Honour your hunger and exciting new finds!

That's the whole point!

I am currently waiting to start my new nursing job in April, so that has left me a lot of time to think about one thing...food. On bad days I can watch the clock until it will hit 12 so I know it is time for lunch, and 3 so I can have my afternoon snack, whether I am hungry or not it is this awful cycle I have got myself in and I now rarely experience hunger. When I do, I actually enjoy the feeling! Hunger is something that if needed, can be ignored, which I do sometimes just to experience hunger and help my body realise it is not the end of the world to feel this way. Cravings due to triggers like boredom can be extremely hard to ignore and it seems like the feeling wont go away until you give in to what your brain is craving, when really it is just craving activity.

So this coming week I am going to focus on trying to recognise my hunger and start writing down when I feel I want to eat but am not hungry. Then try and think of other things I can do to fill my time.

Fitness news!
I completed the Brighton Half in 2:20:10. Not my best time, but considering I did little training for this due to Insanity workouts/Pole fitness/gym etc. Excuses...I know..

Now in less than a week I am completing The Nutty Challenge. 14k obstacle race. FunFun! To be honest if anything I can't wait to get it done and out of the way! I am VERY nervous about this and have no idea why I signed up!

Pole fitness is coming along, learning new moves, inverts and spins :)

Eating
Good and bad. Diet plans and calorie counting drive me crazy! This week I am going to try and make healthy choices with whole foods and less of the bad stuff. Watch this space!

In my recent weekly shop I came across these beauties:

Oh.My.Wow. Only 15kcal per cup and it tastes AMAZING! No joke. It is made with fructose, the natural sugar found in fruit and other fruit juices. This flavours is right up my street but I am interested in getting a hold of some more flavours.

Next is this, Peanut Hottie. I am so excited to try this! Peanut butter in a hot drink, I mean whaaaat?!

30 day Yoga challenge

I have been doing insanity for almost a month. A MONTH! Not often I keep things up as long as this, must be Shaun T's super motivational ways... ahem. My second fittest was great! There was already a huge improvement and I am already seeing changes in my calves, defiantly some definition going on there!

On top of my Insanity workouts I have started Spin again 1-2 times a week, that's a love/hate thing. I have also started Pole Fitness again! Before Christmas I managed to go upside down (no hands!) 

<--proof p="">

So I started again last week and have many fading bruises to show for it! Worth it!

Besides having another half marathon in less than a month, running has taken a back seat. I know my fitness will still be there I just need to check on the old endurance levels, so a run sometime soon is on the cards!

One thing I thought I was missing was Yoga. I have always wanted to incorporate this into my life, getting increased flexibility and 'calmness'. Originally today I was looking at what Yoga moves I could do 10mins before bed but then I can across this: The 30 Day Yoga Challenge

 So I thought 'Hey! Why Not!' So I signed up and I will start this tonight or tomorrow :)

There is a video for each day either focusing on one move or a set of moves for an area of the body, each day lasting for around 20mins. I am excited to try this and see where I end up!

I'll end on this...

I Finally Get To Graduate This Friday!!! Yipeee!

2013 review and 2014 begins!

My goals for 2013 included:

• Running a marathon
• Completing the Coast to Coast
• Doing 2 half marathons in under 2hrs 15mins
• Getting a degree
• Find a weight I am happy with

Well I am proud to say I did them all apart from the half marathons in under 2hrs 15 but I DID do TWO half marathons, one without much training, awful weather and obscene hills, and I still managed a decent time! Oh and finding a happy weight didn't happen, in-fact I have gained 1.5stone since my smallest weight. But don't fear, that is changing this year! Aside from my goals I even tried pole dancing something I defiantly want to continue!

My marathon went well getting a less than decent time but one I am proud of considering again my lack of training. 

I am now a fully qualified mental health nurse with a 2:1. I am graduating this month! I can't wait!

2014

I started Insanity on Monday 30th December (who needs a new year to start something good?)

Holy WOW. It is tough but defiantly do-able! I am almost a week in and enjoying it! I am also following the meal plan although over the last 3 days that has been on and off with dipping into the Christmas chocolate stash. Damn cravings.

I also have plenty of races planned for this year! So onto my goals for 2014..

