Get Fit Feel Epic Week 4 #GFFE

Well after the continued success in week 3 was I going to be able to stick with the plan and keep up the good work after losing 1/2 stone so far this month? I wasn't feeling particularly slimline when I approached the scales tonight at class so it was a mix of relief and annoyance that I had stayed the same weight.

I have been doing really well on the exercise front. In the last week I've managed to get to one aerobics and one salsa class plus I've managed 3 runs with my NHS Couch to 5 k podcast getting me up to 3 minute running intervals. Not having a car for parts of 2 days forced me into walking a lot more and at quite a brisk pace. So this has been a good part of the plan that I have stuck to! 

So if the weight hasn't shifted it must be due to consuming more calories than I was planning. I started off well this last week and then the weekend came along... It was a bit of a graze fest with sledging working up an appetite! The rest of the week has been a bit hit and miss too. The down side of the lack of car has been that I've had some very rushed days grabbing food where I can. Of course this has meant that its not all been very healthy - for instance on the way to class the only food in the car was crisps and having not eaten since 11:45 I needed something! 

Therefore I need to get myself more organised for the upcoming week. In my car I need to remove any naughty snacks and replace them with fruit or something else that won't do any damage. I know as well that I didn't track all my calories on MyFitnessPal so I need to do better. With my alcohol free January coming to an end this is even more important so I've downloaded the new Change4Life drinks tracker app to make sure I keep within sensible limits. 

Let's hope I can get back with the plan and lose more weight next week! I do have a fitness assessment at the gym tomorrow (postponed from December) to see how my gym programme has changed my weight and fitness. It will be interesting to see what that throws up too..

My Family Fitness Plan for 2013 - Get Fit Feel Epic #GFFE

This is my entry for the ‘Get Fit Feel Epic’ competition hosted by Kate on Thin Ice

It's always good to try and plan how to get fit rather than just rushing in willy nilly although every year I set out with good intentions and usually fail! This is because I don't stick to the plan... 

2012 was a partial success as even though my weight didn't drop significantly I feel in better shape. So how do I manage to do it better in 2013? I need a workable plan that I can stick to whatever life throws at me...

My Diet

To lose weight I know that I have to consume less calories than I burn off. Its not rocket science but I don't manage to keep my calorie intake down often enough to make a difference. At my Rosemary Conley classes we are given plenty of advice on how having a low calorie, low fat and low GI diet I just need to pay more attention!

January is always the month when I am most successful at losing weight. I am so enthusiastic and determined that I stick to my goals. Its easy to ditch the junk and the alcohol for a month to help maintain the required low calorie intake. This year I'm boosting my chances by using the Hairy Dieters recipe book to provide me with healthy yet enjoyable meals. As its only me eating them I've had to adjust quantities but so far everything has been delicious:

If this is dieting then I'm going to find it much more enjoyable than previously! Tracking my intake through My Fitness Pal makes it much easier to see what I am doing and whether I can have anything else to eat ;-) 

Getting my children on board will help a lot too. This is easier with my 9 year old as she is more adventurous than her little brother. He knows what he likes and getting him to eat new things is too much like hard work. Once they are at school things will be easier as they will be having school dinners so will need less feeding at home! I have told them that I'm not buying any more naughty treats this month. The last of the crisps have gone and they are slowly getting through their Christmas chocolates. If there isn't rubbish around then I can't be tempted. One problem is my daughter is eating all the fruit ingredients I got in for the recipes! Looks like I need to get even more next week...

Exercise

This is something I was starting to get right last autumn. I joined my local leisure centre gym and as I had to go twice a week to get my money's worth I made sure I got there! Having an individual exercise plan from one of the instructors was worth the small extra payment too. Things weren't quite as good when I took on an extra job and had very little child free time to do more than my 2 sessions. 

My other regular exercise is my weekly aerobics which is part of my Rosemary Conley class. Luckily my parents babysit once a week allowing me to go. I did a week of the 30 Day Shred and it was making a difference to my waistline and abs but life got in the way especially when my children keep covering the front room in toys! 

