I've decided to pop in here every week to give a bit of a wrap up of my progress. I am intentionally working on my physical and emotional well-being and I think I'll be more aware of what is actually happening if I take the time to document it and share it here.
Because I want to ensure that I don't get myself out of balance I will loosely work around the following questions:
1. What have I been doing to improve my mental health?
2. What have I been eating to nourish my body?
3. How have I been moving my body to improve my physical health?
4. How am I feeling and why?
So, I'm going to answer these questions right after you watch this cool video. I find this so inspiring because I love working out and I absolutely jiggle... a lot. And I've just had to get past this and do it anyway.
What have I been doing to improve my mental health?
For me, my physical health and mental health are so connected. I have been making time for me, which has not come so naturally in the last few years because I have so many people who need me and, like many women, the needs of my family have come before my own. I am fortunate enough to be married to a teacher so during these school holidays I have been working on making more time for myself and spending time working on moving my body purposefully and re-discovering what to eat to make me feel great. I feel if I get these habits in place during January, I am much more likely to successfully continue them during the year.
I have also been doing a bit of a de-clutter at home which is making my head feel clearer. So far, we have taken a car-load of stuff to the op-shop and there's more to go.
What have I been eating to nourish my body?
I am focusing on eating lots of veggies, good fats and meat with the occasional bit of fruit or bowl of Greek yoghurt. I'm sticking to a fairly low carb, med/highish protein menu as it really helps with my PCOS symptoms and stops me craving food all day. An average day might look like this:
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with bacon, avocado and sauteed spinach, mushrooms and onion and coffee with full fat milkI am not getting hungry between meals, in fact, I am having to remind myself to eat which is so different to how it has been for me in the last few years. I finally feel the food side of it has clicked again and I can do a lot of it without thinking.
Lunch: Salad with salmon or chicken or leftover meat, almonds and home made mayo
Dinner: Bolognese sauce with veggie spiral noodles. Usually I use carrot and zucchini for the "pasta"
Snacks: Almonds or yoghurt and raspberries, or half and avocado with salt and pepper. This totals about 1500 calories but I'm not really counting.
Also, I am not letting my "diet" (for want of a better word) get in the way of enjoying my life, for instance, last night our family went out for Vietnamese and there wasn't really anything on the menu that ticked all my boxes so instead of getting stressed about it mucking up my progress I chose a beef and chicken pho and didn't eat many of the noodles. It was delicious and I enjoyed spending time with my family without having to stress about food.
Food shouldn't be stressful. It's just food.
How have I been moving my body to improve my physical health?
This is where I am feeling really excited because I found a trainer at the gym to write me a program that is completely, exactly, what I asked for and what I know works for me. It is a functional weights program that I will be doing twice a week along with doing a class or two and walking the dog. If anyone is interested, I am happy to share my program for you to try too - hit me up in the comments or Facebook me if you'd like to see it. It only takes 30-40 minutes so it will be easy to fit into my schedule.
Another cool thing that happened this week is that I got myself a second hand Fitbit from my friend Gemma so I can keep better track of my sleep and activity. I already know that I actually sleep quite well but my best, deepest sleep happens in the wee hours of the morning, so I'm never waking up early again.. lol.
How am I feeling and why?
On one hand, I'm feeling positive, encouraged, intentional and on track and I feel this way because I am making time for myself and pushing my own limits. On the other hand, I'm feeling disillusioned with the media, world governments and some parts of humanity because of the awful massacres that have occurred in Africa and France and responses (or lack thereof) to them. I am struggling with how to respond to this and how to pro-actively care about all the things that matter to me. I have reached a point where I have to acknowledge that the best contribution I can make to the world right now is to raise loving, peaceful, critical thinking children.
Thanks for joining me today, If I don't see you before, see you here next week for another update!
No comments:
Post a Comment