Getting the balance right with Diets, Fitness & Health

Reading an article in the Irish Times this morning made me rethink the chats I’ve had with friends and customers over the last few weeks pre and post Christmas about health, fitness and weight loss. Everyone has gone gym-crazy and is back to the grindstone, drinking green tea and not having treats, not drinking for two weeks or three weeks then back on it again in a few days.

Where is the balance though?

I think that when people say they don’t have the time or the energy, it’s all down to lack of motivation, and that lack of motivation isn’t helped by processed foods, which are loaded with salt, sugar and additives and are not exactly mood-boosting. SO in an effort to start on the best foot forward and not detox myself silly, I think I’m going to look at my general health overall and start from there from this year forward.

I did kettlebells and resistance training in Barcelona for a few years and found it great for my overall strength and fitness. It made me not want to eat crap food, sounds like a joke but it’s true, Your body doesn’t want bad food if you treat it properly. Treats yes, but constant sugar and salt fixes just make you look and feel..well…sick. So maybe that’s the trick make yourself feel strong and start there.

I try and do a mix of exercises each morning- setting the clock 30 minutes early- and do a mix of crunches, leg-lifts, gentle arm exercises with dumb bells, lunges, squats with weights and some stretches or basic yoga moves. I didn’t do this last week and can really feel the difference in my motivation levels overall. I find it’s also good to write down what you have done each day or week to see a pattern in mood change and energy levels.

This evening I’ll go for a light run and again once before the weekend, but not for too long and not too high-impact yet. I think if you start too hard, the next step feels like too much of an effort. Build up the resistance slowly and you’ll start to feel like you need to work harder. There’s no point in doing the same class every week if you don’t put yourself into it. You might as well be sitting on the sofa to be honest if you are not pushing yourself a little further each week.

Zumba with my mate Ciara starts next Monday too so I won’t do any morning exercises Monday as I want to save my energy for the class that evening. In the mean time, I’ll try avoid any extra chocolate or sweets or sugar in my food and opt for something with a little more protein and iron and vitamin b which is great for when you need that extra spark. Not going overboard just everything in moderation. Oh and it’s good to grab a buddy when you go exercise as it’s makes it more silly and fun and easier to be motivated.

I’m not saying what I do is right, but it is healthy and I don’t advocate that everyone should look a certain way by any means, but I do know that you can’t cheat your body – it knows you and you know it, and only you really know when you have that ‘I feel great’ feeling in your tummy. To me, that’s healthy.

Tags: exercise, fitness, food, health, kettlebells, New Year's Resolutions, weight loss, working out