Her Unique Glow

Now that the Easter break is behind us and we have finished all those gatherings and parties, it’s time to jump straight back on the ‘healthy’ train! I know for me personally this week has been spent focusing on clean eating and exercise (I will admit I had my fair share of chocolate…come on ladies – what woman on this planet doesn’t like a good chocolate binge?).

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1) Surround yourself with the right people

This sounds so simple but it’s so essential. You need to surround yourself with those who support your weight loss journey, who can motivate you and help you believe in what you can accomplish.

When you’re having those down days, they should be the people you turn to for encouragement and positivity.

Surrounding yourself with likeminded people can also help with motivation – drag them to the gym or a Pilates class and keep each other accountable.

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2) Drink 2-3 litres of water

Water is SOOO important for our health and we all know that we should be drinking 2-3 litres a day. But it’s so good for flushing out all the bad toxins in our bodies and – this is a big one – it can curb hunger! Most of the time when we fancy a snack, especially if we have had a big meal a few hours ago, it’s our body’s way of telling us that it needs more water. So save on those calories and reach for the water instead.

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3) Walk more

Walking is such an amazing way of burning fat, it gets your body moving and therefore burning more calories. So incorporate more walking in your daily life. If you can, try and go for a morning walk, that also helps get your mind all prepped for the day and can keep you inspired to stay motivated for the whole day.

Start your day as you mean to go on.

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4) Get more sleep

So many of us skip this one, with so many excuses but the main ones I hear are:

‘I have too much to do, I have to stay up late’,

or ‘I’m too busy’ or even ‘My hubby goes to bed late therefore I do too, and my kids get up early therefore I do too!’.

Gosh, now how draining does that sound?

We shouldn’t be too busy to look after our health and we should be prioritising it.

After all, if we don’t prioritise our own health then who the hell will? When you’re tired and sleep deprived your hormones go all over the shop and this causes to many things to happen within our bodies; the main one being that a heightened level of cortisol can lead to weight GAIN! We can store fat more easily, we become groggy and short tempered (does NOT help with staying motivated…trust me) and we start searching and craving after those ‘bad’ foods. So get yourself to bed early and have a good night’s sleep.

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5) Create a dream board

This goes hand in hand with staying motivated. Find pictures of where you want to be or what you want your life to be. Find quotes off the internet and print them off, or little recipes and articles that inspire you. Pin or stick them all onto your dream board and keep it somewhere where you will see it every day – let it inspire you. Remember: It’s not about wishing you were someone else, it’s about inspiring yourself to live the best possible life YOU can – and only YOU.

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6) Plan your meals

Easy!

Plan plan plan.

That way when you do your weekly shop at the supermarket you’re only buying what you know you will eat that week. It helps you to stop buying all the unnecessary junk that our bodies don’t actually need. It’s also a great way to stay on track with a diet because you know what food you’re going to have and when you’re going to have it.

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7) Eat more greens

Yum…I love my greens! Now, I know they’re not everyone’s cup of tea but boy are they good for you! They are also full of fibre which is great for gut health and can help fill you up at the dinner table.

So make a side portion of greens to go with your dinner and have a big spoon full.

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8) Stay active

If you can try to exercise 3-5 times a week. Ease yourself in gently if you haven’t exercised in a while and then build yourself up. 30 mins, 5 days a week is the recommended amount here in the UK so head up to the gym or even head outdoors and push your body. I know it’s not easy for all of us to exercise, which is why number 8 is called ‘stay ACTIVE’. That’s the key word. Even if you can’t exercise, make sure you’re still moving – go and potter around the garden, take the dog out, play with your children or grandchildren in the park. You could even put on your favourite tune and have a dance…I know that’s my preferred choice!

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9) Avoid ‘bad’ foods and drinks

Cut out all the junk. No takeaways, no fast food, cut out all those bad saturated fats and bad sugars. Say no to fizzy drinks and sugary Starbucks, and one more – if you are trying to lose weight then cut out the alcohol, it’s high in calories and doesn’t do you any favours.

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10) Take measurements rather than focusing on what the scales say.

People focus on the scales so much and a number when really we should be looking at the way our bodies are shaped. Muscle is more dense than fat meaning that a small area of good toned muscle can weigh the same as a slightly larger area of fat. So especially if you’re working out, take before and after photos of your body and body measurements. By doing this you will honestly notice bigger changes in your body and appearance, and guess what?

That keeps you motivated!

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I hope that you guys have found something useful in there to take away with you, and if you got all the way down to the end then WELL DONE! It was a long one today! Let me know what tips and tricks you found useful or even if you want me to go into more detail into any of the points. Have a wonderful weekend and let me know how you get on. I really love being a part of all of your journeys.

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