So I have had a couple requests for a blog post on my secrets to me getting fit and healthy and so this week I want to give you an insight into how I lead a healthy lifestyle which leaves me: being, feeling and looking healthy.. So here goes.. I hope you all enjoy this one as much as I enjoy being healthy!
My healthy eating resume helped me loose 2 dress sizes 😉
The Importance of Encouraging and Maintaining a Healthy Lifestyle.
First up… let me just say that encouraging and maintaining a healthy lifestyle is so important because it impacts on your whole life. Encouraging and maintaining a healthy lifestyle impacts on how good we feel, how good we look, how we behave, or mood, how well we perform at everyday task and jobs, and also impacts on our future health. I most definitely see and feel a difference in: my body, in my frame of mind and my performance in everyday tasks (particularly at being motivated and upbeat).. I have built back up so much confidence just by taking care of my self and leading a healthy lifestyle. I would strongly recommend encouraging and maintaining a healthy lifestyle to anyone, it just makes you feel so motivated and energised.
Chlo’s secrets to a Healthy Life Style..
Eating a balanced and nutritious diet! Cut dat junk out!
Fooood ! My goodness I love food, all food, any food, just food ! I have been brought up to eat a balanced diet (which I am most thankful to my parents for). I started eating a really really clean and very low carb diet for just over 3 months.. and it really paid off!
This is what my daily eating resume was for 3 months.. 3 regular and substantial balanced meals.
Breakfast (Morning time) No later that 11 am
- During the week – 2 Weetabix biscuits and a small amount of semi skimmed milk and a cup of Green tea!
- Sunday (protein feast) Poached Egg, sausage, Bacon rasher, beans, Stornaway Black Pudding 😛 (no toast) 😦 boo!
Lunch Protein and Veg combination (0 or very Low carb) and some fruit
Afternoon No later that 2pm
Some of the combinations included:
- Salmon and boiled egg salad
- Chicken salad
- Frittata (Cold omelet with veg and meats)
- Vegetable Bean and chicken cous cous salad
- Ham, boiled, beetroot, low fat feta cheese and egg salad
- Stuffed mushroom and peper with low fat cauliflower cheese
- Scrambled eggs and tomatoes
- Homemade soup (0 loaf or croutons)
Dinner (Evening between 5.30pm- 6pm.. No later than 8pm work days)
It’s whatever mama makes 😛
It was generally a protein and a veg type meal (so any lean meat served with veg or salad) followed by fruit salad and green tea for afters..
Combination may have been:
- Fresh Burger and salad (minus the bun and the chips)
- Roast Chicken minus the potatoes
- Fish and vegetables
- Bormorale chicken and vegetables
- Chicken curry (or any lean meat) served with cauliflower rice
- Mixed grill and mixed sauté vegetables in veg oil (minus chips)
- Roasted Giant mushroom with peppers, goats cheese and tomato
- Steak with Cauliflower and Broccoli cheese
- Omelette
The answer is NOT, I repeat NOT to cut out carbs completely !! You need carbs to function, and a little treat now and then, but it is very possible to reduce the intake of unhealthy carbs and junk food if you put your mind to it! Honestly the majority of the time I wasn’t even tempted to sneak a treat because I was so set in reaching my end goal! There were meal times that my family were eating chips or pasta and it wouldn’t even faze me! This surprised me a lot because I love my carbs, a lot ! haha! This is how set I was to reduce my weight! Short time pain for a long time gain!
I then started introduce carbs foods to my diet again… so like wholegrain spaghetti with my meatballs, and wholegrain and seeded rolls and rivita. That sort of carb, but I am reluctant to introduce heavy starchy carbs in large quantities such as white bread, chocolate and alcohol!
Treats; ye or nae?!
It is important that you allow yourself to enjoy a treat of your choice now and then! You need to reward yourself and enjoy the foods that you love cause after all you only live once, but the secret is to moderate the intake of foods that are high in calories. Hey, the way I look at it is you need calories to live, you need a treat now and then! Eat a treat and work it off ! Pay for what you put to your lips! If you eat a cream cake at 250 calories, burn that lil sin at the gym the next day! Don’t feel guilty for having a treat because that then leads to eating more treats and leads to a higher risk of getting off track .. so have your treat and then pick it back up again the next day.
Body clock
It is also important that you eat little and often! Eating at regular times of the day will provide you with the fuel and energy that the body needs to perform. My body is on a body clock where I eat at more or less at the same times of the day everyday. Health professionals suggest that we should avoid eating a big meal late at night and 2-3 hours before we go to bed. This is because food that is eaten late at night is not burnt and is therefore stored up as fat over night. So it’s a real good idea to get into a habit of eating at sensible and regular times of the days.
Balance Diet
When it comes to food, its is advisable to balance what you eat. Meaning that we should take into consideration portion control and how staple a diet we are eating. Staple diet meaning eating a variety of foods with a variety of nutrients so they all work together in our bodies. I think it’s okay to think about what you are eating…but not over think calorie counting.
