It's starting to work

Back in August last year I admitted that I had fallen off the wagon with my health and fitness goals. Sometimes stuff happens in your life that stops the things that are really important being the focus.  I'm pleased to say that after many, many months I feel back in control and happy with how I look and feel.

Michelle Bridges always inspires me

I again read Losing the Last 5 Kilos by Michelle Bridges, more for my mindset than the recipes and fitness plans. Her tips are:

If it's important to you it has to be front and centre

If I want to lose weight and be fit it has to be a priority in my life. I now plan my life around my health and fitness goals and actions.

Losing weight will always come down to what you eat

Yup, you can't out-train a bad diet. I've also heard an expert say that it's 80 per cent food and 20 per centre fitness that makes the difference.

The amount of lean muscle we carry will have the most profound effect on our metabolism

Age is also cruel to our metabolism and quite simply I don't need to consume the same amount of calories now in my 40s as I did in my 20s.

Too much fat in our mid section can fast track us for lifestyle diseases like atherosclerosis and diabetes

Unfortunately for me, that's exactly where I carry my weight - in my mid-section. Many of you will say 'lucky girl' you don't have a butt or big thighs, but for me carrying weight in the mid-section is also the most dangerous place to carry it,

There is an increased risk of these diseases if the waist measurement is greater than 80cm for women and 94cm for men. It's an indicator of the level of internal fat deposits which coat the heart, kidneys, liver, digestive organs and pancreas. My waist was 83cm a few weeks ago and I've got it down to 81cm. Yes just 1cm to go to be out of the high risk category.

I've previously been diagnosed with fatty liver disease so more than ever I need to work on my weight and diet to fix that.

Motivation doesn't exist

Michelle Bridges hates the use of the word 'motivation'. I agree with her, it's all about consistency. When you start a good routine and create a habit, motivation is not necessary because the new habit is just part of your everyday. For me fitness is part of my everyday life and has been for the past four years. I can't imagine life without it.

So what have I done to effect the change

• Any junk food in our house is now gone.

• I try to do something fitness-wise almost every day. At the moment I'm attending two body blast classes (weights and cardio), one cardio class (boxing, running, skipping, cardio machines, circuit training), two evening runs of 5km and one morning cardio session at the gym (5 mins walking, 5 mins running, 5 mins rowing, 5 mins on the bike, 5 mins on the cross-trainer, 5 mins running and 5 mins walking to cool down). My body is really responding well to this routine and I feel stronger and my endurance is improving.

• I eat breakfast everyday, without fail.

• I snack on an apple each afternoon to avoid the mid-afternoon sugar cravings.

• If I eat out at lunchtime with my friends I try my level best to pick the healthiest option possible and stop eating when I'm full and don't feel guilty about leaving food behind on my plate. The servings are often just too large.

• I eat salads and sandwiches for lunch (weekdays) and limit my carbs where possible.

• I don't drink alcohol - that's easy because I hardly drink unless I'm on holidays or on the occasional Friday night with friends.

Exercising with the family is key

• I surround myself with people that support my goals such as my incredible family (who always join me in my fitness sessions) and my gym buddies who share the same passion for looking after their bodies.

• We fill our fridge and pantry with food that has 'lived' i.e. milk, low-fat dairy products, low-fat meat and heaps of fruit and vegetables. I would say that our type eating is fairly close to the paleo style of diet.

What I have achieved so far

• I have lost a couple of kilos in the last month or so - nice and steady.  This will be slow as I'm building muscle at the same time which weighs more than fat does.

• My waist measurement has gone down 2cm so I'm just 1cm away from being in a safer waist measurement zone.

• I can run 5km without stopping and now I'm working on trying to improve my time and running style.

• My endurance has improved and I feel like I can work stronger during my gym classes.

• My clothes fit so much nicer and I feel more confident.

• My body feels more flexible.

• My mind feels clearer and I feel overall much happier.

What I now know

• In order for these changes to last for the long-term these changes need to become part of my everyday.

• I must always consider what I eat and always choose healthy options.

• I must continue running - it has been very challenging and time consuming to get back to running 5km. Running for me doesn't come easily and sometimes I find it more difficult than other times. It does incredible things for clearing my mind and the sense of achievement at the end of a run is what keeps me coming back for more.

• I need to exercise carefully to safeguard myself against injuries.

Until next time xx