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positive

Fitness, Health

How negativity can hinder your fitness goals

July 16, 2014

Last week I felt really demotivated and just plain depressed about my fitness progress. I am sure that I am not unique in feeling this, and that there are actually a lot of you out there who feel the same way I do which is why I wanted to write this post.

I have been exercising and attempting to eat more healthily since I was 16 years old … seems like a lifetime away now! It can be really hard when I see someone achieve such incredible results in a fairly short amount of time, when I have been working so hard for so long, and still not achieving the ‘dream body’ I so crave. I am not saying I am jealous of these people. On the contrary, I am in awe at their achievement and respect their dedication and hard work. Buuut, it can also cause me to feel a lot of self-doubt and negativity. You know the kind, “Why don’t I look like that? Am I working out wrong/eating wrong? What is wrong with me?”. It is so sad to think about how inextricably intertwined our state of being is with our body image. And it can also really hurt us in the long run.

By hurt us in the long run, I mean in terms of motivation, choosing the right foods and finding the desire to exercise. I had never felt SO demotivated and not bothered to work out in my life as I have felt this last week .. it was weird! I absolutely love working out; it makes me feel good and full of energy, but my negative state of mind was bringing me into a place where I didn’t even feel like myself. On other occasions where I have felt particularly negative, I have chosen to eat foods that I don’t even really want which only serve to make me feel guilty and more negative later on.

Feeling negative can also lead you to stress out, which is something I have definitely noticed happens to me! As soon as I start feeling down in the dumps I start to stress out about why I am not losing fat more quickly, second guessing my meal choice the other night and etc. When we are stressed, this throws our bodies into hormonal disarray as the hormone cortisol is produced when we are stressed. In small amounts, cortisol is actually a beneficial hormone, but in excess it has been said to cause overeating,  leach nutrients from the body’s tissues and lower the immune system. It’s really quite annoying isn’t it?! You get worried and stressed because you aren’t losing fat/weight and this could actually make you gain more fat/weight! Stress can also cause sleep problems, and we all know how vital sleep is for us. Feeling negative, sad and stressed in general is just not a state of mind we want to be in full stop. Think about anyone you know who has ever been like this, and then think about how they were to be around. Probably not the most fun I am betting. So basically being negative and glum can lead to stress, potential weight/fat gain, lack of sleep and will probably make you feel very unsocial and will result in people not really wanting to hang around you! Yikes! So what can we do to stop this?

amazing

Luckily, I am back to a relative state of positivity but not after a few days of complaining and feeling generally glum. I have found that these are the best ways to help bounce back into feeling positive again and to continue along your health & fitness goals:

  • Shake up your routine a little! Do you always run to get in your cardio? Why not try jump rope or a spin class? It is easy to get stuck in a rut, so make sure to do something new every now and again to keep fitness fun and fresh
  • Talk to a friend or family member about it. Just talking to someone is usually a great way to unburden yourself and others can put things into perspective when you cannot
  • Keep a journal for a few days. Trust me, you will be so amazed at how helpful it is to write down your feelings and be honest with yourself. Even a few days can help!
  • Take a break! Sometimes all we need is a little break to make us excited to exercise and eat right again. And by take a break, I do NOT mean eat what you want lol … I mean, go to some nice restaurants, go hiking or walking instead of the gym, and hang out with some friends.
  • If you have them, look back at old photo’s of yourself and remind yourself how far you have come. Or simply reflect on how much your eating and fitness habits have changed in the past few years.
  • Seek professional guidance. If you can afford it, it might be worth investing in a consultation with a nutritionist or  personal training sessions to get you back on track.
  • Most importantly of all, remind yourself of how AMAZING you truly are. This is what helps me most. I remind myself how truly lucky I am to have such a healthy and functioning body. Who cares that I don’t have rock hard abs; I can walk, run, move, think and do so many amazing things. Your body image does not define you.

rise up

 

Isn’t the above photo fitting? I love it, because that is what you should be aiming to do everyday, no matter what you have planned out for the day. Whether it be a class, a job, or a gym session, wake up everyday ready to give it your all. I know that sounds sooo corny, but it is true. There is no point living life half trying. Even if you do not get exactly where you planned to be, you’ll be a lot better off than if you went through life not trying.

I hope that all helped you .. it helped me quite a lot to write this post to be honest!! None of you are alone in this. If you ever feel upset or sad about your health, fitness, or anything else for that matter then feel free to shoot me an email or a comment below.

Hope you all have a wonderful day and that the rest of your week is positive and happy!

Honestly yours,
Alice xxx

P.S. All images from www.instagram.com/motivationwall

Products I love, Sunday Summary

Sunday Summary: Kayla Itsines Week 1

March 2, 2014

Hey guys!

I hope you all have had a great week. I have to say that this week was a bit of a struggle for me, mentally and physically. I had a lot of work due this week, in the form of readings and presentations, and my attitude was just all over the place. It was pretty strange, but this whole week I have just been in a really negative place, and not feeling particularly happy about my body.

I know it seems silly, and it is pretty easy to mentally beat yourself up, but sometimes it just happens you know. I just want you all to know that you are not alone, and that life is not always perfect and amazing. I try my best to live a healthy and active lifestyle and sometimes things do not always go as planned. But you know what, it is alright, and the important thing is to stay focused on the bigger picture. So what if I may have overeaten this week, there are 52 weeks in a year. So what if my body doesn’t look exactly like the perfect ideal I have in my head? Everything takes time and patience is key. I have always have insecurities over my body and sometimes it is soooo hard to not listen to the little voices in my head telling me that I am not good enough. But what has always helped me (plus yoga now too) is keeping a positive outlook on life and reminding myself that I am doing the best that I can, and reminding myself how awesome I really am.

review of Kayla Itsines Week 1

Kayla Itsines Week 1

Anyway, enough of all that. I bought the Kayla Itsines bikini body guide this week so hopefully that will help be battle my body insecurities over the next few weeks!

review of Kayla Itsines Week 1

For those of you that do not know about Kayla, I talked about her briefly in last week’s Sunday Summary post. She is a very inspirational personal trainer that made waves in the world of social media, not only for her toned body and healthy lifestyle, but for her client transformations. She released her bikini body guide a few months ago and it is basically a complete 12 week training guide to help you achieve that bikini body look (toned abs, arms and  legs). I have already completed most of the first week (just have one more workout left to do) and so far I love it!! She gives advice on cardio, and outlines a three week plan with specific workouts to do during the week which focuses on different parts of the body. The workouts really push you to your maximum and I am really excited to see the outcome at the end of the 12 weeks.

If you have any questions about her Kayla Itsine’s bikini body guide, leave me a question in the comments below. And if you are also doing the training guide, please let me know!! It is always great to find others on the same journey.

Cheers to a positive week everyone!

Honestly yours,
Alice