On the fitness front

Tuesday, April 10, 2018

Did I buy a new pair of trainers to co-ordinate with the muscari in bloom? Possibly. Did I buy them because an old pair have worn out to the extent of being unwearable and consequently binned? More likely.
I treated myself to this pair in a vibrant shade of blue as a reward for my hours of good behaviour; New Balance always feel good on my feet.
It's high time I spill the beans on how the first quarter of the year has panned out and a jazzy shot of shiny new kicks is a good way to start. Back in January I wrote about how I'd made some changes to my lifestyle with regard exercise and set some goals for the year. Meal planning is an essential part of our eating as living with such a laissez-faire attitude towards the day's main meal is too-too relaxed for me. How will I know what we need to get, or allow time to cook, or if I'll be eating too many similar things in the day? At the weekend we plan the week's dinners and have the groceries delivered accordingly.
This year I've prioritised eating porridge for breakfast, usually with a generous dollop of usually homemade jam to turn it a frightening shade and tried to slash the amount of bread, potatoes, rice and pasta. I've made a good go of attempting to eat less manufactured crap like crisps, biscuits, bought cake, sweets. Mindful portion sizes as opposed to shovelling away a small family's worth...
Snacking on nuts and fruit rather than chocolate or biscuits. Eating fish frequently and ever so many vegetables. Salad. Plenty of good meat. Not fretting remotely about fat. No numbers, no calorie counts.
What difference has it made? Well, a whopper really. I did intend to measure myself at the start of the year but that fell by the wayside, unlike a weekly date with the scales which I have yet to shirk. They do say that the scales should be ditched and while I wholeheartedly agree they also do reflect change of some nature. My clothes have mercifully felt more comfortable to wear and belts can be done up as opposed to threatening not to reach end to end. I've noticed definition in my body and a general absence of constant bloatation and feeling like a souffle having risen out of all proportion.
How do I feel? Mostly great! I've not counted calories, just been sensible with portions, balance and variety. The 15-25 minute high intensity interval training Youtube workouts from Joe Wicks The Bodycoach are motivating to follow along, take hardly any time up in the day and have become a regular feature in my week if you have been wanting to get into regular exercise I cannot recommend these enough - they range from very beginner to brutal*. About 4 of these, plus a one hour boot camp class, plus one 5k run and a rest day is my usual week's exercise now. Dog walking and allotment toiling on top of course. It's not taken any thinking about - shall I/shan't I - it's just a given that's what's happening. Drinking plenty of water I guess around 6-7 pints a day, 3 - 4 mugs of coffee. Plenty of liquids. A good amount of sleep and an early morning.
*my favourite

Exercise ought to be a celebration of what you can do and not a punishment for what you ate and it's so true. I look forward to pushing myself, noting improvement in recovery times and numbers of reps. Finding something that works for me has been key and I don't want to let go of that in a hurry. It's crushing that I used to feel this way before something went wrong, though I can't pinpoint what it was, for the months and years to slip by in a vicious cycle of not wanting to do any exercise because I felt rubbish because I wasn't exercising. Now that I'm back in a healthy routine it feels so different - I've got my mojo back at last. How did I lose it? I never want to go back.

The thing is though, I never really believed I could turn things around. The last year or two felt so much like I was on a downward spiral that my mind couldn't bear to believe that I could get back on the straight and narrow but yet here I sit, feeling better than I have in forever. My goals are half smashed already. I've got the close arm push ups, one decent diamond press up and broken 23 minutes 5k and want to dance with the fact that I physically feel capable and energetic and lean again. I feel sprightly and uplifted, positive and just feel more like I can tackle so much more.

What's next? Keep up the good work, enjoy feeling in happy place and make some more goals. Yes, I want to achieve a good plank time and break 22:30 5k and make sure I don't throw away all sense of good proportions on summer bbq nights.

Yes I can wear those shorts/that dress and jump around like Tigger. I'm going to live happy because what else what it all for?
I feel quite emotional after that. Take care,
Sophie

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Sometimes I am sent items to feature as part of a post and these will be clearly mentioned as part of each post.Everything else is bought by myself. Any sponsored or collaboration posts will be clearly marked. Each post is my own content and all opinions are honest.