AD | Most of my friends and family know I’m inherently lazy and exercise is anathema to me. But as a freelance marketer and blogger, I’m glued to my laptop for most of the day, so inevitably my physical health is not as good as it used to be. Alan, by contrast, is undertaking a new exercise trial for the NHS, and Flora’s energy knows no bounds. I’m not setting a great example for my daughter, so I think it’s high time I made an effort to start living a healthier lifestyle.
My five-step plan for living a healthier lifestyle
When I went for a health check earlier this year, I was pleasantly surprised by my test results. Everything was in the range it should be, or even below. Well, everything except my weight, which was creeping towards being overweight. Now, I know I’m big-boned but I can’t hide behind this excuse forever. My clothes have become tighter and I don’t enjoy looking at my holiday beach photos either.
Exercise
Without a doubt, I need to get off my chair and start some form of activity. Alan recently purchased an exercise bike, which he uses twice a day in addition to going for walks. He’s suggested I start using it too – urrrrgh – because even ten minutes a day will get my heart rate up and hopefully do something about my waistline.
I really don’t want to but perhaps if I stick a Killers CD on very loudly I could do a little pedalling… 🙂
Cut down on salt and sugar
We don’t add salt to our food (well, except for chips, oops) and none of us take sugar in our drinks. But I could exchange my beloved peanut butter breakfast toast for honey on wholemeal once in a while. I think another way forward is to keep a food diary. That way I can track what I’m eating every day rather than trying to remember at the end of each week.
Cut down on meat and dairy
This will be hard because I LOVE cheese. All cheese, any cheese, served any way, served every day. Even though I know it’s not great for my figure or my skin. And we are a family who loves our steak – I think Flora would petition to leave home if we cut meat out altogether! That said, a recent catch up with a friend who’s a passionate advocate of #MeatFreeMondays has got me thinking that perhaps this might be a way to start. Baby steps…
Eat more fruit, vegetables, and pulses
I’m not a vegan or vegetarian but if you read my gardening posts, you’ll know we grow our own vegetables and fruit, and we also try to eat as many beans and pulses as possible. Some years ago Alan and I tried Carol Vorderman’s 14 day detox diet, which involved lots of chickpeas, butter beans, and lentils (we couldn’t get on board with quinoa or tofu). I don’t remember if we felt especially healthy but we did lose a few pounds. And pulses are a great source of protein, along with nuts and seeds, which would be great for #MeatFreeMondays.
A company that I’ve read a lot about on other blogs recently is HealthLabs.com* who offer a unique online lab testing service with packages tailored toward both vegans and non-vegans. The tests are based on the premise that vegans tend to have a highly nutrient-rich diet to compensate for not eating meat or dairy. The one that caught my eye was their “Should I Be Vegan” test which has three levels: basic, standard, and comprehensive. It’s for people who want to see if they’re experiencing allergies or other side effects from a meat and dairy diet and it looks for lactose intolerance, egg allergies, meat allergies, etc.
I have to admit, I’m intrigued, because I do sometimes feel a little sluggish after I’ve gorged on cheese. And if you know anything about colonic irrigation, you’ll know all about how long meat hangs around in the gut (sorry if you’re eating while you read this!) If you’d like to find out more, then HealthLabs are very kindly offering 25% off all vegan testing when using the code LISA25.
#Get more sleep
I’ve never been a particularly good sleeper. When we lived in our flat in central Bath, the slightest noise overhead would wake me up. And then I’d stay awake until the alarm went off. Nowadays, I still find myself waking up in the wee small hours and then mentally scrolling through my multiple To Do lists, while trying not to wake Alan. I’m not entirely sure what the answer to this is but here are two things I’m going to try. Going to bed earlier and reading a book rather than browsing Twitter and Instagram on my phone until midnight. Keeping a notepad on my bedside table so I can write down my flashes of inspiration at the time, rather than stress about remembering them in the morning.
Personal history
My family history is another reason I’ve decided I need to make a start on living a healthier lifestyle. My favourite aunt has been vegetarian for years and is the most active and alert over 90 year old I know. As some of you may be aware, I lost my grandmother and my mother to cancer (brought on by stress). My father died from a heart attack some years ago (due in part to lack of exercise). Flora only has me and Alan, so not only do I want to set a good example to her, I also want to be a responsible parent. I think she – and I – deserve nothing less.
Are you a lazybones like me? Or are you already leading a healthier lifestyle? If you are, please share your tips!
* This is a sponsored post and also includes affiliate links.
