Being healthy is hard.
I have so much respect for people who can get up early, have a healthy breakfast, pre-pack a lunch, go to work for the day, do a workout, cook a healthy dinner, get 8h sleep a night, and somehow still manage to have a social life.
And as for all you amazing women who have children AND do all the above? I salute you.
Truth moment: being healthy just hasn’t been a priority for me lately. I used to be that person. I went for runs on my lunch break and lifted weights after work, I made myself go to bed early and I ate really, really well.
But then along came blogging.
And, honestly, if you’re going to make me choose between going for a run or working on my dream future career (including the restaurant reviews and recipe creating)? Well then… Yeah.
It’s really not hard to figure out why I find myself, almost one year later, with an extra 10 pounds on me and the spectacular ability to be out of breath after walking up two flights of stairs!
But enough’s enough. You guys, I recently had an epiphany about myself. It’s kind of a crucial one: I’m a very all or nothing kind of person. So because I felt like I couldn’t do ANYTHING, then I’ve done NOTHING.
I’m basically a bit of an idiot.
And so, over the past month or so, I’ve been (very) slowly introducing little changes into my daily habits. They’re just teeny-tiny things that might not seem like much, but they’re manageable and obtainable and I think I can actually stick to them.
Which is the important thing right? Because baby steps are better than no steps at all!
MORE PROTEIN: BREAKFAST SMOOTHIES
I love my smoothie maker. Like, LOVE. IT.
It’s so quick to use, easy to wash and makes the yummiest healthy breakfast smoothies for me to take to work.
My favourite combination at the minute is a mix of frozen berries (blueberries and raspberries in this one), an apple and a cup of water. Then I add either a teaspoon of organic peanut butter (Whole Earth is my fave!) or a small dab of coconut oil for healthy fats and yumminess.
I’ve had a few people ask me whether this actually fills me up enough to keep me going until lunch, and the answer is a resounding YES.
My secret? After I’ve whizzed up all the fruit, I add in two small scoops of whey protein powder.
Protein is what makes you feel full, as well as keeping your muscles strong, helping them recover faster from exercise, and a whole host of other fun stuff like making your hair and nails grow stronger and curbing carb cravings.
Bulk Powders are one of the best and cheapest suppliers for protein powders I think. The one pictured here is banana flavoured, and the whole pack only cost me about £9.99.
I’ve also keep a pack of this at work, so I can quickly make up a protein shake for breakfast on days that I stay over at Gary’s.
No more sugary Pret muesli yoghurt thingys for me! :)
(PS. I have a reference DISCOUNT code for you guys if you want it: £5 off you first order with Bulk Powders! Code: KT126784)
SUPPLEMENTS: GREEN TEA, COLLAGEN AND EVENING PRIMROSE OIL
Over the years I’ve had brief flirtations with Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Multivitamins, Zinc, Cod Liver Oil and Green Tea Extract tablets, but how do you know whether they’re actually working or not!?
Well, the lovely folk at My Vitamins offered to send me over a pack of Collagen* and Green Tea Extract* samples to try, and I decided that maybe it was time to give them another shot.
Green Tea Extract is probably the one everyone is most familiar with, as it’s widely regarded as a good supplement to weightloss, helping burn away fat. Supposedly.
My flatmates and I got quite into it during our uni days, and I’ve quite enjoyed getting back into it. I feel like it’s got quite a lot of research behind it, and I’m more inclined to feel like it’s actually doing some good. Think I’ll probably repurchase these after I’m done with my pack!
Unlike the collagen.
I’m just not feeling this one. For a start: the pills are HUGE and chalky, which makes them really hard to swallow.
Then, you’re meant to take three of them, two times a day. (Or is it two pills three times a day? I don’t know. I kept losing count.) Either way, that’s a lot of pills. I burnt through that 60 pill pack in under two weeks. Not really good value for money is it?
Thirdly: I just can’t find any solid scientific evidence that collagen ingestion makes any difference to our skin. The theory is that it’s meant to help keep it supple and elastic, which in turn keeps us looking young. But I just didn’t think it did much to be honest.
I also picked up some Evening Primrose Oil capsules from Holland & Barrett cos I heard they’re good for helping with PMS and hormonal acne (both of which I’ve been suffering from quite badly).
I only started these a couple of weeks ago (right in the middle of my PMS suffering in fact), so I guess we’ll have to wait until next month to see whether they’ve made any difference!
EXERCISE: SMALL STEPS
And by small steps, I mean: walking not running.
See, for months I’ve been saying I wanted to get back into running, but the truth is: I don’t. I hate running. And that means I’m entirely resentful of the idea of giving up my lovely, quiet and rare evenings off to go out and do it. Even for just half an hour.
I like lifting weights, I like swimming and I LOVE doing classes.
Unfortunately I can’t afford the gym, there are no swimming pools near me and, even though I absolutely loved the British Military Fitness class I went to last week, it’s (again) just not something I can afford at the moment.
So I’ve been a bit stuck really.
Then I spoke to Jasmin a couple of weeks ago, and she mentioned that she’s been trying to hit 10,000 steps a day on her pedometer.
LIGHTBULB.
I downloaded this fab app onto my iPhone called Pacer. It’s free and will automatically track your steps as you walk with it in your pocket. It’s not 100% accurate, but it’s definitely given me something to aim for!
The lovely team at Asics sent me these super cool turquoise and pink trainers* to try out, so I’ve been testing them out in Hyde Park on my lunch break.
They have this test thing on their site, to help you figure out what kind of shoe would work for you: You stick your foot in water, then press it on to some paper and compare it to the shapes on their website to figure out what kind of support your feet need.
I tried it and learnt that I need a support shoe, which is partly the reason why I chose these ones. (The other reason being that they’re TURQUOISE AND PINK.) (Let’s just add yellow laces and re-name the Little Miss Katy trainers shall we?)
They’re super freaking comfy and fit me perfectly. I’ve been leaving them at work and trying to get out walking in them every day, even if it’s just for 20 minutes or so.
It’s definitely helping me work through my 10,000 steps, as well as getting me out in the fresh air and soaking up the Vitamin D, which is lovely.
And, again, I really think that this is something I can keep up in the long term!
*I was sent the My Vitamin supplements and Asics trainers for review purposes.
Every other mentioned product was bought by me :)
