Sunday 31 January 2016

Unorganised week and an unorganised post

Since today is the last day of January I feel like it’s a good time for a little evaluation on my goals for this year – regular exercise and a healthy, varied diet.
But before I do that I would like to share that I have completed “Dry January”! Yaaay! And yesterday I just thought that that’s already one month done, why not try another? I didn’t really miss having a drink so looks like there is nothing stopping me from continuing with the challenge in February.
This week has been a little hectic – a few days in university and a couple of shifts at work which has made me lazier. I only exercised twice, arms and abs in the gym on Friday and parkrun on Saturday (I got a PB! :D). I have to say that I felt quite proud of myself in the gym on Friday as for the first time I managed proper-ish press ups – no more than 5 at a time and while for some people this wouldn’t even be a warm up a feel like for me it’s an achievement and a sign of slowly getting stronger.

My diet this week consisted mostly of foods I’m familiar with and could cook quickly, like Quorn spaghetti Bolognese. I also went out for a meal with my friends to a local pub. I’ve been there a few times now and have never been disappointed with the food. This time I opted for the fish pie – BEST DECISION I MADE ALL WEEK! I think it had salmon, smoked haddock and king prawns in a dill sauce in it and it tasted amazing! One of the days this week I also worked a long shift in work and after getting off the bus that evening I was walking past a pizzeria and it smelled so good I went in and bought one to take away, in my opinion (this might be controversial) this pizza was a million times better than Domino’s. Last night however I experimented a little and made something I haven’t made before – roasted aubergine with tahini rice but I have to say I wasn’t a big fan. I will write more about this one when I do my Deliciously Ella review, hopefully in a few weeks. I also made some treats – black bean brownies. I’m not sure I got the texture right as they seem to be a little too gooey in the middle but it’s only my first attempt, I’ll experiment more when I made them again which I definitely will as they taste so good! They have no sugar in them, just a little bit of honey, which means they’re not very sweet but personally that’s why I like them – they’re not at all sickly, just pure cocoa goodness.
I feel like January is just the beginning of a busy year, but overall I’m trying to achieve my goals although quite often it’s a challenge, especially exercising regularly. I have definitely been thinking about my diet more and have been more conscious of the choices I make. Yes, I may have a take away once in a while but all my other meals have become healthier and more adventurous. With so much food inspiration out there – cookbooks, Instagram and pinterest – I am still excited to try new things, and maybe at some point in the distant future, maybe even try to invent something of my own once I get used to the new ingredients I’m using.

For some reason I feel like this week was very unorganised for me, I feel like I was constantly busy but haven’t actually achieved much, especially in terms of my university work. I think that this week I will employ more ‘to do’ lists and make better use of my diary as it looks like this week will also be busy even though I only have three half days on campus. 
I have created an Instagram account for my blog - click the button on the right hand side to see what I'm up to when I don't post on the blog :)

Sunday 24 January 2016

Parkruns, HIIT and naughty food days

As we head towards the end of January I've come to the realisation of just how busy I am going to be over the next couple of months. With university deadlines already appearing on the horizon, a return to my part time job and visiting my boyfriend and family there isn't that much time for relaxing and taking time out.
Last weekend I took part in the local Parkrun (as I mentioned in my last post) and considering it was my first longer run in weeks and first park run in 8 months I was very happy with my time - 32:57. I would be extremely happy if I could keep that pace up for my 10k run! 
Since Saturday was "leg day" on Sunday I decided to go to the gym and do some abs and arms. I know many people choose Sunday as their rest day during the week but with being so busy during the week I decided I'd rather break up my day off with some exercise. Being a gym newbie I didn't know how half of the machines worked so after a tutorial from a friend of mine I felt a little more prepared. 
Then on Monday I decided to try something new - High Intensity Interval Training which I loved so much I signed up for next week's class the next day! The class involved a leg circuit, consisting of backward lunges and squats, and a core circuit consisting of planks and crunches. We started off with 45 seconds of lunges followed by 15 seconds of rest, then 45 seconds of squats followed by a rest - we did this 4 times and then did the core circuit in the same way. I ached for 2 days after which just goes to show that you don't have to train for hours to work hard.
On Friday I managed to squeeze in a quick gym session but I have to say it didn't feel like I worked very hard - but apparently the only bad workout is the one that didn't happen so let's count this one in!
Yesterday I did park run again, this time with my boyfriend who visited me this weekend. He runs a lot faster than me so completed the 5k in about 25 minutes while I tried to beat my previous time and, according to my Fitbit app, I did. I think I did it in about 31 minutes but I don't know for sure because I never got my time which was fairly annoying but understandable considering how many people take part in the run. At the end of the day all that matters is that I did it and I pushed myself.

That afternoon the sun started to come out so we decided to head to the beach for a walk. Walking along the beach is definitely one of my favourite things to do, I find it very calming. 


Today I also repeated last week's routine of going to the gym to work on my abs and arms and I have to say I quite like this 3-4 day exercise routine with a break in the middle of the week.
Healthy eating wise lets just say that this week was a good balance haha. Some lovely vegetarian stir fries, pastas and soups but also some chips and cheesecake. My Deliciously Ella Every Day cookbook finally arrived on Thursday and I'm very keen to try many of the recipes in it. When it has been thoroughly tested I might consider writing more about it. 
It's Monday tomorrow so let's start it in a positive way - homemade meals, HIIT and hopefully some productive reading for my assignment. And also I'll quote something I've seen a while ago on the Internet - we have the same amount of hours in a day as BeyoncĂ© so let's stop making excuses and make the most of it!


