I’m back and I’m here to stay!!!

I have to apologies to all my lovely readers for going a little MIA over the last few months and falling off the edge of the World. I had a little dry patch in my fitness and healthy lifestyle and in tern didn’t have the motivation to exercise or blog anymore.

But that’s all in the past now, I have reassessed my lifestyle and kicked this healthy living into hyper drive.

Since we last spoke I have moved houses and jobs, cancelled my gym membership and taken up running, which I have to say I’m terrible at! I have also decided to re-look this blog and make a few changes.

Why I lost motivation

When I started my fitness career in the middle of last year I had a goal, I wanted to lose as much weight and get as fit as I could for my trip back to South  Africa in February of this year and I really did do I good job. I managed to lose more than half of my target weight loss and really felt fit and healthy. I was eating healthy and loving it, passing up a chocolate or a naughty fast food meal was easy and I actually lost the taste for it. Where my down fall came was during and after my trip. while I was there I allowed myself to change my eating patterns thinking I’ve worked so hard the hole year and that a few weeks on holiday wouldn’t hurt

well it did!!! it hurt a lot.

In a few days I got the taste for fast food and sugary treats and then found it hard to say no, one chocolate turned to two and so on, I was in a downward spiral. Once i got back to London and went back to gym it had all changed. My personal trainer had move back to Brazil and as much as my new trainer was great we didn’t have the same connection and  I slowly lost my drive. even cancelled my gym membership

Back on track

After a few months of neglecting my healthy eating and exercise I started feeling the weight coming back. Even though the scale hadn’t moved up that much I knew that I had lost my muscle and was putting on double in fat and knew I had to try some how get back on track and fast before I undid the hard work I had done.

It took a little time but I have found my motivation,

I never realised how much weight I had lost or how much better I looked until a few days ago when I decided to look back on some old pictures and saw how big I was. the worst part was I remember looking at the photos at the time and thinking that I actually looked good in them.

I am more motivated then ever to not go back to that and have decided to change my exercise routine a little

Updates to follow…

Go for blue!!!!

Ever wonder why McDonald’s colour scheme is yellow and red?

We are naturally drawn to red, yellow and orange in our dining area or restaurants because psychologically it stimulates us to want to eat — and eat a lot. Studies show if you put your food on blue plates it can cause you to eat less.

Tip of the day

1. Fat-free? Not necessarily…

Put the words “low-fat” or “fat-free” on the label and people will assume it won’t make them fat. But it’s worth knowing that “fat-free” or “low-fat” or “no added fat” usually means more sugar. Simple white refined sugar is the very stuff which converts to fat once in the body.

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Challenge yourself

If you are anything like me then you work best when you are aiming towards something, getting work done with a deadline in mind helps you to know how hard to work.

Before I went on a visit home to South Africa I was determined to lose as much weight as I could, I pushed myself every day and really looked great while I was there but when I got back I didn’t really have anything to strive towards so  lost the motivation and couldn’t seem to get back on track.

So I have set myself a new challenge,

 The six pack challenge

My boyfriend and I have a friendly wager that the first one to a six pack gets to pick a piece of art work and the other has to pay for it (we are collectors of art). I am one that does not like to lose and I have fallen in love with an artist called Tom Lewis, dying for a piece of his art work.

I’ll keep you update on my progress,

Off to the gym now for a spinning session followed by some abs work, wish me luck.

I feel like a fraud

Over the last few months I have blogged about gym, weight loss and healthy eating but yet I haven’t been following my own advice. I have only gone to gym once or twice a week, always having a sneaky sweet or packet of chips and then trying to appear to you all that sticking to this healthy lifestyle is easy.

I have felt so guilty about it that I’ve even stopped posting updates as often.

I think my first step to getting back on track is to admit my mistakes, come clean about my bad habits and then start taking steps back in the right direction.

Looking in to mirror this morning I could see how the past few months had changed my body already. I hadn’t got to my goal weight yet but I was still looking good and now I feel fat and frumpy. Tonight I went to my usual spinning class but pushed myself back into action.

It’s going to take one step at a time to get back on track but im not throwing all my hard work down the drain so I am going to make sure I get back to the motivated person I was a few months ago.

