Hello again! How are you, good I hope! I know I am doing quite well here in getting these posts up regularly let’s just hope I can stick to it – not hope I will! So, I will just start with a few brief updates as this is what todays post is about. I really want this blog to grow into something a bit more, so you may see a few changes on my website or already noticed them, at first it was a place to just express myself, which is exactly what I intend to do, but I want to be discussing more subjects than just my thoughts & up my game with the photos I take as sometimes it’s nicer to have a lot more visuals than just words. Something I really want to start talking about on my blog in an idea of helping you as well, is food & what meals I am making. For Christmas my partner & I got two new cook books & they have already helped so much in changing our lifestyle, so I am hoping that the following blog will be a sort of food update so keep an eye out for that.

Right onto todays blog, which is my 6-month gym update. Now If you go back through my page you will see about 4-6 months ago I wrote a blog about the gym & how I had been really struggling to keep at my routine due to starting a new job where a gym facility was not close by, unlike my old job where I would go at lunch times. This is still not an excuse as there is a gym directly over the road from where I live, but I did just prefer going at lunch times & getting it out of the way. In the blog I spoke about how I was always delaying the gym, making excuses, blaming other people & genuinely just not making the effort. At the end of the blog I said how I will do an update in another couple of months to let you know how I had got on… well rubbish if truth be told! I haven’t gone to the gym since I wrote that post! I’ve done a couple of walks & that’s about it! I am not even going to bother with the excuses because it’s just unacceptable – I’ve learnt that it isn’t even a case of losing weight it’s about being healthy, which I definitely have not been! As per last week’s post I sort of came to a realisation of a few things entering 2018, my fitness being one of them, so I went over the road renewed my gym membership & the last 2 weeks have been;

Well I should say hello again as this section to the blog I am writing over two weeks later – I wanted to give a real update on how I have been doing & I am not ashamed to say I am very proud of myself. The first few days of the gym we were going in the evening so from 6pm after work, for me personally the only positive thing about going at this time is that you get to lie in in the morning, however after work I barely have much energy as I’ve been working my brain all day so all I want to do is chill, it also means that I had to eat later as I would be making dinner after I got in from the gym at about 7:30. So one morning in the first week my partner and I decided to get up at 6am & go over the road to work out – I bloody loved it! YES, don’t get me wrong my god it was hard getting out of my lovely cosy bed & not having any morning cuddles, but I felt so energised after and felt like I had achieved something great! I also felt a lot better through the day, more awake, more concentrated & it was nice because I didn’t have to dread going to the gym after work. Another positive of going in the morning is I have more time in the evenings to cook healthier meals, which is another substantial change I have made these last two weeks, I’ve cut out or limited a lot of things from my food & drink intake e.g. milk, chocolate, bread, alcohol & snacks in general. We’ve been using two cook books with lots of quick but healthy meals & I am really noticing a difference in the amount of energy I have. Also, the most important contribution is water, I make sure I drink so much water throughout the day to keep me going & keep me well balanced; I also invested in a protein/fat buster powder just to prevent me from having any snacks at work which has helped a lot – as I do spend less time staring at the vending machine now.

So, it has almost been 3 weeks now & I have kept too the 6am routine. On one occasion the weather outside was just awful, however I still got up & did my workout DVD – I think it Is important to just fit in that bit of fitness each day, whether that be a full-on workout or just taking the stairs instead of the lift. Please understand though this is not a 6 month change just for the summer, this is a lifestyle change & it is something that has really helped me mentally (if you read my blog last week) exercising has actually given me some clarity & allows me to be more positive & think more clearly. It’s not about losing huge amounts of weight, it’s about staying healthy & being fit & being able to keep to that routine. Below I have posted some pictures of some of what I do at the gym, but also what I do at home & as I don’t have any weights at home, I use items such as my laptop, or TV controls – you can use anything! (please don’t judge my underwear) but I have also posted some 2-week difference photos of myself – the differences may not be noticeable but mentally & physically they have been for me.

Remember you really can do anything if you put your mind to it, so don’t ever doubt yourself!

See you soon x