With just 5 months to go, the realisation of my impending wedding and “the dress” has hit! My health and fitness is not where I had hoped it to be by now and so it is time to regain control!!

Although this blog is written specifically about my wedding, the points in my opinion would be the same for anyone wishing to start making the lifestyle changes needed to improve health and wellbeing.

Well…..time just flies by doesn’t it! I won’t be the last person to say things like “plenty of time”, “still x months away” however looking back I now realise “why wait”?! With 4 months before the final dress fitting looms, there is still plenty of time to make significant changes to my life which will impact the way I feel and look on the big day! One of my favourite mottos – “start as you mean to go on”!

How does the mould get broken? In my opinion… here it goes:

1) Draw a Line Under Today – Everyone can dwell on the “over indulgences”, the “shouldn’t have ate that” and the “number of failed healthy attempts” however that is no real use to anyone! Draw a line under today and start planning from tomorrow!! Ps – this doesn’t mean we can eat everything in the kitchen cupboard tonight as if it is the worst day ever! Trust me…. been there, done that!!

2) Food Planning & Diaries – This may sound boring, time consuming and potentially a waste of valuable life however I am most successful when I follow these steps! There is something for me about it being written down which causes me to stick to it! You can take this to whatever level suits you best however if you can get in the habit of looking at the macro-nutrients (carbs, sugars, proteins and fats) on products, you will soon see what goes into today’s foods and help you to regain control!

3) Exercise – Your health and well-being will benefit massively with the introduction or increased level of exercise. I am fairly limited currently to what I can do however I know for me, something is most definitely better than nothing. I have invested (not hugely expensive) in some equipment at home (resistance bands, dumbbells and kettlebells) to replicate exercises I do in the gym. This means I can get more workouts completed in a week as I have the option to train at home if I cannot get to the gym. Going for a walk at lunch or something equivalent will help both mind and well-being!

4) Reward Success – Ultimately my reward will be when my dress fits the best it can however in the meantime, I intend to reward my efforts as I go along. The money I save on take-outs / meals on the go (because I will plan better) will be spent on non-food treats. I may also say for every KG / CM I lose, I will allocate a set amount of money on a treat!

5) What if I fall? - Eating 100% clean I think is too restrictive and can often lead people to fall off the healthy lifestyle. The odd “cheat” meal personally isn’t a disaster and shouldn’t be an excuse to give up! Life will bring you days when you cannot plan your food or you are going out socially, so don’t get too hung up over it and just eat as best as you can with the choices you have and then move on.

6) Photo Time – I will take regular photos as I go along the journey so I can see the transformation as I know from experience I never see the changes in the mirror!

I will keep you updated with my progression over the next 4 months however for now I leave you with the quote:

“Tomorrow you will have wished that you started today… So what are you waiting for?” - Anon