Find motivation/inspiration in the littlest of things
You don't need to be motivated all of the time; motivation is an ongoing process! I've been going to the gym recently and have thought 'maybe I should drive to work so I can drive straight to the gym' but instead I have given myself a few days to think about it (I know it's not a big deal but I love biking to work) and have kept biking. This morning on my journey I saw my mum's friend, who I see biking around a lot, who's a big believer in regular exercise and she's always so positive, energetic and full of life. Seeing her big grin and enthusiastic wave motivated me, I enjoy biking, it's a bit of extra exercise and a great opportunity to get some fresh air!
It's finding motivation in little things that keeps you going towards your ultimate goal, all you need is the right frame of mind.
Always have something to look forward to
Since I've started full time work my life seems very samey, always working and not much play. My days off are split so I never seem to have much of a break which means when I have something to look forward to, I REALLY look forward to it. Then when I don't have anything happening in the near future I feel like I'm stuck in a rut. When I order something online I'm always excited for it to arrive then I realised you can look forward to pretty much anything! It doesn't have to be a massive holiday or a week off work. It could be a roast dinner or going out in your new dress. So now I make sure I always have something to look forward to.
Right now there are a few things:
- Becoming a member of the gym
- My new workout DVD I ordered last week
- Shopping for summer holiday clothes
- and the most exciting... going to Scotland for a week with my boyfriend!
Be grateful for the things that make you happy and make sure you appreciate them! This will help when you're feeling down, just think of things you have or things you're looking forward to and they'll be sure to lift your mood.
Showing posts with label happy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label happy. Show all posts
Thursday, 22 January 2015
Wednesday, 14 January 2015
How to lose weight - and keep it off!
1. Don't call it a diet!
'Diet' implies it's a short term fix to lose a few pounds but if you really want to lose weight and keep it off you need to change your eating habits. Eat healthy food, don't count calories and don't go crazy with portion control. A fruit salad for breakfast is great but so are most cereals etc. Jacket potatoes make a great dinner - even with a bit of cheese! Consider the long term implications of your eating habits - you'll need energy to work and play, you don't want to be starved and miserable so allow yourself some luxuries!
A trick that worked for me is to just eat 'bad' food in social situations. For example at parties or if friends come over for drinks allow yourself a few nibbles. Not only does this limit the food you can eat but it also encourages you to make time and enjoy time spent with friends!
2. Eat as much as you can.
People tend to skip meals or eat tiny portions when they want to lose weight - not me! Partially because in my house we have no concept of portion control so my plate is always piled high and partially because I don't want to starve myself, feel hungry, tired and demotivated. I want to feel energised, happy, lively and FULL whilst losing weight and changing my life and diet for the better. For breakfast I'm now used to drinking freshly squeezed juice (I bought a juicer at the start of the year to fuel my weight loss), either fruit or vegetable! It really squeezes all the nutrients and goodness out of the fruits! This may not always be enough so I'll top up on fruit, cereals or yogurt - I am LOVING fat free natural yogurt with a spoonful of lemon curd, not extremely healthy but damn it tastes good and it keeps me H A P P Y.
For lunch I'll have a salad either on it's own or with meat or fish or eggs etc. I fill a huge tupperware box up and dress it in low fat salad cream/mayonnaise or other low fat dressings. I then have either fruit or yogurt as a healthy pudding.
For dinner I go big... I don't be as strict at dinner time because it's the end of the day, we've all been working hard and we just want to enjoy a nice meal but I ALWAYS bear my weight loss in mind. I always eat lots of vegetables/salad with EVERY meal for extra goodness and fewer calories. I love pasta, jacket potatoes, stews, sausage and mash and many more tasty dishes! Just go easy on the fatty stuff but pile that veg high!
3. Eat chocolate every night.
As most people do, my urge for weight loss started in the new year when my cupboards were full of Prosecco and chocolate and other Christmas leftovers... this can be tricky. I've 'diet'ed before and starved myself of not just chocolate but good food too! This made me crave sweets and sugary food even more than usual so eventually I just caved and binged on crisps, chocolates etc. What I've found this time round is that when I want chocolate I eat it. I'll just eat a square or two and really savour the taste and then put it away. It might be difficult at first to not finish the bar but once you get used to it it's easy! It stops the cravings and keeps you satisfied. After a while I found I wasn't craving chocolate half as much so ended up going a few days (even weeks!) without any!
