Tag: healthy-living

Awesomely Unprepared > healthy-living

Kez Gets Physical: Let’s try that again!

Posted on by kezunprepared

Look, I had great intentions when term 1 of the school year began. I was going to work really hard on being one healthy little mofo and have amazing success like I did at the end of last year.

Then life got in the way.

In hindsight, I really did have some odds stacked against me. While it could be argued that there is still no excuse for not living as healthily as possible, realistically, I was going to struggle. I was sick for half of the term and the other half, I was undergoing intensive fertility treatments (no – I’m not pregnant – feel free to spread the word ?).

The best I could do was maintain my post Christmas weight (an extra kilo or so) and then accept that my diet and exercise routines would be disrupted, with me eventually putting on a second extra kilo for good measure (medically that would have been hard to avoid – long story – won’t bore you).

As we close out term 1 now, I see another opportunity to kick arse. I have a decent gap between treatments and I am so excited to have the freedom and the energy to do whatever the f*ck I want with my body. That’s been the biggest thing for me. Feeling like my body is my own again for a bit. No tests. No invasive procedures or ‘look sees’. Bliss! Maybe my fellow fertility challenged peeps might understand this?

I need to optimise my time and put in the hard yards to get ahead again.

I want to feel fit, strong, leaner and more agile. I also kind of feel the pressure to fit into all my new (slightly smaller) clothes I literally just bought right before I puffed out in the last couple of weeks (most of which was medically unavoidable – again long story).

I am proud of myself because we just got home from a great trip to NSW. Despite indulging a little, I came home the same weight I was when I flew there. I even lost some body fat! Yes!

Moving forwards, here are a few things I want to commit to:

Doing ALL of the work outs

Often I’ve chosen to (or have been advised to) pass on some particularly challenging/awesome looking work outs I’ve seen online etc. It was disappointing but important that I listened to my body. Right now I have no reason to fear anything. That feels so good. I am going to do whatever takes my fancy. I’m going to work my whole body and have fun giving anything a go. I actually crave all the initial soreness that comes with trying new things and I look forward to moving past that soreness and realising that I’m getting stronger/fitter. When something takes my fancy, I will bookmark it and try it at my earliest convenience. I can’t wait to see the difference that occurs in my body when I can vary my routine more. No more holding back. YES!

Avoiding food that isn’t the best for me

I’ve rattled on about this before. I just need to cut down on processed food and carbs and excessive sugar. Same old story. I just need to be more disciplined. I really feel like my head is finally back in the right place to get started again.

Weight loss

While I have a specific goal I’m working towards medium term, I will be happy if I simply lose more weight than I have gained recently. While I have mentioned that I’d like to fit in my clothes better, this really won’t be so much about the numbers on the scale. It will be more about feeling really healthy (mentally and physically) and living really well.

Drinking more water

I admit that I can be terrible at keeping up my water intake. Recently I was medically advised after a procedure that if I didn’t, then I could become quite sick (it’s standard advice for all who undergo this). I forced that 2-3 litres in a day and I honestly do feel better for it and I am glad the habit was created. I am finally out of the danger zone with my health, but I want to continue this regardless. My skin looks less scaly and dry too. I love not having chapped lips – they look waaaay cuter when I put on my lippie!

Documenting my progress to stay accountable

You can follow the hashtag #kezgetsphysical on Instagram or Facebook or Twitter, to see how I’m going! If you want to share something you’re up to that I might want to see/try/celebrate with you, then use the hashtag to get my attention! I’d love to share in your journey (yuck – “journey” haha).

OK, so there it is. I’ve so got this (again), right? I swear, if I get sick again, I’m going to get a bit stabby. But we’re going to think positive, aren’t we? Yes we are.

image: GIPHY

Kez Gets Physical: Term 1, 2017!

Posted on by kezunprepared

Oh my goodness. As I type this, the Little Mister is having his first day of pre-primary. His first year of full time school is beginning (although he’s only attending two days this week). I have just spent a few minutes walking around my house in awe of the silence. It’s kind of nice being able to move freely without having my every move questioned and being nagged while I’m in the toilet – the last couple of weeks of the holidays damn near broke me haha.

So. Term 1 has begun for the Unprepared household and that means it’s time for me to kick my arse into gear with my Kez Gets Physical routine. Basically, I commit myself to making good nutritional and exercise choices for a whole school term at a time – no excuses, no ‘cheat’ breaks (unless I literally cannot make a better choice in the environment I’m in – or it’s the first day of my shark week – because that’s a given).

