Starting out small #2| body & soul

So a bit over a month ago, I wrote a post about how I wanted to start prioritising my health and my body, and putting more time into taking care of myself rather than everyone else. I am not trying to become a more selfish person, but I have started to see that for me to be in the best position to help others, I need to be taking care of myself first.

I have been sick on and off for the last 2-3 months, and this has definitely affected my ability to do certain things, but I had set myself a few goals last month, and so first up I thought I would reflect on how that went.

  • Use that gym membership to get to the gym 3 times a week, even if its only for half an hour

So in the mindset of being honest here, I have been making it to the gym more like twice a week over the last month. Still finding my rhythm of making the gym work, and with things like the comedy festival on, I struggled to be home early enough to get there. Despite not quite meeting my goal, I have been already seeing such good changes from getting more exercise in, but I’ll talk more about that soon.

  • Start having a proper breakfast with a protein fuelled smoothie (and occasionally try and make it green)

Another partial win. I have had maybe 2 green smoothies, and they were fine(ish) but I have managed to avoid making green smoothies since. The good news is that my weird, unhealthy eating habits of snacking during the day, or buying a pastry with my coffee, have been mostly replaced by drinking a smoothie pretty frequently in the mornings or grabbing a banana if I don’t have time. Its delicious, filling and has helped me avoid snacking before lunch. Definitely going to keep this up.

  • Develop a better sleep cycle and aim for at least 7 hours a night (put your damn phone out of reach!)

With the aid of my fitbit, I can now track my sleep and see how restless I was. I don’t know if its just because I have something to record my sleep, but I seem to be sleeping far better than I was last month. Edd and I make a joint effort to watch less TV and go to sleep earlier, so that even when we do have an early start or a restless night, we get around 7 hours or more. The difference this more regular routine makes to my general attitude the next day is massive, and definitely worth the little bit of effort.

  • Start utilising the stairs at work instead of making the elevator awkward by trying not to make eye or skin contact with anyone

I work on level 7 at work, and that won’t seem like much, but for my unfit self its a bit of a mission. After a fire drill, I get so red and puffed that I hide away in the bathrooms until I resemble something slightly less manic. Over the last few weeks, I’ve been trying to work my way up. When I go to have a quick break from my desk I will try run up 4 flights and then have a quiet moment afterwards. Already, I can definitely see a difference in my fitness, but I’m still working towards going up the 7 flights easily. Work in progress, watch this space etc. etc. Its such an easy way to fit in a bit of extra exercise, and with my fitbit keeping track I aim to go up 10 flights every day (not all at once, yet), and most days this happens.

  • Be more mindful of what I am using to fuel my body (chocolate is one source of fuel but perhaps consider some other options as well)

This last goal was a little hard to quantify, but I have definitely been paying more attention to what I eat. In general, Edd and I have been trying to up the vegie and legume intake, and decrease the white carbs like rice and bread. Simple things like choosing a soup from the Thai takeaways instead of a rich red curry with rice may not seem like much, but for me these small decisions are all important in just being more careful with my choices. This doesn’t mean I no longer eat crap, I just try to enjoy it as a treat, whereas before pizza would be a meal without a second thought.

Source

Overall, its hard to tell which changes are caused by what, or whether everything is working together, but below are some of the things I have noticed that are different:

  • I’ll deal with weight first, because it was the one I really wanted to see change and yet it stubbornly is not really doing much. I lost 4 kgs in the first three weeks, and then nothing since. Hopefully its muscle, or just the fact that I could be going to the gym more, but I’ll be honest in that I was hoping for a bit more.
  • Fitness is already better, and every time I go to the gym or climb up the stairs i generally find that I can push myself harder and go further/longer. I also just feel stronger, especially in my legs.
  • My asthma is almost non-existent at the moment, which is kind of a small miracle within itself (normally I have to take my inhaler at least once a day, as well as preventers – which I am still taking).
  • My attitude to exercise has changed, in that I now relish a random long walk in the middle of the day, or a challenging hill to climb. Before, any exercise was a bit of an inconvenience, and one that I would avoid if possible. Now it is like with every step I take, and every burning muscle, I feel like I am doing something good for myself (at first this attitude was forced and did not come naturally, but now I don’t even register the thought pattern).
  • Lastly, my outlook in general has improved. I think this is purely because when I take the time to give my body what it needs, whether its half an hour on the bike, or a relaxation session, or a delicious, wholesome meal, it puts me in a better place to face the rest of my day. I know that this will get better, but its amazing to already feel like I have a little more control over my life and the way I experience each day.

Before this post turns into a monster, I wanted to finish off with another few goals for the following month or so. Last months were all focused around physical health, and I am definitely still working on all of the above, but I wanted to add in a few goals relating more to my mental health:

  1. Do yoga 2x a week, as well as improving my gym routine. 
  2. Keep a gratitude list each day of 3 things I am grateful for.
  3. Be more congruent, and honest with myself and others. Try not to be so afraid to say no or to ask for help. Say what I mean.
  4. Keep a food journal to keep track of my meals and intake and see where improvements can be made

Just four this month, seeing as I am still working on the others. I hope that over the next few weeks I can continue trying to prioritise my physical health, as well as my mental health, and continue to see some positive results.

Not my image, but one that I keep visible at work to remind me what is important. Source

Not my image, but one that I keep visible at work to remind me what is important. Source

Let me know what kind of goals you have set for yourself at the moment or what you will be working on!

