In one of my previous posts, I mentioned that I am currently attempting to get healthy. At the grand old age of 24, I have come to the realisation that now is a good time to try and kick some of my bad habits. I used the New Year as a starting point for this.
Some of my goals for becoming a healthier person include -
- Sticking to the recommended calorie intake
- Eating healthy food
- Only drinking alcohol on special occasions
- Taking my make up off before I go to bed - I know, I should have been doing that already
- Trying to cut out sugary drinks - I'm failing this.
- Exercising more - walking, zumba, yoga
I have downloaded a great app called My Fitness Pal. I saw it mentioned in a blog recently and thought it sounded fantastic and kept telling people about it. Awkward moment when everyone already knew about it and told me I was a bit behind there.
But anyway, if there is anyone else that like me, is not down with the kids, I recommend this app.
If you are looking to improve your eating habits, I have found it is very helpful to keep a record of what you are eating. With this app you record each meal, plus snacks and water intake. It also keeps track of the distance you walk - obviously when you are holding your phone, its not THAT magic. My favourite feature is that you can scan barcodes on food packaging to record it.
Food
One of my main aims is to control my eating. I love food. Pizza and curry are my weakness, and my portion sizes are ridiculous. I envy people that actually enjoy eating healthy food. My goal is to discover how to cook and enjoy healthy food. I'm not going to completely cut out bad food, because I would just fail.
This week so far, I have been focusing on my calorie intake and making sure I have a good breakfast. Breakfast is so important and I often find myself skipping. I have found eggs to be a quick and healthy breakfast and also you can have them in a variety of ways. Scrambled, poached and boiled are my favourites. Mix with spinach, smoked salmon or mushrooms and you are creating a yummy and nutritious breakfast.
My biggest challenge yet is lunch. I work in an office and do not have the facilities to cook. Sandwiches are an option, however I am trying to avoid too much bread. Yesterday I had a salad, but it didn't travel well and it wasn't enjoyable. However my day did improve, as I made the most delicious Thai Green Curry. I used Chicken and lots of vegetables, as well as brown rice for that extra healthy kick! And to be completely honest, I could not taste the difference with the rice, compared to normal rice. I also added some hot curry powder to give it a kick. I had initially intended to make my own sauce, following a recipe from one of my new books. However that goes into another story that resolves around stock cubes and Sainsburys stupid store layout!!
Exercise
This is going to be my biggest challenge. I'm not the most active person in the world. I have joined and quit the gym too many times to count. For Christmas I asked for a Zumba DVD and I previously purchased Charlotte Crosby's Belly Blitz. These will be my starting points for exercise. I also am aiming to go on at least one long walk a week (weather dependant of course). This week I have chosen to go to Kilve Beach at the weekend. Kilve is a pebble beach and can be great for finding fossils. I felt this would make it more fun and less like exercise.
Lifestyle
My first big change of the year is that I have got myself a new job. I had been job hunting for a while, as my current job was bringing unnecessary negativity not my life.The job is based in my hometown and is more relevant to what I like doing (its still admin based). I will also have less of a commute which will be much more convenient. I'm still not really sure what it is I want to do with my life, as I don't think the all expenses paid travel bloggers are hiring at the moment, but if I'm in a happier environment, I will be closer to finding out.