I eat low carb, no junk (i.e. confectionary, desserts, overly processed foods, snacks I don’t need etc).

I did this for the first time in the last school term of 2016 and it went swimmingly! I am so proud. I lost some weight that I hadn’t shifted in the longest time (we’re talking years) and I challenged my own self defeated belief that I would never be able to do it. I even enjoyed it! Which was a pleasant shock to me!

Throughout the summer holidays, I relaxed this regime so I could take part in the festive fun without worrying too much. I became addicted to carbs and sugar again and I struggled to exercise regularly due to fatigue or logistics. BUT…because of the good work I’d done beforehand, I managed to maintain a 4kg weight loss that I’d achieved (I initially lost more than 5kg but I think I got off very lightly compared to usual). YES!

I felt better in my clothes throughout the summer and I even wore my bathers (without boardshorts!!!) publicly without any cover ups quite a few times! I am still no Sports Illustrated model, but I love the confidence I gained – more important than the number on the scales. I felt better – lighter (both metaphorically and literally) and more happy inside myself.

I don’t ever want to lose that feeling!

Also, while I don’t have any actual figures to back me up, I swear I saved SO much money last term just by eating right and saying no to the ‘naughty’ extras. Who knew this could be good for the budget?

So here I am again.

Term 1 will be interesting to say the least. I may have to go through some challenging medical procedures (on a secondary infertility journey right now if you’re not familiar with my story yet) and there is also a short interstate family holiday planned, which may throw some hurdles my way, but I will definitely do my best to live healthily and be active when I can.

Now that the Little Mister will be at school full time, I will have more time to balance exercise, work and the stuff I need to get done at home. Yay!

I have 4.8kg to lose, before I reach my goal weight (something that is achievable and within a healthy BMI range etc). I’d love to knock off some more kilos before the end of the term. This would be incredibly exciting as I’d be pushing through some plateaus and making some great progress. I will be so excited when my body fat % is in the 20s again (I’m so close)!

I admit I almost caved and ate some crap today. My body wants everything that is made out of potatoes right now. Not gonna lie. But I’m going to push on through and start how I plan to continue! It gets easier every day and I always feel better (mentally and physically) for it.

I love that I’ve proved to myself that I don’t need fad diets or crazy expensive nutrition and exercise plans to lose weight and feel better. I can’t wait to get back into it.

Are you working hard on making healthy choices right now too? What good habits do you swear by?

You can follow my progress with the hashtag #kezgetsphysical on Twitter or Instagram or Facebook ??

Mood boosting music.

Posted on by kezunprepared

I know I probably sound like a broken record, but END OF SCHOOL HOLIDAYS – AM I RIGHT? I am trying to find anything I can to keep myself limping to the finish line! I love love love my kid and for the most part we’ve had a lot of fun together since school broke up, but I am tired, I can’t remember when I last had any decent time alone in the quiet and I’ve started to fantasise about doing impossible things like getting my nails done, having a hair appointment (something I rarely do even during the school term), going to the toilet without anyone panicking that I’ve fallen off the face of the earth, time to work out alone, a sleep in, watching TV shows/movies that are rated higher than ‘G’ (yes I have night time to binge but you see I fall asleep so early ?) … you know, ridiculously lofty ideas like that.

I know I’m probably the biggest first world problems whinger right now. I know my life is objectively quite good. So many people have it worse/harder. But I’m betting I’m not alone!! The struggle is real!

Anyhow, one thing that doesn’t cost anything (and may or may not even temporarily drown out the sounds of whining child/ren) is music. I don’t have to be alone to listen to most of it (hastily skips over the cuss heavy songs before my child realises). It motivates me. It lifts my mood. Gives me an energy boost. Hey, sometimes I even get a mini (not really anything close to a real) work out from dancing around the kitchen like a dickhead. My kid doesn’t mind it. YES.

I have thought about which songs never fail to make me feel better when I’m feeling flat or frustrated.

Here are the ones I can remember off the top of my head:

Bliss and Eso – Addicted (language warning)

Macklemore – Can’t Hold Us

The Little Mister calls this song the “Can Holders” song. He thought it was about can holders! What are can holders anyway? Things that hold cans, I guess?

Lion Babe – Impossible

Wombats – Let’s Dance to Joy Division

The line “Let’s dance to Joy Division, and celebrate the irony, everything is going wrong, but we’re so happy…” always makes me grin. Because if everything’s going to shit, you can still dance and take the piss out of yourself and hopefully one day laugh about it.

Sia – Cheap Thrills

Not only is Sia a freakin’ genius, playing this song when I’m feeling a bit strapped for cash makes me feel better LOL.

