You are what you eat

EDITED: Didn't know where I was going with this post and it's not fashion related at all but it's my blog so I can choose what to write about! It's not even really interesting to read but it's helped me get it all down!

You are what you eat ...

There is so much truth in this! I seriously mean it. With medical conditions aside you truly are the shape you are due to what you put down your throat and no excuses are going to make that any different. You're kidding yourself if you think it's anything else.

I have always been stick thin, painfully so at school and during my early 20's. I looked unwell and weighed  around 8 stone (I'm 5ft 9). I couldn't gain weight at all and used to (at Uni) eat and eat and eat and eat and eat and not gain a single pound. Don't hate me, being super thin is as bad for your self esteem as being super fat. I also used to go 'clubbing' for hours on end a couple of nights a week so while I wasn't doing traditional exercise, I was at least moving and working out in the way I loved.



I then went on to gain weight when I got married and had children. My shape changed but I managed to lose the baby weight (I ate like a horse and gained nearly 4 stone in each pregnancy) after a few years of each child being born. I then coasted along feeling good, always still complaining that my tummy wobbled and I hated my small boobs, because that's what we women do - we complain a lot about the things we hate and we don't focus on the things we love. But I never did any exercise.

I then turned 40, started drinking more, eating more and for a while this worked ok. But now ... it is not working out ok. I still love a decent glug of wine (yes I know it's not good for you, yes I know it's got lots of wasted calories, yes I know it's unhealthy, yes .. I know all that thank you), and I now have started to love food even more and I still bloody hate exercise - loathe it - detest it - despise it. I make EVERY excuse going as to why I can't do any and I still do have some genuine excuses as to why I can't go/get to the gym or get out to run but there is one thing I can do and that is workout at home. I am here to look after the children, it costs nothing and if I can't make 30 mins in the day to schedule it in then I'm going wrong (seriously wrong) with my time management.

And so, here it is, an open pledge to me, from me and in front of you that I, Fiona Blake, who is nearly 42 and is gaining weight and changing shape quite quickly, so all clothes are starting to hurt when I wear them, will do exercise of SOME kind 5 days out of the 7 we have in a week to prove to myself that if you put the effort in you will reap the rewards. I also want to prove my mother wrong. She is FOREVER telling me I'll fail before I've even tried and she's been totally right for the past 10 years but now ... now I tell you .... she is so wrong! If that is my motivation then bring it on!

What exercise will I do?
I'm going to mix up my workouts that I do at home (if I have 5 sat on the side ranging from hard core 30 day shred, dance ones, limp old lady style workouts to pilates or yoga and then at the weekends go for a good old hearty walk) then I don't think I'll get bored.

I've just done the 30 day shred - level 1. My legs ache but it was over in 20 minutes. I can handle that right? 20 mins less on Facebook each day and there is a CHANCE I'll start to like my shape again!

Tomorrow I'm not working so I'll attempt to walk/jog for 20 mins. If I keep doing these little bitesize exercises then I'm SURE I'll see results. This is what I used to look like pre-children and I KNOW I'll never look like that again but if I don't start moving more I'm going to have a shit old lady body and I don't want that.

I took my body measurements in I think it was 2013:

Weight - 8st 11lbs
Thighs - 20"
Hips - 37"
Tummy - 29"

And I took them again just now:

Weight - 9st 6lbs
Thighs - 21"
Hips - 38.5"
Tummy - 32" (this is pure wine)

So there we have it, that is me and I am going to make damn sure I get that waist measurement down (not fussed about weight, it's about health and stability moving forward).

End of self indulgent diary post (did you know that I used to write a diary every day from age 11 through to 27 when I met my husband. I literally stopped within a month of meeting him and being happy).

Fiona
xoxo