NEW YEAR, NEW ME?

Hey Guys!

Hope you're all well!

This is going to be quite different to any of my previous posts as its centered around health and fitness!
As I am currently on a new health journey I figured why not take you guys along for the ride?

Disclaimer: (I am not a health and fitness expert, I am simply sharing my personal experience) 
My fitness journey isn't a weight loss journey, its more of a lifestyle change. I have never been extremely out of shape but noticed I felt less energetic and more unfit than I used to and didn't feel my body was at its absolute best so I simply decided to do something about it. I don't personally believe in temporary crash diets because they don't implement permanent change. People can often relapse and end up worse than before as a result of depriving themselves of something for so long. Therefore I am more focused on actual lifestyle change which means changing your diet and workout plan to suit your specific body goals.


MYTH: If you're slim and slender or not clinically overweight, you don't need to work out or change your diet.
REALITY: A person may be extremely skinny due to excessive drug use for example, but because that's not plastered on their forehead its easy for others to just assume they are slim so they are therefore fit.Equally someone may appear to be bigger than another individual but may actually be much more fit and in better shape. Regardless of shape or size Health and fitness is important for everyone (and FYI the older you get the harder it is to loose weight)

One thing many women hate is feeling 'sluggish' doing day to day activities or having to compromise or adjust what they wear simply because they do not feel comfortable in their body.
But in life we always have a choice:
A phrase I made for myself to keep me motivated in most areas of my life is-
'You can either let your situation define you, or you can re-define your situation'

The longer you complain about all the things you dislike about your physique, the longer nothing gets done to fix or improve it. 

You cant demand a husband with a 6 pack of steel when the existence of your own one is far from real! Theres no point complaining about having a huge belly when you haven't even had any kids yet, if you are not going to do something about it. 

I am a huge believer in constant self improvement in every area of my life, so when my fitness became one of those areas, I decided it was time to put in the work to make it better!
Making a lifestyle change isn't always an easy decision, but it's 1000% a very rewarding one.
Not only does it make you a better, healthy and happier person, but it also teaches you essential life skills such as self discipline, self control and perseverance.

Here are my Top 5 Tips for Successful Lifestyle Change....


1. IDENTIFY YOUR WEAK SPOTS and ESTABLISH YOUR BODY GOAL/S

Do you not realise that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself,for God bought you with a high price. So you must honour God with your body.
- 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

(NOTE: It is important to identify the areas of your body where you naturally gain and loose weight. This may be as a result of genetic disposition, diet or simply because you target your workouts to certain areas more than others)

Making a lifestyle change is impossible if you don't know what you actually want to change. In order for your journey to be effective, write down exactly what the problem areas of your body are that you would like to change or improve

e.g. Do you want to gain or loose weight? Is one specific area your biggest issue? Do you just want to tone up?

Here are some examples below:

2. DIET

'So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.'
-1 Corinthians 10:31


Any health and fitness expert or website will tell you that in order to make long term effective change to your body Diet accounts for 80% of that journey. There is no point working out 4 days a week if in between those workouts you are still scoffing your face with McDonalds and KFC.


Depending on your personal body goal, you need to ensure your diet is in conjunction with that plan.
You can google diet plans for your specific body goal and find out what foods you need to have more of and what foods you should have less frequently or on cheat days.

Regardless of the journey you're on, most diets will inform you that protein, fruit and vegetables are essential for a healthy lifestyle.
For someone like me who doesn't really like sweets, chocolate or crisps, this actually works in my favour because I actually really love my fruits,smoothies, protein shakes, veg, oats, granola bars, salmon etc, I always have. But, if you're not into eating broccoli on the regular, then experiment with ways you can incorporate these foods into your diet. 
Certain recipes, seasonings and food combinations can make something you thought was too 'green' or had no flavour taste amazing! 
Health expert suggest having 3 meals a day with 2 smaller meals or snacks in between =
5 MEALS A DAY
Food is one those areas where your options are actually limitless! There's always a new recipe or formula that you can try! You just have to find what works for you. It can also be fun to incorporate culture into your diet- find out what foods within your culture or another culture are not only good to your taste buds, but also good for you!