Drapht – Dancin’ John Doe

Illy – Catch 22

A while ago, I asked my friggin’ amazing Facebook followers for their fail-proof mood boosters and here were their suggestions:

  • The Darkness – I believe in a thing called love
  • Justin Timberlake – Can’t stop the feeling
  • Pharrell Williams – Happy
  • Seth Sentry – Vacation
  • Katrina and the Waves – Walking on sunshine

So there you have it. A ready to go playlist! Hope some of these songs boost your mood too!

Anything you’d like to add? 

5 ways to recharge (and stay sane) before Christmas.

Posted on by kezunprepared

Oh my goodness. The end of the school year has had me beat! The kids aren’t the only people who are exhausted! I have been so tired. I mean, I’m always a bit tired (because duh I’m a parent and also *ahem* a wife to a lovely but annoying man hahaha) but lately I’ve found it harder to keep bouncing back and to just push through!

I’ve decided to put together a little list of things that, based on past experience, might help me to survive this busy time of year. Things that will hopefully revitalise me a little so I’m not a worn out bitch by Christmas day! I want to enjoy this time of year because it’s my favourite time of year! I’m like Will Ferrell dressed in a fugly elf outfit, yelling out random things about loving Christmas at strangers. But not until December 1st, because I’m not crazy or anything. Geez.

I’m a bit special.

Anyway, where was I?

Right-o. List of things that help me to recharge when I’m bloody exhausted…

Make your bedroom feel like a glorious place to sleep. 

Better sleep makes you less tired! I know. What a revelation. Who knew? Last night, after a sleepless week and a whole bunch of quite frankly overly realistic and terrifying nightmares, I decided to do something about it. We declared it clean sheets day. I aired the room out and let a lot of light in. I lit a couple of gorgeous candles I’d forgotten about (and blew them out before bed time because of safety and shit).

Last night felt like heaven and I slept a lot better. The air/energy in the room felt so much lighter and not murky and stuffy. No nightmares! Yes!

I won’t go on about it because it’s all been said, but go to bed early when you’ve got nothing on. Rest up so you can enjoy other things later!

Let yourself get dumb in your rare down time. 

I used to get made fun of for always watching mindless trash TV or movies that didn’t exactly evoke deep thoughts or complex mind gymnastics. People like to say things like, “Why do you like that mindless junk? It will rot your brain!”

But to be honest, that’s the exact result I’m going for! I spend a lot of time overthinking things, reading about everything that’s going on in the world, dealing with the every day complexities of life. I consider myself to be pretty clever and a not so bad critical thinker. Sometimes I just need to switch off – something I’ve been crap at doing lately!

Ever since I explained that to my trash TV hating people, they have understood and left me to it. I’m always a heaps better person after spending a while being all like, OMG WHUT HAS KHLOE KARDASHIAN DONE TO GET THAT ARSE? HOW IS KYLIE JENNER HER OWN STEPKID’S AUNTY?

Basically, I don’t meditate (probably should) or do yoga (shut up Mum), but watching the shallower stuff really helps me to unwind!

You know, I need a break from being so damn clever all the time! ?

Drink more water and eat healthy things. 

I have been rattling on about this stuff in my Kez Gets Physical updates. I am really appreciating being fuelled by things that don’t make me feel sluggish and gross. You don’t have to do it for weight loss, just do it to feel energised and in a better mood! I love to have a green juice when I feel like total crap (I know I sound like a wanker but it really really works). I also think water is the bomb diggity. It wakes me up in the morning (I know you coffee lovers are looking at me like I’m a freak) and brings me back to life when I am feeling exhausted.

I can always feel the difference between me having a decent salad for lunch, versus the times I’ve indulged in less healthy options (they’re so tempting when we feel like crap and want something quick and we just want comfort food). Not falling into a food coma by 2pm really helps me get through the afternoon!

Acknowledge your exhaustion and communicate well.

I am the crabbiest cow when I’m exhausted. I’ll admit it! I get cranky and I find it sooooo exhausting to be bothered telling anyone how I feel. But it’s worth doing. Things always go better when I confide in my husband about how burnt out I’m feeling, what he could do to assist (martyr shit is pretty much banned in my house) and just give him the heads up so he’s not shocked by my lack of excitement about life or my slightly stabby moods. He can do the same with me. It’s better than both of us just throwing our weight around like angry bears. It’s not a perfect system (we’re only human and life gets crazy) but we try.

