Little Changes Make a Big Difference!

So here I am 2 days into being bed bound thanks to illness and boredom levels are getting quite high. I feel like I've exhausted the film library of Netflix and finished this months edition of vogue and my friend's are busy with lessons and rehearsals and evening trips to spoons. In my last post when I said I wanted to get more into blogging I was thinking more weekly rather than the next day but seriously, the boredom is real!

I know 1 month into my health kick I am hardly an expert in healthy living and fitness but I have honestly noticed such a difference in my mind and body from the changes I have made in this short time! I'm just going to share a few of these changes I have made and a couple of tips I have picked up on the way. I hope you enjoy and find this useful.

The first big change I have made is planning all my meals at the start of the week and doing a big weekly shop. I still pick up fresh food and essentials that I run out of throughout the week but having a plan and the ingredients in my house stops me from coming home after a long day and having to make a decision about food which tbh would usually be grabbing a ready meal or pizza. Planning also allows me to see days when I am going to be busy and in this sort of mood so I can make double the day before and just heat up left overs, it also makes my food cheaper because I can buy in bulk food that I know I will use lots and I don't throw as much food out. I am planning on doing a post on what I eat in a week very soon where I'll go into more detail and share some simple recipes.

Another thing I've started doing is getting up early. I used to be constantly tired and have no energy all day so I'd start going to bed earlier but it really wasn't helping and then one day my boyfriend pointed out that maybe it was from too much sleep. This sounded a bit ridiculous to me but sure enough since getting up earlier I have had so much more energy- he was right (as always!). My morning routine on weekdays now is to get up 7.15 and go swimming for about an hour. Not only does this mean I get up early and don't waste half the day, but I also get in regular exercise which trust me, I never used to! I don't like swimming at the weekends because the pool is so much busier so I do allow myself a bit more of a lie in.

As well as swimming 4-5 times a week and going to the gym twice a week I have also started doing a mini work out at home focusing more on building up strength. Bellow is a video by the blogger and Youtuber Niomi Smart which includes her workout routine which is what I tend to do in my room with a yoga mat. If you don't already know her then you should definitely check out her channel; I find her videos so motivating and her 'what I eat in a day videos' give me so many ideas and recipes. As well as this workout, I am also currently working through Blogilates' 30 days flat abs challenge which is slowly building up my strength.

I personally could never go vegan or fully vegetarian, largely because of my nut allergy and meat loving family and boyfriend but I have really been trying to cut down on meat and find protein from other foods. While I don't have a strict plan on how often or when I eat meat, I've realised from my meal plans that during the week is usually meat free and then I have it almost as a treat at the weekends. This also works because I only really go home at the weekends when my mum does the cooking with a lot of meat and my boyfriend (who would be appalled if I fed him for 3 days without meat) generally only stays with me at the weekend. Reducing meat has health benefits on it's own but it has also meant I have tried so many other healthy foods that I would never have cooked. My cooking has definitely got more interesting and varied!

The final thing I am going to talk about is the introduction of homemade smoothies into my life. I have always been a huge fan of smoothies and juices but shop bought ones have so many added sugars and preservatives that they end up not actually being that healthy. I recently purchased a Nutribullet and I now consume well more than double the fresh fruit and veg that I used to and so many more vitamins. My go to mix is 50% spinach, 1/2 an avocado, then filled up with fruit, a sprinkle of sunflower seeds or chia seeds and topped up with water. During the week I have this for breakfast pretty much every day after swimming and before uni and then at the weekend I like to have one as a light lunch in between a more filling breakfast and dinner.

I know none of these are new, break through tips but honestly being healthy isn't rocket science! I know as well as anyone that staying motivated is difficult but the basic principals are just to eat well and exercise- simple! I am so so determined to stick with this and watch my self get more and more healthy.

I can do this x x x