A New Me

My friends and work colleague have been trying to persuade me to take my blog towards a different direction. Initially for me I wanted the blog to be factual, giving people information about beauty and skincare that they may have found difficult to understand when just looking it up online. In the last year my lifestyle has changed a lot and I can really see the benefits it has made to my general health and appearance. 
My clients are always asking me what I do in terms of exercise and how I look after my skin and they always have a great interest when I inform them. Many of them asking me to introduce a new section to the blog on my lifestyle.
So here it is.

I was very hesitant to even begin this blog post and I have been putting it off for months for the simple fact that I have no major qualifications or experiences in this area aside from a certificate in ITEC Diet and Nutrition , almost 8 years experience in colonic irrigation and a general interest in the subject. 

Bring healthy and fit seems to be the new craze that's hit the scene in recent years. Since I was a teenager I have always exercised and have been a member of god knows how many gyms over the years. 
My main reason for attending- to loose weight. 
While I have never been what I would consider very overweight there have been times in the past and especially when I lived in Australia where I felt I gained weight easily and looking back at certain pictures I can visibly see excess weight and perhaps lack of tone! 

In Jan 2013 I went on a week long ski trip with some of my closest friends. 7days and 6nights of skiing, laughter, eating out and of course alcohol, lots and lots of alcohol. I was also smoking at the time and sharing a room with two friends that also smoked, meant that we were practically chain smoking! (Not proud of this fact). 

On my return to reality I decided drastic changes were in order. Toxic was the only word I could use to describe how my body felt, both inside and outside. 

Initially I decided, ok I'll starve myself for a few weeks and hope I shed some weight fast. This proved more difficult than I thought! I LOVE my food and those that know me well, will agree. Knowing that this option wasn't going to help my current situation I started looking at other options;

Different types of exercise 

Detoxing

Juicing 

Colonics

Cosmetic treatments for slimming

After some research I decided to give HIIT a go. 



It was cheap, (as everything is done at home), quick (starting with just 15 minutes a day) and effective (muscles burning and quivering after just 15minutes). 
After my first session I remember walking out , or trying to walk out, to my friend Emma and thinking 'that was intense'. Working your body to the maximum for 50 secs and resting for just 10 secs in between each exercise. 
Who knew. 

After a couple of weeks I really started to see a difference.

I quit smoking cold turkey and decided to give up alcohol while I was in this new phase of being 'fit'. 

After just six weeks I noticed a big difference in my muscle definition but still felt I had a layer of excess fat. 

This is where the next phase of my journey began; clean eating. 

What exactly is clean eating? 

There is no direct definition for "clean eating".  

It is important to understand clean eating is NOT a diet - it is a lifestyle choice.  

Its main benefits include: 

Fat Loss

Weight Loss

Increased Energy

Clearer Skin

Shinier Hair

Better Sleep

When someone makes the choice to eat "clean" they are choosing to eliminate all processed foods and extra additives from their diet.  Basically, you are choosing to eat whole, unrefined foods.  

The basics of eating clean include - eating lots of fruits and vegetables.  These are straight from nature - the idea is to stay away from anything that may have been altered in any way.  

Include meats, however; "whole" meats that you have chosen straight from the butcher or prepared yourself.  You would be very surprised to find out what is actually in ground turkey.  

Enjoy whole grains - these are grains that are still complete and haven't been broken down in any form.  Examples include: brown rice, whole wheat and other whole grains.  You will have to get used to reading over food labels.  Just because a product says its "whole grain" does not mean it is.  It also does not mean they have not added a bunch of other ingredients as well.  

Eat fewer ingredients - try not to purchase items with more than 4-6 ingredients in the ingredient list.  Also, be sure you recognize every ingredient.  If you can't pronounce it, you probably shouldn't put it in your body.

Simple Guidelines for Success:

Eating small frequent meals 5-6 times per day to level blood sugar and prevent hunger

Include lean protein, complex carbohydrates and heart healthy fats in each meal choice

Avoid ALL processed and/or refined foods (sugar, baked goods, candies, white flour, white rice, etc)

Avoid saturated and trans fats

Avoid sodas, high calorie juices and other drinks that give your body no nutritional value and lots of unnecessary (unwanted) calories

Avoid high calorie, non nutritious foods (i.e. junk food)

Drink at least 8 cups of water per day

I am enjoying my new lifestyle more than ever but I do still break away from my routine every now and then. 
For years I have suffered with stomach issues and different intolerance's so sticking to a gluten free and dairy free diet suits my body best.

My aim is to show people that eating clean is not as difficult as you would imagine but it does take some planning and will power.



I am going to post pics and recipes of my different meals to inspire people and to encourage you to try new things. But most importantly so you can start to see the difference eating well will have  on your skin, your hair , your nails and also your general mental health. 
When you look good, you feel good.

Remember;
A Healthy Outside Starts From The Inside!