• Brighton Half in under 2hrs 20 (it was under 2 hours but I'm unsure)
• Finish The Nutty Challenge! 14k of obstacles!
• Complete the 2nd Yorkshire Marathon in under 5 hours (previous 5hrs 40)
• Finish the Beachy Head 10k
• Start my first nursing job!
• Begin pole fitness again
• Get to my goal weight of 53kg
• Do a pull up!
• Plan a wedding!!

So just a few things to keep me occupied! 

Vegan Challenge Week 1

Total time vegan 2weeks! BOOM. *Proud*

This time round it has been considerably easier then when I last attempted the challenge. Why? I think this time my heart is fully in it and knowing that I am going to an animal sanctuary at the end of the month is added motivation. I even went out for a 3 course meal at Pizza Express last night - all vegan! I had:

Starter: Dough balls with garlic oil rather than garlic butter

Main: Superfood salad no cheese
Dessert: Raspberry sorbet

OMNOMNOM. :)

I have also made these beauties:

Vegan Cinnamon Rolls and leftover Vegan Banana Bread

The cinnamon roll recipe came from Chole's Kitchen cookbook full of amazing vegan recipes! (All views my own, not being sponsored by the book)

Looking forward to the coming week with other new foods to try like vegan pizza from VBites. Can't wait for that to arrive!

In other news next week I'm starting a pole fitness course! 6 week beginner class. So glad I have finally managed to pluck up the courage and go for it!

I also went back to Spinning after a lonnnng time of not doing it. OUCH. But a good ouch...

Hello!

Bit of a lame title since I doubt anyone will read this for a while, but I couldn't think of anything more inventive (mainly because fantastic 4 is on TV and I'm trying to think of things to do for bonfire night).
Anyway this is like my 5th blog or something, I start them, I get into them then I lose interest as I can never really think of anything interesting to write. I was the same when I was little and I used to try and write diaries but would give up a week or so later. So I'm giving it another go.

My main reason for trying again is to help change my relationship with food, especially now I am training for the Brighton Half Marathon! At the moment my long runs are about 5-6 miles and with 15 weeks before the big event my training is increasing every week. I'm not a fast runner, not in the slightest, more of a enthusiastic plodder.

So my main problem is snacking, mainly when I am on my own. The other day I was thinking why this happens, why as soon as I have the house to myself I go to the cupboard and see what junk food I can nibble, and I always regret it.
So I think this began when I was little and I would ask my mum when I was allowed to start having snacks without asking. This lead onto me sneaking biscuits when no one was in. Then when I was in secondary school I used to eat nothing at school and come home and BINGE on just about anything before people came home from work. I have always felt bad after eating a lot but for some reason I don't have the willpower to stop myself from starting.
I need to work on distraction techniques and see what works for me.

I would love to start pole fittness at my uni but I'm scared that everyone else will be thin and then theres me with well..flab. I have started zumba at uni which is a really big step for me, because I hate going places on my own, I am a very quiet person and I find it difficult to start conversations with people. I am hoping soon I can force myself to a pole fittness class.

Hopefully working on my food intake will help my running too. I have tried food daires and calorie counting but I get bored with them after a while and stop doing them. However I do find when I do these things that I am less likely to snack as much, since I have to right it all down.

I have made some positve changes to my diet. I now drink less tea and coffee ( I am finding that coffee now gives me headaches) and more green/herbal tea which helps me sleep better and feel more healthly. I am now vegetarian, I was veggi during secondary school for around 5 years, and well, I missed it, it feel its more me. Plus it is helping me be more aware of what I am eating during meals (just need to work on the snacking). I buy cakes and chocolate and crips mainly for the other half who can eat as much as he likes and still be skinny -_-, Which when of couse ups my temptation.

I have a few ideas I could try:
Buy the expensive dark (70-80% cocoa) chocolate I loooove in hope I see it as more of a treat.
Cut of certian foods for a week. i.e crisps for 1 week and cake for another.

I'll add more in later posts if I think of them (or try them!). I need to start thinking of things like my running, sometimes I don't really want to go out but after I have I feel achieved something and I feel great about myself. So if I get myself to write something on here a few times a week it might just help me fight the food battle.