Getting fitter & healthier? Chances are we are over-thinking things….

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Recently I have been focussing on my short term goal of getting my body as fit and trim as I can for the first time in my life, and I have set a deadline of Christmas.  This really is because I work best if I feel that I have a target to hit and committing to it full strength.

Fitness & getting into shape is definitely an area where a lot of hard earned money is spent each year by Mamas or just regular people – as we all see the celebrities with the “Bikini bodies” after only 2 weeks post partum. It is madness, but although I am not doing this to look like the latest crazy starving celebrity, I want to change up how I do things for sure.

Recently, I have been interested in many of the success stories online regarding 90 day plans and took the courage to sign up and financial cost that involved.  When I got the plan though, honestly, I was overwhelmed and thought

“I can’t do this, there has to be a better way”

All I saw was a diet that would involve me micro managing every exact piece of food I put into my mouth rather than becoming smarter with choices and learning what is best to eat when.  I want knowledge to give my body what it needs to be healthier, not feel like I have to cut the cheese into a 10.5353gram serving. 

Here are what you really need to know to lose weight and get healthier:

1) Plan when you are going to work out in a week

I am aiming for 4 times in a variety of styles, such as running, HIIT, Insanity and I will stick to those timings exactly and work life around it.  This may mean asking people around me to look after little Dude, or getting up earlier.  Whatever works for you.

2) Plan to eat most of your carbs AFTER a workout.

For example, Thursday nights I go to Insanity post working and back home for about 7pm.  Perfect time then to postpone my evening meal and have something like Noodles, Rice, Pasta after that workout so I am not restricting my diet but getting the most energy when I need it.

3) Plan all your meals and snacks for the full week ahead if you can and shop accordingly. 

We all know that if you snack on Fruit, veg, rice cakes, good fats such as cheese & yogurts, then you can feel better because of the nutrients but also they ARE better than chocolate biscuits and cake.  We know this stuff…it is that easy 🙂

My food budget right now is categorised as “Shop as cheaply as I can” as we have only one wage in our household right now.  @Aldi are amazing for great priced good quality foods, and as they don’t stock a lot of ready-made options – it twists your hand to cook from scratch and with fresh produce.  Love that shop!  Also if I do visit the other supermarkets, I only ever purchase reduced items late on in the day.  My bread costs me 15p a loaf, a beef roast cost just over £1 and both frozen same day to enjoy when we need them.

 

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4) Remove as much temptation as you can from your house, such as sweet things and treats.

Make treats REALLY treats once more – look forward to having something special once a week and you will find you don’t have cravings.

5) Record if you wish the calories you are eating each day. 

I use the excellent “My Fitness Pal” app on my IPhone to do this, where I can type in exactly what I have eaten along the day and it will tell me the stats of my food.  It also gives you the estimated calories to each based on your goals, so it takes all the hard work away from you.

6) Aim to eat 3 solid meals and 2 snacks a day

Timing is everything so try to space out eating every 2-3 hours so that you don’t get the dips and hunger pains that cause you to get a quick fix from the vending machine.

7) Mix up Breakfast

I really struggle to make breakfast exciting as I find cereal ok to enjoy but definitely can’t face anything strange like meat & veg (some diets do this!).  My tip has been that if I mix up a choice between healthy cereal, Smoothies, Protein Shakes, Pancakes & Fruit, Toast etc – the variety keeps me excited for the day and getting a good start on keeping hunger away till at least snack time mid morning.

8) Be better with when you eat Carbs

Such as try having Dinner without potatoes at all or Lunch without bread – that is where you will find you don’t feel bloated and actually enjoy more of what you had.  Carbs can definitely make me feel tired and lazy – so think smarter and mix them up with other things.

9) Enjoy life.

Feel proud and happy that you are making a difference to you, for you only.  You don’t need to make separate meals for only you to eat – give the rest of the family the healthier meals too.  You will find that actually it won’t seem like a diet but rather you are impressed you can be healthier outside of your normal eating habits.

 

I don’t want a lifestyle where I have to calorie count or measure portions all day – I just want to feel stronger and healthier with each day I make the right best choices for me and my family.  Eating and drinking is the very source of making sure our bodies last for as long as we can, to enjoy our families and good times.  It shouldn’t be this hard, and chances are you are over thinking it just like I was.

#fitness #healthyeating #mblogger #lblogger

Love MFF xx

 

 

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