A volcano is a mountain with hiccups

A silly joke that has been around for centuries, and with the recent eruption of the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajokull it has got me thinking about how and why these random acts occur?

But before all that, a quick update on the keeping fit front I wrote about last week. I have been twice in this past week, the second time was much easier and I am going to aim to beat my time each time I go. Hoping to get fit for the holiday, this may go some way in helping to achieve this. But with the eruption of the volcano I may not get to go after all.

It is thought that the eruption  will continue and spread across most of Europe, and with the lack of wind it is still a dense cloud. The disaster has caused all flights to be cancelled within the UK and many European countries, leaving thousands of passengers grounded. The effects of the volcano could be seen for up to six months, and who knows when it will erupt again? This is the second time in a month already.

I think now is the time to get insurance for holiday, I have a funny feeling it is not going to be all plain sailing with all of this going on. So, all of this keeping fit and saving money may come to nothing in the end, although it does make me feel much better about myself I must say. Being able to be confident in a hot country will be a bonus.

The volcano could see temperatures drop in and around the country as the fumes will block out the sun, which has been rather nice of late, what a shame a natural occurrence has caused the sun to be blocked out. Experts say that the ash cloud should disperse by the end of the weekend, I have been looking but have yet to see the so called "cloud" in the sky. If it is there it is near on impossible to see, unless it is one of them hundreds of clouds up there.

I would love to see some pictures of it if anybody has any. Right now I am going to book insurance for holiday before anything else happens. Here's to hoping the weather stays fine with the holidays lurking around the corner.

On the benefits of jogging

"The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start." 

John Bingham quotes in his book The Courage to Start: Running for Your Life. This quote says a lot about someone, yesterday I started jogging as a way to get in shape for my holiday in summer. Whilst most people say they will jog, or go to gym, or even diet, how many of these people actually stick with it? Or even start?

It is said that losing weight is 90% in your mind and 10% in your stomach, this is the real reason behind people not sticking to their regimes. Yesterday I said I would jog at least three times a week before holiday, that is one day on, one day off. Now, it is down to me and only me to  prove that I can do it, I know I can run the distances it is just getting the courage to start. John Bingham is completely right, running is all in your mind, and getting in the right mindset will help to achieve your goal.

This doesn't just limit to running, but everything in life, be it a job, interview, exams (which are lurking around the corner). It is not your physical ability, or even how clever you are, but getting it right in your head that you can do it will help you achieve a lot in life. You must provide a form of motivation to do your work.

For example, I have just booked a holiday, and we all know what it is like to (sometimes discreetly) compete with the others around the pool or on the beach. Without even realising, when on holiday you try to look better than everyone else, after all, why else do we roast ourselves on a daily basis? It's not like we achieve anything but looks from burning ourselves, the evidence is clear.




So, I have set myself a routine, I am aiming to jog three times a week and am giving up alcohol until I go away in June. It is all in my mind whether I achieve this, it is a mental thing rather than physical. I believe if you want to achieve something you can with the right motivation and commitment. Jogging is especially helpful, not only to keep fit but many other benefits too, I have recently read an article showing twelve main benefits from jogging. It is shocking to see the many benefits from running, including reducing the risk of cancer!

I have also discovered that jogging cannot be all good, just last year Nicolas Sarkozy fell ill from jogging, whilst this was an extreme case due to his crash diet, dehydration and overworked body, it still caused some shock to myself and made me think, is jogging really that beneficial?

There are huge benefits to jogging, but many are short term and the long term damage is unclear, a comment on the article linked to above claims that somebody ran 2 miles everyday in his early 30's, then one day he was told he had chronic arthritis and must stop running, he can now barely walk. This just shows that running can have long term problems, but the benefits obviously outweigh the downsides. It makes your heart beat faster, and I once heard that we have a set amount of heart beats in our lives. An interesting article by Denied researched this and found it was somewhat true, although humans tend to break the trend. Although this may be due to our diets, healthcare and knowledge on the human body, animals don't have these benefits, but according to his research the average human should live for 27 years, not long at all!

So, whilst jogging has disadvantages, I am still willing to keep up my aim of three jogs a week, along with no alcohol, and see what kind of shape I am in for holiday. Here's to Positive Mental Attitude.

This is just the beginning

"Every story has an end. But in life, every ending is just a new beginning." 

For those of you that have seen the comedy drama Uptown Girls they might recognise this quote. The character Ray, states these inspirational words as his last line. I believe they are something that we can all adhere to at least once in our lives.

Right now, I am having that moment, I am in third year of University, about to take my final examinations in June (How scary is that?) and I realise I am so close to the next step in my life. University was a huge step for myself, and I didn't think it would be as enjoyable as it has been. I have met some great people, done some crazy things, and met friends for life from all corners of the world. I have recently had an article published on Milkround.com, a website aimed at students and getting through University life.

The words spoken by Ray mean a lot, my life at University is ending, but it is really just the beginning of what I hope to be a wonderful, long life. I am on the hunt for a job, not any job, but that perfect job that will make me happy and help us live a prosperous life.

I will leave you with this, University is one of the greatest times of your life, if you get the chance to go, go for it. You will realise who is the real you, where you want to be and overcome any fears of leaving home you may have.