Not going to lie- the first lockdown I was FIT. It helped that I was on furlough and had nothing better to do than exercise, calorie count and read fitness blogs. It was fantastic and I can honestly look back and say I took really good care of ME!!

. . . and then the kids came back from America (summer holidays), I had to go back to work (full time) and the juggle of working from home and the kids doing school from home in a tiny London flat became the reality of most people. It was getting colder- and I hate being cold. The watermelon was going out of season and the heavier foods were coming in season… what can I say? I have no excuse.

Somewhere between not wanting to eat after catching Covid and feeling ravenous once Covid was over, I must have just kept eating!?! So now I am on day 2 of a 10-day juice fast writing this blog because I KNOW sooner than later, we are going to get called back into the office, and I have been wearing yoga pants for 1 year- I don’t even know if I can fit into my socks.

Luckily, I know I am not alone in this quest of losing the lockdown love handles and while I do have friend support I also have huge support from my Boss (Thanks Boss!) through my Benefits Communication portal.

Let me show you:

1) Fitbit- WE (you and me) can get 20% off Fitbit through the Benefits Communication portal- just use the code- it’s that easy. . . this time I won’t throw my Fitbit away because my steps are too low (do not kill the messenger).

2) Yoga and exercise classes- Benefits Communication has paired up with local personal trainers who can give you one-on-one support, or even workplace group classes. You can do these in person or online. One that brought a smile to my face was office desk yoga/ stretch. Who knew your desk could be used in so many ways!

3) Bike to work scheme- so I know were aren’t exactly back at work yet… but you can still get a shiny new bike and have it come out of your salary before taxes 😊 Great time to explore London!

3) Eating right- I think I mention this every post, but you know we can get discounts on groceries, right? Exercising is good, but eating right is huge and it helps (especially when you are trying new recipes) to use these vouchers so you can have the liberty to splurge on some new ingredients until you master healthier culinary skills— that is right, no more eating out (but if you are not quite there yet, we still have vouchers for Deliveroo ;)

4) Actual medical visits- now I know I am not the only one who couldn’t get in to see the dentist, it’s been a year so NOW is the best time to get back on top of those routine checks, you know what I am talking about:

• Dental checks- say no to cavities

• Eye exams- I don’t know about you but the screens from working at home never seem to turn off

• Health Cash Plans- this helps to ameliorate any out-of-pocket costs to look after yourself (or a baby if you fell pregnant during lockdown #supercongratsifyoudid).

• Physical exams- if anything is off- go see someone now, it would be a shame if something were serious!

SO - GO USE YOUR BENEFITS and start looking after yourself. . . especially so I can invite you to my ice cream party that I wrote about in the previous post! #swingsandroundabouts! #losingthelockdownlovehandles #seeyounextime