Discovering what healthy living looks.
Following on from my appearance in the Weight Watchers magazine all about my taking part in #WW5kMyWay last year, I’m happy to share that I have completed the fun challenge once again!
Last year I walked 5k with fellow Weight Watchers members and this year I ran 5k with my ultimate bestie and fitness buddy. Here’s a photo of us once we had finished, another of me looking far too happy holding a piece of paper and a snap from insta!
If you follow me on Instagram, twitter or Facebook you would have seen some very chuffed posts this week about my appearance in the June issue of the Weight Watchers magazine. I am absolutely thrilled to be featured and I still can’t get over the fact that I’m actually in the magazine.
If you’ve not seen those posts here’s what it’s all about… last year I took part in an event called #WW5Kmyway. The idea was to complete a 5k in any style you wanted. Be it walking, running, swimming, dancing, whatever! My lovely Weight Watchers Coach teamed up with a fellow Weight Watchers group and together we walked 5k on a very hot summer’s day. The event really gave me the fitness boost I needed.
Pick up a copy of the Weight Watchers magazine asap to find out more about the event and my full story; plus here’s how to get involved with this year’s #WW5kmyway.
Chloe x
In recent weeks I’ve challenged myself to learn more about the basics of nutrition, and not just the fad diet trends that pop up in magazines or on instagram. I’ve headed to accredited sources of information for my knowledge fix and here are 10 nuggets of nutritional information that I have found simply fascinating, or knew once but manage to forget!
Ta da, some food for thought you could say…
Chloe x
Happy Easter everyone!
I hope you’re all enjoying yourselves this weekend. I’ve written a little something for familiesonline.co.uk all about Easter and chocolate. I’d love to here what you think, and as this was written a few weeks back, I can also share that mummy over here did eat a lot of chocolate! Oops! I’ll try again next year…
Chloe x
I’ve been in search of a new place to workout and I have finally ended up at my local PureGym. Here’s how I’ve been getting on at this mega cheap gym chain.
What is PureGym?
PureGym is a chain of gyms that offers super low cost memberships. There are clubs all over the country and many are open 24 hours.
I had heard good things about the gym chain and could never believe how cheap the membership is in comparison to others – subconsciously I perhaps thought the price meant that the gym would be super basic, but I was wrong.
My local PureGym
Equipment wise I would never spot the difference between this gym and another where you may end up paying triple the price; and did you know that PureGym membership includes a ton of fitness classes too? From spinning to kettlebell to dance classes – the range is amazing and I’ve really enjoyed trying as many new ones as possible.
PureGym gym review
I’ve been really impressed with PureGym and absolutely love all the classes – especially spinning. With the cost being low I also don’t feel guilty if for some reason I can’t make it to the gym, but that said I think it’s actually had the opposite effect; I’m going way more than I had intended because I can’t get over how cheap it is and how much you get included.
However, I am absolutely pants in knowing what to do in the weights section, so next job is to get au fait with the dumbbells and get my squat on! Perhaps I need to book some one-on-one sessions with one of the many Personal Trainers at the club, who all seem lovely too!
Cons of PureGym
I wouldn’t usually notice this and I’m really not a picky person but my particular club has an awful carpark – there are no clear spaces and it looks as though the ground itself needs resurfacing urgently. I’m also a bit suspicious of the air con in the Spinning studio – does it actually work? They say it’s on but I think that’s debatable! There’s no pool either, which doesn’t bother me, but just a heads up if swimming if your thing.
Would you recommend PureGym?
I would definitely recommend PureGym to anyone looking for a friendly and well equipped place to work out. Nice one PureGym, keep doing what you’re doing.
For anyone wondering about joining Weight Watchers, I’ve put together a little overview of what Weight Watchers is like – everything beginners to Weight Watchers may want to know.
I’ve been a member for quite some time now and the plan helped me lose 50lbs for my wedding back in 2013 and another 50lbs after having my first baby (forget eating for two, I was eating for 10 at the time!). If it can work for me, it can definitely work for you!
What is Weight Watchers like?
It can take a few days to get used to, but once you understand how the plan works it’s straight forward to follow, plus there is an amazing app included which makes it all really simple. You can eat anything you like, but you get more from the plan when you pick healthy foods. Plus, you’ll receive loads of great information and advice on what’s best to eat for weight loss.
What is Weight Watchers Flex?
If you join Weight Watchers today, you’ll be following their new ‘Flex’ plan – it includes more foods than ever before with a SmartPoints value of 0. There’s also more flexiblily with when and how you use your daily SmartPoints values.