Also, I have never fallen into this trap myself, but I have a feeling some people get on the internet and let their crabby moods affect the comments they leave on social media. Dudes, realise it’s your tiredness and stress talking and nobody wants to be on the receiving end! The other person might be exhausted AF too! Don’t fight with people just because you’re tired. That in itself is a waste of energy! Ain’t nobody got time for that! Switch off that screen or walk away if you think you won’t be able to resist!

Be in touch with your feelings, y’all!

Get outside.

I love this time of year. So much sunshine (and Vitamin D). Fresh air is so revitalising. Even if you just stand outside for a few minutes or go for a short walk, you will feel a little better. Exercise is great for building stamina and getting those endorphins, but if you just don’t have it in you (understandably – trust me I’ve been feeling it), just get out for no other reason than to be in the outdoors. There doesn’t have to be a point to it or a task to complete. Just go outside and stand there or sit and have a drink or better still, lie in a hammock if you have one. I need to try this a whole lot more.

Nothing I’ve said is particularly revolutionary, but I hope it helps. This time of the year can be stressful and I think that if we can all practice a little bit of (realistic) self care and be kind to each other, we’ll see the year out in a really positive way (regardless of whether it was kind to us or not)!

What do you do to stay sane during the ‘silly’ season/end of the school year? 

Kez Gets Physical: Week 6 update.

Posted on by kezunprepared

Hello, hello.

It’s that time of the week again! The time when I let you know how my efforts at healthier living have been progressing for the past 7 or so days.

I’ve been eating a pretty low carb diet (it seems to suit me) and generally trying to be more active. I’ve been using the school term as a time based motivator. I figure there are more school days than holidays in a year, so being far more disciplined during the term seems like a good idea. It’s also a good time for me to keep my arse in line, because I have to live by a stricter routine then anyway.

So where am I at right now?

So, I only lost 200g this week. I know why too. Fatigue always keeps the weight on me and I was particularly exhausted this week. I was also experiencing more fluid retention and bloating – my cycle has always been like this. I literally am bloated 50% of my life. Oh, joy. I guess all I can do is find ways to minimise its impact and keep on pushing through.

My body fat percentage (something I probably haven’t bothered to mention before) has stayed the same for most of the week (after steadily decreasing for the whole 5 weeks before it) and I really put this down to less exercise. While I believe that diet is at least 80% of the struggle with keeping weight down, there are definitely benefits from regular exercise. I didn’t get to do any proper work outs this week, due to Mr Unprepared having a really full on work week and the aforementioned fatigue. Where I would have normally grabbed a cheeky half hour on the treadmill when he got home from work, I found myself trying to rush everyone through the evening routine.

Still, a weight loss is a loss. I’m OK with that. I suffered from extreme PMS hunger and it was a challenging week. I still stayed on track diet wise when at times I wanted to fall off the wagon. I am proud of myself.

Good choices I made this week…

I went clothes shopping with my mum. It was very exciting. We get to do that – just the two of us – only about twice a year these days, so it’s something we treasure. Nothing like bonding over retail therapy! I was glad for the opportunity to try on clothes and adjust to the weight loss progress I’ve made so far. I was having a really hard time wrapping my head around the fact that I needed to figure out what size to wear and what styles suit me now that I had trouble wearing before. I may not have lost much weight in the big scheme of things, but I am now smaller than I have been in a long time. Being able to try on clothes that made me feel good, for the sake of style, not comfort or trying to hide things, was amazing. My mum was the best sidekick because she’s always honest and supportive. It was a bit of a nice boost to the ego to have her compliment me on how well I’m doing.

A lot of my clothes were starting to look silly on me. Oversized and out of style. I needed the confidence boost of finding things that I can wear right now, without feeling like an awkward weirdo.

I realised that I am no longer an Aussie size 12 on the top half. I am a 10. Even an 8 in some oversized styles! I honestly hadn’t even considered that to be a possibility so soon. I was so used to reaching for the ‘large’ or ’12’ in everything without really seeing how a size down would fit.

This week, I also finally got around to clearing out my wardrobe. I packed away the stuff that doesn’t fit or flatter anymore (for the right reasons for once!) and will decide later whether to donate those items. I put all my new items front and centre. I stashed the winter stuff towards the back. It made me feel so much better. I now look in my wardrobe and feel happy about the outfit choices I get to make each day, instead of confused and dejected!

Things I can improve for week 7…

WEEK SEVEN?! Crazy. Anyway, I know exactly what factors could have given me more dramatic results this past week. It just comes down to more exercise and pushing through the bloat (I handle it by drinking more water and green tea).

