Getting Healthy: How I'm Doing It
Over the last few months, as I was on the downhill slope to my 40th birthday, I became the cliché and decided to get in shape, get strong, and look after myself. Was it all about weight loss? Absolutely not. Was it a bit about weight loss? Absolutely. Mainly though, it was about getting strong and getting my body in the best shape so that it lasts me for as long as I need it to. I want to be able to help my kids with their kids: it’s that simple.
Lots of you have been in touch to say how great I’m looking (thank you!) but there has been work behind the scenes. Has it been overwhelming? No. Has it required commitment and will power? Yes. So, to be transparent I thought I’d show you how I’m doing it because so often we see these transformations, these ‘glow ups’ and no one is really honest about how it’s done.
Here’s the reality though: I don’t have a job that requires me to be at a desk from 9-5. My work is hugely flexible. My husband is also hugely flexible. I haven’t done it in a cheap way - you can and there are lots of great options such as Gymondo and the Peloton app that are more affordable - but I had some disposable money so I decided to invest in myself. It’s a huge fucking privilege I have to be able to commit to this in this way and this is so central to the message that I want to get across: health and fitness routines and schedules that lead to huge transformations are often out of reach time wise and money wise for a lot of people. I totally get that and I wanted to be clear in case it makes anyone feel like they’re not doing enough, or working hard enough.
So, here goes…
PERSONAL TRAINER
First of all, cards on the table. I hired a personal trainer. It cost me £1400 for 12 weeks. That’s a lot of money but I’d been earning more, hadn’t spend much over lockdown and felt like I wanted to invest in myself. I work out with Dipak from Pure Body Transformation three times a week for an hour at a time: Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. I know myself and I know that I need someone to keep me accountable but also, spending the money made me much more likely to commit. I also had to talk to Jimmy about it too because committing three hours a week is a lot.
With Dipak, I do mostly strength training. It’s a mixture of legs, arms and abs - we do different things on different days. I’m sure he’d like me to do burpees but I refuse (I’m a dick like that!) so we work around that and do kickboxing, running on the spot and squat jumps instead.
OTHER EXERCISE
Walking quickly became central to my success both physically and mentally. I don’t think I could live without it now. I’ll admit, I got a little obsessed with it. I’d walk for at least an hour twice a day. I was hitting over 20k steps daily regularly. I was pretty pleased with myself until I started getting tendon issues. Then I stopped losing weight because, honestly, I was doing too much and eating too little so my body was holding on to any excess fat I had. So, I had to readjust. Now I try and walk around 15,000 steps a day and make sure I eat enough food. I listen to podcasts, work some shit out in my head and return home ready to deal with everything.
I also have a Peloton which I bought during lockdown. Again, a hugely expensive piece of kit but as someone who’s husband goes away a lot it’s great to have in the house. When I’m on my own with the kids, it’s incredibly difficult to get out to run or walk, go to my personal training sessions or the gym. The peloton means I can exercise while they’re eating dinner. Also, in the winter, it’s a lot better than pounding the pavement in the driving rain and 2 degrees.
Stretching has become really important. I have a lot of lower back issues - have done for years - and I’ve realised that a lot of this is down to overnight hips and hamstrings. I stretch twice a day.
I also really recommend a step counter…it really helps motivation.
FOOD
So, basically, in very simple terms, I have upped my protein, reduced carbs and fat. Foods that are high in protein that I eat a lot are:
fish/tuna
chicken
turkey
steak
eggs
cottage cheese
cheese
nuts
beans/legumes
I have got into the habit of intermittent fasting but I don’t stick to it religiously. When I wake up, I’ll have a couple of cups of black coffee and a protein shake which I make with Activate Pre-Workout Chocolate and Skinny Oatly. I don’t eat any food until 10am and make sure I’m done eating by 6pm.
Breakfast may be scrambled eggs (2 whites, 1 whole) with some roast chicken in a protein-high wrap. Lunch will be a salad of lettuce, spinach, tuna, sweetcorn, pickled beetroot, sauerkraut, cottage cheese or a veggie burger or sausages with veggies/salad. Dinner is usually fish nd veg or, if I’m feeling fancy, a steak.
I’ve discovered a load of amazing high protein snacks which fulfil my sweet tooth but are actually ok for you.
And what about booze? Well, over July when I turned 40 I basically lived on Rosé but I put on a ton of weight and lost a lot of definition. Not just because of the booze, but the hangovers meant I was eating badly too and definitely not exercising as much as I’d like to. I’ve realised it’s not just the calories in the booze that hold me back physically but also the associated symptoms of drinking that lead me to making bad choices around food and activity.
So, when I’m really on it, I stick to non-alcoholic beers. In my opinion Brooklyn do the best non-alcoholic beer. Just sayin’.
LIFESTYLE
Just like drinking, my lifestyle choices have an impact on how well I eat and exercise. Late nights mean hard mornings and I’m always better at exercising in the morning so I try to get early nights and good sleep. I have started charging my phone downstairs - if I take it up with me I’m never off it. I get into bed around 9.30pm and read my Kindle until I fall asleep and if I’m asleep by 10.30 I’m happy and able to get out of bed at 6.30am.
I’m also lucky - my kids fucking love sleeping. I have to wake the little crotch goblins up. I have NO idea what I did to deserve this but I’m taking it. It also means, I can get some alone time during the morning so, if I get up at 6.30am, I have a coffee, put BBC Breakfast on the TV and write in my journals. I might turn some laundry over and get breakfast prepped. Eventually the kids come down and burst my bubble (so selfish!) but I feel super ready to start the day and I have way more patience than I do if I’m scrabbling out of bed with them.
Journalling is also really important for keeping me focussed. It doesn’t work for everyone but it works for me. I can’t recommend The Positive Planners enough.
And finally…
I AM NOT CONSISTENT. I don’t want you to think that I’m this perfect person that gets up and does it right every day. That’s absolutely not the case, but I’m very much of the belief that it’s all about progress and not perfection. So, if I have a bad day or week, or month (as was the case in July) I don’t beat myself up but take small steps to get back on track. I can’t suddenly wake up and decide to get back on the wagon in every way. I’ll start with early nights, then I’ll start journalling. I’ll introduce a few podcasts and faze out some reality TV shows. I’ll do a walk here and there and then slowly but surely the motivation will grow…until the next time I fall off the wagon!
The point is, the biggest thing that’s contributed to my success is learning about the food and how important protein is. That’s been hugely useful.
If you have any questions then please don’t hesitate to hit me up on Instagram! I’m there more than here so you’re more likely to get a response!