One Month and Counting…

Today I’m celebrating a big achievement. It might not be a big achievement for other people but it’s a big deal to me. Today marks my one month anniversary of starting my Beachbody diet and exercise programme. That’s one month of exercising for at least thirty minutes every day!

With this one small change in my daily routine, I am already seeing changes. Not only, in my body (the pounds are slowly coming off and I’ve been able to fit into a pair of jeans that were once too tight) but in my mindset too. I feel better in myself; more positive, confident and with more energy.

You will never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine
Autumn Calabrese

I’ve curbed my temptation to give into eating naughty foods as well, managing to say no to that sausage sandwich or hot cross bun and eating quinoa and chicken salad instead. I’ve become more experimental with my cooking too- cooking tuna steak and sweet potato patties for dinner – and they were delicious! Don’t get me wrong I’m still allowing myself the odd treat, but that’s something I shouldn’t feel guilty about – I am human after all. Friday, for example, I was going out, so I knew that I was going to allow myself a few cheeky drinks – who can’t resist a porn star or espresso martini after all? But, the difference was, I ensured that I stuck to the diet plan the rest of the day and went straight back on the diet Saturday and Sunday. It’s just about getting the balance right, and that’s what I’m starting to learn.

Beachbody – the Road to a Better Me

Strength doesn’t come from what you can do. Strength comes from overcoming the things you thought you couldn’t do.
Autumn Calabrese

This quote resounds so well with me. Before I enrolled on the 21 Day Fix diet and exercise plan, part of Beachbody, I never thought that I would actually have the motivation to workout every day, and…drumroll…actually enjoy it!

I think I’ve had an issue with exercise, and seeing exercise as the enemy my whole life. I was always the kid at school who was picked last for the team, came last in races and huffed and puffed my way through the cross country course, knowing that I’d slowed the whole class down because I was twenty minutes behind everyone else and feeling physically sick because of it. I dreaded P.E lessons because I was always shoved in the corner whilst the teachers concentrated on those that had made the team, and spoken to like I only had two brain cells to rub together because I couldn’t run fast. Thus I saw exercise as the enemy.

In my adult life I joined a few gyms, always saying to myself that this would be the year when I would get fit and commit to going to the gym at least two – three times a week. I would start out with the best of intentions but never follow through.

If you want something in your life that you’ve never had , you’ll have to do something you’ve never done before.
Autumn Calabrese

Then, in November 2017 I got engaged. Suddenly I had a goal with a deadline (my wedding day) to strive for. I hired a personal trainer at the gym and saw him once a week. But still, it was hard to commit to going in between sessions and it was expensive. Later that year I was hit with a nasty illness – an infection in my leg and foot, which because it was misdiagnosed, which delayed treatment and I ended up in hospital. I was out of action for over two months and for the first couple of weeks barely able to walk, let alone work-out. I used the illness as an experience to eat badly too. The diet that I had been working so hard on before gave way to chocolate and takeaways.

In the New Year I realised that I only had seven months before the Big Day and I better do something about it! My fiance’s cousin had been doing Beachbody for sometime and achieved amazing results. I did a bit of research on the programmes and it seemed pretty good value for money – and what’s more I could do the workouts at home (so no more travelling to/from the gym- hurrah!) and they were only thirty minutes long. So I decided to buy a Beachbody on Demand challenge pack and enrol on 21 Day fix.

That was 3.5 weeks ago and I can honestly say I’m so proud of myself for sticking with the workouts and diet plan (ok the diet plan is not always 100% – I do need to have a life after all!) and the shakes are yummy! I’m losing weight and starting to feel so much better about myself too.

Two weeks in to my programme I was asked if I wanted to become a Beachbody Coach. The old me would have seen that as laughable but I though what the heck – why not? Plus by signing up as a coach I’d be eligible for all sorts of discounts which is very appealing.

I’m taking small steps and working on myself but maybe one day soon I will gain customers and build my own coaching team. That’s the kind of inspiration and motivation that this programme gives you! Right, now I’m off to do my Pilates fix workout….

Starting Somewhere

I’ve never blogged before. I don’t know why, I used to love writing as a child. Every spare moment I’d spend making up stories. I had so many in my head that as soon as I started writing something down I’d want to start on another. I have a whole folder of first page stories written in my childish scrawl. When I hit my early teens I discovered that I could use the family computer to write my stories (this was the age before iPhones, iPads and even laptops after all…) and so my writing folder of unfinished stories became an electronic one. When I was fifteen I wrote my first novel. It was pretty trashy and in no way will it win any awards, but I’m pretty proud of it anyway – despite all the dodgy sex scenes – what an imagination I had! My love of writing followed me to university, so much so that the course I took – English and Creative Writing – meant I was writing several times a week – and being graded for it! My third year was spent not only sweating over my 10,000 word English dissertation but over my 10,000 word creative writing piece. I literally lived and breathed writing. Then I left university and real life hit. I started writing some bits and pieces and even laid down the foundation of a novel, which I hope someday I will finish, but I couldn’t find the focus or the head space to do as much as I used to. Every year I said to myself that I would start writing properly again this year but it never happened. Grown up life took over I suppose and the time I once had to write got dragged in to all sorts of different directions.

Occasionally I’ve thought about blogging but didn’t think I’d have anything interesting to say. Who’d be interested in reading about my life after all? But this year is going to be a big year – I’m getting married, I’m on a mission to loose weight, we’re renovating our house and going on the holiday of a lifetime – South Africa. I’ve even signed up to be a Beachbody Coach – it’s just for the discounts at the moment but who knows where it will lead me?

So here goes. I’m determined to make 2019 THE year. Hope you enjoy reading this blog as much as I enjoy writing it. x