naming names again, but the corporate gym I used to go to was like that.

If you are thinking of trying the September challenge come on in.

Just go to the September challenge in the slimming calendar put the walk video on and do it!!!

You can add 3 weights and 3 cardio sessions to it as well if you are at that level.

If you are fitter you can add more cardio but remember to leave a day between weights to rest your muscles.

If you don’t want to do the walk challenge and are just starting I started with Zsa Zsa Gabor

3 weights and 1 walk outside. You could just stay with this and get results to be honest.

Whatever you do ~ the key is to do some form of exercise and remain consistent with it.

As we get older it is actually more important to exercise for our back health and joints.

Just walk outside and nothing else

Walking is my favourite exercise and how French women stay slim, aim for 30 minutes every day including a 5 min warm up and 5 min cooldown ~ walk briskly/power walk for 20 minutes).

You can get this in by walking your children to school instead of driving them, walking round a shopping centre, walking to your food shop, walking to walk and so forth instead of driving everywhere, also saves on petrol, bus fare, underground tickets and so forth, adds happy nature vibes to your everyday. Makes winter not as bad.

Hope I’ve given you some ideas for September exercise.

I’m not as fit as I want to be yet, so want to keep up the momentum going started in The August challenge.

As I’ll never be perfect, would rather not be too serious so learning to laugh at myself a bit will keep this real and stop any food issues, partly why I have one day off a month as I had an eating disorder when I was a teenager. I didn’t have annorexia or anything but I’d eat 2 ~ 500 calories a day then go out drinking. Really stupid but we all go through the terrible teens, at least I didn’t get that tattoo after watching last weeks art week film. Bizarrely I was going to have what my fear is supposed to be.

Well get yourself in gear as 1st of September 15 minute walk is ready to launch tomorrow morning.

It walks off any alcohol also so you will feel great!!!

Will put the playlist of what I’m doing online if you want to do that. This will be in September Slimming calender, then I put it into weekend film choices also.

See you tomorrow morning

Saphire