It's the Place You Live In

Monday started with another day volunteering at uni. Another day filled with free food. Pizza, salad, garlic bread! 

Tuesday was recovery. I was very motivated to eat healthy :) 

Wednesday was back to a free feed from volunteering at uni. As a low income earning uni student you simply can't just not take advantage of free food even if perhaps its not the healthiest for you :) Moderation is key I say, but sometimes, to be completely honest, that is very difficult for me and I do tend to overeat. I tried to be a bit better than Monday by having tea instead of hot chocolate for morning tea and only eating enough food to feel full without overeating at lunch. Unfortunately, the day still consisted of snacking on many cookies and chips. 

On my way back home I decided to stop at a convenience store to get a snack for the long trip ahead as it was also a very tiring day! When I was looking at what to buy, my friend asked if I was hungry. I said yes as I was really looking forward to scoffing down a muffin! But I thought to myself, after I declared that strong 'yes', I was not hungry at all! This is what reminded me or even perhaps made me realize that I am very much an emotional eater. Its been a full day with a few ups and downs and I just wanted to try satisfy an unnecessary need that I had. Instead of dwelving into this thought a little more, unfortunately I ended up getting a hot chocolate and a slice of banana bread for the road. 

While I was on my way home enjoying the delicious and slightly unhealthy, who am I kidding, quite an unhealthy little snack that I should have perhaps resisted, I looked at the sugar content and was not very content with how much I just consumed. My goal is to get back on track to a healthier lifestyle and what was I thinking indulging so much in one day! On top of this, once I was done, I looked at the empty plastic wrap and paper cup sitting on the seat beside me and was discouraged by my poor choices that day. I've recently read an article about a girl who gave up waste for good and I was so inspired by this and wanted to try it myself, especially seeing how easy it was! There are so many resources accessible; reusable containers, reusable coffee mugs, plenty of Instagram accounts filled with treats that you can bake at home in bulk and much more! 

Check out the girl's story to see how she does it and What Her Life Is Like!

Going on from that, I'm currently re-inspired to start creating more home snacks without the earth damaging packaging. Perhaps some home made healthy banana bread, I'd definitely enjoy that much more than the slice that night. I do love enjoying a treat when I'm heading home late with a coffee or hot chocolate, especially if it doesn't involve the packaging. I need to invest in a coffee mug! One that's colourful and perfect size for my bag

On Thursday morning I enjoyed a mango and protein smoothy for breakfast and then a prawn salad for lunch. After that I had some chocolate wafers and thought that was really not necessary. Its time to really put my life back together, I can't keep going around putting such foods into my body. As the Lorna Jane app reminded me; 

'Make the pledge to take care of your body. It's the place you live!' 

If you don't have the Lorna Jane app, I highly recommend it! :) It sends you little notifications to motivate you every morning! And so this made me find a notebook and start planning.

I ended my Thursday by walking the dog. We had to slightly wait for the rain to pass by but it was a really good time for me to think and reflect. I began to think, wouldn’t it be easier to simply eat less or even skip a meal? But no, I reminded myself, this was not the way. I had to prove to myself that I can do it. As soon as I got back from my walk I made good use of that notebook and become very prepared to ensure I wouldn't start just looking at what's in the fridge and snack on more than I should. Something else that inspired me also was remembering the transformations I had noticed this week of a couple of friends who simply put exercise and portion control in place and are looking great! This is what I need to work on and it does take time, I just need to keep reminding myself of this. 

Friday was an even more positive day! I have recently started to read a bible verse each morning instead of my usual scan of Instagram or Facebook and it has honestly been so much more fulfilling. I downloaded the Bible app that gives me a verse and this morning was Luke 12:29-31:

And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. 

And then I found that Matthew 6:25-33 expanded on that thought, if you would also like to have a read. 

During the day I also read an article on how to change people who don't want to change to try help me find ways of improving myself positively. The article wrote about how it is about asking better questions rather than simply stating what you should or shouldn't do:

“What is it that makes you even consider changing?”

