When you think of getting fitter and healthier, you probably think of going to the gym all the time, protein shakes, counting calories and eating nothing but salad, but it doesn't have to be that way!
I recently decided to focus on self care, for my own health and happiness and following it for less than a week, I've lost weight and feel much better in myself. My goal was to be healthier and look after my body better than I was and I believe that's the mentality you should have going into these things. Too often, people go into fad diets expecting results quicker than is possible and when nothing changes or they lose only a pound, they give up. In reality, you should lose no more than 2 pounds a week for healthy weight loss. It might not seem like much but it is. That's slightly less fat around your vital organs each pound you take off. However, your focus shouldn't be on weight, it should be on making your body fitter, healthier and happier!
The key to not getting disappointed is to go into things with little to no expectations. I went into my self care, not expecting much and not even thinking I could stick to it, as I love my pizza, but it's possible if health is what you're aiming for.
The key to not getting disappointed is to go into things with little to no expectations.
My Self Care Plan:
Each day, I would tick what I had completed and aim to do a bit more the next day. If I didn't do well, there's no punishment, but you know you won't get anywhere if you don't put the work in, so you're only letting yourself down. After each week or month, if I do well and meet the quota I'd decided on, I could treat myself to something, like a bar of chocolate. It doesn't have to be food though, it could be a day out or an extra rest day. The good thing about this plan is that it's flexible, you can change it to what you think you're capable of and then make it harder over time. Start off really easy, even if it's just to have some fruit each day, at least you're trying to make a change.
You can adapt this to suit you or even make it harder if you want.
Exercise
I recently gave up the gym as I didn't want to pay anymore and the weather was better so I invested in a bike but I've not ridden it as much as I would've liked. I'd been fairly inactive for months so in my self care plan, I wrote 30/60 minutes of exercise each day (with one or two days rest to heal the muscles). You might think "I don't know what exercises to do or where to even begin!" but YouTube is the answer. There are thousands of beginner exercise videos, from yoga to HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) that will get you sweating and it costs you nothing! I even made an exercise playlist on YouTube so I can click on that and choose one I would like to do that day. Some focus on the lower part or the whole body, whichever you think needs more work. It's an invaluable resource to fitness.
Start off really easy, even if it's just to have some fruit each day, at least you're trying to make a change.
1 Fruit Or Vegetable
I like my fruit but I rarely eat it and vegetables are just not my thing. The only time I eat vegetables are in a very healthy, home made, blended vegetable soup that has pretty much every vegetable you can imagine in it, so I made sure to have more of that available (we make a huge batch and put portions in bags and freeze them so you can whip one out, heat it up and it's ready to eat, with all its goodness!). I went to a party on the first day of my self care plan (alcohol is allowed for me ;) but you can ban that too or at least reduce the amount you drink each week. I don't drink much anyway) and despite there being loads of crisps, (my weakness) I didn't have one packet whilst every one had 2-3 packets each! I then had a banana the next morning. It's these small changes that your body thanks you for and not even parties can get in the way! Don't think "oh it's only one time" or "I'm having fun, it won't hurt". You can do that on Christmas or your birthday, but not general nights out. You'll start turning every day out as an excuse to eat badly and then you'd go back to square one! It's all about consistency and self control.
No Junk Food
Before this plan, I was eating chips, McDonalds, crisps and chocolate weekly! It had slowly become a habit that should never have taken hold in the first place but it's easily done when you don't focus on what you're putting into your body. Since I started my care plan, I haven't had any of those, even when my dad ate our weekly chips in front of me, I chose to have beans on toast. Even when my total weakness of crisps were in the house, I didn't have one packet. It can be hard at times but remind yourself of why you're doing it. Remind yourself that those foods give your body no nutrients or benefits at all, other than fat, so there's no point in eating it and there's equally yummy food that's less calories and have less fat in and I don't mean salads. You could have some tomato soup instead of chips or you could have some pasta instead of McDonalds. It all adds up and makes a difference!
It can be hard at times but remind yourself of why you're doing it.
Drink More Fluid
More precisely, I chose to drink at least two pints of weak squash (I don't like water) a day which is considerably more than I drink on top of cups of tea. Some days, I forget to drink at all as I never feel thirsty so this has actually been the hardest part for me. Water keeps us alive and can improve so many of the bodily functions if we drink more, so it made sense to add this to my plan.
There were other things on my self care plan like get more sleep but those are more personal to me and my needs, you can add whatever you want to your own self care plan!
Losing weight and getting healthier isn't something you achieve over night, nor is it a one time thing like a fad diet. It's an entire life style change that you should stick to for life in order to achieve and keep the results. This self care plan is all about making slight changes to create healthy habits that stay with you forever. Habits can be changed over a period of a minimum of two months if you stick to it. It's possible.
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