 

  • http://www.lenatalksbeauty.com Lena

    I find tracking my food really helpful, especially because I have friends on My Fitness Pal and I think ‘I don’t want so and so to see if I’m eating junk food’. Losing 4kg is good work, and you’ll keep losing if you keep being dedicated :)

    • http://myfoxycorner.co.nz Lizzy Lockhart

      Thats a really good point about the food tracking, definitely makes it easier to avoid junk food when others can see exactly what you are doing. I was happy to lost the 4kgs, just dissapointed that I then seemed to plateau for the next 2-3 weeks haha!

  • http://deathtocardio.blogspot.co.nz Rhiana

    So proud of you Lizzy! Your goals are so great and a good mix of mental and physical. If you do your food diary, I’d be happy to look over it for you sometime if you’d like?
    Anything I can do to help I’m so willing xxxxxxx
    YOU’RE AMAZING

    • http://myfoxycorner.co.nz Lizzy Lockhart

      Thanks Rhiana 😀 You are such an inspiration, being the incredible babe that you are. I’d love to get you to have alook once I have a weeks worth of food diet. Would be awesome to get your opinion on what I could change/swap out/avoid/improve :) It can be pretty hard without meat (and most dairy/eggs) in my diet to ensure I am still getting a good balance of everything xxxx

  • http://www.moveloveeat.com Amanda @ MoveLoveEat

    LOVE this post Lizzy!! Let me start with 4kg in 3 weeks is ridiculously good and I wouldn’t feel bad for that, in fact it is a little quick for weight loss but since it’s at the start of your journey I wouldn’t be concerned. Focus more on how fabulous you are feeling rather than a number on a scale because SO many things can change the number on the scale which have nothing to do with whether or not you have made progress. I also LOVE your new goal for the gratitude list, being grateful is so so important and helps us realise what really is important! x

    • http://myfoxycorner.co.nz Lizzy Lockhart

      Thanks so much Amanda 😀 I was happy to lost the 4 kgs so quickly, just dissapointed that I then went about 2 weeks + without losing anything more :-/ Can’t figure out why haha. Agree that the nmr on the scale is not what’s important, and there are so many other benefits that I’m seeing straight away from making healthier choices and looking after myself better. xxx

  • http://Melissalosesit.co.nz Melissa Peaks

    You have done such great work making those few small changes and they have made a big difference in how you are feeling already! That’s awesome if it makes you feel good keep doing it! I really need to get my own exercise back on track I haven’t been well and it’s fallen by the wayside the last few weeks. I’m going to focus on that and making sure I get enough sleep. I’m shocking at going to bed far too late and while I’ve been ‘trying’ I need to try harder! Thank you for helping me to set some goals for myself this coming month!

    • http://myfoxycorner.co.nz Lizzy Lockhart

      Thanks Melissa! I was pretty impressed at how fairly successful I was with making the changes, I think it was a good idea for me to introduce bits at a time and just keep working on adding other healthy habits to my lifestyle. Sleep is so important, nights where I don’t get enough sleep almost always coincide with me being in a fould mood the next day, eating rubbish and not exercising. it just puts me in the wrong mind-frame. Good luck with your goals! I’d love to hear how you go :)

  • http://www.eatwellnz.co.nz Nicola

    This is awesome Lizzy. Those are some fantastic changes :-) it’s easy to become focused on the number on the scale, but those changes will help you be healthier and feel great too regardless of the number. Also 4kg in 3 weeks is a decent amount to lose! Great stuff chick x

    • http://myfoxycorner.co.nz Lizzy Lockhart

      THanks for your comment Nicola :) I’m really happy with the changes so far, but I know that it’s not all going to happen at once and I need to be fairly patient, especially with the weight loss. xx

  • http://astylecollector.wordpress.com Angela – A Style Collector

    I love this post and I kinda have the same goals but it’s so difficult. I only do anti-gravity yoga whenever I can and I haven’t joined the gym for 2 years now. I need to start working out again and most importantly, getting enough sleep! I feel like there aren’t enough hours in one day to get everything done and I’ve only been having 4-5 hours of sleep each night. :(
    Well done on losing kgs though! That’s great and don’t beat yourself up about it. Eventually you’ll lose more and it will all add up. Keep it up! :)

    • http://myfoxycorner.co.nz Lizzy Lockhart

      Thanks for reading Angela! SO glad you enjoyed it. Anti-gravity yoga sounds intense but interesting! Off to google it haha. I totally get what you mean about their not being enough hours in a day, makes it so hard to fit everything in. Just a few xtra hours would be great. But sleep should definitely be a priority, it makes such a big difference!! xx

  • http://frecklenz.com Jess

    Sounds like you are doing really well! I really like your third goal, being honest and congruent with ourselves can sometimes be more of a challenge than many other things we do for our wellbeing. Over the next month I want to do for my well-being is make it to an appointment with a naturopath. My friend is studying to be one and at her school the students in their final year run a clinic that is really affordable.

    • http://myfoxycorner.co.nz Lizzy Lockhart

      Thanks! Yeah, the congruence thing is something I have struggled with since I was a child, sometimes its easier to just fit in and change yourself to suit the situation, but the older I get the more I realize that its not a healthy way to develop and interact, and its better to just be honest with myself and others. I am trying to find a naturopath too! I have had some persistant health issues that Doctors haven’t been so useful for, so I think going a more alternative route may be my best option. Let me know how you go!

  • http://planetbakelife.com Samantha – PlanetBakeLife

    Oh Lizzy! What a great post :)
    I’m so happy to see you moving onwards and upwards and looking after yourself! SO PROUD OF YOU. I think an app like MFP would be great for tracking calories and food intake and it syncs with your Fitbit so it counts your steps towards your calorie intake total.
    It also syncs with MapMyFitness where you can log your gym exercises. It’s very handy!

    I look forward to seeing more of your journey and maybe even helping along the way!