6 November 2014

Progress

I laid out some Autumn Goals, in late September, so lets have quick check-in:


  1. Lose weight. My goal is to lose a stone over the next 4 months or so (goal 22)
  2. Engage fully with my job for my 3 month probation, and beyond (related to goal 57)
  3. Now I will no longer be using the university gym - settle into new exercise regime inc. cross fit, yoga, running and Bath YMCA classes
1 - I joined a weight loss club with Nourish, and its involved a lot of slip ups and breaking the rules! but as of todays weigh in I have lost 4 lbs, this is going to be a slow steady process and I have a lot to learn (mainly about control!) 

2 - I am on week 3 of my new job, I am finding it infinitely more challenging than I imagined but am slowly but surely compiling new knowledge on the world of web and tech. Next week I am attending my second web conference so will hopefully absorb a little more knowledge with each day. Funnily both 1&2 involve a lot of the same traits - perseverance and patience.

3 -I am settling into a new regime:
Monday -  Crossfit
Tuesday - Yoga @ YMCA
Wednesday - Yoga with Bath School of Yoga
Thursday - Crossfit or Run
Friday - Crossfit or Run
Sunday - Yoga and/or Climbing

And of course my daily 7 minutes of Yoga which has proved a really useful tool for encouraging me to practice every day

Have you planned any goals for Autumn/Winter? How are they going?

I wish you every success!

XXX


4 November 2014

Mind/Body

I refer to MindBodyGreen.com quite often for their advice on such things as healthy eating and dealing with depression. 

Most recently "6 ways to find motivation when you are depressed"
This article is on a similar vein, but seems to be more winter themed! 

5 ways to outshine depression

As before I will summarize the main points in bitesize points here (full article linked above): 

1. Get moving, even if it's just for 5 minutes. 
It only takes 5 minutes of physical activity to activate the ‘good mood’ chemicals in your brain. Those endorphins are our natural anti-depressant,
Often when you feel depressed, you don’t have the energy or desire to exercise, so be gentle with yourself and try to push yourself a little past your comfort zone with this. You will see that exercise will actually increase your energy and improve your mood.

2. Surround yourself with people, preferably positive people. 
Developing a support system is essential in promoting mental health for everyone.

3. Eat healthy foods. 
When you regularly eat unhealthy foods, it affects your mood and can also lead to guilt and shame for making poor choices. The guilt and shame can trigger feelings of depression, and when you are depressed, your brain craves foods high in fat, sugar, and carbs. 

4. Choose positive thoughts. 
Our thoughts are our experiences. So when you think positively, you have a better chance of experiencing positive things around you, negative thoughts can bring down our spirits, so it is important to avoid them as much as possible and to focus on the positive things around us that are happening.

5. Avoid booze. 

Alcohol is sometimes used as a coping mechanism, but is a poor choice for those who are drinking just as an escape or to numb the pain. 




XXX