My sessions this weekend, like I say, were not flat-out sweaty high-intensity workouts, but there was lots to be happy about. The fact of getting into the habit of exercising regularly, is key. Yesterday I swung kettlebells, and that makes me feel pretty powerful, lol. My old gym had kettlebells that went up to 24kgs, my new gym 'only' goes up to 20kgs, so I swung that 15 times (two sets) after 25 swings of the 16kg, and since I can't work on going higher, I'll build my strength up to swing the heavier bells with a single arm instead. I haven't tested how heavy I can go with a single-arm swing, but I will. I want to develop a list of "personal bests" in the gym, so that I can regularly see progress, and use the motivation I get from that to push myself further.The running is sliding off the radar a little bit right now; the weather is icy, the mornings are dark, and the willpower is low. I'll start building up time on the treadmill though, because I have to start thinking about my 2015 goals in that area too. As much as I want to see progress in the gym, it's BEYOND time I started seeing progress in my running again, too. I simply can't keep beating myself up about 2014, be it the weight-gain, the decline of my running, or the all-out low place I've mentally wallowed in - it's time to just put that year firmly behind me and look to the future again. Feeling generally good, though. x
You keep mentioning that you continue to make poor food choices, now four weeks into 100 day challenge and you don't yet seemed to mastering the diet as much as you are doing well on the regular exercise front.
ReplyDeletePerhaps taking a photo of every meal and posting it on your daily post would give you a little more motivation to make good choices.
I do wonder if you feel guilty about certain foods that are perfectly healthy for you and visa verse. Some foods have reputations that has been heavily distorted due to marketing of the industrial food giants that has bombarded us for the last couple of decades. Butter vs Margarine, or Chips vs Bread/Pasta are two examples of complete inversion of what is actually healthier for us. When it comes to safe fats Butter is far better than Margarine and for safe carbs Potato (yep even Chips as long it's not cooked in cheap vegetable oil) are more healthy than Bread and Pasta.
Nah, I'm just eating crazy amounts of chocolate, white bread, cake, not eating 'proper' meals. Lunch today (Monday 15th) was a chicken pasty and can of diet coke, from Greggs, for no other reason than I passed it while doing a brisk lunchtime walk to make sure I got plenty of exercise today. There have been big boxes of Thorntons chocolates in the office today, a festive gift from management, and I keep getting up and going over to where they are, dipping in, and eating them. I've had about 8 now (almost 3pm). I'm not really sure why, except I just keep seeing them when I go to the printer, or go to make a cuppa, etc. And I say 'about', because I've not kept track.
DeleteYes, I'm definitely aware butter is better than margarine, but not when its spread thickly on white bread, as was my post-gym breakfast this morning. 3 slices. Plus I ate 3 stollen cake bites, from Lidl, because they're yummy (and were sitting on the kitchen worktop - I bought them on Saturday, meaning to take them to my parents for Christmas nibbles next week, but opened the packet yesterday and they're pretty much all gone now).
It's basically all stuff like this. When I eat "meals" I manage pretty well. I don't cook badly. It's when I don't eat proper meals, and graze the whole day on junk, that's my problem - and I do that a lot.
In terms of eating well, I strongly believe in potatoes, by the way. :-)
I took a photo of my lovely breakfast on Friday, for facebook, but didn't think to upload it on the blog. :-) I should do that kind of thing, you're absolutely right, because if nothing else it'll force me to actually eat proper meals more often. It was eggs, bacon and chopped tenderstem broccoli, and delicious. :-) I then went out for my work Christmas lunch, ate a three course Indian meal, and drank rather too much gin. Breakfast was delicious, though!
DeleteOne of the BBC program about health this year did a test where they put sweets on display or covered and let office staff eat what they wanted and the sweets on display is what made the big difference, opportunistic and mindless snacking seems to be a strong urge in us all.
ReplyDeleteIt's probably down to what we'd need as a hunter gather, spot a nice looking berries on bush and you grab and eat it a couple. Not a proper meal but a small bit of nutrition and hydration to keep the body ticking over nicely. Fast forward to today's all you can eat buffet and this natural urge has the knack of killing us slowly.
Hiding sweet things from view, or putting them in a tin covered with something repulsive might do the trick. Taking an apple/carrot sticl with you from your desk when you make your way to make tea/coffee might keep your hands, mouth and mind busy when you pass the temptation.
As for spreading butter thickly on white bread, well the most healthy part of that snack is the butter! You are much better off having one slice of bread with lots of butter than two slices thinly spread.
Your breakfast of eggs, bacon and broccoli sounds tasty, but alas bacon is not so good ;-| The chemicals used in processed meats like bacon, ham and sausages really aren't good for you - it's these types of meats that are the primary reason why red meat gets associated with poor health in studies. The protein and fats in unprocessed red meats are good for you though.
My favourite alternative in bacon and eggs is to have mackerel and eggs. Salmon and eggs is classic combo too. I think it's important when eating less unhealthy food in your diet is to not compromise on how tasty, colourful it is. Much of eating is about treating all the senses, smell, texture, visuals and taste all come together to make food a real delight.