I have been going forwards and backwards in my mind on how best to get everything in my head down in words. Overthinking (something I seem to do best than most things) has caused me to put this off day after day so I have decided to sit down, start typing (sip the wine) and see what comes out.
My goal and mission is to share my progress with people as I find my balance post baby number two. I was the typical overweight child growing up, being very uneducated about what what foods were good for you I was consuming far more than the energy being used on a daily basis. This wasn’t helped by the fact my parents owned the only shop/dairy/restaurant in a small town and I had every sugary, fatty, delicious options at my fingertips.
When I was 18 the penny dropped and the reality that I was consuming more calories in a day compared to what I was burning hit me and I made some significant changes. I was still very uneducated about the best way to do this but as I made myself more accountable for the choices I made results followed. I felt amazing, confident and motivated. I lost over 20kg and was extremely proud of myself. Over the following years I found my weight fluctuating and becoming an overly consuming focus point for me. I found this physically and emotionally draining and extremely frustrating at times.
You name it I have tried it. Aitkens, Lemon Detox, Shakes, Detox, Body for Life, Personal Trainers, Different training techniques just to name a few. I dont regret any of this as now I feel I have a lot of knowledge and I am able to pull from all areas to find options that work for me. I dont feel that any of us fit into any specific category and we all need the find the right balance that is best for us. I will be discussing balance in an upcoming blog.
Since moving to Christchurch I joined my first gym and have always had a gym membership of some description. I have pushed myself extremely hard and taken a lot of pride in being a very active person. This brought with it a new frustration as why – when i’m being so active – am I not seeing results. So I pushed myself harder and harder and my life was ruled by getting to the gym and abiding by all the shoulds and must dos that I imposed on myself. This come at a cost, not just for myself and my own happiness but to those closest to me also.
I made a conscious decision late last year during my pregnancy to be kinder to myself, my body and those around me. I wanted to share this journey with anyone who is interest in hope that others would find my story beneficial and be kinder to themselves also. We often stretch ourselves far to thin and try and be everything to everybody around us and leave no energy or time to look after ourselves. For me focusing so hard on exercise and all the time this required was coming at a huge cost as the time I was demanding for this took me away from quality time with family. Yes we all need time for ourselves and working out is so beneficial in so many ways but I was not doing this in a healthy or balanced way for me.
I am forever grateful for a very good friend that has assisted me in focusing on nutrition as a way of achieving my goals. I was extremely skeptical at first as I seen this as another diet like I had tried so many times before. I was wrong – three words I very seldom say! – the products were not a quick fix nor did it demand a strict diet. This was about fueling my body with the essential nutrients it needs on a daily basis to allow it to function at its best and for results to flow form here. Rather than trying to juggle two kids, run a household and find the time to work out that I previously demanded of myself I took control of fueling my body and making healthy choices. This is something I can do all day every day with out relying on a new born or a 3 year old to run to my schedule – which lets be honest is an impossible task. Exercise is still extremely important to me and something I include on a daily basis but I am now smarter at how I approach this and find myself more flexible at how to incorporate this into my day as apposed to being set in my ways which I was previously.
I look forward to sharing my story with you all and hope that others can find this useful also.