4. Prepare!
I first started preparing my food simply to save time - which it does - however I soon realised it encourages you to eat alot healthier too! I usually fill a huge fruit bowl up with fresh salad, enough to last 2 - 4 days (depending on how hungry I am). I find it less hassle in the sense you can use a whole cucumber, a whole pepper, a whole punnet of tomatoes and you don't get odd bits of salad floating round your fridge. It's always readily available if you're ever too short on time to prepare lunch/dinner so you have no excuses! It's great for minimising waste too as you're more likely to eat a pre prepared salad rather than find all the ingredients and start from scratch!
I find the key to a good salad is equal(ish) quantities of everything - unless you really like something in which case go wild - and lots and lots of different things and lots of different colours, grated carrot and beetroot add great colour and texture to any salad and you don't have to cook it! I try and fit as many different foods as I can into one salad, not only does it look and taste great but it ensures you get lots of goodness from the variety of fruits.
5. Save £, Lose lb
Before I got a car I'd walk everywhere - because I had to. It was only when it snowed late December and I hadn't got the confidence to drive in it I decided to walk to work again. It's a gorgeous 20 minute walk and the snow meant it was so peaceful and beautiful, it really inspired me to walk more. However in the mornings I don't always fancy waking up with 20 minutes to spare so I dusted off my bike and rode to work ever since! It takes me about 7 minutes on my bike, exactly the same as my car because I simply over take all the school traffic and can take short cuts. It's a killer because I like to go as fast as I can - there and back - and there are some good hills round here! I can feel myself getting stronger and my legs getting more toned just from this! My friend came round last week and the first thing she said was 'you've lost weight, you're legs look amazing' and that is all the motivation I need to keep going!
I have ONE exception and that is if it's raining. I hate the thought of turning up to work wet, with makeup running down my face, unable to get dry and warm so I don't put myself through it. I just have to make sure I don't slip back into driving again the next day.
Another bonus of this, may I add, is that petrol lasts me a lifetime.
6. Be Happy
Why do you want to lose weight?
To look at yourself in the mirror and like what you see...
To be able to run to the end of the street and not have to fight for breath...
To fit into that dress you bought a few years back...
To make your partner happy...
Don't lose weight to be happy, happiness is not a destination. Happiness is a way of life.
Be happy that you're doing something about your weight, changing into the body you'll love.
Be happy that you've lost 1lb or even not gained any!
Be happy that you're filling your body with good, fresh tasty food.
Be happy seeing your body make slow, healthy, long term changes and progress and be even happier when people start to notice.
Don't set yourself unrealistic goals, any weight loss is great weight loss. Make choices that suit YOU and ENJOY yourself.
Ps. Vodka, soda, lime has a lot less calories than wine or beer!
'Diet' implies it's a short term fix to lose a few pounds but if you really want to lose weight and keep it off you need to change your eating habits. Eat healthy food, don't count calories and don't go crazy with portion control. A fruit salad for breakfast is great but so are most cereals etc. Jacket potatoes make a great dinner - even with a bit of cheese! Consider the long term implications of your eating habits - you'll need energy to work and play, you don't want to be starved and miserable so allow yourself some luxuries!
A trick that worked for me is to just eat 'bad' food in social situations. For example at parties or if friends come over for drinks allow yourself a few nibbles. Not only does this limit the food you can eat but it also encourages you to make time and enjoy time spent with friends!
2. Eat as much as you can.
People tend to skip meals or eat tiny portions when they want to lose weight - not me! Partially because in my house we have no concept of portion control so my plate is always piled high and partially because I don't want to starve myself, feel hungry, tired and demotivated. I want to feel energised, happy, lively and FULL whilst losing weight and changing my life and diet for the better. For breakfast I'm now used to drinking freshly squeezed juice (I bought a juicer at the start of the year to fuel my weight loss), either fruit or vegetable! It really squeezes all the nutrients and goodness out of the fruits! This may not always be enough so I'll top up on fruit, cereals or yogurt - I am LOVING fat free natural yogurt with a spoonful of lemon curd, not extremely healthy but damn it tastes good and it keeps me H A P P Y.
For lunch I'll have a salad either on it's own or with meat or fish or eggs etc. I fill a huge tupperware box up and dress it in low fat salad cream/mayonnaise or other low fat dressings. I then have either fruit or yogurt as a healthy pudding.For dinner I go big... I don't be as strict at dinner time because it's the end of the day, we've all been working hard and we just want to enjoy a nice meal but I ALWAYS bear my weight loss in mind. I always eat lots of vegetables/salad with EVERY meal for extra goodness and fewer calories. I love pasta, jacket potatoes, stews, sausage and mash and many more tasty dishes! Just go easy on the fatty stuff but pile that veg high!
