Healthy Life Part 8 - Refocus

It has been more than a month since my last Healthy Life post. It is a good reflection of how healthy (or not) I've been living. During my HK trip I managed to exercise once at the hotel gym, I walked a lot and lifted a certain 15kg weight around a fair bit. But I ate out almost every meal and didn't skim on dessert, and when I returned to Australia I continued to make poor eating choices. The low point was eating salt and vinegar chips in bed on Saturday night. I don't even like chips that much!

Photo: Breakfast in Bed by Long Jacket on Flickr

I made some good progress with weight loss/fitness when I started training with Nat and following her eating plans but I haven't been as vigilant lately. If I continue down this path nothing will happen.

Exercise-wise I'm going reasonably well, but I need to continue my quest to increase the frequency of workout. Now that the weather is warming up it will be easier to wake up earlier and exercise outdoors. I may also try Gillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred.

Because of the poor weather in Sydney last Friday I moved one of my PT sessions to tomorrow. Three intense workouts a week should kick my body into gear. I find it usually takes 2 weeks of regular exercise for it to become part of the routine.

As for eating, it's all in the mind. I know when I am at my weakest - after dinner. When I succumbed to temptation I knew that (1) I didn't need to eat - even if I felt a hunger pang I could sleep through it, because I have done it before, (2) it went against my goal. But I did it anyway.

I think one of my problems is that I have one of those airy-fairy "I want to lose weight" goals that is not measureable and not motivational. I need to set some SMART goals. Nat is going to measure me at PT tomorrow so I will have some figures to work with. Instead of setting a weight loss goal I want to set some measurement goals and some fitness goals. I will report back in a week. Hold me to that promise if I don't deliver!

Another problem with my bad eating choices has to do with sleep - or the lack of. I sleep too little for my body to function properly, and when I'm tired I'm more likely to crave for junk food, probably for the sugar high. I regularly stayed up beyond midnight, and during the week I need to wake up before 7am. It is not enough. The simple answer is of course "go to bed earlier" but it's easier said than done. I want to work on this, because I know it is an impediment to a healthy lifestyle.

It may take time, but with determination I'll get here. Watch this space!