These are fantastic tips Lisa! I’m loving the idea of playing The Killers CD really loud and doing some cycling! I can only exercise if I’m playing my favourite tunes on full volume otherwise it’s just hard work. Meat Free Monday’s sound like a great way to try some different vegetarian meals. I need to work on the sleep thing too, I’m guilty of scrolling Twitter and Insta late at night as well, the notebook on the bedside table is a clever idea. I should try that, I have got plenty of notebooks! Great post, you for sharing your suggestions! <3 xx
Thank you, Bexa! I don’t think there are many occasions when The Killers isn’t appropriate, haha. I’m very keen to start cutting back on meat and dairy though, I do think we’ll all benefit, not just me. As regards the notebook, I slept really well last night after putting a notebook next to the bed so maybe the autosuggestion is working 🙂 xx
I relate to this so much! I know I’m not the healthiest that I could be and really need to change a few things in my lifestyle to make sure that I am more healthy! ( I say while eating a buscuit!) My diet is probably the worst part but hopefully I’m going to start changing that, Great tips xx
Biscuits are my downfall, haha, I know exactly what you mean! Good luck with the changes you want to implement 🙂 xx
I loved this! I always think it’s great when people try things like meat free Mondays. I feel like there’s so much pressure from diets like veganism to be all or nothing but it’s beneficial for everyone if you make even the tiniest of changes. I’m forever trying to get more sleep though…x
Sophie
http://www.glowsteady.co.uk
Thank you 🙂 there’s no way we could go vegan or even vegetarian but I’m really hoping a few baby steps will help me to see some results! Xx
I definitely need to get back into a healthier lifestyle! I am eating less meat and making lunch at home. I need to go back to exercising though. Great tips!
Thank you! And good luck with the exercising, that’s the part I’m not looking forward to at all, haha x
I love the idea of growing your own veggies, I have been going to a farm shop to stock up on my fresh veggies and I notice such a difference!
Love, Amie ❤
The Curvaceous Vegan
They taste completely different to supermarket fare, don’t they? Home grown cucumbers in particular are delicious, Flora eats them as fast as I pick them, haha! X
You always share such wonderful tips and advice, and all your posts are so informative too. I’ve recently become vegetarian and I’m really enjoying it – it’s challenging me to try new things and create new dishes, and I’m making vegan choices as much as possible. Cycling to a killers CD is a great idea! I got a Fitbit recently and I’m definitely guilty of getting very fixated on getting those 10,000 steps a day, but I’ve found its helped me keep my exercise up!
Hels xx
Aw, Hels, thank you so much, what a lovely thing to say! I like the sound of a Fitbit, I might look into getting one of those, I’m sure it would help me. Veganism and vegetarianism aren’t really options for us right now but I’m going to try for Meat Free Mondays as a start, fingers crossed! X
Music while exercising definitely makes things easier! I know my long runs are much more bearable when I can sing along to my favorite tunes and let them distract me from the exercising aches and pains (my neighbors probably think iam nuts for singing while I run though haha)
I think its great that you want to start a healthy lifestyle, not only for yourself but to set an example for your daughter too! It’s one of the driving forces behind some of my healthy lifestyle changes too, I dont want them to grow up and suffer so many of the health problems that I could have avoided, and I want to be there to spend time for them for a long long time!
It seems like you have a pretty good plan on place and I promise the exercising bit gets a bit easier once you get past the omg iam dying phase and find yourself in shape enough to enjoy it! Good luck on your journey! You can do it!
Thank you so much, Kristin, I really appreciate your supportive and encouraging comments. I have a powerful incentive in Flora so let’s hope I can do this! X
Oh I’m so glad to hear that you’re a lazybones too because I totally am. This year I joined the gym and try and go at least twice a week but if I’m honest it’s not something I enjoy unfortunately. It sounds like your sugar intake is pretty good anyway, I have a real sweet tooth and I should definitely cut down!
Soph – https://sophhearts.com x
Well at least you go twice a week, that’s impressive, seriously! I loathe exercise but I think it goes hand in hand with a healthy lifestyle, unfortunately, haha xx
I definitely need to start living a healthier lifestyle. I used to not be so bad, and I had a job that involved a lot of walking and lifting and generally being quite active, but now I’m deskbound! These tips are all wonderful, and really just basic common sense. Cut down on the bad, and add in some exercise. It doesn’t sound hard, but I do have a penchant for cheese too!!
