Although I’ve not been in school for quite some time, September for me still feels like the start of a new year and a chance to embrace new (or old) goals and to get stuff done! Holidays have come to an end, there are less and less social functions to attend and getting back into a routine actually feels good. This month has already started with a huge positive…
Post-holiday happiness
I write this post after a two week vacation in Italy, which was absolutely amazing and I was able to witness two of my best friends get married. I’m well and truly still in a happy holiday bubble, but instead of having post-holiday blues (which may still come), I feel rejuvenated and excited for the rest of the year. Towards the final days of my holiday I was delighted to see a little feature in Weight Watchers magazine of me and my daughter.
Weight Watchers
The article is all about how Weight Watchers encouraged me to get back into exercise after having my daughter. Seeing the feature made me feel so proud of the many healthy habits I’ve adopted since being a Weight Watchers member. The holiday I’ve just taken was a huge example of how different I am compared to trips away pre-Weight Watchers.
A healthier me
Over the course of two weeks I went for several jogs, walked lots, swam, went to the gym and enjoyed plenty of healthy food choices with a few treats thrown in (aka wine and ice cream). A younger me would of binged on unhealthy food just because I was away and would of left all gym clothes at home. That same person would of returned home a stone heavier and feeling terribly guilty about all the indulgences. Then I would of fall into a downward spiral of feeling horrible about my weight and myself.
For some this may sound crazy and a bit dramatic, but this has been a previous consequence of many holidays. I know a lot of people who are able to go away, eat what they like, come home happy and not give a damn about any fluctuations in weight – so please don’t take this as me saying you’re doing anything wrong. It’s just for me that ‘letting go’ approach on holiday meant eating everything and anything and then feeling rubbish about myself after.
“Fruit salad mummy?”
I’m also incredibly proud of daughter who appears in the magazine article. She is such a confident little thing and was both hilarious and well behaved during the photoshoot. It’s for her that I also want to continue eating well and exercising regularly – I want to be a healthy mum that can play without getting out of breath within seconds and to set a good example of how to eat well. On holiday when we were talking about the day ahead she would often ask if I was going to eat a fruit salad again for breakfast. It may sound silly, but hearing her recognise me eating something healthy made me feel great.
Support
I’m so thankful for Weight Watchers for encouraging all of the healthy habits mentioned above. Joining the programme has deepened my interest in nutrition, has encouraged me to try new sports and in turn has led me to meet whole host of fantastic people who continue to support me as I work towards my health goals.
Never sporty
I was never a sporty kid at school and if you told me then that I would one day enjoy running, spinning, long walks and would even have one-on-one personal training sessions, I would of burst out laughing. Weight Watchers taught me the importance of exercise and gave me the confidence to try new things and discover activities that I could keep up long-term. I am also so thankful for the several PT’s I’ve been in recent contact with, who have helped me embrace lifting weights and have giving me extra guidance on what to eat for good health and effective weight loss.
A negative outlook
I have to admit, that until I saw the final Weight Watchers article mentioned and had a little September inspired overview of how far I’ve come, I was feeling less positive about myself and weight. Whilst I’ve lost a lot of post-baby weight and am proud of all the healthy decisions I made on holiday, I’ve been feeling frustrated that I’m not at my goal weight. I got there last March and somehow it’s crept up a bit. However, with this new month and feeling inspired I would like to announce that I will draw a line under that, and do my best to get to that goal, but ultimately to continue to work on leading a healthier life for the rest of my life.
Thank you for reading this mind dump,
Chloe xx