Happiness is Your Own Bed
It’s the first Friday back in NZ. I never thought I would be so delighted to see our (not so) little yellow house and my own bed. The realities of being apart from half of our whanau for so long were brutally painful. Mr 12, a real homebody, missed his siblings and father far more than he thought, Miss 14 said she always felt something was missing, and I struggled to hold them all together and positive.
However, the biggest thing I realised I missed has been my exercise. Trapped in tiny houses, not the fashionable ones, the ones they have in the UK (and for some reason stuff to the gills with pointless unused furniture), I found it nigh on impossible to find the room to even take two steps, never mind my physio routine for my Parkinson’s. Coming back I realise my arm feels more like a dead weight than ever and I’m dragging my leg more easily. Back to the gym with me later today, hoping a return to my usual 4 times a week routine of basically almost anything strenuous will help me return to a better, fitter me.
A Teaspoon of Sugar?
Mr 14 remarked that in the UK he felt all people did was eat bad food and watch television. I’m sure it’s not true. I mean, I saw some people in the park, but I guess more in the pub, and they seem to visit the supermarket to replenish their cupboards with pies and doughnuts. There were two girls arguing about which drink in the café was better for them and had lower sugar intake. They were arguing about two teaspoons of sugar. Whilst on their plates they had a jam doughnut and a chocolate croissant. I mean, you couldn’t make that up, could you?
The sugar tax appears to be nothing more than a marketing ploy by one large cola brand against the other. And for those who claim it’s a mere money-making scheme, shame on you. Of course it isn’t. The UK government clearly cares about everyone’s health. Which is why you can purchase twelve iced doughnuts for $5.00 (NZ). Or if you want real value, five jam-filled sugar doughnuts for the bargain standard price of just $1.00 NZ. That’s right. You read that correctly. Someone said to me “that’s only at x supermarket” but the price appeared to be the same everywhere I went. Even at the petrol station, I was forced to fight my way through a display of jam doughnuts on the counter at the pay desk. “Just 50p!”
I wonder why the UK has an obesity epidemic.
Oops. This was supposed to be about the benefits of exercise on Parkinson’s but ended up being a rant about sugar. Until next week, thank you! And stop eating doughnuts. Kitty. x
