How non-dieters shape up for summer

I've had the same conversation with several friends since the Easter holidays and May bank holiday weekend.

It goes like this.

"Did you have a good time?"

"Brilliant thanks but I've really overdone it.  Ate too much and dropped my usual exercise regime. I really need to get back into it before summer."

I'd like to add that I'm in exactly the same boat.  And, to a certain extent, I think that's what holidays are about.  It's time to relax (or to be a different kind of busy), time to try different kinds of foods and certainly not time to obsess about whether you've missed a spin class or exceeded your normal daily calorie allowance.

Nonetheless, no-one likes the feeling of sluggishness and too-tight clothes that accompany a little weight gain. I don't really do diets and I tend not to weigh myself as I can generally tell by the fit of my jeans how I'm doing.

How to tackle those few excess pounds without investing in a new wardrobe then? I try to follow some common-sense, easy-to-integrate lifestyle ideas, many of which I've learned from my mum. She's one of the few people I know who seems to achieve self-discipline without self-denial. And because she should probably have a frugal blog of her own, none of it involves signing up for a weight management club or gym membership (although by all means go for it if it works for you and you can afford it).

In no particular order, and bearing in mind that I have zero nutritional or fitness qualifications (!), here we go....

1. A little less - Note the emphasis on little. If you cut down your intake drastically, you'll be miserable and permanently hungry.  I'm talking about half a slice of toast instead of a whole one, no cream on your pudding and less Parmesan on your bowl of pasta.  Little changes over time = noticeable results.

2. A little more - Again, I'm talking minor changes.  This time I mean exercise. I know that some people cringe just at the thought of it, so I'm not dictating full-blown workouts here.  Baby steps people! Replace one of the daily school runs with a walk, stride round the block for ten minutes at lunchtime or force yourself to do twenty sit-ups each morning.  Whatever is manageable and sustainable for you.

3. Shift the balance - Think about your plate proportions.  Is it do-able to adjust the balance slightly so that there's more veg and less chicken smothered in sauce?

4. Treat swap - I'm guessing that most of you know about this one. Apparently we crave textures as much as flavours.  When I'm cutting back, I'll have a really nice low fat yogurt or sorbet instead of ice cream. It works for me because I genuinely enjoy them.  Why not experiment a little and see if you can find some acceptable treat substitutes?

5. No bans - While I'm suggesting treat swaps above, I try to never completely ban anything.  Perhaps it's a sign of my contrary personality but I simply end up craving it.  Everything in moderation. Bans are banned in my average kitchen.

6. Mint - Bit of a strange one this but it genuinely helps me out.  I often get to the end of my meal craving something sweet or feeling I'm owe something extra.  In reality I don't need it.  So, I make a deal with myself: I'll have a cup of peppermint tea and if I'm still hungry half an hour later, then I'll have something more.  I rarely ever need the extra.  I think this works because the mint tea is the psychological equivalent of brushing my teeth.  Also, I was full up in the first place.  (Don't like peppermint tea? Try a mint tic tac instead.)

7. Focus - We're all wired differently but for some people having a target event to work towards can really help them to focus on healthier choices.  Summer weddings and beach holidays instantly spring to mind.  For my own part, I have a gala dinner to attend next month. I am excited and terrified in equal measure; I'm delighted to be attending the event but terrified as the only suitable dress in my wardrobe is completely unforgiving...

Guess I better start practising what I preach then?!

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Shared on Works-For-Me-Wednesday (WFMW).

Why I love the first signs of Spring

Today was one of those wonderful days when you can almost smell the first hints of Spring in the air.

For those of you who also live in this wonderful part of the world known as north-east Scotland, I do realise that snow is not uncommon in March. And that today might actually have been Spring. Just be a sport and stick with me anyway.

Here are some of the things that I love most about the season that lies tantalisingly before us:

• There's a glimmer of hope that, even when you've had a full shift at work, you'll still manage to catch some daylight at either end of it.

• What seems to have been an eternally dull grey landscape suddenly bursts back into life with a riot of colour.

