Change of lifestyle

[MrsP0518]

For 2023 I need to gain a change of lifestyle for the better. I need to lose a bit of weight, become stronger & fitter. Have my chlorestrol levels at a stable level. Stress less. Any tips/ideas? This mostly surrounds my eating habits & getting myself out my house into the fresh air (dry, rain or snow.. mild, cold or bloody freezing!) I always come out with excuses not to exercise & I'm getting pretty tired of it, I'm my worst enemy!

I would like to go into 2023 with positive vibes & attitude - not to give up so easily, to become less stressed over situations that are not the most important thing. I haven't been taking great care of ME and that NEEDS to change.

I guess I'm just looking for ideas, or stories of how others look after themselves.

[RufusScamp]

If it isn't fit to go outside, the BHF website has various suggestions for indoor exercise at several levels.

[Chappychap]

"I guess I'm just looking for ideas, or stories of how others look after themselves."

My beautiful, amazing, wonderful wife is the key player in my life style programme. We go the gym together, walk together, eat healthy together, swim together, and burn loads of calories by dancing together! She says we keep each other honest, but she's just being charitable, in truth the traffic runs overwhelmingly one way!

[Laurab101]

Hi. I can recommend a good start by choosing & buying a new 'diet' cookbook. Pick one that suits you - I like to cook and my husband and I both like to eat - however we needed to shed some weight. We have lost over 2.5 stone each. We chose the Tom Kerridge books (bought from a 2nd hand book seller so cheaper). There are also various recipes available on websites (Touch of Noom, Weight watchers etc).Have a weekly weigh in & write it on the calendar - keep track of your progress. Also do some measuring - I found that I lost centimetres even though I may not have lost weight. See it as a new eating plan rather than a diet.

I used an old diary to work out calories (boring but necessary) and to keep track of what

[Grenfell37]

Hi,

I don’t know your personal circumstances, but if you are an animal lover, I can highly recommend a dog. We have a cocker spaniel, he doesn’t mind the rain, cold, snow or sunshine he just loves to be out. Therefore we have no excuses, as no matter what he needs to go out for a walk. We are lucky we live close to a park and forestry, so we all get a workout up and down the hills.

Alternatively, I also go aqua swimming 3 times a week, which you can do in any weather. As this is a class and not just swimming up and down, I was motivated by others in the class. These activities were agreed by my cardio physio post my HA. Plus as I pay a membership and I don’t want to waste my money by not going!

Hope this helps.

Deb

[Zbignieva]

If you incorporate walking into your daily routine, you get exercise ‘without exercising’, or at least the typical type of exercise.

For example, walking to get groceries several times a week, getting off the bus or train a stop early and walking, going out during lunch at work and walking.

I have found that doing something at lunch is the easiest for me, it is the warmest and brightest time of the day.

I have trained on my own for ages, mostly running and weights. I would go out running at lunch for 30 min starting about 10 years ago.

During the pandemic we started a lunch time training, body weight stuff or suspension trainers (TRX), which all the women at work LOVE. You can set them up anywhere.

There are so many great apps and YouTube channels, you can find instructions for any sort of training you like.

Yoga has been my new love, I use the downdog paid app now, but I started with YouTube bad yogi and yoga with Adrienne.

Squatting with a suspension trainer