Also, even though I have been eating really healthily, I think I could probably reduce some of my portion sizes. I get a little crazy over the coleslaw bags from the supermarket in particular – I could easily single handedly devour a whole bag in one sitting. Oops! Half of that with a decent amount of protein would probably be quite sufficient!

So that’s it for me for today!

How are you doing? 

Kez Gets Physical: Week 5 update.

Posted on by kezunprepared

Hello, peeps! I’m checking in for the fifth week in a row, to let you know how I’m tracking with my healthy living efforts. I’m glad I’m recording this stuff, because I want to be able to remember that all of this was actually possible, after I’d convinced myself over the past few years that it wasn’t.

Here’s where I’m at…

Look, I had a few setbacks in the weight loss department during week 4 and it was a little disheartening. I can only put it down to my cycle (and I am not talking about bike riding) and fluid retention. I felt yucky and bloated too, despite eating all the right non-bloaty foods and being quite *ahem* regular. Nothing seemed to help.

This week, my body made up for lost time!! I lost 1.8kg! I have now lost a total of 5.1kg! I am so excited to have reached the 5kg milestone! It’s definitely worth celebrating. My body fat % has also decreased slowly and steadily along with my weight. I’m now officially less than a third made up of fat haha (my initial goal is 25%).

My step count has been down this week too (I feel like a broken record) with only 41,798 out of the 70K goal reached at the time of writing this. BUT…I did put in some decent exercise 4 times this week and I think it really helped.

Mr Unprepared is starting to notice the changes in my body (and is giving embarrassing compliments – oh stop it – no don’t!) and I am realising with a little bittersweetness that I may have to buy my bras a cup size down! My size 11 jeans fit really well, with little to no muffin top – amazing!

Good choices I made…

The best choice I made was to push through last week. Despite gaining weight and feeling bloated, I made a huge effort to not give up and sabotage myself (something I’ve done a lot in the past when hitting a plateau like that). I kept pushing through and doing the right things, even when it felt like they weren’t working. Seeing the ‘double’ loss this week has proven to me that the hard work pays off and you do see results eventually. That plateau lasted a week – it wasn’t forever. Shit happens. It’s probably going to happen every cycle. At least I’m getting to know my body!

I started to up my water intake. I feel a bit better for it. I have returned to my habit of starting the day with a glass and topping up throughout the day. I wouldn’t say I’m drinking the right amount yet, but I’ve definitely made progress.

I ordered my fish grilled instead of battered from the fish and chips shop on Friday. I also didn’t eat any chips (OK so I stole ONE from Mr Unprepared – had to check that potatoes still taste the same)! I had a side of coleslaw (with minimal dressing I applied myself)! It was friggin’ delicious and I felt so full and content afterwards. Yes!

Things I could improve…

Blah blah step count blah blah – you’ve heard me say it every week, damn it!

Thanks for sticking by me through this process. I don’t mean to sound like a ‘healthy living’ wanker. I just gotta do this for myself, y’know?

How are you going?

Kez Gets Physical: Week 4 Update

Posted on by kezunprepared

Hello, there. I’m posting this update a couple of days later than usual. It’s been a pretty busy time! We celebrated a few family birthdays (not exaggerating) over the weekend and it’s only Tuesday but I feel like it’s been a big week already! I say that every week, so yep…

Anyway, this past week (Week 4 of the school term) was a bit disappointing but I do have a pretty clear conscience, so I guess shit happens.

Here’s where I’m at…

Look. I put ON weight. I plateaued all week and by the end, registered a 300g gain. I was not very pleased by this! This was a great exercise in why the numbers on a scale aren’t everything. They can be important when you need to lose weight, but they aren’t everything – especially if you can tick off the list that you’re doing as much as you can without having a friggin’ eating disorder (and I promise am not making light of it). I was really disappointed at first. I asked myself what I could improve, but I realised that short of becoming disordered in my behaviour (or burning out against my better judgement), I would just have to keep plugging along and ride this out.

I had to look at other signs that I was getting results. I weigh daily and get a weekly average. My average was down by 100g from week 3. I guess that’s better than no improvement at all? Also, my body fat had slowly and steadily decreased throughout the week.

I also realise that I felt bloated and yuck for half the week, but I was kind of relieved to feel it and hate it, because I was probably like that all week, every week before I started trying to be healthier (again). I wouldn’t have known the difference and now I do.

I also have to hope that it was just fluid retention (f*ck being a lady) and even some building of muscle. Hopefully I’ll have better results by the end of week 5.

