What Sophie Said

I've never been great at the whole fitness thing. I used to swim when  was younger, and that was then replaced by dancing. My parents weren't the kind of parents to let us just laze around in front of the tv all weekend so we would go for walks and be out in the fresh air. I'm happy walking to and from places where that's an option. In fact, in my first job out of university, I used to walk to work, which was 3.5 miles each way! Anyway, I think what I'm trying to say is I've always had some kind of activity going on, but I've never had a 'regime' of my own, where  self-motivate and actually do the work myself. When I left school and university and the dancing stopped, I realised no one was going to tell me what to do any more, but that in itself didn't push me to change too far. When I lived in Darlington, there was a pay-as-you-go gym and I think I went a grand total of three times in the two years I lived there. I went through a p...

Just a quick post today, but one to say: I think I've cracked it. The whole 'being healthy' thing. As in, I've not changed my life, but the willpower and motivation I've been lacking have made an appearance. For a while now, the last 6 to 12 months in particular, I've not been feeling great. I've defaulted to foods I know aren't good for me, my only exercise has been walking to and from the tube, and I wasn't really doing anything about it. But I was sad about it. I was complaining about it. Maybe internally, but I knew I wasn't happy. I felt lethargic, heavy, unfit. My clothes all felt just a tiny bit too tight. But in the last couple of weeks, something has clicked, Rather than moaning and making half-hearted attempts to change, I've committed. I know changing my bad habits will take time, but the willpower is there. Something inside me has said 'enough is enough'. Last week, I was turning down cake, biscuits...

It’s a new month and that means it’s time for a new challenge. Yet again, I’m a couple of days late posting about my challenge, but the bonus is that means I can give a bit of feedback on my first couple of days. The challenge: walk to and from work, don’t take the bus. I should probably mention that this walk is 3.5 miles each way… I’ve been doing this for 2 weeks now, since moving to the new house, and have made it my April challenge to make sure I keep it up. Here’s the bonuses I’ve noticed so far: - It gives me a great slot of thinking time. As someone who has been struggling with panic for the last 6 months or so, I’ve heard it’s a good plan to give yourself some thoughtful time, which you can then block off and set aside and continue with your day. So far, that’s working. - It’s great exercise. A brisk walk at both ends of the day can never be a bad thing. I’m doing a fast walk for about 45 minutes each way, which is no bad thing. It leaves me feeling energ...