What is Weight Watchers No Count?
There are two ways to follow Weight Watchers, counting (every food as a SmartPoints value which you deduct from your tailored daily and weekly points allowance) or no count. To follow no count you eat foods from a set list, which includes things like chicken, wholegrain pasta and fat free greek yogurt. If you fancy chocolate, or booze you then have to deduct their points value from your weekly allowance (which you still get with no count).
What’s a Weight Watchers meeting like?
A really friendly, informal place to talk about your weight loss. There’s a Weight Watchers Coach waiting to chat about your weight loss and to weigh you – no one else sees or knows your weight. This happens first and then there’s some time to pick up some weight loss friendly treats, gadgets or cookbooks, if they take your fancy, from the pop up shop. Last part of the meeting is where a Weight Watchers coach focusses on a particular aspect of the plan and weight loss tips, this is also a time for you and other members – if you wish – to talk about your weight loss so far, anything that you struggle with, or anything that you find helpful.
What kind of food can you eat on Weight Watchers?
Anything! The personalised allowance you’re given helps with portion control, but you can use it to eat anything you like. However, you’ll get the most out of your allowance by opting for foods best for good health and weight loss, such as lean meat, fish, eggs, fat free dairy, wholegrain pasta and rice, fruit and vegetables.
Top tips for Weight Watchers beginners
P.S This is not a promotion – I am not being paid to write this – but for full disclosure I did previously work for the company. But I really should get some commission for how much I talk about Weight Watchers 😉
I hope you found this useful and thanks for reading,
Chloe x
Before having my daughter I was certain I’d go back to work full-time. As my maternity leave came to an end I had an overwhelming feeling that I just couldn’t work full time, but I definitely didn’t want to say bye-bye to my career. A potentially long story short, I became a freelance writer/editor hoping for…
What I didn’t anticipate was the amount of guilt I had over…
Mum guilt affects 5 in 5 mums*
Where am I going with this? From time to time I find it reassuring to hear how other mums feel the same – be it working** or stay-at-home mums. I was about to share several snippets from various bloggers and articles I’ve read, when I stumbled across the below which says it all so wonderfully; and I love the suggestions on how this blogger (follow @dippyeggplease) aims to let go of her mum guilt – so have a read!
www.selfishmother.com/letting-go-of-the-mum-guilt
While it’s obviously not nice for anyone to feel guilty over so many things, I’m thankful to those below who have shared their honest thoughts and experiences of this parenting malarkey – because it really isn’t always easy and I’m glad it’s not just me that can feel ridden with all sorts of guilt.
Notes
* No actual studies were carried out, I have made this up but I bet it’s true!
**Why do working mums have a label, you really don’t hear people say he’s a ‘working dad’!
This year I set myself a couple of New Year’s resolutions. Some I broke quite quickly and others I’m continuing to practice, one of which includes being ‘body positive’. If you’re wondering what, why and how, then read on.
“It’s a sign from a greater power!”
While browsing through my ‘recommendations’ on ASOS, a bright pink book appeared and on the front was a girl with a big smile and amazingly colourful hair. Seeing this picture instantly cheered me up and so I was intrigued to find out what it was exactly.
Body Positive Power by Megan Jayne Crabbe aka @bodyposipanda
When I enlarged the photo I was sucked in by the tagline “How to stop dieting, make peace with your body and live”. Some may say discovering this book was just down to a very clever shopping algorithm, but I say it was a sign from a greater power telling me to snap out of my body shaming ways!
Megan Jayne Crabbe bravely shares her own body image issues which led to anorexia and – during her years of ‘recovery’ – episodes of binge eating and yo yo dieting; until she found body positivity. She tells readers how she’s finally escaped the ‘cult of thin’ and details what the body positive movement means.
I bought the book as an early Christmas present to myself, but have only been reading it since the New Year. A few chapters in and I have felt liberated, a desire to wear the clothes i’ve been telling myself I’ll buy when I drop 3 dress sizes and an urge to dye my hair pink! I’ve not done the last one yet but these pages have been touching, emotional, inspiring and challenging.
If this was a complete book review, i’d say BRILLIANT, 5 STARS!
I’ve not finished reading Megan’s book, so this isn’t a complete book review, but it has made me think very differently towards diet, exercise and my past weight loss experiences. All of which has left me feeling motivated to beat my obsession with being ‘thin’ and the constant guilt I have when eating.