Cordelia || cordeliamoor.com
I know a lot of the tips are common sense but that still doesn’t mean I have to enjoy them, haha. I’ve just done 15 minutes on the exercise bike this morning and my legs don’t belong to me anymore! xx
I really relate to this as I frequently fall off the healthy eating wagon. I’ve found that a food diary is really helpful as it means when you don’t get the results you aimed for on the scales, you can go back and find out where you could do better. I’ve found that MyFitnessPal is the best app for this as it has such a great database of common foods. Also I do the 5:2 diet as its easier to keep up rather than be on a constant diet
I’m so pleased to hear a food diary works for you, that’s encouraging 🙂 And great tip about MyFitnessPal, I’ll definitely look that one up, thank you. Good luck to both of us this Autumn! X
I want to get more healthier too. I think it’s so important. These are such great tips, I definitely find it hard to cut down on the sugar. Fizzy drinks, cocola is hard for me!! But I have joined slimming world, so it’s a in the right direction. I have been thinking about becoming a vegetarian for a while. I have really gone off meat of late. So I think I may try! Thank you for sharing these useful tips??
Oooh, I’ve never tried Slimming World, that sounds like a really good idea. Luckily none of us like fizzy drinks but cutting back on dairy is going to be the hardest for me, I think. Good luck with your journey! Xx
I’m definitely making some changes recently and although arguably I’m not THAT much healthier I think over time, I could be. I’ve swapped to Soy Milk in my tea, scrambled eggs and anything else that requires milk and I actually prefer it a LOT! I’ve been consciously trying to try Vegan options, for example we all stopped for tea and cake the other day and I chose a Vegan brownie over everything else. I’m really enjoying trying some new things 🙂 xxx
Oh, I think that’s great, well done you! TBH I’m not a fan of soy milk or almond milk, I don’t like the taste in my tea, but using it in cooking is a good tip. And now you mention it, I’ve had a vegan brownie before and couldn’t tell the difference, so thank you for reminding me, I’ll have to look for those options in future too 🙂 xxx
This is really something I need to do as well. I have a treadmill, and I used to enjoy running on it when I lived with my sister, but it seems so loud and bulky in my little flat with Neal! To be honest, I think I need to start with my eating habits and then tackle some sort of exercise. I love walking so I think if I could stop eating as much junk, I could make things happen by combining those two! We’ll see.
Similarly to you, it’s my family history which tends to motivate me – my dad is diabetic and seeing the effects it has had on him certainly pushes me to want to try harder.
I loved how honest you were in this post, Lisa, and really enjoyed your plan on how to tackle your bad habits!
I think a treadmill is a step too far for me, haha, but the exercise bike is doable. I even got up 30 minutes earlier today so I could spend time on it (listening to Queen is also helpful!). Tackling our eating habits is harder because of Flora but I think even small changes will help. Fingers crossed anyway. Good luck with your health plans – and thank you for your lovely comment! xx
Oh this is such an important post for everyone. I feel bad to admit that I fall in the lazybones category. I am purely vegetarian. I have eliminated sugar but sometimes give in to temptations because I love sweets. We eat less salt. All credit goes to my doctor husband. We have a gym in my building which we are lazy to go so we bought the treadmill which I have started using at least thrice a week. My husband uses it every morning. But I am getting to it. There is diabetes detected in my mum and sister. So I have to be careful to avoid it as much as possible and I think exercise is very-very important. And you are right about sleep. Even I should stop looking at my phone until late midnight. Sleep is also something I have to work on. Hehe! Great post Lisa feeling a bit motivated. 🙂
Via | http://glossnglitters.com
That’s great that you’re vegetarian and have eliminated sugar, go you! Diabetes in the family is a powerful incentive to stay healthy for sure, although I can’t say I’m especially enjoying my exercise regime. Hopefully I’ll see some results fairly soon, fingers crossed. So glad this was a motivating read for you, haha xx
Enjoyed that read. Thanks for sharing. I’ve toyed with the idea of becoming a vegetarian but I do like the odd steak! ?
I’m glad you enjoyed it 🙂 Since writing this post we have instituted Meat Free Mondays but I do know what you mean about steak, haha! x
I’ve also made the decision to work on my sleep, cut down on dairy & meat, and sugar. And it has made such a difference! Since eating less sugary foods I really feel like I don’t crave them like I used to, which is great! And since cutting out dairy as much a possible my skin and nails have also improved, which I didn’t expect. I’ve also started tracking my meals with an app called Yazio (https://www.yazio.com/en/calorie-intake-calculator) which helps me stay aware of what I eat and easily balance my diet. I just which I’d made the decision of improving my diet earlier haha
Oh wow, congratulations, that’s so well done to have managed to cut down on sugar and dairy. I’m not too bad with sugary foods but dairy is my downfall, I just LOVE cheese. But this isn’t the first time I’ve heard that cutting out dairy has skin and nail benefits so I’m going to have to try harder. And thank you for the app link, it looks very useful 🙂