It’s tough love time!!!

Every child tries to avoid eating vegetable or brushing their teeth even though they get told day in and day out that these things are good for them and keep them strong and healthy.

Let’s face it we are just as stubborn! Every day we tell ourselves we need to eat healthy and exercise, but we seem to try avoiding it like a plague, but once we are in the routine of going to the gym our going for the walk around the block after work and you start feeling great there is usually no stopping you.

So while you wait to get into a routine and waiting for all those lovely endorphins to start motivating you and making you feel good you need a bit of tough love!

I have had to give myself a little of it in the last few weeks as my motivation went right out the window but now with a little tough love I seem to be getting back into the routine of it all.

A simple yet YUMMY snack!

I have been on the search for a quick and easy snack to take to work that I could nibble on in the afternoon. I was taking a few small things but noticed that I was always looking for more. Not really a huge meal but little things that I could snack on over a longer period of time.

SNAP PEAS AND HUMMUS is the answer!

It’s really simple, and I promise you its really tasty! I can’t believe how much flavour they have when you put them together.

It’s also so much better for you then the chips and chocolates we all tent to sneak in at least once a week.

Getting back on track

This year has started off very bumpy, my personal trainer moved back to Brazil and since then I have found it hard to get back into the swing of things. I also went home for a few weeks in February and found myself eating out every lunch and dinner. Now trying to eat right again is proving to be very difficult.

I have tried everything to get back into it but nothing seems to work. I have gone from going to gym every day to maybe twice a week.

Does anyone have any suggestions that would help me get back on track?

Walk the line…

I know I can’t speak for the English but I’m sure most South Africans can agree that one of the hard things about living in London is the lack of wide open spaces. Yes I know there are a lot of parks and commons to take a stroll in but sometimes it would be nice to see a horizon in the distance and not the next sky rise building.

I have recently learnt that there are thousands of miles of former railway lines open to the public, offering traffic-free, family-friendly routes.

The air is crisp and the only sound is birdsong or perhaps a stream running alongside the path. The pleasure of stretching your legs and enjoying the fresh air is even sweeter because there are no cars around, no large buildings blocking your view.

There are plenty of historical interests to. Look out for the signs along the way explaining the history of the line and the area.

The closest route in London is the Parkland Walk, London

A four-mile treelined route known as the Parkland Walk. The route is mostly flat but there are a couple of slopes due to tunnel closures. It can be muddy.

It is London’s longest Local Nature Reserve, with more than 2,000 wild flower species recorded, as well as hedgehogs, foxes and the occasional muntjac. It is also part of the Better Haringey Walking Trail, a 12-mile circular walk around the borough of Haringey.

You can access the walk at the following points:

• Finsbury Park, N4
• Oxford Road, N4
• Florence Road, N4
• Lancaster Road, N4
• Stapleton Hall Road, N4
• Blythwood Road, N4
• Crouch End Hill, N8
• Crescent Road, N8
• Holmesdale Road, N6
• Cranley Gardens, N10
• Muswell Hill Road underpass, N10
• St James’ Lane, N10
• Muswell Hill Road, N10

Visit: tinyurl.com/railwayparklandwalk

What do I need?

• You don’t need any special equipment– just comfortable shoes or boots.
• Most railway line walks are easy to navigate, so you won’t always need a map. But do consider taking an Ordnance Survey or Sustrans map if you think you may need help finding the start of the route, or to help you work out where the nearest café, or other destination, might be.
• Take a bottle of water with you. If you’re going on a longer walk, you may also want a snack such as a banana or some sandwiches.
• Choose a rucksack with padded straps, which is easier to carry than a carrier bag or handbag.
• Wear layers that you can take off if you get too warm, and take a hat and gloves and a waterproof jacket just in case.

Breakfast

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, NEVER skip it!!!

Not only does it kick start your metabolism, it gives you the energy you needto start the day. Skipping breakfast makes you more likely to binge eat later on in the day and it troughs your sugar levels right off and causes you to snack on all those unhealthy sweets.

My yummy breakfast this morning was a big bowl of bran, and to avoid using sugars I added some sliced strawberries and a few raisins…

Tomorrow morning breakfast for everyone!!!!