Eating right and being healthy has always been a tricky concept for me to grasp. In my younger teenage years I was obsessive and ended up suffering with an ED. After recovering and going to uni- I went a bit far the other way, eating and drinking what I liked, when I liked. Since then my mindset swings between 'must watch what I eat and exercise more' and 'f**k it, you only live once'.
Now I'm determined to find a healthy balance between the two. I used to be terrified of food, now I love it and I want to enjoy it.... just in a more healthy way. My first step to helping me eat right was to download the 'My Fitness Pal' App* which is great for seeing exactly how many calories your Starbucks hot-chocolate has, and how much of it is saturated fat! It also tracks your exercise which is helpful.
My main issue has always been eating out- I love going out for dinner and can struggle with not ordering bread, pasta and chocolate every time! I've found however that lots of restaurants now offer light versions which has become a life saver, (Prezzo is especially good for this), or at least tell you the calorie content of their menus. Snacking-wise I am addicted to Graze boxes- fantastic healthy options delivered to your door. On top of this I am a big believer in the 'Cheat Meal' method, having one meal a week where you can eat whatever you want (I usually opt for takeaway pizza and chocolate!) this keeps your metabolism guessing and stops you from cheating the rest of the time as you know where your next treat is coming from.
My eating has improved but my big issue is exercise! I commute to London every day for work which sees me waking up at 6AM and getting home at 7:30 in the evening. Suffice to say, I never want to exercise after work. My weekends are usually spent with my boyfriend relaxing so I'm rarely motivated then either! I am going to start going to the gym with him when he goes at the weekend, but would love to fit something else in during the week.
What do you guys do to keep healthy? Any tips or motivators?
(*I would not recommend this App for ED sufferers, or those who have recently recovered- it can be a touch addictive and may set off a relapse)
5 comments:
I was the same way too. In my younger years I found myself battling an eating disorder too, the need to always be super skinny was always something I couldn't get rid of. A few years after I found myself eating to my hearts content. And then I went to the gym. stopped going to the gym and bloated like a balloon. MyFitnessPal really helps, it has helped me to lose 20 pounds! I love how fitnesspal encourages you to eat to get to your weight goal. I have found an activity that I also like to do, which is jogging and dancing, so I guess this has helped me to keep the weight down.
Hey Kat :) If you wanted to fit in some exercise after work during the week I'd recommend Jillian Michaels work out DVDs- I like the 30 day shred for an all-over workout, and it's just 25mins long so not so time consuming :) also if you haven't already, check out Cassey's blog at blogilates.com, she does some really fun exercise vids that are short n sweet too!
I love my Graze boxes, I think my downfall is always snacking so it's great to have something healthy to snack on.. I'm also quite rubbish at going to the gym, I can never be bothered after work! :\ xx
Hey Kat - I sway between the 'must eat helthy' and 'meh, life's too short' sides like you. If you don't feel like hitting the gym after work then there's a series of DVDs on amazon for £5 each I think that are '10 minute solutions'... so you do 10 mins a day. One day arms, one day legs, one day stomach etc... I found it quite easy to fit into every day life and, more importantly, it didn't feel too much like hard work. Haha. Here's the link:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/10-Minute-Solution-Target-Toning/dp/B000KRNMS0/ref=sr_1_2?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1351256249&sr=1-2
I have been trying to be healthier recently and it is such hard work, I know nothing good comes easy but it is impossible to fit it all in sometimes!
Maria xxx
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