“If things worked out exactly the way you want, what would be different?

“What are the pluses and minuses of changing or not changing?”

“If this change were easy, would you want to make it? What makes it hard?”

You can have a read of the article yourself and see if it helps you too! 'How to Change People Who Don't Want to Change'

I thoroughly enjoy reading, it is the way I learn and grow! Until next time,
Vee

Start Again

I want to start writing again to keep myself motivated. In 2015 I want to come closer to achieving my long-term goal of being healthier and happier. This year is going to be better! I feel it!

I have decided to try blog weekly, documenting my days with plenty of photos in hope that it will help me to get back on track after falling behind my goals these last couple of months. 

My desire towards attaining a better lifestyle came about in 2012 where I started taking little steps to a healthier me. They say that is the best way to ensure you will keep to your new habits. It is true; by making gradual changes I grew a greater passion for health and fitness. And as the years went by, I could really see myself improving. My last couple of months, however, have not been near as healthy. I am quickly falling deeper and deeper into the trap of binge eating and laziness. I am struggling to pick my self up once more and simply start again.

Many say this is not easy. You are surrounded by temptations daily where mornings are filled with smells of freshly baked muffins, afternoons are in study and work, and evenings are simply demotivating when you begin to think how long your day will be tomorrow. But no, I say. This is when its time to get rid of those thoughts and write down the words, “I am looking forward to tomorrow”. I live by the saying, ‘everything is only as hard as you think it to be’. All I need now is to push myself and keep that momentum going. 

So lets begin. This Monday was Australia Day and because I remember overeating the day before at a friend’s birthday, I stuck to a jug of lemon water for breakfast to try freshening up a bit and giving myself a cleanse. Since Australia day is famous for BBQ’s, I ended up eating a lot of protein after that. 

Tuesday I had a farewell gathering for a friend in the park where I made a poor choice of keeping a packet of chips right in front of me. It disappeared too quickly!

Wednesday wasn’t much better. I was at home all day and this meant a lot of unhealthy snacking.

I had volunteer training at university the following day and to reward us for our efforts, they gave us free food and lots of it! Pancakes for breakfast, nachos for lunch, and in between, plenty of cookies.

After writing all this down I have realised how poor my days have been! This is definitely making me realise that I need to start making a change.

Friday night I caught up with my amigos for dessert at San Churros. As I ended up having a very late lunch, I didn’t get around to eating dinner before I left and this meant I could fit more chocolate in. Oh no! Don’t get me wrong, it is always great to go out with friends for a treat but I definitely didn’t deserve it this time around especially since I wasn’t even fitting in any exercise during the week.

The weekend was definitely one of the best weekends these holidays! Perhaps not in regards to the food choices but to the fun I had.

Saturday morning began with a healthy breakfast; coconut milk and buckwheat flakes, and then a catch up with friends at a cafe over some lemongrass and ginger tea! Good start. 

Lunch was at a friend’s place where we made some cheese toasties. They're not the healthiest, yes, but I’ve learnt over the years that it is impolite to simply state, “I won’t eat this because I am trying to be healthy”. Be healthy with integrity.

Later that day I went over to another friend's place where we enjoyed some Russian dumplings right before the power went out in the neighbourhood! I feel like the power should go out more often as it was such a refreshing night being surrounded by candlelight, laughter and not to mention cheesy fondue over a camp stove. It was simply the best!

The next day was filled with adventure starting up at 7am. The family took me three hours out of town to a freshly aired field to fly some planes. It was my first time flying in a glider and the views from up there were simply mesmerising! Big breakfast to start the day; toasted sandwich and fruit salad with yoghurt. Almonds, walnuts and lollies, were the snacks for the day and dinner was pizza; two slices only!

And so the motivation begins! Next week it’s time to improve. It’s time to step it up and get back on track. If you’re struggling like me, it's ok, you’ve already made the first step of wanting to make a change. Now let's do this together! A great tip is to start reflecting each week. Shouldn’t a healthy lifestyle be a priority?

Vee