Starting the Day & Ending the Day Right

There are a few things that I have started to do in the last few months, which have really helped my mental health. We don’t really talk about mental health much, sometimes shy away from it as something we don’t like to talk about, it can be confusing and scary.

I like to think of these practices as my anchors at the start and the end of the day. They are things that make me feel ready to take on the day, positively and in the right mind set. And to end the day feeling grateful and allow me to reflect on the day.

Start your Day…

With positive thinking and ask yourself 2-3 questions, similar to the below (switch them up each day, google new ones, so you don’t get bored asking yourself the same questions):

-      What are you looking forward to today?

-      What is your greatest strength?

-      What am I most happy about in my life?

-      What am I most proud of in my life?

-      What makes you smile?

End your Day…

With reflective or gratitude questions, again ask yourself 2-3 questions, similar to the below (again switch them about, as above on the start the day questions):

-       What was successful today?

-       What did I learn today? Generally and/or about myself?

-       What relationships am I thankful for?

-       What made you smile or laugh today?

-       What is the most beautiful thing you saw today?

-       Who made a positive difference in your life recently?

These are just little things, you can add into your day – they take no time in the scheme of things and when you write them down, it reinforces their effect on your mind. I like to keep a notepad by my bed, so I can write them down each morning and evening. This reminds me to do it and I can flick through the notepad to remind myself of the positive and grateful things in my life.

Take 15 minutes

Another thing I have found useful recently, is taking 15 minutes in the evening (usually after dinner), to write down all the tasks I have on my mind. Whether that be work related or personal, I write them all down on a pad. This action of writing them down, helps you take them out of your head and allow you to relax – especially preparing you for sleep. I also write down the things that are worrying me, again the action of writing them down helps your brain to figure them out.

Try one or try them all, I know they help me, so I’m sure they will help you.

Thanks for reading

Holly x

Know Yourself to Make a Change

A key to a lot of things in life, is to know yourself. To make life decisions, stick to decisions and stay strong. You have to start listening to yourself and know yourself. Unfortunately, for some of us (I’d say a lot of us), we stopped listening to ourselves a long time ago.

Listening to your body and your brain, what is your heart telling you versus what you brain is telling you. One of them will take control, but you control them both. You are in control of your actions and your choices. I know that life can get in the way, kids, work, family, partners, etc. But you are fundamentally in control of where your life should go and therefore, have the ability to change things.

Start asking yourself some questions (even write them down if that helps): 

• What do you like doing (YOU, not your friends, family, partner, kids, etc)?
• What do you eat when no one is looking? How much?
• What do you eat like in front of people?
• When do you eat sweet things?
• When do you reach for crisps?
• What gets you out of bed (Yes, life is a reason to get out of bed, but work in itself, isn’t necessarily right. If you didn’t have work, kids, time constraints, etc; what would get you out of bed)?

This might be easier...

• What don’t you like?? 
• What would you hate to do for work?
• What is your idea of an awful holiday/break?

These are some of the types of questions you have to ask yourself, which help you to know yourself, and possible help you towards knowing where you struggle with things. To know your weaknesses, where you ‘fail’, and admitting that to yourself, is very powerful and is easily swept under the carpet, when thinking about day to day life.

Sometimes it is a hard thing to admit or confirm, even just to yourself. But it is worthwhile trying to find out what makes you tick and what doesn’t make you tick.

Listen to yourself, your body will tell you different things from your brain. Your brain is so busy, it often turns off the body listening function and you just carry on living busy and getting on with life, never truly listening to your body and what it is trying to tell you.

I’ve written about this before, but a key one for me, is dehydration and your body trying to tell your brain to get you some water:

1. It tells your body one way, dry throat maybe, but you’re busy so switch that off.
2. So it tries again, by telling your brain you’re hungry, but again you’re busy so switch that off.
3. How about, feel a bit dizzy at times, nope I haven’t got time, this report needs submitting by 5pm.
4. Ok says your body, I’m now going to give you a headache – mmmm odd I have a headache, better take some tablets with a splash of water.... hurrah water, but not nearly enough. I could go on and on with examples, but I won’t.

This is just an example about water, but we all do this for loads of things. I don’t like my job (hate it even), so we tell ourselves this, but then say ‘yeah, but it pays the bills’, or ‘yeah, but I like the people I work with’, or ‘yeah, but what else would I do?’. Very valid reasoning’s not to quit your job, but surely the sign that you hate your job, is enough to make your brain/body do something about it; research new jobs, train in something new part time or flexibly, etc. I’m just as guilty as anyone with this, in the past.

Moving this into weight loss and fitness; making that first step is hard, finding the time is hard, aching is hard, not getting results straight away, is hard. But YOU are totally worth it and need to find what WORKS for YOU!

 

Ask for support

 

Support has been fundamental in my weight loss experience. You have to pick those people around you carefully, that you confide in and ask to support you. I didn’t tell everyone, but gradually everyone found out, by seeing results, going with me to dinner, etc.

 

Knowing myself (from exploring questions like the above), I knew that if there were things in the house I was trying to avoid (e.g. Chocolate), I would eat it! I wouldn’t be able to stop myself. So I asked my sister, not to stop it coming in the house, but if she had some, not let me know about it and hide it somewhere. She did this and it helped me no end!

 

I knew that it would be hard to eat in public exactly what I wanted, which isn’t necessarily the norm, so I told those people around me that I ate with or when I went out for dinner. That yes I was going to eat differently, because I had to for my health. It isn’t a taboo trying to lose weight, but often people don’t like to admit that is their goal and so shy away from looking different from everyone else. Be proud in what you are trying/going to achieve, we all have struggles in life, but everyone has different difficulties to work past.

