So I’m hoping everyone had a good week? For me, it was busy! I know I’m not alone when I say that I find sometimes there are not enough hours in the day!!!
This is something I always seemed to struggle with… Time management! I have, however, improved immensely over the past couple of months, I had to in order to fit exercise and healthier diet into my lifestyle. I was forever saying … ‘Oh I can’t today I’ve too much on, I’m too busy, other things are more important! Nothing, absolutely nothing is more important than your health both mentally and physically! The saying “you cannot pour from an empty cup” is the most definitive for me. How are you supposed to give to your partner/kids/work/friends etc if you neglect yourself, if you let yourself dwindle away in the background because you are ‘too busy’ with life? Life itself will shorten at a rapid pace with this mindset. As the saying goes “Living is doing, if you aren’t doing you’re dying”!
This is why I introduced ‘Stupid O’Clock’ (as my good friend Steph aptly named it) into my daily habits!!! 
I found that when evening came I was tired, too tired to exercise for sure, I needed ‘time out’ to relax etc so I did what I practically did every evening , I sat down and watched tv until I was brain fried, ate crap I didn’t need and then went to bed! This year I was introduced to the book ‘The Miracle Morning’ by Hal Elrod and I haven’t looked back! I started creating little changes into my day and repeated them day after day until now they have become new habits and likewise slowly eliminating the bad habits I wanted to change! I’m now up at 5/5.15am (stupid o’clock) every morning so that I can get time to work on me! Time to exercise the mind and body, time to recreate myself and my lifestyle. I now have more focus and structure and have learned a huge new trait… Discipline!!
So, a busy week it has been! Between all the usual daily side jobs as a parent, i.e. Teacher, chef, housekeeper, taxi driver, negotiator etc I was still able to drag my butt into Ozone ( outside of my working schedule) for my personal training sessions with Aidan at 7am Monday and Wednesday and truthfully a huge incentive is knowing that I’m not on my own! I work out with 4/5 others usually in that time slot, each of us on our own personalised program but each of us striving for a higher level of fitness and to achieve our own goals!! It makes all the difference when you feel you have given all you can give in the session to look up and see you are not alone… To get that “yeah I feel your pain” look from another member and then a wee smile to motivate you on!!! We are all there for the same reason after all. I know without the encouragement from the trainers and their knowledge, guidance and endless patience, I would never be seeing the changes in myself that I am!
I am also encouraged to work out on my “off days” from training so that I’m still keeping active yet using different muscles and doing more cardio. Last week I returned to my local Currach Club training as the season has just restarted in Kildysart and I also managed a 7km jog/run with my friend Sinead back along the beautiful coast road in Labasheeda so I was right pleased with that!! This week I’m going to try to do something every day even if it’s a 20 min brisk walk to the village and back… Something to get the heart rate up and burn some fat!!!
Diet wise I have been fairly well behaved bar one misdemeanour on Sunday when I could take no more of our last min trip to the Crescent Shopping Centre and min by min getting HANGRIER!!! I got handed what any husband would hand his wife for fear of having to deal with a meltdown in public…a Snickers!! Hell, it worked but not worth the guilt, so in future, preparation is key!! Getting up early allows me time to plan my nutrition for the day rather than rushing out the door with a slice of toast in my gob and then craving sugary treats by the time I reach work! I make sure my breakfast is sustainable so I can make it through til lunch satisfied with maybe an apple for a snack or a protein yoghurt and not feeling deprived!! On my training days I make sure I have my porridge and as you see below..
Gone are the days of a bowl of gruel… Little healthy tweaks can make a delicious healthy comforting breakfast!! Everyone makes errors of judgement, it’s how you learn and move on from them that matters!! Let’s hope Aidan will forgive me that treat on my food diary this week….I’ll probably have an extra few mountain climbers to do Wednesday morning in lieu of it!!!
If you feel like you may need help like I did, click on this link and pop in some details now!
Until next time,
Louise