• Family weekends are less about watching movies and huddling over electronic devices and more about the great outdoors and all of its associated adventures.

• The desperate business of finding gloves, hats, buffs and boots for everyone before you leave the house is no longer necessary. Neither is the requirement to wear a coat that makes you resemble a cladded boiler with hands and feet.

• Your winter glass of warming red is replaced by something altogether more sparkly and fun.  Pimms? Prosecco? G & T?

As with any situation, however, there are some minor drawbacks to the onslaught of Spring:

• You realise that your windows haven't been cleaned properly since last September.  And that you now actually want to look out of them.

• Your husband will become obsessed as to when the first cut of the lawn should take place.  And which of the other neighbours have beaten him to it.

• And - scariest of all - alongside the welcome shedding of layers is the realisation that a major body maintenance review is required.

Fake tan anyone?

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What to do when you can't get motivated

Why is that some days you feel like you could take on the world and the next it's a struggle to get out of bed? Hormones? Energy levels? Weather? The prospect of an unpleasant list of chores ahead?

 

Perhaps it's a combination of all of the above.  But here's the thing: For most of us, nestling back down under the duvet isn't an option.

 

Assuming that you've managed to get up and dressed, how on earth do you motivate yourself if you are having one of those types of day?

 

I'm no stranger to the struggle to "get out the bit" as we say here in Scotland. And, like so many of you, when there's work, family life and other commitments to juggle, I almost always have a to-do list lurking, waiting to be tackled.

 

For this reason, I've eagerly absorbed every crumb of advice involving procrastination and the art of knuckling down to work. Forums, self-help books and, you guessed it, other blogs are thankfully full of suggestions. 

 

Here's my own consolidated set of techniques to help you on your way... As ever, I've included what I think is a decent mixture in the hope that there's something here for everyone.

 

Keep it short

Getting started is almost always the worst part so I've borne that in mind here.  If you can just get going and feel that you've achieved something, chances are that you might feel good enough to tackle the next task in hand.  It's therefore sometimes a good idea to start out with a job that you know you can complete quickly. As the queen of home management, flylady, says: "You can do anything for 15 minutes."

 

Keep it simple

On a similar note to the above suggestion, if you need a "quick fix" achievement, then you could do worse than to choose something easy as a starting point on your to-do list.  No matter that it doesn't take much brainpower or physical effort, you'll have done something (albeit something simple) when you were in the mood to do absolutely nothing.

 

Keep it mechanical

If even simple tasks seem like too big a mountain to climb, go for something that really is a "no brainer" - something repetitive and mechanical. That pile of paper that needs shredded, those socks that need paired, the envelopes that need stuffed. If that's all you feel up to - and it needs done anyway - go for it.

 

Keep it physical

If paperwork features in your 'to do' list but you simply can't concentrate, you may have to put it to one side temporarily.  (I appreciate that this isn't an option if you work in an open plan office!) If your schedule has the flexibility, go and do something active instead.  I'm a homeworker so I'll often go and disgruntledly hoover or mop a floor to try and power my way out of my bad mood.  These things usually need done in my house anyway, so at least I've gone some way towards tackling the chores.

 

Keep it incentivised

Promising small children a reward for completing a mundane task might be frowned upon but this time it's up to you! If you can't get yourself going, why not promise yourself something nice if you succeed in knuckling down for a certain amount of time?  It doesn't have to be anything major - even just a break for a cuppa, or a chat on the 'phone with a friend.

 

Keep it nasty

Bit of a wildcard here at the end! (Just wanted to check that you were still reading....)  Sometimes, when you are in a real grump anyway, it's worth considering doing the polar opposite to suggestions one and two. That's right:  Pick the big task you are most dreading and immerse yourself in it.  After all, if you are out of sorts you may as well be out of sorts properly!

Do you have any techniques for dealing with days when you simply "can't get out the bit?" If so, please comment below.

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Shared on Works-For-Me-Wednesday (WFMW).

Let us give thanks...

Interestingly, a number of my favourite online writers have recently touched on the subject of being thankful.