My clothes still generally feel better on me. I’m more comfortable and I am even realising that despite the fact I can’t afford it, I may need to buy new tops for the summer! I had floaty things that skimmed over my problem areas (mostly the mid section), but they seem to be a size too big for me now and I just look silly in them or larger than I am. I like how I look in a t-shirt – I have a little bit of shape again. I was starting to feel boxy.

This could be due to no big hormonal changes (blah blah shit fertility blah blah) this cycle, but I like to think that maybe my diet and my sweating out of toxins has improved my skin! Sure, I could be a PMSy, pimply mess seconds after posting this (and jinxing myself) but for now I am stoked that I feel much more confident only wearing a light layer of BB cream when I head out of the house.

My step count wasn’t amazing (51,018 out of 70,000) but I did exercise properly 3 times throughout the week.

Good choices I made…

I was at a couple of birthday events over the weekend. There were opportunities to eat cake and potato everything and pizza and all kinds of carb loaded things. I can’t say I didn’t consider having some – so tempting! I was really good, though. I kept my pre-meal nibbling to a minimum (no crackers and rich cheeses for me) and I chose my main meals wisely. Nothing is perfect when you’re eating away from home, but I think I did so well and I enjoyed myself, which is the main thing! I think my desire to stay on track was bigger than my desire to eat my old favourites. I didn’t want to sabotage myself just because my weight was plateauing – an old unhelpful habit.

Also, nobody shamed me or guilted me into eating anything I didn’t want to. What I put on my plate was of no consequence to anyone but myself. I love how I can make these choices without having to cause a fuss.

Things I could improve next week…

I could keep my step count up. I say this every week. Ha. At least I keep on trying? It’s good to have my eyes on a goal and to keep aspiring to reach it. I know I am doing more than I would have without that goal (or the motivation I get from being in challenges with my Fitbit friends). I guess that’s something, but I can always improve!

Drink more water! I need more H2O in my life! I have been terrible at this. I know it will help my overall health, flush out my digestive system etc. I just have trouble remembering to keep on sipping! Any tips?

How are you going this week? What healthy habits are you working on?

You can follow my efforts with the hashtag #kezgetsphysical on my social media 

giphy-15

SOURCE

Kez Gets Physical: Week 3 Update.

Posted on by kezunprepared

I can’t believe I’m about to start the 4th week of living healthier (again)! That also means that the school term is almost halfway through – that is crazy! WHAT IS HAPPENING?!

I just want to say that I’ve been really enjoying eating a bit cleaner. For the most part I haven’t missed my processed carbs, anything made of potato, white bread or pastries. For the MOST part. Of course I have a couple of moments where the weather is nice, and I imagine myself tucking into some amazing ‘dude food’ (because I’m clearly a dude or food marketing people are clearly sexist) at the pub, but I have resisted a lot of my old temptations with very little fuss made lately and I’m proud.

So, where am I at right now?

Just like last week, I lost 0.9kg again! I guess my body isn’t into the whole ’round numbers’ thing! Still, I’m quite relieved to say the least. I broke my diet a couple of times. Not anything huge – a bite of cake here, a beautiful home made sausage roll at a housewarming there. And my exercise was absolutely shit, let’s be honest (but we’ll get to that)!

My step count? Oh, you guys. I only achieved half of my target and I don’t really have any excuses! At the time of writing this I only got 35,314 steps in! While I have most of the (Sun)day to add a few more thousand, I obviously won’t get anywhere near the 70,000 mark.

So far I’ve lost 3.8kg, which is really exciting for me. I was getting annoyed that my size 12 jeans were getting slightly saggy (you know when they get pouchy around the crotch and it’s weird?) and also annoyed that it’s still jeans weather so I couldn’t just throw hang them in the back of my wardrobe and forget about them for the summer. I was not in the mood to buy new ones! But…then I remembered that I had a pair of skinny jeans left over from the last time I was a little slimmer! I wasn’t sure what to expect, but when I pulled those size 11s up, they fit better than they ever have! SCORE!

Of course this led to me trying on all those dresses I cannot part with and I was excited to realise that I have expanded my wardrobe by about 3 dresses (and they still look current and fashionable – yes!).

I still think I’m a pretty solid size 12 (my jeans were probably just stretched out in certain areas), but I’m a much more comfy one! It’s nice to not feel like I’m squashed into everything.

Good choices I made this week…

I was faced with cake, not once but twice. And I only had a bite sized portion each time. Not a piece or three like usual. But a bite of each! I know that sounds really obsessive, but to be honest, I really didn’t feel like it! I think I’ve weaned myself off a lot of sugar (not all but a lot compared to usual), so I didn’t really miss it! I KNOW! A taste was enough for me.

