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| A finger for every kilo that I've lost!!! |
1. You CAN do it.
It seems simple enough yet when I say to people that my number one piece of advice about achieving something is the statement 'you can do it', most people thank me kindly and wander off thinking that I'm either super corny, really good at stating the obvious or high on life (sometimes I'm pretty sure people think all three things...). But I've always found that in the past its easy to dream up something big or imagine something 'crazy' and in real life it seems impossible. However I am now a firm believer in the philosophy that if you can dream it, you can do it. Be it losing weight, learning a new language, cleaning your bedroom, finishing an assignment, running for fitness, absolutely anything really - YOU CAN DO IT. If you decide you really want something, there will be a way. You have to make a decision, work out what you want and then go for it! I'm constantly amazed at the things you can achieve if you set your mind towards them. If you'd asked me 6 months ago if I'd be able to lose 10kgs in 3 months I'd have laughed at you, but one day I just set my mind on the goal of losing some weight and here we are, albeit 10kgs less of me has arrived. Believe in yourself and you will achieve what you set out to.
2. Five Minute Fixes Don't Work.
It's all well and good to lose some weight but most people find the real struggle is keeping that lost weight off. I'll be the first to admit that it is really hard and it's a never-ending process. Hence, going on a 'diet' usually won't work in the long run. Maybe you'll lose the weight you want and you'll sit down after the months of dieting thinking you've achieved what you set out to, but what happens 2 months after you've achieved your goal? It's a trap I've found myself in many times before. I'll eat healthy for a few weeks or so and lose some kilos and life is dandy but a few weeks later I'll find myself returning to square one which is why I've done things a bit differently this time. I like to label the past 3 months a lifestyle change. I have not put myself on a diet. I refuse to. But, I have changed my lifestyle which has meant my diet has changed. The changes I've made are not 5 minute fixes; they're changes that I feel I can manage long term and they're changes that I feel are stable, suited to my schedule and most of all, practical. It's impossible to apply a 5 minute fix and expect it to last a lifetime. If you want an actual long term change, you need to make a long term change.
3. Get Outside.
The biggest alteration I've made in my lifestyle is that I go outside. Its so simple that so many people overlook it but being outdoors in enormously good for you. These days we all go to school indoors, work indoors, relax indoors, do homework indoors - everything is in the confines of a room and under a roof! Being outside has had two benefits for me; I get more vitamin D (which is a surprisingly common deficiency amongst people nowadays) and I'm more inspired to be active. In summary, leave the house, do some homework on a park bench in the sun or eat lunch sitting on some grass with friends, just be outdoors!
4. Get Active.
Exercise is crucial to any kind of healthy lifestyle. Humans need to exercise, and once you jump the little hurdle of it being new, or difficult or hard, it is actually a surprisingly enjoyable thing to do. There are days in my week where I don't have time to 'exercise' in the typical sense of the word and there are days when I simply don't want to. However being active isn't necessarily interchangeable with exercising. Things like walking to uni, parking the car a little father away so you have to walk a bit further, spending 15 minutes stretching before bed, going shopping and riding a bike around a lake or through a park with friends are all easy ways to be more active and to get out and about. I don't label shopping an exercise (although it is debatable depending how lethal you are in the shops) but for me it is being active because to try on all the shoes in the shopping centre you've got to walk to all the different shops!