Drinking water
Water ! OMG! Nothing beats fresh Scottish water ! Water is pretty much all I drink, apart from and green tea and occasionally a glass of fresh fruit juice with my breakfast. I drink at least 3 litres of water a day. The reason I know this is because I fill my litre bottle on average 3 times a day. That’s a really good way of making sure that you drink water and hydrate throughout the day. You can get a cheap bottle from your local supermarket. Make sure to clean it out regularly with hot soapy water ! 😉 Water is thee answer to most health issues too! Hungry ? Drink water? Feel tired or sick ? Drink water! Don’t underestimate the power of water ! 😛
Exercise
As well as eating healthily the secret is to carry out a reasonable amount of exercise or activity a week to keep the heart healthy and the body toned. They say any less than 3 times a week of exercise wont support the body in loosing weight.
Fitness and Cardio
I go to the gym 3+ days and the days that I am not at the gym I go for a walk and exercise in my own space. My work out is very mixed as I work on my fitness and cardio by doing a 20+ minute run at a moderate speed or if I am short for time I will do a 10-15 minute fast paced run. I must say that cardio does take a lot tolerance and getting used to. I mean a few weeks a go I could barley run 5 minutes non stop and now I am running faster for longer and I have to discipline myself to get off the machine!!! haha!
Progress Before and After Building fitness.. (This was taken a few weeks ago) My heart rate has come down quite a bit in the last few weeks of practicing a 20 minute+ run which I am very please about. It is now sitting at 160 odd. Apparently to work out what your heart rate should beat per minute while running you should do the sum of 220 minus your age.
Weights and Strength
After Cardio.. the next part of my work out is weights and strength exercises (toning and building strength). My favourite machine is the assisted chin dip machine.. The goal with this machine is to start off with as low a weight as possible, using the assisted kneeling stool and pull as much as your own weight as you can, until you are able to pull your own weight without the assistance! I am aiming to be able to pull my own weight unassisted by the end of the year/start of next .. it is a lot harder than you think though! I think setting fitness goals keeps you motivate though! I will post a blog some time soon with all my exercise resume, but for now I would say to you that exercise is a vital part of the recipe to a healthy body! 🙂
Occasionally I will jazz it up and through some swimming or high powered exercises classes in.
Renitence bands are the way forward!
I also love doing exercises with my resistance bands- couple of quid off amazon! They are the beez knees ! No , really ! They are so effective! I just googled a few exercises and away I went they are great for traveling with or just doing exercises at home !
The secret to a good work out is your resistance to working through and pushing through pain. Exercise is painful to start with, but as soon as you become tolerant and get a buzz out of working out, your body will begin to work even harder and you will start to see amazing results from yourself!! I push my self to limits that I never even imagined myself managing 6 months ago! Exercise is very enjoyable if you put your mind to it! I love it so much ❤ Build it up gradually !
Sleep
As well as eating well and exercising, getting a good amount of sleep is pretty important too to allow your body to rest and recover. Getting an early night is never easy, but it is worth trying to discipline yourself to having an early night a couple nights a week if you can haha!
Mindfulness
Mindfulness is another secret to my healthy lifestyle..I go to yoga a few times a month. This is honestly such a relaxing and energising experience ! It’s just so goooodd! 🙂 You just let go of everything, and at the same time you work your muscles , core, balance and learn to control you breathing. I have got to admit that to start with I struggled to allow myself to let go of everything and relax but honestly I totally embrace this now.. please try this out! I promise you will feel so refreshed and re-energised after a yoga sesh. 🙂 You need patience to do this type exercise class though ahah ! At the end of the day your attitude to this type of activity will determine what you get from it, like everything in life.. 🙂
Staying Motivated and Determined..
The hardest part of leading a healthy life style is staying motivated, keeping at it and remaining determined. You have to really want to work at this and be committed to it, other wise it is a waste of time putting yourself through the challenge. Some may find this tricker than others. I had a lot of self motivators throughout this experience and my goodness I am so determined!
- One of my motivations where my races I signed up for and have been training for. I not only want to look and feel good at these events, but I want to manage the fitness element of them ! So training for them has been a real motivator. (I was sooo unfit before!) Like seriously !
Next up, the biggest inflatable race course in the world.. apparently !! 🙂
- My activity tracker has also been motivating because I am always trying to one up how many steps I have done in a day ! (Urgh what can I say.. I have a competitive side 😉 ) My aim is to reach to 10 thousand steps a day ! Which for being a receptionists and a student is a tricky goal.. hence why making the effort to exercise everyday is so important for the type of lifestyle that I lead at the moment, by a desk alllll day.. The majority of the population are the same though!
The results expected from leading a healthy lifestyle:
A healthy feel good body (toned)
A healthy heart & mind
Energised body
Motivated mind
A build in self confidence and self esteem
A Happy person = A Happy life 🙂
To Round up
So to lead a healthy lifestyle it is a case of; balancing and moderating the intake of food, exercising regularly, getting enough sleep, drinking plenty water, finding the time to relax and recharge and working on your own goals!
Go at your own pace and work towards manageable goals !
Good luck, you can do it !
Chlo Jack On Her Mac 