 

I’m not here to preach and I’m not here to tell people the right way, I’m here to suggest things that I have learnt over time. My ultimate aim is to help, so get in touch if you think I can help you.

 

Thanks for Reading

 

Holly x

Dieting Know How

There is a lot of information out there about diets and dieting. Working out which one for you, is a minefield. Not only are there lots of facts and fiction out on the internet, but there are also a lot of old wives tales, Chinese whispers, 'my friend did this and it worked'!!


In my opinion, there is not a one sized, fits all diet (I also believe that in clothing as well!).


Diet A will not be good and work for all people.


Our bodies are complex machines, which work really well, when given the right food & water, plus exercised regularly. But our bodies are so clever, that whatever we throw at them, they will try their best to adapt and carry on. Without us realising that this impacts how we feel, as quite often it is gradually done over time.


Meal Frequency


Here are some common miss-conceptions around meal frequency when on a diet or when trying to eat healthily and lose weight:


- Skipping Breakfast will help you lost weight!
- Skipping Breakfast will make you fat!
- Eating frequently can boost your metabolism!
- Fasting puts the body in starvation mode!
- Eating carbs after 6pm will make you fat!


Here's the truth: Your body doesn't say how many meals a day you should have and when you should have them. Your body works on an amount of calories a day, for your entire day of activities (work, gym, watching telly, sleeping, etc). This amount of calories will keep you at your current weight (maintenance calories). If you increase or decrease your daily activity then your weight will change.


If your body is maintained on 2,000 calories a day, you need to consume this to stay at your current weight. But your body doesn't work better, if you split that 2,000 equally throughout the day, six times for example: eating 333 calories six times a day. Diets that tell you as such, are not very flexible and very hard to fit into your life, who can say yep I'll can eat every 3 hours and consume only 333 calories...!


When looking at changing the way you eat (healthy), look at your lifestyle first, what can you do and what can't you do. We are all different, some of us are morning people, some of us are afternoon people and some are evening people - in some way connected to healthy eating, but more to prove we are all different on this blog.


When looking at your lifestyle, think about an average day, we all have to eat, so at the moment when do you eat? Why do you eat at that time specifically? Is it because the kids have gone to school and you have two minutes before heading to work and is the first time you can eat that day? When you have done this, look at what you eat at those times.


Plan it out on a page: Activities throughout the day, with times, when you eat and what you eat at those times:


8.30 - walk kids to school
9.15 - eat 2 breakfast biscuits with coffee
9.30 - drive to work
etc
etc


This will give you an average look at your day, but focus in on (highlight even) the eating sections. A pattern or structure will emerge, so that you can then alter or change the food you are eating, to fit a new healthy eating plan. Or make sure that you plan your meals, especially when you know you don't have much time, prepare your food ahead of time. It can feel like a hassle at times, but is totally worth it in the long run. Fail to Prepare, Prepare to Fail.


DIETING SHOULD FIT IN WITH YOUR LIFE, OTHERWISE IT WILL NOT LAST & YOU WILL NOT LOSE WEIGHT & KEEP IT OFF.


For more help and advice on nutrition, get in touch: merseaislandpersonaltraining@gmail.com


Thanks for reading :)
Holly

Getting Back to Reality: Severe Depression

Some of you will have noticed, that I have been a bit absent from writing my blog. In fact I haven't written on here since July 2015. This is for a mixture of different reasons, however the main one is that in 2015 I suffered with Severe Depression. I didn't realise that it had taken hold of me, until I was too late, but I would say I was suffering since March 2015 at the earliest.


Many people have asked me the reasons for my depression, but this time there was no ONE trigger. It was a mixture of different factors:


- Stress at work
- Stress outside work
- Working two jobs
- Fitness targets not going to plan, because of above stress
- Etc
- Etc


During my depression, I did do a bit of writing, just brief bits, but I want to be clear and honest about how I felt and this is the best way to do it:


'Life is meant to come easy! Life is meant to be yours, I don't feel in control'


'Binging on food and wine is what I do, making excuses for myself, telling myself 'It's Normal', everyone enjoys a glass or two at night......every night....??? To relax.....??? To stop you thinking.....??? To stop you hating yourself.....???'


'My heart is beating so fast, as I speed toward London Liverpool Street, it almost feels like my heart is going to jump out of my chest. I feel sick, headachy and as if at any minute I could cry.


2 months off work, with Severe Depression. Little to no sleep. Anxiety levels through the roof. It is no wonder I'm feeling like the above. It's not the unprofessional perception I want to portray, but it is how I feel.


I feel like a tiny little animal, scared, frightened and not sure what to do. I want to run back home and dive under the covers in bed, stay there for the next month.


Now I'm shaking, I can barely write this. This doesn't feel like me, I'm confident, strong and happy.... I feel like they have abandoned me. I'm on my own and lonely without them.


People with depression often feel alone and lonely. They can feel like this with close family and friends all around them and supporting them. It isn't an alone/lonely lack of human companionship for me. For me it is my strength, confidence and happiness that are gone... And I can't find it - I don't know how to find it.'


'The over eating has got to stop. Now and since it started there hasn't been an excuse. I've been depressed and I have been sabotaging a lot of my hard work to lose 5 stone! It breaks my heart, that all that determination and strength I worked so hard to obtain and sustain has fallen by the wayside to this disease!'


This was where my brain was, now I'm in a much better place. I took the time off work needed to recover and get myself in a better place. I took the medication that the doctors told me to take. I went to counselling sessions and did everything they told me to do.


Now I'm positive, I've drawn a line under last year and started a fresh this year.


I am DETERMINED
I am STRONG
I do DESERVE THIS


More blogs to come, got lots to write about :)


Thank for reading
Holly