Thursday 14 January 2016

Back to reality

With the second week of January came going back to university and facing reality again after a three week break. With a 9am start on the Monday it was not exactly easy to get up on time – I may not be the type of person to sleep in until one all the time but 7am is a little too early. It’s still only Thursday but so far I’ve had a fairly busy week – six hours of lectures every day apart from Wednesday and already talk of assignments and other work that needs to be completed.

Although I have a fair amount of work to complete I did my best to get some kind of balance of work and play and started my week off with a run straight after lectures. I have to say that even though it was cold I really enjoyed it and it definitely gave me more energy to do a little bit more work when I got back after being stuck in one, stuffy room all day. Now I just need to make sure I keep it up - 101 days until my 10k run!

I also found a new way to unwind after a busy day – I got myself a colouring book and it may have been one of the best investments I made so far this year. It’s such a simple idea but I love the fact that I can leave my phone upstairs and just focus on one thing. And since some of my housemates have colouring books too we can catch up and colour together. Here’s a photo of my first coloured in picture (from a colouring book called ‘Tropical Wonderland’ by Millie Marotta).

We also had our first netball training session since everyone got back after Christmas. Even though it was freezing cold it was so nice to run around in the fresh air for a little while – and run around is literally what I mean as I think my netball playing skills are questionable. A friend also persuaded me to go to the gym after training and even though I am aching all over today (need to remember to stretch properly next time) I definitely think that exercise makes me feel better and gives me more energy so dragging myself to the gym is definitely worth it in the end.

In terms of food I have tried some new recipes – this week is pretty much Deliciously Ella (deliciouslyella.com) blog recipes only as so many of them look incredible in her pictures. So on the menu so far: a kale and sweet potato stir fry which I modified slightly and added soy sauce instead of lemon juice and a green soup made with broccoli, spinach, and chickpeas (the recipe said cannellini beans but I didn’t have any). I will also admit to having a big, fat, greasy Domino’s on Tuesday night but I will blame Domino’s entirely for this as they texted me a deal that was just too good to miss out on ;) But it is all about balance and a treat now and again is a must.

      

Monday 4 January 2016

Plans for 2016

My 2016 definitely didn’t start how I wanted it to – I welcomed the New Year with a long lost childhood friend - tonsillitis accompanied by a course of antibiotics. This meant that my New Year’s Eve was spent on the sofa and in a onesie watching the London fireworks. After this small setback I’m now recovering and today I attempted my first workout of the year. Although a 20 minute yoga routine is hardly a tough workout I felt it was a good start after a week in bed and a Christmas of barely being able to eat (this has an upside though – I didn’t put on any weight unlike last year).

It’s only the 4th of January but I already have some plans for later this year. On the 24th of April I will be taking part in the ABP Southampton 10k run – a distance I haven’t yet managed to run. This is also a great opportunity for me to fundraise for a charity. The charity I have chosen is Southampton Hospital Charity, but specifically the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Various reasons affected this choice however the main one was the fact that I was born at 32 weeks gestation myself and if it wasn’t for a unit like this one I most definitely wouldn’t be where I am now.
If this run is a success I am hoping to continue training and take part in the Great South Run in October. This run would be another step up for me since it’s 10 miles and not 10k, however this is still a long way away and I’m sure I’ll think of a million excuses why I shouldn’t do it.
Continuing to eat a healthier diet and learning more about nutrition is another one of my plans for this year. A ‘healthy diet’ is often subjective with contradicting information being handed to us left and right. What I consider healthy may be what someone else might imagine the worst thing you could eat and vice versa. I think that nutrition is something that keeps evolving and all we can do is try our best based on what we know. So, what do I know about my diet? Something I knew for years was that I was never a big fan of meat but I kept eating it anyway. Last year I had the revelation that I don’t have to force myself to eat something I don’t really like and I can get the protein I need from other sources. Since July 2015 my intake of meat has significantly decreased – I haven’t eaten meat more than 10 times since and I like it that way. I wouldn’t go as far as calling myself a vegetarian since I do occasionally eat meat – usually when it has been cooked for me or when I’m visiting someone and don’t want to be awkward. I definitely enjoy eating vegetables more and am keen to try new things which is why I preordered Deliciously Ella’s new book and I’m so excited for it to arrive! In 2016 I would therefore like to keep exploring new recipes and eating what I like rather than what other people tell me I should.
So I guess that’s it in terms of fitnessy type plans but I have many other exciting things planned too, like a short holiday in March which will let me get away from the almost constant rain (that’s the plan anyway but knowing my luck the 5 days that I’m there are going to be the only 5 days of rain that month).

I have also started planning things for 2017 (early, I know) and these things will require a LOT of organisation, good time management and working every hour I possibly can if I want it to happen. A work-life balance will therefore be key but I have a rather positive feeling about 2016 ;)

Sunday 3 January 2016

What's the point?

New year, new me right? Wrong. Not that I’m entirely happy with who I am
(I don’t think anyone ever is) but rather than changing and becoming a ‘new person’, this year I would like to continue to grow as a person and set achievable goals for myself. These goals are primarily to try and have a work-life balance of some sort (I occasionally struggle with this one), get fitter and eat a healthier diet. These are not new resolutions but ones that have started a while back – my diet started to change a few years ago and is changing continuously and I started exercising on a more regular basis round about March last year. So, going back to the original question – the idea is that this blog will help me stay motivated as I now have a place where I can share my small achievements and, when my motivation takes a downturn, my failures.

I feel like I should also warn any potential readers that I never considered writing to be my strongest point.