Since I get quite a few people asking me how I make time to eat clean and exercise I thought it was time I blog about it. Before I start though I want to emphasis that I am not a personal trainer or fitness expert, so please consult a professional before following anything in this post.
Think You Can
When it comes to exercise you have to be able to think you can do it. Too many people say they can't exercise or won't be able to keep up with workouts, well newsflash if you say you can't you are training your mind for failure. Try saying you can and notice the difference. It's all about your mental attitude - this applies to all areas of life.
Don't Give Up
Don't give up if you don't see results straight away or struggle with workouts at the beginning. It may seem difficult to start with but that's only natural, especially if you haven't exercised in weeks! The more you exercise the easier it will get. True story - I hadn't been to the gym for 2 months (due to travelling and Christmas holidays), when I got back to it in January it was a struggle for the first two weeks but after that it got easier.
Don't Be So Hard On Yourself
We all fall of the bandwagon now and then, whether it's skipping a few workouts or eating a few too many chocolates, just don't beat yourself up about it. As long as you get back to your regular workouts and clean eating it's all good. I also think there is too much emphasis on starving yourself of certain foods, depending on what you are aiming for, I think it's good to have things in moderation. A cheat meal now and then is all good - just enjoy it rather than feeling guilty about it.
Get a Gym Membership
If you haven't already I recommend you get a gym membership - it's the best way to stay fit as you can go to classes, use the machinery or do your own workouts. I don't know about you, but if I am paying for something I want to get my money's worth so naturally I go as much as I can. Remember you don't have to pay a ton either to go to the gym - the Gym Group have low cost memberships perfect for those of you who don't want to spend a lot.
If you can't get to the gym though you can always exercise at home. I recommend you check out XHIT's Youtube page - they have workouts that range from 3 minutes to full body - perfect for those of you saying you don't have time to workout!
Morning Workouts
I'm a recent convert to going the gym before work (since September 2016 if you want to know how recent) and I highly recommend you try this! I know the thought of getting up earlier than you have to, especially when it is cold and dark outside, can seem daunting but once you do it you will come to love it.
The great thing about an early morning workout is you actually WILL workout. Think about it, once you set that alarm there is no going back. Your alarm wakes you up and because you are already up you HAVE to go to the gym, as you are not going to go back to sleep. Whilst, when you gym in the evenings there is usually something that can come up - last minute evening plans, tiredness after a long day etc etc.
There are also so many proven benefits about morning workouts. They include an improvement in your mental and physical energy - (you actually do feel refreshed and more productive throughout the day), your metabolism is increased allowing you to reach your body goals quicker (believe when I switched from evening workouts to morning I started to notice a quicker transformation in my body), you will sleep better in the evenings, a general feeling of accomplishment before 9am, it's a great way to clear your mind out for the day ahead and it means you have the evenings free to do whatever you want to do!
Remember you also don't need to get a 2 hour workout done in the morning - like come on who has time for that!? I'm talking about a 30-40 minute workout, which when you think about it only means you have to get up about 40 minutes earlier than usual and that's not difficult in the grand scale of things, is it?
You Are What You Eat
Ok, so now we have the workout's out of the way lets move onto the important point of eating clean. I, like a lot of people, never paid much attention to the whole 'you are what you eat' philosophy until I decided to give it a try and then noticed a difference in how I felt and my skin.
Depending on what you are trying to achieve you won't notice a transformation in your body and skin unless you tackle what you are putting into your body. Try paying attention to ingredients in foods and you will begin to notice the amount of additives in normal supermarket foods! By making a few swaps (brown instead of white, quinoa instead of rice etc) you will start to notice a difference.
I for one noticed a mega difference in my skin and wellbeing when I made a few of the following swap: the recommended protein shakes, which when you read the ingredients usually have a 100 other ingredients in them, were replaced with Good Hemp pure protein (it's 100% Hemp protein, nothing else). Sugar was replaced with cinnamon. Almond milk was replaced with pure coconut water. I also swapped my need for chocolate with dates - try soaking dates in coconut water overnight, blend it and add goji berries, sunflower and pumpkin seeds and then press it in a container. Sprinkle some coconut on top and keep it in the fridge - this take 5 minutes to do and will fulfil your sugary cravings (trust me it tastes better than chocolate).
Eating clean isn't difficult to do just make sure you plan in advance and do some meal prep. If you think about it you usually eat badly because of ease - it's apparently easier to order a takeaway or eat out but when you actually think about the time it takes to pick up the phone, order a takeaway and then wait for the delivery you could have made a quick, healthy meal. Another benefit is the money you will save - total up the yearly price of buying lunch everyday and compare this to how much it costs to have a healthy homemade lunch and you will soon see the extra £ in your bank account.
If you are in need of some recipe inspiration check out some of the below blogs:
I hope the above has inspired you to carry on with clean eating and exercising this year or even start! Leave your comments and tips below!
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