Sleeve Notes
TIP - Before you read on, it will aid success if you can answer the following in a way that is going to keep you motivated beyond the first few months!
It's important for me to be healthier because...put your answer here.
If I don't do something about this now, I am likely to...put your answer here.
I feel motivated, energised and ready to make changes in my life because...put your answer here.
FOURplay
ONE......Key parts of 'you' that may need attention.
TWO......Achievable tips from my experience.
THREE...Coaching questions to keep you on track.
FOUR.....Choices to focus on together or individually.
N.B. I'm not a dietician or a personal trainer. These are the things that work for me now because they are achievable, realistic, fun, energising, cost effective and motivating.
FOURmmmm's...
Side 1 - Mind - Getting yourself ready (Be your own Coach!)
First, ask yourself - Why am I doing this?
If you can't answer this, you are not ready yet, so your good intentions are likely to stop here.
Ok, so you know why...
TIP - If you feel overwhelmed by the questions below, take them in stages, a day at a time. Getting yourself in the right place is key to success, so a little thought, time and space at the beginning will help to turn your intentions into robust goals that will last.
Stage 1/Day 1
What do I want to achieve?
How do I want to achieve this?
Where do I want to achieve this?
When do I want to achieve this by?
Stage 2/Day 2
How will I make this fit into my life now and in the coming months?
What am I going to need to make these things happen? (e.g. equipment, foods, money for membership fees)
Stage 3/Day 3
Where/Who will I get support from?
What kind of support do I want from them?
How will I remain challenged/energised/motivated throughout the process?
Stage 4/Day 4
Who will hold me accountable, celebrate successes and review progress with me?
When are the review dates?
Stage 5/Day 5
What will success look like along the way and when I have reached my goals?
How do I want to feel/think/be at the end of all this?
Side 2 - Munch - Keeping yourself fuelled (It's all about balance)
Being mindful of WHEN I am eating
My Health Journey - What I am doing differently now.
I eat between 11am and 8pm.
This gives my body enough time to digest the food before I go to bed (11pm), helping me to sleep better.
This is also my 'fasting' time (15 hours) and because I am asleep for half of it, this doesn't feel like fasting.
TIP - you don't have to 'fast' everyday. For example, I typically break from fasting at weekends.
Being mindful of WHAT I am eating
What am I doing differently now?
This for me is a crucial part - Adapting my eating habits for a healthier lifestyle.
Firstly I removed the food I am definitely no longer going to eat - Where I can, I will either give it away, take it to a food bank or ask someone else if they want to eat it!
Then I 'distance' some of my treats, in this case chocolate.
My allowance is one bar of chocolate per day. (I make this last over the 9 hours I am eating).
To do this I have 7 containers, each with a bar of chocolate in the fridge.
That's a small bar, not a slab! This wouldn't fit in my containers anyway!
The rest is kept far enough away that it would be a chore to go and get it. I then fill the containers weekly, with new bars.
Before, I would have eaten 3/4 bars of chocolate a day without thinking about it.
I can get just as much satisfaction from one bar by eating it slowly & making it last over the day.
TIP - Think about what your treat is...sweet, savoury, alcoholic?. Create a treat scheme that works for you AND supports the goals you want to achieve. Making it feel special and savouring the moment more will help you to enjoy it more.
Next, I tidied/cleaned all my food cupboards/fridge, so I can see what I already have.
I have always been afraid of adding herbs and spices to my cooking in case I made it taste bad.
I decided that I needed to overcome this if I am going to enjoy my healthier food more, so I restocked my cupboard with seasonings, herbs and spices I didn't have, plus some healthier oils/pastes for pan frying such as rapeseed and coconut.
I also reduced my reliance on pre-made sauces and started using natural yoghurt and lighter cream alternatives, as a base ingredient.
By making this commitment, I also committed myself to being more experimental, which has paid off in the taste department which in addition has encouraged me to try out new dishes.
TIPS - Healthy food sometimes needs a bit of help in the taste department. Experiment by adding a little of something first then taste it. If you are still unsure, find a 'Herbs & Spices Uses' chart online to support you.
A few good swaps for me when cooking...
Pepper instead of salt, creme fraiche or greek yogurt instead of cream/jar sauces and basil/sun dried tomato pesto instead of tomato based jar sauces.
Snack swaps...
Chick pea/lentil snacks instead of standard chips, plain nuts and raisins instead of chocolate.
Portion control was also going haywire. For example I was having a full bowl of cereal, which even if it says 'healthy', won't be if I'm shovelling a quarter of the box in my mouth each day!
I could say I've swapped this for eggs in the morning, but I'm not going to deny myself. I like my cereal, I just need to have less of it!
TIP - Eat little and often, then you won't be wondering where the next meal is coming from!
One of my weekdays could look like this...
