Still Banging On...

Work stress, crap weather and a severe lack of motivation has meant I've been off the healthy lifestyle wagon. However, I have been hanging on to the wagon for dear life by incorporating pilates into my routine. Last week I nearly managed at least a 30 min session every day.

I need to keep my exercise levels up and I also need to watch my snacking which needs reigning in.

Nothing else to say for the moment as procrastination is my thy enemy!

Message to Myself

Sarah, you cannot continue this cycle. Don't act all innocent, you know EXACTLY what I mean!

You know that you have been overeating since last weekend.
You know you've been eating too many snacks in the evening.
You know you are just eating for the hell of it.
You know you feel full, sick and bloated at this very moment.
You know you have been exercising in a half-hearted way.
You know the scale isn't moving.

You know your mood has been effected by all of the above.

So what are we going to do about it?

MOVE that ass!!
Go outside for an early morning jog.
Go back to Zumba class at the gym.
Do the Davina legs and bums section that you like.
Finally learn the routines on the strictly DVDs you have got (you won't learn nowt if you don't practice!)
Master the hula hoop!
Do your hip hop dance DVD you like so much - hey, why not do it before work?
Use my resistance bands - they tone EVERYTHING. You just gotta USE IT!
Get workouts out of the way (so first thing in the morning) Y'know, like you used to do? Remember how you enjoyed that so much? How good (and embarrasingly superior) it made you feel?

Now, lets not forget FOOD

THINK before you eat! If you are bored/emotional/stressed then FOOD is not the answer!
Listen to your body.
Eat more protein.
DRINK more water. Lots of water. Plain water. Cucumber water. Lemon water. Ice water. Just DRINK.
Control your snacking habit. You are NOT hungry, just greedy for some 'afters'.
Start to track daily food intake on SparkPeople (quit whining, it won't be forever, just till to learn new habits).

Got all that?
NOW...

Make yourself PROUD
Go prove yourself right
You are WORTH the effort
It WILL feel good
It WILL be worth the early mornings and sweaty clothes.

Thank you for reading,
Lots of love,
The Sarah who will be finally revealed to the world. xx

Round and Round and Round and Round

Sometimes your attempt to maintain a positive outlook gets broken down by the smallest negative thought. Once that kernel of negativity seeps through a whole wave of "AND I can't do this either" and "this isn't right about me as well" crashes over you and pulls you under.

After a mad busy day at work and feeling tired I came home and wanted to crash. Instead of chilling out I decided to hula hoop for half an hour - burn some cals, y'know. Now whether it was because I was just too tired or not, for some reason me and my hoop were not being friends, and by this I mean the bloody thing kept falling to the floor! I'm not an expert at it but I'm usually good enough to keep it going for a few mins before having to restart. Last night? Nope, about 20 seconds was my longest spin before it hit the floor (and my shins and ankles on the way!)

I persevered through a frustrating half an hour and just felt so annoyed and negative afterwards. It's funny how such a small thing could make me feel so bad but that bad hoop session seemed to encapsulate everything I'm trying to break free from. How I don't feel good enough, how my weight impairs me having fun.

I really do need to work on not letting something so small alter my mood. I gave my hoop some evils this morning! I'm going to fetch it in a minute and attempt another 30 mins. It will not beat me again!

This may be aiming a bit too high! I'll settle for keeping it up for more than 5 mins first!

Finish What You Started

My new wallpaper says it all! I've been on this weight loss journey for a long while. It's time I finished what I started.

(Wallpaper source: Myhealthmybeauty)

Over the Barrier

Oh please tell me you are all eating chocolate eggs too? I've not done too bad, sharing an egg last night...and then again this afternoon! However, I did mix in some exercise today to try and balance it all out.

So, I weighed in this morning and am *drumroll pwease* 14st 13lbs! I have once again cracked the 15st barrier. Whoop! This time I must push on to the next stone barrier as in previous visits to the under 15 mark I have ballsed it all up by putting a few pounds back on again. NOT THIS TIME!!

What am I going to do differently this time? I will:

• Start week 4 of C25K.
• Exercise in the mornings - I just can't get my head around doing it at any other time.
• Drink more water. Lots more water.
• Continue to try different protein packed breakfasts', as they keep me going till lunchtime.
• Keep reading motivational blogs. I have found lots on Tumblr that have great little motivational/healthy messages such as "If you aren't hungry enough to eat an apple, you aren't hungry at all." Very true!

An Easy Breezy Lazy Sunshine Post

This gorgeous weather + fun in the sun with friends the past few weekends = severe blog neglect.

A long weekend in London last weekend and some out of office work meetings last week derailed my next week of the C25K. However, I have still been concentrating on healthy eating and yesterday I did the 30 day shred (and am paying for it today!)

So I don't have anything else to share today except...

Source: No one ever achieved anything by giving up!

Week Review + Hooping

A bit of a belated review of last week but it was a good week!

• Lost 2lbs. Now 15st on the nose.
• Completed week 3 of C25K.
• Did my pilates DVD on my 'day off'.
• Went back on the wii fit for the first time in over 170 day (oopsie!)

I'd talked about hula hooping before and after an unsuccessful experience with Davina's hoop that I bought from Argos (it was too small, but too wide and heavy...so I took it back) I decided to get some hooping action from the Wii fit. I unlocked the 10 min hula-hoop ages ago and had forgotten what it was like. I chose that first to get my heart pumping and MY GOD, I'd forgot how intense it was! About a minute in I was staring at the time ticking down in the corner thinking "4 mins left of this??" Then when I had finished one way you are right back in to swivelling the t'other way!

It's such a good workout and that plus some jogging, boxing and yoga moves managed to give my muscles a good challenge. Note to self - don't leave it another 170 days before you revisit the Wii Fit!