One thing that played in my favour is that I’ve maintained a relatively active lifestyle. I love exercise!! It’s the one thing I can’t do without for long periods of time. I figured, what better way to start this journey than to start with what I know, what I’m comfortable with! So my initial plan of action was just to get moving more consistently again. This was hard for me because my mind was telling me to go wild and crazy…but I also know myself well enough to know that if I started that way, the momentum wouldn’t last. At this stage I didn’t make any drastic changes to my diet. I was obviously a bit more conscious of what I ate, made a few healthy changes here and there, but didn’t embark on any particular plan. I knew that any small change was a significant change. That it was at least a step in the right direction, even if just a small one.
The first few weeks were predictably great! I was mentally committed and it showed in the effort I put in. By the third week my momentum fizzled out a little. Fatigue settled in and I slacked somewhat. If it wasn’t for jotting down my progress, I’m sure I would have allowed the slump to continue…but once again, the power of the mind proves to triumph! I had to give myself a good talking to and reignited my desire to succeed.
Through this exercise of trial and error and jotting down my progress, I was able to see that my weakness lies in the weekends! Underactive and overeating sabotages my own progress. I know that investing an hour at gym (or outdoors) over the weekend will make a huge difference, not only physically, but mentally too. Somehow a good workout has the power to propel me into making better eating choices too. And so decided I to incorporate some weekend classes to my routine. By the end of the month I was feeling fitter, healthier and very much determined to continue on this path!
* If you’ve missed the first instalment, read here