Instead, I’d love to learn/ re-learn (because i’m genuinely interested in it) more about good nutrition and healthy eating. In the meantime, I’ll work on accepting what i’ve got and enjoying everything else around me; because I’ve spent far too many years overthinking and stressing about food and my weight. That said, I’ll still be blogging about it for many years to come!
One step at a time eh!
Thanks for reading,
Chloe x
A few years ago I had a vague idea what veganism is and if you had asked me what I thought about it my answer would of been something like this; “bit extreme but each to their own”. However, veganism seems to be dominating many of my conversations lately and I’ve become a little fascinated with what it’s all about; so much so that (like many this month) I challenged myself to go vegan. Here’s a little bit about my days as a vegan and what I’ve learnt.
What is Veganism?
From my understanding, being a vegan is all about enjoying a plant-based diet and saying no to all animal products – be it meat, dairy or even honey.
For many, the main motivator behind this way of eating is to banish animal cruelty and exploitation that comes from breeding animals for food consumption, clothing and so on.
For others the driving force is an environmental one, as consuming less meat, dairy and fish lowers your carbon footprint significantly – it requires a lot less water and feed to rear animals, when compared to growing plant-based crops.
Going vegan may also strive from health reasons, as it’s believed that a plant-based diet can aid weight loss, reduced symptoms from food allergies and improve heart health – just to name a handful of benefits.
For a few like me, it’s pure curiosity and wanting to be like Beyonce… remember when she went vegan with hubby Jay Z? I do! They followed Marco Borges vegan plan and Beyonce has even written a foreword in later editions of his book “The 22-day Revolution”.
5 things I learnt as a Vegan
1. I’m a pretty pants vegan. I set off to go 10 days without consuming any animal products, and by day 4 I had such a headache I convinced myself I needed food not on the vegan menu. In truth, I probably just needed to be more prepared and educated with how to fuel my body properly on a vegan diet.
2. Weight loss is no longer my main obsession when it comes to veganism. Having read a little more about it and the environmental implications of eating meat or drinking dairy, I’m shocked to learn about the strain rearing animals for our benefit puts on the planet. A plant-based diet is significantly more sustainable in comparison, too. I’ve also become aware that those who protest against traditional animal rearing have received death threats and much worse. This was first highlighted to me in the document Cowspiracy, available to watch on Netflix.
3. A Vegan lifestyle makes you very regular. I will say no more on that subject.
4. I’m in awe of my husband who is still enjoying a vegan diet and has lost over 10lbs so far this month thanks to eating all plant-based foods.
5. There’s a lot of research out there that proves the consumption of animal products (proteins) can actually lead to certain types of cancer, diabetes, heart disease and autoimmune diseases! More can be read in The China Study.
Am I now a vegan?
Not quite, however I have personally felt a lot better for having mostly vegan meals and for cutting out a lot of dairy from my diet by switching to soya milk and plain soya yogurt. My main vegan blocker has been chocolate! I had a few small bars knocking around from Christmas that I just couldn’t resist. So I have eaten them, plus the vegan chocolate I discovered too! With a better understanding of veganism and if I finally banish my sugar addiction, maybe one day I will be.
For those who read my last post, I’m pleased to share that the prosecco I consumed NYE has now left my system and I’m ready (11 days later) to get back to business (a.k.a. my usual routine alongside blogging about weight loss things). However, this year I’d like to share more of the heathy weight loss tips, advice, theories and recipes I come across and just a touch less about my personal ups and downs on the scales. Reasons being?
1.I’d like my blog to reflect the efforts i’m making in being more body positive and leading a healthy lifestyle, when it comes to food and exercise – not just that number on the scales.
2. I’m also conscious that multiple posts just about my weekly weigh ins might be a little bit of a boring to read (do let me know if you disagree) and let’s face it, I can go on a bit revealing clear signs of verbal diarrhoea, or blogger diarrhoea. Is that a phrase? You know what I mean – I’m doing it right now! I’m also guilty of bragging about any weight loss I have, and because I have a major sweet tooth, gains our not uncommon when i’ve been a bit ‘bingey’! It hurts so much to reveal when I’ve gained – it’s all very emotional you know! I am actually laughing as I write this, but it can feel pretty pants to share details of a gain, even though it’s a normal part of any weight loss journey. It’s not that I won’t share those details ever, just in moderation!
So, hopefully I can do all of those things throughout 2018 and provide an interesting read to anyone who stumbles across these pages.
Thanks for reading and see you soon,
Chloe x