MY TOP TIPS:

MEAL PREP: Personally, meal prep has become a huge and fundamental factor in helping me stay on target. As a university student, finding time to cook 3 meals a day can be difficult with hours and hours of lectures and library sessions, holding down a job and extra curricular or social activities, so planning in advance helps to combat that.  Each weekend, I make a rough idea of some of the meals I would like to have for that week, and will make sure I have bought all of the necessary ingredients, therefore I can make some of the meals in advance ready for the week. Realistically, due to my schedule I can't prepare every single meal in advance but having certain things pre-made such as little fruit bowls or healthy snacks to take with me during the day, pre-cooked stew, pasta sauce, chicken or fish that can be preserved for a few days etc, makes day to day meal planning so much easier!
videos on how to meal prep here and here

videos on breakfast ideas here
and here

PORTION CONTROL: This has also been a game changer for me. As a 'foodie' who loves to cook, my friends will tell you that I have a habit of cleaning my plate- so much so that you would think there was never even food in it (as in every grain of rice must be gone lol). While this may be a good habit to have, coupled with oversized portions, this can quickly become a problem. Though I've never been overweight, my portions sizes were a bit over the top sometimes but since I always wanted to ensure my plate was clean I admittedly would sometimes finish it off even if I was already full.
Doing research into healthy eating is how I stumbled across the concept of portion control. Multiple sources stated that it is better for your health and metabolism to have 5 reasonably sized meals (3 main meals and 2- snacks/lighter meals in between) than 3 huge meals a day. So essentially, that is what I now do. I make sure I always have breakfast now and if I don't want to have one huge meal for example, I may split a meal in half so I have it in two smaller portions during the day. It really has helped and prevents me having that 'slumped' feeling after every meal while still ensuring that I'm still satisfied and don't get hungry.

3. SET A WORKOUT REGIMEN

'Dear friend, I hope all is well with you and that you are as healthy in body as you are strong in spirit.' 
-3 John 1:2

Ok so you decide you want to go to the gym so you get dressed and go. But you get there and realise you have no idea what to do or how to start. So you go on the treadmill for two minutes, do a few stretches then go home- That is not a thorough workout that is really going to implement any real longterm change.

Once you know the target areas you want to work on, do your research into exactly how to combat them. This will help you structure your workouts. 



If you don't feel comfortable going to a public gym or want to be able to work out from home, check out Fitness Blender on Youtube here -they have great step by step workouts for every area of your body! I know so many people who have seen results from using their workouts so why not give it a shot!






Make sure you:
- Allocate specific days to focus on specific areas of the body e.g. Wednesday = Abs Day
- Give yourself rest days to allow your muscles to recuperate
- Keep hydrated during your workouts
- Your diet co-ordinates with your workouts



Check out this video from one of my favourite Youtubers as she shares her Fitness and Diet routine! 

If you lack motivation on your own or would like to do partner exercises or routines, try and find a personal trainer or like minded people with similar body goals and start going together. I mentioned my body goals to a few friends of mine and found out they had similar goals to myself. Therefore I decided to set up a group which now consists of 4 of us- (Shoutout Roxanne, Shekinah and Eunice x) meaning everyone has an accountability partner to ensure we not only get up and go to the gym, but we motivate and encourage each other during our workouts as well as share videos, meals and workout ideas with one another. So far, I am loving it and I'm really glad that I decided to turn this it into a group. It hasn't been easy by any means! and the pain can sometimes be veryyy real (if only you could see the struggle to sit down and get up at work yesterday as a result of leg day pain lol) but we know it is worth it and it is rewarding to see progress!


4. TRACK YOUR PROGRESS

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice--the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.
-Romans 12:1

Whether it be photos, videos, diary entries, calorie counting, monitoring your diet or simply weighing yourself every fortnight, tracking your progress will help you identify the areas where you have improved, and the areas where you need more work.







5. PERSEVERANCE AND CONSISTENCY #DO NOT QUIT!

I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
-Philippians 4:13

The two hardest parts about lifestyle change are: 
1.Starting 
2.Being Consistent

Many woman know they need to make a change but are either too lazy, too disheartened by their current state, or too afraid to start. But this goes back to my saying
'You can either let your situation define you, or you can re-define your situation'

Why prolong something that is nothing but good for you?

The first day you may be super pumped up to go to the gym or try your new meal plan but it is super easy to get side tracked. Keep the end goal in mind even if it means putting a goal picture on your phone or wall, having a friend or trainer check up on you, watching motivational fitness or diet videos, or literally writing down of all the benefits of your decision. This is where tracking your progress can also help as seeing how far you have come will encourage you to keep going.



I hope you enjoyed and were encouraged by my tips! As I said, I am no expert,  but I simply wanted to share some of the things that I am learning as a work in progress myself to encourage others! Feel free to contact me if you would like any further information ! x