Health & Fitness

Now, before I say anything about Health and Fitness I would just like to point out that I'm no expert on either of these subjects. These are just my opinions and what I do to help keep fit & healthy.

Lately I seem to have finally caught the fitness bug, only after my 22 years on this Earth. This was largely inspired by my boyfriend who is a bodybuilder, so it's a little hard to keep sitting back doing nothing when your other half is a...well...tank.

So, a couple of months ago I made the decision to join my local gym and start exercising regularly, as well as making general changes to my diet. I was incredibly apprehensive about joining a gym as I had visions of all these people who looked amazing looking at me thinking "What the hell is she doing here?"but after a few weeks these disappeared and I actually started enjoying going to the gym.

My exercise routine consists mainly of weight training & some light cardio, I find these to be the most sensible and effective way of reaching my fitness goals. The goals I set are pretty normal for most people, just tone up and lose body fat, which so far I have successful in doing. The routine I follow consists of 3 different days - Back, Leg & Chest. On back day, typical exercises include Deadlifts, dumbell rows, lateral pulldowns & medicine ball twists. Leg day is all about weighted squats, lunges, kettle bell swings etc. Chest day involves more pushing exercises. I also try and incorporate some more abdominal exercises at home when I can. 

Nutrition wise, I pretty much do the obvious thing, I eat as healthily as I can most of the time. Breakfast is typically Wheatabix with almond milk or porridge, lunch can be anything from wholemeal chicken wraps to lentil soup and dinner I tend to stick to either chicken or beef with rice. In some of these meals or post gym, I'll have a protein shake as I find it hard to eat as much protein as I should. The result of these changes to my diet has been huge, I have so much more energy, I feel less tired and I'm not plagued with sugar headaches. Don't get me wrong, about once or twice a week I'll pig out and have a "cheat" meal where I pretty much have exactly what I want and don't feel guilty about it. These meals are such a treat for me now that I value them so much more than if I ate them every day.

In terms of what I have to drink, I've always only drank water anyway so that wasn't a big change. Instead of coffee, I'll have green tea with lemon which gives me a bit more energy if I'm flagging. When it comes to alcohol, I still drink but very occassionally. I find my body doesn't react well with even small amounts of alcohol anymore and, to be honest, I can't handle the hangovers anymore!

All of these changes to my lifestyle have made me see definite changes to my body and health. I'm stronger, leaner, more energetic and toned. 

I'll keep you up to date on my progress throughout the months. Feel free to ask me any questions and I'll answer them as best I can!