My fitness & food Journey (Part 1)
Many of you may know, I've been on a new eating and exercise kick for the past 5 weeks and have committed to a programme for about 12 weeks. But this is not a fad. This is my journey to committing to a healthier lifestyle...forever! I want to be able to eat with freedom and I want my body to feel good, but first I must learn and train myself how to do this!
Over the next couple of months I'll be sharing my lifestyle and fitness journey (on youtube too) and some of the recipes I have been experimenting with that are getting me excited about food and different ways of eating!
After noticing that I couldn't fit into a wardrobe, that I actually really like, I realised I had put on almost 10kg over about 12 months.
I love my clothes. But I noticed that I was avoiding anything 'fitting' and my wardrobe option was now half of what it used to be. Getting ready took twice as long simply because I couldn't fit into to anything! I like to get ready with little fuss and this didn't feel great. I began to question what was actually going on inside - Inside my mind and inside my body and why I couldn't make a 'shift'.
I'm not a naturally big girl, and very aware that I'm not "fat" by any means, so for those thinking "What does she need to worry about?", this is about the challenge of being able to change my lifestyle and improve my eating habits. Like everyone, I have weaknesses and insecurities when it comes to my body and certain foods. Exercise has always been really difficult for me to maintain. I realised that I was very un-fit compared to this time last year and worried that my "insides" were looking pretty bad. My weight gain was a direct result of eating too liberally and not exercising regularly - basically not having the balanced lifestyle I strive for. These are really important values to me, and I lost them a little along the way, not thinking there would be consequences for my actions. And as we all know, there are always consequences for all our actions (by the way, even no action is action of some sort!).
Not only from a physical perspective, was I heavier, but from a mind perspective I was heavier too. When you live life without awareness, it can chip away slowly at your confidence and self esteem - so that when you are at a difficult point in your life, it's that much harder to cope and manage. So it became apparent to me that I needed to get my body back in to shape and start fine tuning this machine so that I can prepare myself both physically and mentally for all the amazing opportunities and set-backs that life likes to throw at us.
My ACTION Plan
I was always sceptical about Personal Trainers, and the people who hire them. I found it hard to believe that they can really help that much, so as always, I thought I would experience it for myself! Under good authority I hired Penelope (a holistic health and fitness therapist).
Penelope does just that. She physically trains me, but also advises me on food and part of her holistic approach includes massage and acupuncture - which she believes is really important. I train with Penelope twice a week at the gym and run by myself twice a week - one fast one and one longer slower run. Having her guide and push me (she never yells at me) is really interesting. Ultimately it's my responsibility to show up and the most valuable lesson I've learned about myself so far is that having a goal and some accountability, really motivates me.
I find intense gym workouts quite difficult mentally and physically, but I am giving it a go (even though even the lightest of weights feel like the heaviest in the world). But the more I do it I'm finding that I'm starting to enjoy it... The first week hurt like hell, but I did feel a small amount of pride, because I had started a new personal journey - EVERY time I sat down, I felt it! But now, the pain is over more quickly now, even though the workouts are increasing in difficulty and I'm beginning to wonder what more is this body capable of? What more are we all capable of?
The diet that I'm on is basically a Ketosis diet where I eat good quality meats, good fats and loads of vegetables. Ketosis is a system to change my body from burning carbohydrates to burning fat. I totally new and weird concept for me. I was skeptical - eat high fat content and loose weight?But I was committed to trusting and experimenting. If you don't try, you won't know. In order to shock my system into this mode, I have cut out carbs, alcohol, refined sugar (I can only eat a handful of berries per day). You are allowed to eat dairy, but to test whether dairy affects my eczema (dry skin irritation), I have cut out dairy foods. I try to keep foods as whole and natural as possible, but I confess, it needs organisation and awareness, but it IS getting easier. Coffee is also playing an even more vital role in my life (is that possible?!) and my tastebuds are more attuned to flavour too...(more on this soon).
For those who love carbs, I hear ya. I'm Chinese, so rice and noodles have been my staple for a lifetime and the first week or so was pretty difficult for me. I got some mad headaches and had cravings for sweet food and I felt a bit down at times (especially about an hour after eating). But to be honest, now that I've been doing it for a few weeks it's really not that hard and actually quite satisfying because there is a lot of food you can substitute for. I barely have cravings, my energy is sustainable (I'm packing loads into my day) and my skin is clearer, smooth and bright. I guess I've accepted that this is what I have to do (at least initially) to reach my goal. Now I just need to figure out how to maintain it by building it into my lifestyle as I continue.
Results so far
In four weeks, I only lost 2kg but lost 5.5cm around my waist, 3cm around my thighs,! My biceps are the same size as when I started, but the fat content is less, so my muscle mass is higher. I will report back on my progress on the next weigh in.
I've started to experiment with different foods, and with some education and other holistic therapies (like acupuncture and massage) from my amazing PT @holisticheathfitnesstherapist (on instagram) I'm discovering and creating some great recipes that I'll be sharing with you.
Chocolate Avocado Mousse Recipe
One I want to share with you today is an avocado chocolate mousse which is awesome. I eat this for desert or have it in the freezer like ice cream for times when I feel like something sweet or 'treaty'.
Ingredients:
1 Soft/Ripe Avocado
5 Raspberries
5 Blueberries
1 Tblspn Raw natural Cacao
1 teaspoon cinnemon
1/2 a vanilla pod (inside scraped out)
1 teaspoon coconut oil
1 wedge of lemon
some almond milk (or any milk of preference)
4-5 roasted mixed nuts (almond, hazelnuts, walnut etc)
Espresso or strongly brewed filter coffee (optional) - you probably wont need all of it, just a touch for taste
Honey or xylitol to taste (not too much)
Method
Put the avocado into a food processor and whizz for a few seconds.
Add everything else except for the milk
Keep whizzing and add milk slowly until you get a nice smooth creamy consistency
Top with nuts or berries and a drizzle of honey
Literally thats it!
ENJOY!
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