Before 11am - Coffee and 2/3 large glasses of water (with exercise, which I always do in the morning)
11.00 - Cereal/porridge
12.30 - Piece of fruit
14.00 - Light lunch (Soup/Sandwich/Eggs/Yogurt)
16.00 - Half of my chocolate treat
18.30 to 20.00 - White meat, fish, vegetarian dish with veg/yogurt/2nd half of my chocolate treat.
(Throughout the day - Max 2 cups of tea (no later than 3pm), otherwise water and hot milk early eve). I don't drink alcohol, so this doesn't feature for me.
Being mindful of HOW I am eating it
What am I doing differently now?
This is a quick one...
Words that support my 'how'.
Savour the food
Chew slowly
Small mouthfuls
Little and often
Keep hydrated
Being mindful of WHY I am eating
What am I doing differently now?
This is a useful question to ask myself if I'm about to eat 'out of hours' or I am in 'treat mode'
Why am I doing this?
What can I replace food with?
What is this food a substitute for?
What will I do about it?
Side 3 - Muscle - Get yourself going
This isn't about growing huge muscles, although it's worth pointing out muscle weighs more than fat and for me, as I am getting older, holding on to this muscle mass becomes more important for personal conditioning and core strength.
What am I doing differently now?
I used the gym for over 20 years and up until recently I had a cross trainer at home, but lifestyles change and now...
...I workout with The Body Project. 5/6 mornings a week for up to an hour each time.
Why?
Hundreds of free workouts including warm up and cool down, for all ages and abilities.
Cardio/strength/resistance workouts and more.
Friendly, encouraging, realistic, helpful team led by Daniel & Alex.
Easy access through YouTube or free sign up for even more free workouts through Body Project.
Equipment optional - typically dumb bells or filled water bottles & a mat. I also add in Dynabands to my workouts.
I have people working out with me, but I am in control of the session and if I make a mistake, need to pause or stop... no one is going to see!
TIPS - It's better to workout in the morning if you can. This is assuming your work is daytime. It can take you longer to cool down & relax if you leave exercise until the evening.
Also - STRETCHING is as important as the workout. Definitely before you begin and I would recommend after too.
When you have finished your workout, bring your HEART RATE down slowly, rather than just stopping. For example, some gentle marching on the spot for a minute...then stretch.
How many days you exercise will depend on what you want to achieve. I would say a minimum of 3 (alternate) is good, to keep the momentum going. For me, it's every work day (5), as this is what suits my lifestyle and goals at the moment.
And just in case you were wondering, no I am not sponsored by The Body Project :-)...I just love their ethos and the ease at which I can access worthwhile & enjoyable exercises.
Side 4 - Motivation - Keep yourself going
What am I doing differently now?
Scales
I have invested in scales that tell me what my body fat and muscle mass (good fat if you like) are.
Why?
As I have said, muscle mass weighs more than fat, so I want to be sure the weight I see on the scales truly represents my achievements and not just a blanket weight which could suggest I am overweight when I am not.
TIP - I am not a slave to the scales. At most I will weigh myself once a month. The scales are there to inform, not beat me with a stick!
Sleep
Motivation isn't always about energy, sometimes it's about relaxation.
If I'm going to be productive tomorrow, I need to do what I can to get a good nights sleep
today.
This means...
Bedroom window open to let the air circulate through the night.
30 to 45 minutes of peaceful piano music to send me off to sleep, using the timer function on Spotify.
No caffeinated drinks after 3pm and a max of 2 before. This helps to reduce any bedtime anxieties and over thinking.
Reducing costs
I'm self employed, so I don't want to let a poor month financially get in the way of the 'Munch' & 'Muscle' part above, so...
I tend to cook one meal for us which can be eaten over a few days or frozen and kept for later.
(At this time of year, a stew or bake would be a good example).
This saves me cooking every night and to vary the meal I can add different veg/additional flavour, each night.
It helps me to be mindful with portion control and keep costs down.
I buy a selection of fresh and frozen veg. I'm driven by value with these, so sometimes there is more of one than another, depending on when and where I am shopping for food.
The Download
I appreciate everyone's lifestyle, metabolism, time available etc is different and there are external factors which may be beyond your control.
This blog is my individual point of view and with that in mind, here are my final tips.
Don't try to do everything at once. Consider what is most important for you to work on at the moment.
Give things a try that you wouldn't have done before. It will make the story more interesting, challenging (in a good way) & exciting.
Do what works for you & gives you energy.
Keep thinking about what you are looking forward to as a result of the changes you want to make.
Get your 'supporters' on board with you to offer encouragement, challenge and accountability.
With thanks to Josh, who I had the privilege to work with this year in a coaching capacity.
You have inspired and help me create a plan which works for me and above all keeps me energised and motivated.
Thank you!
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