I also ate out twice (at people’s houses – thanks for having us!) and simply picked the greens/salads and proteins over the bread rolls and potatoes etc (apart from that one delicious little sausage roll haha). It wasn’t as hard as I thought it might be! I don’t believe in changing people’s plans to suit my diet (i.e. if there were no healthier options I would have just dug into anything that was going) but I’m realising there are healthier options almost everywhere once you have some good habits in place, and you don’t have to put anyone out or make a big deal out of it.

Things I could improve…

Hands down, it would have to be the exercise. I didn’t get anywhere near my step goal and I didn’t work out properly. I had maybe one quick last ditch effort on the treadmill and that was it. My incidental exercise was quite minimal compared to normal too.

I sometimes struggle to get diet AND exercise happening together. At the same time.

I was feeling unmotivated and mentally/emotionally exhausted (still). I would choose to sit down and do nothing when I had a chance to get up and do something! Even the housework suffered – oops. I just felt so drained. It was frustrating. I guess I’m just processing a lot of things at the moment and to some degree that can’t be helped. I just have to find my way through it, like with anything in life. I need to find the balance between knowing when to rest and knowing when exercise would actually really help!

I hope I have better luck with week 4!

How are you feeling this week? 

Thank you for keeping me accountable, simply by reading these blog posts! It’s been a great motivator!

You can follow my efforts throughout the week on social media with the hashtag #kezgetsphysical ?

 

Kez Gets Physical: Week 2 Update.

Posted on by kezunprepared

It’s been a big week for me, emotionally. Some of the (in)fertility stuff has done my head in and I spent a lot of time feeling utterly drained. Still, I am glad to be coming out of that headspace and after the Little Mister let me sleep in this morning (it was AMAZING), I feel ready to take on a new week of better health (mentally and physically)!

So here’s my update for Week 2 and may I say I really am glad I’ve decided to document this “journey” (sorry – had to use the word) on my blog because just thinking about what I would have to tell you at the end of the week kept me on the straight and narrow!

Where I’m at

This week, I lost 0.9kg. I am quite happy with that! It’s almost a kilo and still above 0.5kg (which is what I’d consider a healthy weekly loss). In total, I’ve lost 3kg! I had a look back through my Fitbit stats and realised I haven’t weighed this low since 2014!

An interesting thing to note is that I’ve basically lost the weight I gained since we started trying to conceive a second child (yep we’ve been trying for over 2 years now). It feels really therapeutic to shed all the weight that came with comfort eating and feeling at odds with my body. I feel like I’m stronger now and I love that my body is reflecting this.

I had a goal of 70,000 steps for this week, but I admit I fell short with 60,185 (at the time of posting this).

Good choices I made this week

I ate out on Friday night with the girls. I knew this could possibly be challenging (so many temptations!), but I was ready to rise to the challenge of picking the healthiest thing possible for me from the menu. I managed to not eat spring rolls, prawn crackers or rice (while eating low carb suits me I am not preaching it to anyone else – you do you)! I had garlic prawns and mixed vegetables – delicious! I felt full and satisfied afterwards. I even weighed less the morning after! Awesome! Although, maybe I was also a little dehydrated after enjoying my first cider in ages haha.

I think generally that my nutrition was on point all week. I had to visit a delicious food truck for work mid week, but I had a very small (very delicious – highly recommend) portion and then went home for a salad I’d prepared earlier! I’m finding it’s getting easier and easier to say no to things that aren’t the best for me. I think I must really be in the right space to create better habits for myself at the moment. I’ve tried similar things in the past and failed to sustain them. I really hope I can keep this up.

I went clothes shopping during the week, because I didn’t want to get caught out with nothing at all to wear when the weather gets good. I enjoyed trying on clothes (although my bank balance did limit my haul haha) and while I haven’t dropped any dress sizes or changed dramatically in appearance yet, I loved that I wasn’t bloated or feeling awful about myself. It was a great non food reward for my big efforts too. I had a revelation that if I keep these habits up, I won’t ever have to feel that worry that an outfit won’t fit one day because I ate the wrong thing the day/hour/minute before I put it on. I look forward to feeling consistently OK when trying on clothes, all day/night long (in a store or at home)! How freeing!

Here’s a rare mirror selfie of me…I felt good that day (and I bought the skirt)!