5. Choose to Exercise In Ways You Enjoy.
I hate the gym. There, I've said it, it is true, I do not like the gym. Most people trying to be more active love the gym. People rave about the gym. Every second day I find myself informed of how great the gym is. But, I just don't like it. I've tried to like the gym but it just isn't happening. So, moral of the story is, if I don't enjoy it then I'm not going to force myself to do it. Personally if I'm going to exercise I like to be outdoors and I like to be moving, or covering ground. The gym fulfils none of those desires which probably explains why I don't enjoy being there. Exercise is an enormous part of being healthier, gaining fitness and for many people, losing weight. A diet will only work to a certain extent before exercise is needed. I've always found that it is being active and exercising that makes the biggest difference. But going back to a lifestyle change, to make exercise a part of your life for the long run, you have to choose to do things that you enjoy because when something is a chore, you're not going to want to do it. Personal favourite's of mine are running (albeit rather slowly), bike riding and walking. I like to explore and see what's around me, so I like to move about and actually go somewhere when I exercise. That's not to say that you should be the same, I've many friends who enjoy running on a treadmill in a gym watching the TV and because they love that, that's what they do, and it works for them. Ultimately you have to choose to exercise in ways that you enjoy exercising in order to make it fun, enjoyable and feasible in the long term.
6. Don't Deny Your Cravings.
This one requires some discretion and I am by no means trying to advocate that you wake up feeling like you want to eat a block of chocolate so that's exactly what you'll do. But, if you do wake up feeling like chocolate, then its probably best that you allow yourself to fulfil that craving and have some. Whilst I have dramatically changed the type of food that I consume, if I ever feel like a certain food in particular be it healthy or not so, then I will try and work that into my food intake for the day. When you deny your body what it is telling you that you want, you place yourself in a position where you're more likely to binge eat when given the chance. In my opinion, it is far better for you to have things that you enjoy in moderation as opposed to eating enormous amounts of things in moments where your will power is feeling a little weak. If your body is telling you that it wants something, it is always best to listen and accommodate that craving into your intake for that day.
7. Eat Your Vegetables.
I've never been that kid that outright refused to eat vegetables, but I've also never been that person that loves them to bits either. But, fact of the matter is, to be healthy you need to eat vegetables. Once again, I operate on the philosophy of eating what you enjoy. For me, I've always been rather partial to a potato chip but evidently chips don't make anyone's list of healthy foods you should eat when trying to lose weight. However if I were to just not eat potato chips then I'd have been unhappy because I would be denying a craving and I'd probably have binged on them when given the chance. So I revolutionised my definition of 'potato chip' and I made it healthy so now I can literally eat a bowl full of chips for lunch and it is a guilt free meal (and a satisfied craving - two birds one stone!). I peel and chop my own potatoes, put them in a bag with some thyme, a dash of rice bran oil and a sprinkle of salt and toss them about before baking them in the oven. Always eat your veggies!!
8. Fruit is Your Friend.
I swear that fruit is the most underrated food in the world. It's just so damn delicious! I could literally eat fruit all day if I wanted, and so, some days, that is exactly what I'll do! I've taken to eating a fruit feast for breakfast which I find the most refreshing way to start my day and a really easy way to eat something healthy without meaning to. Some days I will eat five kiwi fruits, 3 oranges and a pun net of strawberries and the only reason I stop at that is that I've run out of fruit! Breakfast is the easiest time of the day to eat lots of fruit - it requires no cooking, it is instantaneously ready to go, it isn't very messy and it is really refreshing!
9. 80/20.
I love the 80/20 philosophy - 80% good and 20% kinda naughty. Its unreasonable to expect yourself to be good 100% of the time, so don't be! Once again, to be healthier, fitter and lose weight long term, you need to make a lifestyle change, not a 5 minute 'diet' fix. I'm yet to meet someone who is happy being good 100% of the time, so listen to those cravings and give your body what it wants! Tonight I felt like a chocolate ice-cream so that is exactly what I had and it was delicious and I regret absolutely nothing. Always allow for that 20% of fun in your food intake. Life isn't about carrots and bananas all day every day (although bananas in particular are delicious and make for delicious vegan ice-cream)!
10. Be Happy.
You will never stick with something that you're unhappy doing. So, in short, be happy with the changes that you make, enjoy the exercise that you do, have fun experimenting with new ways to cook things and new foods, and love the way that you live. At the end of the day, being happy is the ultimate goal and if you come out smiling then you've won.
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