 

If you happen to be reading this at the end of one of those horribly long drudge-like days, please don't navigate away thinking "this isn't worth reading right now". In actual fact, the best thing you could do is read on.  I know, because the exact same thing happened to me the first time I read one of the blog posts that I'm about to refer to!

 

The aim of each of the ideas below is to stop us focusing on all the negative stuff that happens (because it does and will continue to do so). Instead, we're encouraged to realise that, even on the worst of days, there is always something - even something tiny - to be grateful for.  I repeat, if you're feeling a bit "bah humbug" about this, please stick with me!

 

The first article I read on the subject (when I was in a really bad mood) was written by Amanda Alexander of Coaching Mums.  The post title caught my eye as it was entitled 'The 3 ½ Point Emergency Action Plan for When Life Sucks'.  Amanda suggests in point two of her article that you keep a daily gratitude journal, writing down a list of at least 20 things that you are thankful for at the end of each day. Now that's quite a lot, so you're really going to have to think hard but - hey - how much better will you feel after listing them all?

 

If you know within yourself that you just won't have the time or energy to make a list as long as that, why not try Elaine Colliar's pared down version of the same type of approach? In her refreshingly honest blog post 'Keeping Your Chin Up', Elaine confesses that the idea of a gratitude journal is too much like homework for her.  Instead she uses her general-purpose trusty notebook, marking out just one line per day to make a quick note of something positive that has happened.

 

Simple notebook =  quick fix gratitude journal

 

If you'd like to do something a little more visual - or you want to involve the rest of the family - another twist on thankfulness exists in the form of the gratitude jar.  This is something that many households do on an annual basis. It is an idea that is simple yet effective.  The basic premise is that you take a jar, pop it somewhere nice and accessible, and fill it throughout the year with short notes outlining the good things that have happened.  Some people save opening it up until the year end, however I'm certain that taking a sneaky peek during any rough patches would provide a great spur to keep on going.

 

For me, the one-liner in a notebook is the method that works best. Even then, I confess that I lapse occasionally and fail to write things down.  I do believe, however, that the daily discipline of being grateful for all the nice little things that happen (and there really are quite a lot of them) has helped to change my mindset for the better.  The "woe is me" moments are less frequent - and that's something that the rest of my household is grateful for too!

 

Feeling cynical? So did I.  Why not see if one of these approaches could work for you? After all, there's nothing to lose - other than that lingering bad mood....

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Role models: How to find a good one

Q: What makes a good role model? 

A: Someone who inspires you to be the best person you can be - in terms of your behaviour, capabilities, attitudes or all of the above. (This isn't a black and white definition by the way, it's a definition from the dictionary of Mrs Average...!)

So where do you find these people? Well, they might just be closer than you think.  While we may read or watch people achieve amazing things in the newspapers or on television, this is not where I draw my personal role models from. Instead, my own cluster of role models (I'm lucky enough to have several) are among people I know...

• It's the friend who encouraged her husband to switch jobs and train for his dream career, taking on the role of main bread winner without so much as a peep (it's her husband who tells this story to others by the way, not her).

• It's the friend who is renovating a house and actively fundraising for a children's charity but who still manages to support community activities and other friends' social events.

 

• It's the friend who contacted me to express her sympathy after a family bereavement, despite the fact that we haven't seen one another for several years and she's overwhelmingly busy running a successful business.

 

• And it's the friend who, for no financial recompense, makes the time to organise jogging training for all the other neighbourhood ladies who want to get fit but who lack the confidence, experience or motivation to do so on their own.

I could go on and on but I'm sure you get the picture.  If you look closely enough, you'll realise that you are most likely surrounded by amazing people who show great strength, gusto and compassion for others in the way that they approach their daily lives. (Did I mention that all of the above ladies have jobs and young children too?)

When I'm having a bad day or facing a big challenge, I think about my role models and ask myself "How would SHE react in my position?" It's a great way to stop myself going into meltdown and helps me to give myself a shake, get on with things and make better decisions.

So, to all my role models out there - thanks a million. I don't know what I'd do without you! 

 



Mass media isn't always the best source of inspirational role models

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