3. Eat chocolate every night.
As most people do, my urge for weight loss started in the new year when my cupboards were full of Prosecco and chocolate and other Christmas leftovers... this can be tricky. I've 'diet'ed before and starved myself of not just chocolate but good food too! This made me crave sweets and sugary food even more than usual so eventually I just caved and binged on crisps, chocolates etc. What I've found this time round is that when I want chocolate I eat it. I'll just eat a square or two and really savour the taste and then put it away. It might be difficult at first to not finish the bar but once you get used to it it's easy! It stops the cravings and keeps you satisfied. After a while I found I wasn't craving chocolate half as much so ended up going a few days (even weeks!) without any!
4. Prepare!
I first started preparing my food simply to save time - which it does - however I soon realised it encourages you to eat alot healthier too! I usually fill a huge fruit bowl up with fresh salad, enough to last 2 - 4 days (depending on how hungry I am). I find it less hassle in the sense you can use a whole cucumber, a whole pepper, a whole punnet of tomatoes and you don't get odd bits of salad floating round your fridge. It's always readily available if you're ever too short on time to prepare lunch/dinner so you have no excuses! It's great for minimising waste too as you're more likely to eat a pre prepared salad rather than find all the ingredients and start from scratch!
I find the key to a good salad is equal(ish) quantities of everything - unless you really like something in which case go wild - and lots and lots of different things and lots of different colours, grated carrot and beetroot add great colour and texture to any salad and you don't have to cook it! I try and fit as many different foods as I can into one salad, not only does it look and taste great but it ensures you get lots of goodness from the variety of fruits.
5. Save £, Lose lb
Before I got a car I'd walk everywhere - because I had to. It was only when it snowed late December and I hadn't got the confidence to drive in it I decided to walk to work again. It's a gorgeous 20 minute walk and the snow meant it was so peaceful and beautiful, it really inspired me to walk more. However in the mornings I don't always fancy waking up with 20 minutes to spare so I dusted off my bike and rode to work ever since! It takes me about 7 minutes on my bike, exactly the same as my car because I simply over take all the school traffic and can take short cuts. It's a killer because I like to go as fast as I can - there and back - and there are some good hills round here! I can feel myself getting stronger and my legs getting more toned just from this! My friend came round last week and the first thing she said was 'you've lost weight, you're legs look amazing' and that is all the motivation I need to keep going!
I have ONE exception and that is if it's raining. I hate the thought of turning up to work wet, with makeup running down my face, unable to get dry and warm so I don't put myself through it. I just have to make sure I don't slip back into driving again the next day.
Another bonus of this, may I add, is that petrol lasts me a lifetime.
6. Be Happy
Why do you want to lose weight?
To look at yourself in the mirror and like what you see...
To be able to run to the end of the street and not have to fight for breath...
To fit into that dress you bought a few years back...
To make your partner happy...
Don't lose weight to be happy, happiness is not a destination. Happiness is a way of life.
Be happy that you're doing something about your weight, changing into the body you'll love.
Be happy that you've lost 1lb or even not gained any!
Be happy that you're filling your body with good, fresh tasty food.
Be happy seeing your body make slow, healthy, long term changes and progress and be even happier when people start to notice.
Don't set yourself unrealistic goals, any weight loss is great weight loss. Make choices that suit YOU and ENJOY yourself.
Ps. Vodka, soda, lime has a lot less calories than wine or beer!
Sunday, 15 September 2013
The Future
Like the majority of my family, I have no idea what I want to do! My dad still doesn't know and he's been working his entire life!
I was convinced I wanted to teach when I was about 8 years old but I realised that after 13 years of education kids can get nasty, I kind of put myself off that career. To be honest I don't really fancy spending my entire life in school regardless of my position in it.
Since joining secondary school I was determined to be a fashion designer, just like every other girl has once in her life! GCSE textiles destroyed that dream of mine...
More recently I've considered writing as I enjoyed English and wrote some pretty impressive short stories (I don't believe in modesty, if you're proud you should be able to show the world) which my teachers gave me very positive feedback on. But as I tried to write a story I found it's harder than it looks. I can imagine every detail but writing it out isn't as simple, my sentences don't flow and my grammar is awful. I really thought I'd have inherited some of my dad's author/English teacher genes but I guess I just inherited his general creativity.
I played the trumpet from the age of 7 and passed at grade 5, when I got braces I found it extremely difficult, painful and frustrating to play but I got no sympathy and nobody really understood the effect it had on me. I was very hormonal around that time and it wasn't only physical stress my braces/trumpet combo caused but it made me emotional to think that braces had effected something I really enjoyed in such a negative way. I reluctantly sold my trumpet which meant after my braces were removed I couldn't pick up from where I left off although I do tinker with trumpets whenever I can. I can never imagine me having a musical career because I'm just not that into music but I will never forget the feeling of standing on stage surrounded by other jazz musicians feeling like a rock star!
