It’s National Fitness Day, the biggest celebration of fitness and physical activity across the UK. This day is for reminding us exactly how important fitness is to our lives, no matter who we are.
I’ve had personal trainers, gym memberships, New Balance trainers, NIKE trainers, Air Max trainers, you name it. I’ve even convinced myself that I’ve looked fine whilst eating take out washed down with a glass of Proscecco. Then the pandemic hit and on one hand I was actually quite grateful because I thought ‘well stay home you can’t go out for dinner so cook more healthily’. I’d have the odd snack, but then the snacks started to take over and became the meals! And as for when Lockdown Insomnia kicked in, well it was just eating out of boredom. December 2020 I met Olympian Martin Bernard who offered to train me online, so no excuses about the car breaking down, or traffic on A40, this was it. So I agreed. He asked me to take a profile photo of myself and I knew something was wrong because I hesitated big-time. And then I did it … burst into tears as reality was right in front of my very eyes.
Please know that I am in no way fat shaming anyone, I know why my weight increased, I know the stress the weight represents and in a nutshell I don’t want it anymore.
I am aware that weight issues, gain or loss, can be medical, spiritual and even emotional, so I am in no way judging.
Once I decided that I was absolutely tired and exhausted with the emotional battles, I turned a corner and I’ve not looked back.
National Fitness Day is the day to celebrate the role physical activity plays across the UK. We should all know the benefit regular exercise delivers including a healthier heart, increased well being and a better quality of life. However, many of us find getting fit troubling. Here are some tips to help achieve your fitness goals:
Don’t try to be perfect, try for perfectly healthy. The best part about trying to be healthy is that it CAN BE DONE. The word perfect word can be shaming. All or nothing: either I’m perfect size two or I QUIT that gets us in trouble. Instead this about your all-around HEALTH; body, mind, and soul. And that is a life long journey… not a destination.
Find a healthy substitute for your favorite guilty pleasure. I love chocolate so I substitute the creamy milk chocolate with it’s healthier sibling dark chocolate. Tossing a few dark chocolate chips in my mouth not only satisfies my cravings but is good for me too!
Step off the scale. It’s not about weighing less it’s about the ratio of muscle to fat. Stop obsessing over every pound and start thinking about ‘being healthy’.
Work your body hard… but be kinder to yourself. Our bodies can handle hard workouts and tons of exercise, but stop over-exercising your self-esteem. Be kinder to you.
Do SOMETHING. Even if you don’t think it’s a lot, walking up the stairs instead of taking the elevator is a few more bits of exercise than you were doing before. Little things add up and turn into big results.
