June Mini Goals

June?! Summer soon perhaps? Ah, I forget I live in the UK. Summer does not exist! :P Lets hope for the best! Besides I have new running shorts to try out!

Continuing with the initial marathon training program which is based on getting the body used to running 12-15 miles per week before all the interval training, hill work and long runs begin in two weeks time!

My best 3 mile time so far is 30:54! 4 miles 42:34. Both good times for this plodder!

Goals for June:

• Stick to marathon training plan (this is sort of a given but I need to keep motivated on it)
• Try out bootcamp alongside marathon training, free week booked in starting Monday!
• Make healthy choices, no weight loss goal, just healthy eating and fitness!
• Increase water, I REALLY struggle with this, I have seen tips including writing times on a large bottle to remind you how much water to drink, I am hoping to try this out once a find my black marker pen!
• Cook a 'new' meal each week
• NO TAKEAWAY PIZZA. I'm a sucker for the grease. Tastes good but it DOES NOT make me feel good!!

Four meals I'm going to try making this month:

• Chinese Chow Mein from 'Chloe's Kitchen' (Vegan cookbook)
• Butternut Squash Risotto
• Really good stir fry!
• Roast veg mix and veggi sausages/burgers!

There is only one that I haven't made before but the rest are things I don't make on a regular basis.

I see you after bootcamp on Monday! Eeek!

Day one of taking a closer look...

Well, knowing that what I ate today was going up on here defiantly made me re-think my food choices, helped with that 'second thought'.

So overall today has been a good one, I was a little worried this morning as it was my first day of training as a Bank Support Worker, (getting in some experience before I become a real life nurse! Ek!) it is a week long induction and I didn't know what there would be in terms of food/temptations. So I made my own lunch and stuck to it, even though they had cheesecake pots and that seems to be my current weakness.

So onto the fooood!

Breakfast: Matcha green tea (from teapigs ) with apple juice
Bowl of date, coconut and banana muesli with almond milk
Tea with almond milk

I usually struggle with cereal based breakfast as I am usually hungry within 2 hours, but this stuff seems to do the job fine and the natural slow energy release from Matcha tea really helps!

Morning snack: Apple - it was huge! (also a small coffee before training started)
Lunch: Quorn ham and Philadelphia sandwich on wholemeal bread, a pear and some blueberries (another small coffee - they were tiny)
Mid afternoon snack: Nakd Banana Bread Bar - These things are yummy!
Lunch seemed to keep me going till three (even had it before 12, I never do that but I was so hungry!)

 After I got in just before 5 I was hungry...again. I wanted something small but would leave me feeling O.K. until tea was ready so I had one of the protein bun things I made (they were really dry, this always happens when replace some flour with protein powder, do I need more moisture in the mixture?)

Dinner: we made chilli, veggie version for me and mince for Nick.
In the veggie one went onion, courgette, red pepper and Morrison's meat free mine, along with other typical chilli bits and 1/2 cup of boiled rice.

Pudding: Yeo vally yog. YUM. I tend to get low fat yoghurts but this time I got these...soooo yummy. It was only 127kcal for the pot which isn't really that bad for a creamy dessert. After washing up I let the food settle before going to do some core strength yoga.

Supper: After yoga I had planned to have a cookie and cream kitkat and a option hot chocolate, but, I felt nice and healthy after yoga and I didn't really want to spoil the feeling so I snooped in the fridge and got a large carrot and a serving size pot of hummus. Worth it. So Nice!




Followed by another teapigs tea (they are tasty!)
This tea was superfruits, as you can see they use whole bits of fruit and leaves so you get a full taste (thought I'd add in that teapigs has not had any involvement with me writing this, they just do genuinely good tea!)

 This was the result. YUM.








So, good day I think. I have felt good about my good all day and because I had planned it the night before I felt more in control!.
I totted up the calories for the day (I'm still not 'offically counting') but it came to around 1700 and that is including drinks. So well done me! Ha!

I will be back tomorrow! :)

Blergh..

Just a quick post. More of a reminder to myself really, that I DO want to lose more weight and it is NOT okay to have these regular bad eating days that make me feel awful inside.

Since my last post I tried Sainsburys diets, they put me on 1400kcal each day and I felt awful, really tired and grumpy. I was still burning calories, around 500 some days, bringing my net intake below 1000kcal. Something far from healthy.

So, I left that and thought I'd try again by calorie counting to 1800kcal and continuing with the regular workouts. However, this is not the case I have just eaten everything in sight for the last 2 days and I feel awful. Clothes feel tighter and I don't feel right.

I need to re-focus and not think that I must eat all my Christmas goodies in one go to make them go away, that is not the way it works, nor is it at all healthy.

I need to be in good form. I have 2 half marathons in Feb and April and a MARATHON in October. On top of that I have a degree to get and a nursing job to find. I MUST be healthy for these so I can focus and function well.

Must stay happy and healthy. From now till always. Everyone can have treat days, as long as they are TREAT days...not treateveryday!


:)

Getting into gear

Booked some clases at the gym this week, I have Yoga tomorrow and Aquafit on Friday morning. Looking forward to both of those, booking into classes also gives me the extra motivation to get out the house and to the gym! :)

Healthy eating is on my mind, and I am slowing getting back to it. But, here I am glass of white wine in hand after also have one and a hald muffins today. Bah. Eating healthier is soo much harder when I have time off, mainly because I don't have anything to do and it is all I can think about, food that is, even when looking at healthy eating options it makes me hungry. Darn. Something I'll have to tackle.

Re-joining Slimming world has crossed my mind, not sure if I could just follow the plan without the added pressure of the weigh-in. That's another £4.95 a week though, not sure if I can afford that at the mo with all the things I should be saving for like the holiday in March and the wedding in a few years time. Eeeek, so grown up!

I am also trying to get my head down this year for uni, with it being my final degree year I really need to push hard if I want a good grade. I am already going over my failed essay from second year and trying to improve it. It is not my favourite module but I know it will be a useful one.

Havn't weighed myself in a while, no doubt I will have put on a little, (136lb I think). It will come down again, I know it will! :D

Sorry that the posts have been a little all over the place! They will get better soon!

Being Healthy

Over the past few days I have been a little too obsessive with my calorie counting. I would complain at myself if it went over 1600 and liked it around 1400. It became more of what food to have within those calories then what nutrients I need.

So my focus will be healthy. It doesn't matter as much if I go over calories occasionally, if it is all stuff that is good for you.

My attitude to exercise needs adjustment too. I love exercise, I love the 'worked out feeling', that is what my focus needs to be rather then it is to burn calories, because that just does not work.

When I think about someone who is losing weight by restricting calories I see lack of energy and motivation. I see disappointment when that 1lb didn't come off after a week of trying so hard.

But with being healthy I see someone who is bright, motivated and energised. That is the person I want to be. If I want to help others as a mental health nurse then I must be healthy. So I stay motivated and energised at work, even during the long shifts. If I want to help people with eating disorders I must be healthy to offer the best advice and help them with the struggles. I will become a good role model.

I will run not just for training for the half marathon but because I enjoy it, enjoy the freedom of running long distances. Then giving my body the right things it needs to recover.

I will eat good foods, so I will reduce the need for a sugar kick, resulting in a sugar low. I will recognise the difference between healthy hunger for weight loss and hunger that needs feeding. Being able to tell the difference between thirst, hunger and boredom too.

Thunder and lightning outside at the moment. I LOVE thunder and lightning.