Hey guys, happy Monday!

Today I am sharing a post all about wellbeing.

We are living through an amazing period right now where wellbeing is valued. Every one wants to feel healthy, look great and have energy.

But what if (like so many) you’re just not there. You’ve been eating badly, you feel out of shape and your energy levels are hovering around ‘meh’?

I hear you!

Today I am sharing some simple, practical tips for getting back on track with your health.

I am no nutritionist, fitness-expert or similar. I am an every girl, like so many of you, and I can attest to these methods having worked for me. I hope that you’ll find them helpful, and I’d love to know if you have any tips of your own!

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. 7 Practical Tips For Starting A Health Kick .

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1.Set a date in your diary. Years ago I read a book called How The Rich Get Thin, by Dr Jana Klaua (despite it’s haughty title, it’s a great book!) one of the first tips Dr Klaua suggests is to write a date in your diary for your healthy lifestyle to begin, and stick by that date. Don’t fret ahead of time that you ‘shouldn’t be eating this’, or ‘should be doing that’, the time will come when you fully focus on your wellbeing. And that time is in your diary.

It may seem like such an obvious thing, but by setting a date you are immediately accountable to yourself, and have a specific time to look forward to.

It also allows you to chose a date which works around your schedule. If for instance you are about to go on holiday for two weeks all-inclusive, it’s not the time to start a health kick. Enjoy your holiday thoroughly, in the knowledge that on your return you have a healthier lifestyle awaiting.

2. Adopt a mentor. Or five.  It can be hard to know where to begin when it comes to wellbeing – by adopting a mentor, or preferably many mentors, you can build your own pool of resources to consult with.

By mentor I do not mean an on-call nutritionist (we’re not Gwyneth Paltrow after all) but I do believe in role models we look up to, be it online, in books, or by attending seminars and talks.

Three online wellbeing resources I like > 

Tone It Up – Home workout videos & actionable wellbeing tips. Tone It Up Videos are my favourite to complete at home, Karena and Katrina are so positive it is impossible not to catch on with their enthusiasm!

Sustain The Glow – All about balancing your busy life with attaining ‘that glow’.

Lottie Murphy – Practical wellbeing advice from a twenty something every girl.

A House In The Hills – The most scrumptious healthy recipes you ever did see!

Madeleine Shaw – Such a lovely positive space on this expanse of internet, chocca full of recipes, life advice and nutritional guidance.

3. Create a meal plan. It can be really difficult to eat healthily when there is nothing to satiate your hunger in your fridge or cupboards.

Sit down one day this week and create a meal plan. Divvy up your days, and note any dates in your diary when you plan on eating out. Perhaps you are in for three nights this week, you plan on taking lunch to work for four days, and on one evening you have a work function and another a cinema date with a friend.

By identifying exactly how many meals you need to shop for you can plan what to buy, this will help you stock up on nutritious yummy food and save money – no wastage!

This article on The Everygirl – The Only Grocery Shopping List You’ll Ever Need – is brilliant. It will help you navigate your next food shop healthily and on a budget.

4. Snacks. I don’t know about you guys, but I love a snack. Particularly mid-afternoon, a nice piece of carrot cake, or a hot chocolate both seem to call to me . . . !

That being said, I always crash extra hard following a sugary snack and so aim to find an alternative.

Here are three of my favourites >

• Tart green apple slices, with peanut butter.
• Carrots with hummus.
• Homemade green juice. I make mine with spinach, apple, ginger and lemon.

5. Schedule exercise. I’m finding now that unless something is scheduled in to my diary, it doesn’t happen. I would love to be that person that spontaneously goes for a run, but for me, exercise, like everything else, has to be scheduled.

Whether it is a walk, a yoga class, a bootcamp session (????) make time, put it in your diary and become accountable to yourself.

6. Find a cheerleader. Share your goals with the people around you, and allow them to support you in your health endeavours.

Once you have decided to work on your health for you, bolster support from the people closest to you, so they can cheer you on. When I know that a friend of mine is looking after her diet, I’ll suggest somewhere delicious and healthy for dinner, rather than a pizzeria. Although, y’know pizza has to factor sometimes too.

7. Break through the 3 day barrier. As I said, I am no expert, however I personally find that there is a ‘three day cycle’ in which I struggle to cut out starchy food, alcohol, sugar . . . after which it becomes so much easier!

During the first three days of a health kick, it can feel really tough. Stick with it!

From personal experience, once those three days have passed, it’s as if I have reset my body – I don’t crave the unhealthy food nearly as much, and instead begin to enjoy the healthier version of me.

 

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Overall . . . 

Overall, when it comes to wellbeing, I am of the lifestyle school of thought. If you want to feel healthy, energised and see visible results, you need to invest in your style of life rather than a quick fix.

We all know yo yo-ing isn’t good for you. Instead aim to find a happy balance which suits you.

A health kick is just the beginning of what I hope is a lifelong journey of wellbeing. Eat healthily when you can, exercise, surround yourself with good people and treat yourself on occasion too. A treat really is a treat when you look forward to it.

How do you guys feel about your wellbeing? Do you have any tips from working on your own health kicks?

Love, Monica x