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Things I could improve

I might be feeling all empowered and generally quite good about myself, but I noticed that on Saturday after I’d had a bad (in)fertility appointment with my doctor the day before, and was feeling confused and tired and sad, I looked in the mirror and, for the first time in two weeks, thought I looked ‘fat’ and ‘gross’ and that I clearly wasn’t getting anywhere. I was surprised by such negative thinking. I realised that it was just my subconscious disappointment in my body – that it hasn’t been doing what I have wanted it to do for so long. I noted this and I realise I’m going to have to work on being kinder to myself during stressful times. I am realising that you can lose all the weight in the world, but if you don’t feel good about yourself on the inside, you will never appreciate it. How many times have we looked at a photo from 10 years ago, thought ‘wow I was looking good’ and then remembered that we thought we were fat and gross the day the picture was taken? I am going to try harder to see myself through kind eyes ALL the time.

My step count was obviously just under 10,000 down from what I’d hoped to achieve. I think I let stress and fatigue get to me on occasion and I do still need to figure out how to keep active on days when I’m working a few hours at a desk. I will just keep on trying. Any tips? I’ve tried walking on the spot during commercial breaks while watching TV at night, but that’s about it!

I think I’m doing well with my cardio, but I would like to start to incorporate some more strength exercises into my routine too.

How are you doing? You can follow my efforts with the hashtag #kezgetsphysical on social media! I’ve also jumped on board with BabyMac’s hilarious hashtag #notafatmoleforchristmas ?

Kez Gets Physical: Week 1 Update

Posted on by kezunprepared

So I’m one week into my renewed efforts at getting healthier. Seven days, you guys! I thought I’d check in weekly, to keep myself accountable and share anything I’ve learned.

Where I’m at…

I’ve lost 2.3kg this week! Of course, that’s the easy 2.3kg. Those are the couple of kilos that come off quickly when I do stuff like not drinking soft drink or having dessert at night. Or you know, not eating my weight in potato chips. Still, after months and months of plateauing and not being motivated to make real changes, this is the most significant progress I’ve made in a long time. Weight just doesn’t drop off me, so this is a great start! It may get harder from here, but I don’t mind as long as I keep dropping until I get closer to my target weight (and a better BMI).

I aimed for 50,000 steps this week (even though I will normally aim for 70,000 – an average of 10,000 a day), because I had my *ahem* time of the month and that can get tricky. At the time of writing this, I have reached 58,708 for the week! Another win!

I don’t feel so bloated all the time and my jeans fit me a little bit better than they did a week ago – i.e. They’re still a bit tight but I don’t feel like I’m going to explode out of them anymore haha.

Good choices I made this week

I walked past so many temptations at the supermarket (and I was there a lot). It was hard! I saw so many delicious treats just teasing me! I just tried to keep my willpower strong. I’d say no and just keep on walking. I didn’t let myself change my mind. It’s my new mantra – JUST SAY NO, THEN WALK.

I made meals for my family that I could adapt to suit my improvement in diet. I am trying to cut out a lot of carb heavy foods, but I do not want to deprive my family – one growing little boy and a husband who eats pretty clean during the work week as it is. If I had some protein and lots of greens, I was a happy lady.

I didn’t make excuses when I was poorly prepared. For example, today, I was out and about in the morning, but there weren’t many food choices that were best for me. I hadn’t had breakfast before I left home (I was too busy rushing around getting ready to leave the house on time). I knew that I was walking into a big kids’ birthday party where there would be lots of temptations on offer, and I knew that I would not get to eat lunch for a while. I would normally have just dived into the fairy bread, cakes and pastry delights, but this time I stopped by a juice bar and bought a protein smoothie that was full of nothing but good stuff. I filled up on it during the drive to the park and I felt so good when my stomach got the memo that it was full!

Things I could improve

Prioritising exercise. I still keep making excuses to sit on the couch when I should probably get off my butt and at least do a quick work out (you can find so many helpful and fun/easy enough videos online). I also find that I give into mum guilt a lot too and end up sacrificing opportunities to work out. I must work on this. My health is just as important as everyone else’s!

All in all, I’m really pleased with how Week 1 has turned out. I feel really good about my progress and I want it to continue! I know things will get harder in another week or two when I might start to lose focus and be tempted by old habits (old habits die hard as they say). I don’t want to become complacent! I want these to be lifelong habits and I need to drop another 6kg at least (that’s the point where I will assess whether I need to keep losing), before I can think about just working on maintenance.

Of course, numbers on the scale aren’t everything but I’d be lying if I said they aren’t a big factor in what I’m doing. I do need to lose weight, but I want to do it in a healthy way. I’m enjoying putting good nutrients in my body each day.

Wish me luck for week 2!

How are you doing? Follow my hashtag #kezgetsphysical to follow my efforts on social media (and feel free to join in)! x