Since writing this post back in March about how I lost 8lbs I have actually managed to not only lose a further 4lbs and I have also managed to keep the weight off for the past 10 months!
My weight has fluxated 2-3lbs occassionally, but in general I have kept the weight off and I am so much happy with my current weight.
Today I wanted to write a post about a few healthy habits I have adapted over the past year in order to keep off the weight and lead a healthier* lifestyle.
*I am not healthy by any standards, but in comparison to my previous lifestyle I am much healthier and these are a few changes I have made
- Weheartit -
1) Be realistic
We all have tried or know people who have tried crazy diets, juice fasting and no carbs and then caved after the 4th day and ate everything in their entire fridge... I know I have.
Try not to set unrealistic goals, try to set lifestyle goals that you know you can stick to, if you know you can go your whole life living on no carbs then great for you, but instead try to maybe cut carbs once a week for example then after a few weeks maybe try it twice a week. If you are realistic you will more likely achieve your goals, failure always unmotivates people and you will more likely quit a lot sooner.
2) Dont drink your calories
This is something that I have been trying to do for years, in terms of soft drinks I only really ever drink water anyway, in the Summer I will indulge in a Frappicino here and there and in the Winter I am a sucker for a peppermint hot chocolate but in general I only really drink water or herbal tea. I find that I only ever used to drink fizzy drinks if they were in my house, but since I have shopped for myself I never find myself buying them and therefore I never drink them..
Alcohol is a little bit more difficult. Obviously alcohol is not great for you for many reasons, but I do drink, I love wine, cocktails and tequila shots as much as any other 23 year old, but lately I have really tried to make better choices even with my bad choices, so instead of a large glass of wine I will opt for a flavoured vodka (vanilla or raspbberry are my favourite) with soda, or a glass of prosecco.
3) Eat a big breakfast
This one took me a long time to do, I'm never usually very hungry when I wake up and so I'll wait until lunch then I'll eat everything I see! So now I really try to make sure I eat within an hour of waking up, if I'm really not hungry then I'll just have a cereal bar or some fruit with cereal, but I generally try to get my calories in for breakfast, so I love bagels, eggs, beans, toast, yoghurt. I really try to fill myself up so I'm less likely to snack throughout the day.
4) Sweat everyday
I use the term 'sweat' loosely, I know it's not realistic for everybody to do an hour of cardio everyday, but try to just do it as much as you can. For me I will do jumping jacks whilst the kettle boils, squats whilst the bread is in the toaster, a wall sit whilst brushing my teeth. Just these tiny things to get my heart rate up. Amongst those I have the app 'Seven' on my phone which is a quick 7 minute workout for when I have a bit of spare time. I try to do that twice a day. Just try to do exercise whenever you can and remember that even small bursts of exercise are better than nothing.
5) Find something you love
So not everybody loves a 5k to start the day the same way that not everybody loves swimming. There are so many different types of exercise that you can do, you just need to find what works for you. Do you love to work out alone or with a group? Indoors or outdoors? Try different things, tennis, spinning, Zumba, even pole dancing is a great exercise! Find something you love and stick at it!
6) Dont over do it
In January everybody will join the gym, they will go 7 days a week sometimes twice a day and then by February they are sick of it and wont go again for the rest of the year. It's so important to take breaks, don't over do anything. If you take up a class start with twice a week, then after a month maybe push it to 3. Listen to your body and make sure you're doing it for the right reasons. (Not just for that #GymSelfie)
7) Remember why you started
My ultimate goal has always been to be more comfortable within my body. I remind myself with scrolling through Fitspiration on Pintrest when I'm exhausted after a workout. This could be different for everybody, if you are doing it for more energy, to lose weight, to gain strength, always remind yourself why you are doing it and look forward. You will reach your goals if you are consistent.
I hope this helped some of you and I would love to know what you do to stay motivated!
We all have tried or know people who have tried crazy diets, juice fasting and no carbs and then caved after the 4th day and ate everything in their entire fridge... I know I have.
Try not to set unrealistic goals, try to set lifestyle goals that you know you can stick to, if you know you can go your whole life living on no carbs then great for you, but instead try to maybe cut carbs once a week for example then after a few weeks maybe try it twice a week. If you are realistic you will more likely achieve your goals, failure always unmotivates people and you will more likely quit a lot sooner.
2) Dont drink your calories
This is something that I have been trying to do for years, in terms of soft drinks I only really ever drink water anyway, in the Summer I will indulge in a Frappicino here and there and in the Winter I am a sucker for a peppermint hot chocolate but in general I only really drink water or herbal tea. I find that I only ever used to drink fizzy drinks if they were in my house, but since I have shopped for myself I never find myself buying them and therefore I never drink them..
Alcohol is a little bit more difficult. Obviously alcohol is not great for you for many reasons, but I do drink, I love wine, cocktails and tequila shots as much as any other 23 year old, but lately I have really tried to make better choices even with my bad choices, so instead of a large glass of wine I will opt for a flavoured vodka (vanilla or raspbberry are my favourite) with soda, or a glass of prosecco.
3) Eat a big breakfast
This one took me a long time to do, I'm never usually very hungry when I wake up and so I'll wait until lunch then I'll eat everything I see! So now I really try to make sure I eat within an hour of waking up, if I'm really not hungry then I'll just have a cereal bar or some fruit with cereal, but I generally try to get my calories in for breakfast, so I love bagels, eggs, beans, toast, yoghurt. I really try to fill myself up so I'm less likely to snack throughout the day.
4) Sweat everyday
I use the term 'sweat' loosely, I know it's not realistic for everybody to do an hour of cardio everyday, but try to just do it as much as you can. For me I will do jumping jacks whilst the kettle boils, squats whilst the bread is in the toaster, a wall sit whilst brushing my teeth. Just these tiny things to get my heart rate up. Amongst those I have the app 'Seven' on my phone which is a quick 7 minute workout for when I have a bit of spare time. I try to do that twice a day. Just try to do exercise whenever you can and remember that even small bursts of exercise are better than nothing.
5) Find something you love
So not everybody loves a 5k to start the day the same way that not everybody loves swimming. There are so many different types of exercise that you can do, you just need to find what works for you. Do you love to work out alone or with a group? Indoors or outdoors? Try different things, tennis, spinning, Zumba, even pole dancing is a great exercise! Find something you love and stick at it!
6) Dont over do it
In January everybody will join the gym, they will go 7 days a week sometimes twice a day and then by February they are sick of it and wont go again for the rest of the year. It's so important to take breaks, don't over do anything. If you take up a class start with twice a week, then after a month maybe push it to 3. Listen to your body and make sure you're doing it for the right reasons. (Not just for that #GymSelfie)
7) Remember why you started
My ultimate goal has always been to be more comfortable within my body. I remind myself with scrolling through Fitspiration on Pintrest when I'm exhausted after a workout. This could be different for everybody, if you are doing it for more energy, to lose weight, to gain strength, always remind yourself why you are doing it and look forward. You will reach your goals if you are consistent.
I hope this helped some of you and I would love to know what you do to stay motivated!