And now... applications for university are everywhere and prospectuses are piling up but I have NO idea what kind of course I'd want to take nevermind which university. It's a really stressful time of year for A Level students as people have to take time off school for open days etc. To be honest university has never appealed to me, although the 'student life' does! Being a drunk, lazy slob for three years and it being socially acceptable does seem pretty appealing. But alongside the £30,000 debt and degree I have no enthusiasm for I think I'll let that one go. I know I'm not alone in this and I do get sympathy from many customers at Heaths who ask about my personal life. My favourite quote is from a customer who said "I'm 40 and still have no idea what I want to do" but she always smiles and greets me warmly and that's my ultimate goal. If you're happy there's nothing you're doing wrong. I will be perfectly satisfied with a 9-5 office job as long as I'm HAPPY.
The other day my friend asked me about where I think I'd be in 20 years time. I had no response, sure as a girl I dreamt about my dream job, my dream wedding and my perfect family but they were all fantasy. Now I'm in the 'real world' I value happiness over anything else in the world. I don't worry about the future I just do what I love, all the time and that's what keeps me smiling.
My dad's advice for university is "do something because you love it or because you have a plan." It's some of the best advice I've heard since the pressure to get the grades and get accepted can be overwhelming and can distort the reality behind committing to three more years of (expensive) education.
And on a more depressing note, who knows if we even have a future? As I once read: "why does the current me diet miserably to satisfy the future me?" By this I mean don't do something which makes you miserable because you THINK it will pay off. Do stuff you love and it WILL pay off.
Aaaand, don't think too much... "never give a shit".
I was convinced I wanted to teach when I was about 8 years old but I realised that after 13 years of education kids can get nasty, I kind of put myself off that career. To be honest I don't really fancy spending my entire life in school regardless of my position in it.
Since joining secondary school I was determined to be a fashion designer, just like every other girl has once in her life! GCSE textiles destroyed that dream of mine...
More recently I've considered writing as I enjoyed English and wrote some pretty impressive short stories (I don't believe in modesty, if you're proud you should be able to show the world) which my teachers gave me very positive feedback on. But as I tried to write a story I found it's harder than it looks. I can imagine every detail but writing it out isn't as simple, my sentences don't flow and my grammar is awful. I really thought I'd have inherited some of my dad's author/English teacher genes but I guess I just inherited his general creativity.
I played the trumpet from the age of 7 and passed at grade 5, when I got braces I found it extremely difficult, painful and frustrating to play but I got no sympathy and nobody really understood the effect it had on me. I was very hormonal around that time and it wasn't only physical stress my braces/trumpet combo caused but it made me emotional to think that braces had effected something I really enjoyed in such a negative way. I reluctantly sold my trumpet which meant after my braces were removed I couldn't pick up from where I left off although I do tinker with trumpets whenever I can. I can never imagine me having a musical career because I'm just not that into music but I will never forget the feeling of standing on stage surrounded by other jazz musicians feeling like a rock star!
And now... applications for university are everywhere and prospectuses are piling up but I have NO idea what kind of course I'd want to take nevermind which university. It's a really stressful time of year for A Level students as people have to take time off school for open days etc. To be honest university has never appealed to me, although the 'student life' does! Being a drunk, lazy slob for three years and it being socially acceptable does seem pretty appealing. But alongside the £30,000 debt and degree I have no enthusiasm for I think I'll let that one go. I know I'm not alone in this and I do get sympathy from many customers at Heaths who ask about my personal life. My favourite quote is from a customer who said "I'm 40 and still have no idea what I want to do" but she always smiles and greets me warmly and that's my ultimate goal. If you're happy there's nothing you're doing wrong. I will be perfectly satisfied with a 9-5 office job as long as I'm HAPPY.
The other day my friend asked me about where I think I'd be in 20 years time. I had no response, sure as a girl I dreamt about my dream job, my dream wedding and my perfect family but they were all fantasy. Now I'm in the 'real world' I value happiness over anything else in the world. I don't worry about the future I just do what I love, all the time and that's what keeps me smiling.
My dad's advice for university is "do something because you love it or because you have a plan." It's some of the best advice I've heard since the pressure to get the grades and get accepted can be overwhelming and can distort the reality behind committing to three more years of (expensive) education.
And on a more depressing note, who knows if we even have a future? As I once read: "why does the current me diet miserably to satisfy the future me?" By this I mean don't do something which makes you miserable because you THINK it will pay off. Do stuff you love and it WILL pay off.
Aaaand, don't think too much... "never give a shit".
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