* Update August 2016- I am now down 3 dress sizes. I am still within a healthy BMI and my weight is now maintaining. I am keeping up with the healthy habits below and I am feeling better than ever.
Since Christmas I have been aiming to get healthier. I felt that since it had been 9 months after giving birth and not breastfeeding Ailsa as much I should really think about getting that little bit of excess weight off and get back to a body that I was happy with. Over the past few months I have quite a few small changes. Nothing noticeably drastic but enough to get me down a dress size and back to my pre pregnancy size. In fact I didn't overly realise I was loosing weight until one day when Ailsa gripped my jeans to help her stand and they ended up around my ankles whilst I was standing in the kitchen I then realised I had to go buy smaller jeans.
So what are the changes that I have made:-
1. Stopped taking sugar in my tea
This was easier than I expected it to be. I have only been a tea drinker for around 5 years and have always had 2 sugars per cup. Since before Christmas I gradually cut this down by half a teaspoon every week or so till I took none at all and now I am so used to tea without sugar it tastes weird having it. I was having several cups of tea a day so this has really cut down on my daily sugar intake.
2. Drink more Green Tea and Herbal Tea
I have also been trying to swap my black tea for green and herbal tea like chamomile. Since I don't add milk to these I have cut down on the calorie intake from the milk I add to my black tea. I know it won't be making a huge difference but it all adds up.
3. Stop drinking squash
When I was working in an office I would drink water all day long, We had a water machine which meant we had access to nice cold filtered water. At home we would always have squash and hubby and I would go through 2 of the 1.5 litre bottles every couple of weeks. I have made a conscious effort to go back to drinking just plain water and trying to make sure I drink several pints a day.
4. Get out walking
Exercise has never been my strong suit but since Ailsa was born James would take the car to work so I had no excuse but to walk everywhere. Recently I have been making more of an effort to head out for a walk even if we don't have anywhere specifically to go and I try and walk the long way into town and back to get in more miles. I will even walk to the supermarket to meet James after work rather than him picking Ailsa and I up on the way. I have been keeping track of my miles and I am aiming to try and get somewhere between 3 and 4 miles of walking a day if the weather is nice enough. I do this whilst walking through town or taking Ailsa to the library.
5. Being more conscious of what I am eating
James and I always try to eat healthily especially now Ailsa is eating what we eat. We try and eat lots of vegetables and have cut down on the amount of meat and dairy we were having. Limiting cheese has been quite hard but we have found if we don't buy it then we don't notice that its not there. I am also trying not to snack more than necessary through the day and have made healthy flapjacks from the Deliciously Ella cookbook.
These 5 relatively small changes have helped me drop a dress size in the last 3 months or so and without overly trying to loose weight. Now the aim is to start doing some proper exercise and toning up routines. I don't have time or money for a gym membership so I will be doing what I can from home. There are some fab exercise routines on Youtube that I am aiming to make the most of. My favourites are Tone It Up and Blogilates, I have been doing their routines for years and know that I enjoy them.
Is there anyone else I should check out? Any tips for toning?
Labels: fitness, food, Health, weight
