Feeling sluggish and lazy. Time to change!

Lately I have been more and more tired and ridiculously lazy. I have probably been getting more sleep than I need but something is going on and I have got to get out of this rut.

I did some google-ing and here’s what I’m gonna try and do:

Have a better breakfast (more than a breakfast bar) – when I am not being lazy, I often have a smoothie for breakfast. This is a great way to get all my fruit servings in, but troublesome in the summer – I can’t make it before I go to the gym because it will get hot in my car, but if I drink the whole thing before the gym I’ll make myself sick. I much prefer working out in the morning, so I will just need to find a different breakfast for those days. The breakfast bars are fine, just not enough – I get hungry by like 9am.

Snack during the day (nuts, fruit etc) – I’m really bad with snacks. I don’t eat anything in between meals and then I eat way too much at meal time because I’m so hungry. Or worse, I snack on things like jolly ranchers or chocolate bars.

Drink more water – I already drink a lot of water, but I am going to try and really drink more. The next step will help a lot with that.

No soda – I have given it up again and am going 1 day strong. Today is day 2. I have given up soda a few times in the past, and surprisingly for an addict like me it was not that hard. Once I fall off the wagon though, I fall hard. The reason I want to give up soda is because I don’t do moderation very well – I drink water in the morning, have a soda with lunch and then the only liquid I drink for the rest of the day is soda. I drink them fast, so I probably have 5 or 6 sodas a day. It kind of makes me sick thinking about it! With all the knowledge we have of soda and why its so bad for you, I don’t understand why I keep drinking it. I don’t drink coffee or that much alcohol (except when I decide I’m 21 again) so that’s good.

Stay away from crappy food, including gluten - you might be thinking, oh not another gluten free band wagon jumper. Actually, I am supposed to be gluten free. I was diagnosed with coeliac disease almost 4 years ago. Before that, I had been sick for about 2 years – always bloated, tired, constant stomach aches, moody, nauseas and vomiting. I went to several doctors and was told I had several different things – from stomach ulcers to bulimia. Because of my history with eating disorders, most doctors wouldn’t take me seriously and just put it off to me forcing myself to throw up again. Hey doctor, if I wanted to be throwing up, I wouldn’t be in your office every week complaining that I can’t stop being sick.

Anywho, I met this girl who was gluten free – I had never even heard of it. We got to talking and she mentioned my symptoms sounded very similar to hers, and she gave me the number for her doctor. I went the next day, and that doctor didn’t even need to test me – he said I think you should go gluten free for 2 weeks starting immediately and see if it makes a difference. He took a blood test (my insistence!) and I went off on my way. At first I ate lots of packaged gluten free foods, and then slowly started to eat more naturally – rice, quinoa, fruits, veggies, meats etc. the difference was astonishing. I had no idea that something like gluten could be the reason behind why I was always tired, bloated (I thought that was normal), and the sharp pain I would have in my stomach. After 2 weeks I felt miles better. After almost a month, people around me couldn’t believe the difference. I was so dedicated and stayed far away from the evil that made me sick.

Then I went to America with my mum, and all the fast food taunted me and it was hard to find things that I could eat – I could have tried harder. But I ate pancakes and pizza and pasta and felt ok for a day or two, and then it hit me hard. Most of the time I am good, but sometimes I cheat and I always regret it. Unfortunately, sometimes I cheat too much in a row and I am just constantly sick, feeling like I used to feel. It’s such a downward spiral. I miss pizza and soft bread. And cakes and hamburgers.

Once I have been ‘good’ for like 2 weeks, it’s much harder for me to cheat so I just need to get a couple week under my belt. It’s embarrassing when people know I am supposed to be gluten free and then they either see me eating it, or assume I will cheat because they’ve seen it a thousand times before. So I’m putting it out there on the internet to hold myself accountable. I’m back on myfitnesspal.com and today is day 2 no gluten. Kudos if you read the whole thing.

Also, apart from the gluten, I am just really bad with junk food. A whole (family size) bag of chips and jar of dip, milkshakes, chocolate bars, candy.. I just need to stop. Until I can understand moderation.

Exercise regularly - I have been so lazy. Seriously. I used to run 4-5 times a week, there was a stretch there when I was doing 6 miles a day (ok, 8 days in a row, but still). I am slower than I used to be, and am not running consistently. I signed up for the Triple Crown and Half Marathon thinking it would motivate me, but it’s not working very well – because I’m not. I seriously need to get off my butt and run. I used to be thinner, but not only that I was healthier – when I exercise regularly I eat better. I have a ten mile race this Saturday and I am not ready. Seriously, how embarrassing is that? Again, I am putting it on the internet. To hopefully make myself accountable. I know the benefits of exercise, and more so I know how I feel when I exercise regularly. So, I need to get back in that routine!

Most of the common sense I have learned in regards to eating well and exercising stems from this blog post by The Londoner. I've said it before, but she really opened my eyes and whacked me over the head with the common sense stick. Like I said, I don’t do moderation really well but I keep the 80/20 in mind most of the time.

So that’s what’s on my mind today. I am really motivated to be better – is it because the weather is getting a little nicer? It’s so much easier in the warmer weather, winter makes me want to curl up in a ball and eat all the warm food. I’m determined not to let that happen again!

Now to really switch up the theme of the blog post, here is today's outfit :-)