Blog with Friends - Starting Fresh

Last month I signed up for Blog with friends on impulse because I learned that the theme was going to be "green". 

Now for this month "starting fresh" was chosen. Against my better judgment - because I knew I was going to be super busy posting every day throughout the month of April - I thought wouldn't it fit nicely into my A - Z fitness series, so here I am again!




It's safe to say that in January I started fresh. 

It all began innocently enough. 

I was sitting over at my friend's house, enjoying the King's cake I made and the Prosecco that was my Christmas gift to her, and I said "after today there will be no more sweets and bubbly until I fit back into my jeans. I might even go as far as taking up some sporty activities, I wish there were some good old Aerobics classes."

Doris told me about Vicky, her former neighbor. That lady is originally from Scotland and runs a fitness studio a 10 minutes' drive from here. As far as Doris knew Vicky offered Zumba, Breakdance, Linedance, you name it.

 "She is a bit of a drill sergeant, but you might need it" she added. 

Perfect.

Fast forward three months, and here I am:
  • Not drinking red wine, sparkling wine*, not drinking wine of any kind, mind you, not even grape juice
  • Not eating pastries containing wheat and granulated sugar
  • Not eating pizza
  • Not eating pasta
  • Not eating rice
  • Not drinking sparkling water (still water for a less bloated stomach)


Here's what I've been doing instead:
  • Eating lots of veggies and fruit. Lots. Salmon, chicken and edamame, cauliflower patties,...
  • Allowing myself one slice of whole wheat toast with homemade, "clean" Nutella (post due April 17)
  • Zumba on Mondays
  • Personal Training on Thursdays
  • Youtube Aerobics, HIIT or Cardio programs on Weekends
  • Tracking my food intake and fitness activities with apps


*Except on my birthday and St. Patrick's Day

While everybody will recommend to implement one major life change at a time, I pretty much did them over the course of two weeks. 

The toughest thing to do was to quit refined sugar cold turkey. I had to realize sugar is an addiction like any other. You don't get your fix, you suffer like a dog. Only for a couple of days, though. Bodies are amazing! 

Second, the wheat. I do like my pasta and pizza, and I miss them dearly. However, once I started to see results, I got motivated.

As of posting day I have lost 8.5 kilos = almost 19 pounds, instead I have gained knowledge on resting metabolic rate, good and bad carbohydrates, superfoods and the afterburn effect 

More importantly I have kept sane and gained some faith into what I can do if I really set my mind to it. 

I still have a long way to go...


Curious how I did it? Follow my A - Z Blogging Challenge. I'm dedicating a letter of the alphabet to every important topic, the most current ones being G is for good vs bad food choices and H is for Health.


Now please head over to my blogger friends and find out how they started fresh:

Karen @ Baking In A Tornado with Springtime Waffles
Eileen @ Eileen is perpetually busy with A fresh start for the kitchen for less than 100 $
Minette @ Southern Belle Charm with Dollar Tree Wreath for Spring
Dawn @ Spatulas on Parade with Life Lessons
Tamara @ Confessions of a part-time working mom with My journey from (former) couch potato to (wannabe) fitness buff
Rabia @ The Lieber Family with Tips and Thoughts on Moving
Kia @ Think in English with 7 fresh ideas from the 2017 TESOL convention
Kristin @ Little Mama Mama with How to start fresh each day with your autistic child
Lydia @ Cluttered Genius with Daily Devotions




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