It's F-F-F-FRIDAY! And it feels sooo good to not have to work today. I'm off on Thursday every week but I swapped my shifts this week. I love having Friday's off - not only are they horrendous shifts in work, it means I get a long weekend. Win/win.
My best friend in work came back off her holidays on Wednesday, and one of the first things she said to me was that I've lost weight. I haven't seen her for 3 weeks so I'm so pleased she said that, as apart from my bad weekend, I've worked really hard. One of my big bosses came into work on Friday too. He is also the husband of one of my friends, and I haven't seen him since a BBQ at his house last year. He also commented that I've lost loads of weight and that I, to quote, "look fantastic". Life. Is. Good. That's enough to motivate me :)
Speaking of motivation, Total Yoghurt have set up a Fit 4 Summer webpage to help encourage people to get fit for Summer (clearly...) and they want people to share their health and nutrition tips. I was tagged to share my tips by Rachel. This is something I am still trying to master myself so I don't have 10 tips, but I thought it would be a good idea to post as many tips as I can anyway, even if it is to remotivate myself in a few months time. As an aside, I LOVE Total Yoghurts. I love having a great big bowl of fruit salad, topped with some 0% Total Greek Yoghurt, a drizzle of honey and a sprinkling of flaked almonds. Mmm yum!
My best friend in work came back off her holidays on Wednesday, and one of the first things she said to me was that I've lost weight. I haven't seen her for 3 weeks so I'm so pleased she said that, as apart from my bad weekend, I've worked really hard. One of my big bosses came into work on Friday too. He is also the husband of one of my friends, and I haven't seen him since a BBQ at his house last year. He also commented that I've lost loads of weight and that I, to quote, "look fantastic". Life. Is. Good. That's enough to motivate me :)
Speaking of motivation, Total Yoghurt have set up a Fit 4 Summer webpage to help encourage people to get fit for Summer (clearly...) and they want people to share their health and nutrition tips. I was tagged to share my tips by Rachel. This is something I am still trying to master myself so I don't have 10 tips, but I thought it would be a good idea to post as many tips as I can anyway, even if it is to remotivate myself in a few months time. As an aside, I LOVE Total Yoghurts. I love having a great big bowl of fruit salad, topped with some 0% Total Greek Yoghurt, a drizzle of honey and a sprinkling of flaked almonds. Mmm yum!
Tip 1 - Prepare, prepare, prepare.
Where I work we eat like pigs. There's toast or croissants with real butter and jam at 10:30am, one colleague shares her calorific cooking with everyone, such as potato salads laden with mayonnaise, pasta smothered in creamy sauces and cheese, or something as simple as crisps and dips. By 3pm we're reaching for the bars upon bars of chocolate or a cream cake. See? Pigs. I take my own healthy snacks with me now. Often, I'm not hungry when these things are put in front of me, it's just lack of willpower. Now if I simply can't resist eating something, I eat my snack, which satisfies me perfectly. The same applies to any meal. If I know I have something prepared for when I'm hungry, I'm less likely to eat the first convenient (and often artery-clogging fattening) thing within arms reach.
Tip 2 - Stay hydrated.
I aim to drink at least 2 litres of water a day. Sometimes hunger pangs are actually your body's way of telling you that you're dehydrated, so if you do feel peckish, have a drink of water first to see if it subsides. Drinking water is also beneficial to your skin too, so if you want to look younger, guzzle a glass! Don't forget, you shouldn't even be reaching the 'thirsty' stage - by then you are dehydrated.
Tip 3 - Try and vary the foods you eat.
My Mam can't eat tomatoes anymore as she literally ate them every single day (and practically almost every meal) when she was on a diet! I try and keep myself motivated by including a variety of foods, and experimenting with vegetables I've never tried before. I also like to vary the colours of the fruits and vegetables that I am eating, and try to incorporate something from each colour. Chances are, if you aren't limiting yourself to just a few things, you won't get bored easily.
Tip 4 - Think about your cooking methods.
Love chips? Instead of deep fat frying them, try cutting up your potatoes, parboiling them for a few minutes, spreading them in a single layer on a baking sheet, and roasting in the oven. Should hit the spot! As it happens, I'm not a chip lover, but the idea applies to everything. I grill or boil everything now, and only bake or roast if no oil or fats are involved. Different cooking methods make certain foods taste different too, which also contributes to the variety aspect of tip number 3.
Tip 5 - Find an exercise you enjoy.
Last year I really got into running. I blogged about it here and here, and I wish I had kept it up. It's a long story as to why I fell off the wagon, but I am waiting for the horrendous weather to go away before I start it back up again. If you are a runner but hate the thought of being in the gym on the treadmill for a long, mundane hour, hit your local parks or beach instead! Find a partner who enjoys it as much as you do. Join a class or group of like-minded people. My friend adores kettlebells, so she has joined a class as it isn't an intense a workout when she does it at home.
So tell me, what has been the highlight of your week, and what are your top tips?
xoxo
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