In the zone?

I’ve not blogged for far too long – probably because I’ve not been in the zone. But that’s exactly the topic of what I’m going to call my comeback blog!

Every year I start with good intentions to lose my Christmas weight and generally be fitter. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t.

There are lots of different reasons why it doesn’t work and a heap of excuses on top – I was too busy to be healthy/do exercise, I wasn’t feeling well, I didn’t want to miss out on things that were going on, etc.

But this year has started well, and I have what I think is the right attitude to being healthy, and that’s why I’m writing this blog. I know there will be times again when I’m struggling and don’t feel like being healthy, and I wanted to have something to remind me that I can do it, if I put my mind to it.

At the moment, rather than Slimming World, I am trying a different approach to weight loss – I am calorie counting (but in a relaxed way), and mixing that with lots of exercise, and lots of the Body Coach’s #leanin15 meals. Some people might imagine calorie counting to be restrictive, but I’m finding the opposite is true – I try to eat a balanced diet and that means I can have the occasional treat within my calorie allowance. On Slimming World, I tended to see some foods and meals as out of bounds, or bad, where as I am a little more flexible about that now.

Rather than setting a New Year’s Resolution to lose weight this year (it’s been one for about the last six years), I has resolved to cook more. Too often of an evening I look for a shortcut dinner – a ready meal, soup and a sandwich, or meat and salad. These rarely satisfied me and often weren’t as healthy as I planned. I enjoy cooking so am trying out new meals and trying to make sure they’re balanced and healthy.

So what are the things I need to remember?

I need to remember it’s not that hard to live a healthy lifestyle; I just need to be a little more prepared.

I should remember it’s not a failure to have treats; I just need to count them and have them sparingly.

I really need to remember that it only takes a day or two to get into the zone – if I’ve not been there for a while (like at Christmas), it doesn’t mean I can’t get back there quickly.

The most important thing I need to remember is that I’m not missing out on anything being healthy– I have been out for meals and have time to do all the things I want to.

I also want to remember how good it feels when you are in the zone.  I am more energetic and more confident.

I appreciate this blog might appear a little smug – I want to assure you that isn’t the purpose nor is that the reality – after all my weight isn’t yet at the lowest level it was last year, and some of my clothes are still a bit snug. But I know that the positive feeling I have right now is one I want to last, build upon, and bottle!

While I’m in the zone now, and am doing well, I know there are lots of times when I won’t be. It’s at times like that I’ll come here and remind myself that it’s pretty easy and feels good to be healthy. That’s the point of this blog.

When I next blog, I’ll try to write a little bit more about exactly what I’m doing, so I can use that as a reference in the future too.

Thanks for reading.

The only man in the room.