We are now well in to February and
my year has started off well. January was all about having my operation for menorrhagia
and then healing from that and now I feel like life can really take-off. I no
longer have a lack of energy, nor am I anaemic. 2018 is a year that I plan to believe more in
myself and in God’s great plans for me, I wrote about it at the beginning of the year and posted my first
update last week. The area of my life that I really need to get a grip on
is my health and specifically my weight, which sadly, is affecting my health
and not in a good way.
However, I am feeling very positive
and I am going to take lots of little steps that all add up and will make a
difference. If I’m honest many of these steps (or changes) are things I have
committed to before and then they’ve not happened or I’ve let them slip but I’m
not going to let that stop me. I have to believe that mentally I am now in the
right place and that since I have been freed from my terrible (and constant)
bleeding that things in my life can change for the better.
The fear of failure must no longer
stop me. I’ve been reading a book recently (yet another one) called ‘The Year
of Saying Yes’ by Helen Doyle and it is just a fiction book. A great story about
a woman called Isobel who changes her life by saying yes to a series of monthly
dares and it has been so helpful to me. I have come to realise that often I say
no or I am passive in my actions because I am scared it won’t all work out.
What the book has made me realise is that it is better to try, better to take
one step, better to do it imperfectly, than not at all.
It felt like a God-moment when Boots
recently got in touch and asked if I’d like to take part in their
#BootsLittleBoosts campaign as this is all about how I am boosting my health
and wellness routine for this New Year. They want to know how I’m going to shake
off the excess of the winter festivities and to embrace the year ahead with new
vigour. It fits in perfectly with my new ‘Believe’ philosophy.
So here goes, I know that Little
Steps = Big Changes if I’m consistent and I’m going to set my focus in four key
areas -
1. Sleep
I am incredibly lucky that sleep
comes fairly easily to me. I don’t tend to have a problem with insomnia and I
go off easily. However, I have realised I do not get enough sleep as I spend
too long on the laptop and then want to read (some super fluffy chick-lit) and
that means my bedtime gets pushed to midnight or 1am.
So my little change is to be in bed
by 10pm at least 5 nights a week so I can read for an hour guilt free and then
when the light goes off at 11pm, I’ll still get 8 hours sleep. This should make
a massive difference to my energy levels and also by ability to be strong and
not give in to my unhealthy food cravings. If you need to find out how to get more energy then check out Boots sterling advice.
Boots were kind enough to send me
some lavender pillow mist and it smells great so despite not having an issue
sleeping I am going to use this as I think it will make me feel like I’m being
pampered! As will the wonderful Sanctuary Spa candle and 5 Minute Moisture Boost Mask, which will hopefully sort out my dry winter skin.
2. Healthy Eating
I have a lot of weight I need to
shift and if I try and focus on the end result it all feels like a very big
uphill battle. Eight stone is a whole person and it is probably going to take
me a year or two to shift that if I want it to stay off. I’ve been talking to
my GP about my health and weight for a good year or so but it all felt so unmanageable
when I was wiped out and anaemic from my terrible bleeding. Now I have enough energy
to be able to focus.
I am taking Orlistat (as prescribed
by my GP) which is a fat binder and this means I need to be very careful about
what I eat as otherwise I’ll experience very explosive symptoms (if you get
what I mean). So anything other than a healthy diet can’t be considered
currently. Luckily I do love a wide range of food and I am very happy to enjoy
a lot of vegetables, pulses and proteins and this means far less processed
foods and much more home-cooked meals prepared from scratch with minimal
ingredients.
Because I am taking Orlistat not all
the nutrients in my food will be absorbed by my body and thus I need to take a
multi-vitamin supplement. I was going to buy just a pot of regular tablets but
Boots sent me a tube of Re-Energise tablets which are packed with vitamins and
minerals to help me stay healthy and full of energy.
Boots also sent me through a number
of other supplements and if I am honest some are not things I have tried
before. I received Manuka honey, which I’ve heard and knew was some kind of super honey but I had no
idea it was graded according to its UMF (Unique Manuka Factor) and that the
higher the number the greater the antibiotic healing power. This stuff can
actually be put on open wounds to aid healing or eaten to reduce inflammation,
help arthritis and diabetes, reduce high cholesterol and to fight sinus
infections. This will definitely be my toast topping once a day.
I also received a tub of Womens’s
Best All-in-one Whey Protein for making shakes and I have to be honest this
troubled me a little. After trying numerous fad diets including those with
shakes I am always dubious of them but I soon realised this isn’t part of a
cut-out food and just drinks shakes diet. This is to be used as a post workout
boast or a snack to get a good injection of protein, which fills you up and
keeps you satisfied longer than carbs or fats. So I am going to give this a go
for when I finish exercising and need a snack.
3. Exercise
As well as being better with my food
I need to move more. I have charged up my FitBit and strapped it back to my
wrist and I’m going to build back up to my daily 12.500 steps which is the goals
I like to achieve when feeling well.
I’ve got an induction at a new gym
on 20th February and then I will use it twice a week whilst my girls
are at local clubs. Then come September JJ will be old enough to accompany me
there and we can be fitter together.
As the weather improves I know I’ll
want to start doing more and it becomes much easier to exercise. Miss E is a
bit exercise obsessed and will start to drag me out for a walk/ run around our
lake most days too. We’ve probably got another month or so until it is light or
warm enough to do this in the evening.
4. Being Kind to Myself
This last one is all about being kind
to me. Celebrating the things I have done well in the day and not picking up on
the one extra biscuit I had or the fact I was 2,000 steps off my goal. Its
common knowledge that people do far better when they are motivated and
celebrated than when they feel down and guilty about choices they have made.
For me my Christian faith is a very
big part of my life, so time with God, prayer, journaling, reading devotionals
and listening to great podcasts is important. I try to take time each day but
honestly of late it hasn’t been happening half as frequently as it should, so I
vow to make me a priority over the housework and over other obligations.
I have a set of affirmations on my
mirror in my bedroom and I need to get back to reading these each day and
believing what I took the time to write down. I have value, just by being me. I
don’t have to do anything to earn God’s love and I can’t lose it. I have got
this and I can do it. I just have to believe it and take the steps to make it
happen.
I’m feeling so positive about 2018
and I’m now off to a 3 days workshop to study the Enneagram and
to learn a little more about my personality and why I do the things I do. I
think this will be a really good investment of time in me.
If you fancy making some changes to
your life (however small) to help it change for the better then I’d advise
looking at the Boots Wellness
webpages as they have loads of great advise on how you can give yourself a
little boost. I particularly like their happiness hacks.
Do let me know if you’ve set some goals and maybe we can
support each other and keep ourselves accountable? I think that’s always
helpful.
Thanks for reading, Mich x
Disclosure: This post is in conjunction with Boots but all
thoughts are my own. I have not been instructed what to write and I remain
honest, as always.
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