I've been wanting to write about my healthy living journey for a while but never quite knew where to start. I feel like since partially tearing a ligament in my knee when I was snowboarding about 6 weeks ago, I have lost my confidence when it comes to exercising. It has pulled my motivation levels down and I feel like I am starting way back at the beginning again.
Before christmas, I was running around my local park 3 - 4 times a week. My stamina levels were rubbish but after a few months I finally found my 'pace' (as people promised I would) and it actually started to become slightly enjoyable. It wasn't just about the exercise, it was a way of clearing my head and sweating out any worries or anxieties. The cold weather and dark nights set in, so I swapped the outdoor exercise for some indoor bootcamp.
I got the Fit Body Bootcamp deal via Groupon, for an introductory 4 weeks but enjoyed it so much that I signed up and paid for another 4 months worth of classes once my trial had finished. It costs a bit more than what I would pay at my local gym, but it is like having a one on one personal training session at every class. I had a month break when I hurt my knee, and have been slowly but surely getting back into it. Riccardo and the other trainers are such fun, and so knowledgable and helpful but I feel like there is still a part of me which is nervous and hesitant to really throw myself back into things after my injury.
My steady weight has always been 10 stone. People tend to be quite shocked when I tell them my weight because I'm not very tall. I think I must have really heavy bones and heavy muscles! At my heaviest I was 11 stone, and to be honest I can't remember ever being under 10 stone (since I've been the age of 18 anyways!) Before I started running and boot camp I was 10 stone 9lbs, at the peak of my exercise and healthy eating I managed to get to 9 stone 9lbs, but after my injury and break I am now 10 stone 3lbs. I would love to be 9 stone 6lbs by summer, but the way I am feeling and the way things have been, I feel like it is going to take a miracle for this to happen.
I don't want to crash diet, I want to work at and maintain a healthy lifestyle which comes a natural part of my day to day routine. Not something I punish myself into doing in time for summer or before a wedding or big event. I want to make a genuine change in my overall lifestyle, so here are the motivators that worked before into kick starting things for me.
1. Healthy eating and protein shakes before exercising
I am going to do my food shops in advance and make sure there are no nasty tempting things in the house! The Maxitone protein shakes also really helped to make me feel full and boost my energy levels before exercising. I still have a half full tub in the cupboard so would like to get into the habit again of using them.
2. New comfy exercise gear
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I need to not be put off going out for a class if my comfiest joggies or better fitting top is in the wash. I have been eyeing up the Oasis Asics collection at JD Sports, and I think a new running jacket and some trainers will perk me up a bit! At some points earlier this year I was even walking from the south side of Glasgow all the way into the centre of town and back, before and after a class, and although it tired me out I still felt amazing.
3. Progress pictures
1 year ago
This week.
I have been taking progress pictures since last year (only in my sports bra and a pair of shorts - reason why I'm not sharing them on here!) but I never actually take the time to sit and look through them. Of course I don't notice any change in my shape when I look in the mirror every day, but other peoples comments who maybe haven't seen me a while made me think I was looking smaller even though the scales didn't show a massive change. These pictures of me a year ago and this week definitely show a change in me, so although I feel like I am going nowhere it's photographs like this which back it up.
What do you do to get motivated, keep fit, and most importantly stay fit?