What I need to do is schedule in my exercise to make it more regular. I also need to make sure the front room is clear enough for me to be able to workout at home. There are plenty of DVDs and Wii games that I possess to help me get fitter and burn off the calories I just need to use them. Just hope I don't need to set my alarm for an earlier time in the morning to fit it in as I'm not a morning person... Even just making sure I'm more active when doing housework and going about my every day life will all help.

Getting exercise with the children is also going to be an important part of me getting fit too. We need to get out together walking, cycling or swimming. Let's just hope that the weather in 2013 is drier than 2012! 

Support

It is almost impossible to successfully lose weight without support. I'm gathering as much as possible both in real life and online. Going to my Rosemary Conley classes provide great motivation and group support. Some of us are also supporting each other in groups on Facebook. Sharing blogposts with other people and charting the highs and lows is also very useful. The My Fitness Pal community is also very supportive.

So here is hoping that a) my plan for 2013 is a good one and b) I can stick to it.... Watch this space to see how I go and if I win the FitBit activity tracker and a set of smartscales from Kate then it will help keep me on track to getting fit and feeling epic! This is part of Money Supermarket's “Get Fit, Feel Epic” campaign

Reasons to be Cheerful XXXIV ( #R2BC )

Another week and another set of reasons to smile!

1) The weather

Shorts in March and paddling in the waters of Windermere because its so glorious how can that not fail to make me happy! It may not last long buts its given us plenty of time to be out of doors and making the most of where we live:

2) Family

We got to spend last Sunday afternoon as a four generation family as my granny came to lunch at my parents house. I love the way my daughter enjoys taking Great Granny for a walk in her wheelchair:

Reasons to be Cheerful XXXIV ( #R2BC )

Been a mixed week so I need to raise myself back up and just focus on the positives and hope things stay that way...

1) Family party

My cousin's partner turned 30 and threw a charity cake sale as a birthday party. So we got to eat cake for a good cause whilst playing games and chatting. A great recipe for a fun family afternoon. Here is a selection of the cakes we had to choose from:

2) Beautiful scenery

Sunday was a gorgeous day (shame much of it spent at an indoor birthday party!). I did manage to find a few minutes to stop and take in this lovely view of Windermere with the mountains behind on the way home.

3) My children

It was parent consultation week at their school and it was a delight to hear how well my children are getting on. My 8 year old daughter was given a spelling age of 11.5 this week and it at or above all expected levels in her other key subjects. My 5 year old has come on so well with his writing and drawing at school. He now writes legible sentences with phonetically correct spelling. Apparently his is in the teacher's "top" group so a great start to his school career.

4) My fitness

Using My Fitness Pal has helped me to watch what I'm eating. Even though I've been too unwell to exercise since Sunday I still lost 0.5lb this week. Here's hoping that I can shake off my virus and use exercise to shake off the last 4lb I need to reach a 2 stone weight loss!

Reasons to be Cheerful XXXVIII ( #R2BC )

This week the host is Seasider in the City but the linky works just the same. I've also been tagged by Mum in Pink Wellies for Thankful Third Thursday so I have to list 10 items that are making me happy and not just the usual 3! Better get cracking then:

1) Half Term

A week without being forced to all be ready by 8:30 and for all plans during day to end at 3 makes life so much more relaxing. Funnily my daughter gets up earlier during the holidays than she does on school days!

2) Friends

My son went to a friend's party last Saturday and was driven there by the boy's mum. He wasn't very well whilst there and when I went to pick him up (miraculously he had bucked up by the time I got there!) there were lots of mummies I knew there. Nice to catch up with other mums I hadn't seen for a while.

3) Family Fun I

We had a lovely Sunday afternoon with my mum and granny over at my parents' house. Having collected granny from her home we were treated to a yummy Sunday lunch before playing games and watching a movie together. With only one granny left its fabulous she is now in the same town.