My 2020 Wellness Journey

I've wanted to write this post for a long time but haven't quite known how to go about it. I think it's because often the notion of health and fitness feels very personal and I got to thinking that nobody would be in the least bit interested in what I am eating and how much I am choosing to move and stretch my body these days. And yet the few times I've mentioned exercise here on my blog in the past six months or so I've received an unexpected amount of interest in what I'm up to, so I thought I may as well just crack on and share my journey with you. If this isn't something you wish to engage with then please feel free to click away, I won't be offended I promise! Normal Attic-style blogging will resume in the next post.

I've titled this post "Wellness" as I think this is a really good way to look at how we make lifestyle choices. The World Health Organziation defines wellness as "...a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." I also found this quote which I think says it nicely >> "...wellness is the act of practicing healthy habits on a daily basis to attain better physical and mental health outcomes, so that instead of just surviving, you’re thriving." 

Yeah to all that, especially the idea of adopting daily habits which make you feel great, I'm all for it.

So today I thought I would briefly touch on the things that I've made an effort with this year which have made a great difference to my physical and mental well being.....

• Taking my vitamins
• changing my diet (and losing weight)
• daily exercise
• hydration (and cutting back on caffeine and alcohol)
• daily routines and good sleep.

:: VITAMINS / SUPPLEMENTS ::

Something I've made a real effort with during the past six months is making myself take my vitamins every day and not just on the odd day when I happen to remember. As I've suffered with deficiencies before, I make sure to take natural iron and a high strength vitamin D (I take the little D capsule October to March, but take iron all year round). I also take a Vitamin B complex as I definitely notice this makes a difference to my energy levels. And lastly the bright yellow offering is the turmeric capsule - I've only been taking this for about three weeks (I take it for it's anti-inflammatory properties as I suffer with osteoarthritis in my knuckles and finger joints). I shall keep you posted once I really get stuck into my next big crochet project.

:: DIET ::

I shall try and keep this brief as I know it can be a difficult subject for many. I also want to say that I am not in any way trying to tell you what to do, or to give diet advise - I just thought it might be helpful to document what I myself have done to regain my healthy weight after a decade of being overweight. I've also recently tried to make changes to my diet in an attempt to reduce inflammation (to help with the discomfort of arthritis).

A few weeks before Christmas last year when I was at a particularly low ebb, I finally faced up to the fact that I wasn't in a good place with my physical health and this was affecting my mental health. I was coming through a particularly frustrating time with the peri-menopause, suffering with the most annoying aches and pains in my hip and lower back which kept me awake at night. After many months of poor sleep I felt so exhausted and run down that I decided something needed to change. The most immediate thing that I felt would help was to regain some control of my eating/drinking habits. I was more then 2 stone (14.5 kg) overweight for my short 5 ft 3 height, so I went all in with my commitment and joined my local Slimming World group.

Up until writing this post I had no idea that Slimming World was purely a UK organisation, I had assumed that it was worldwide. Well, I've learnt something new today! Those of you in the UK are probably familiar with Slimming World and there is lots of information online too. From the start I knew this would be a healthy eating plan that I could pretty easily stick to as there is no weighing or time consuming calculations involved and the meals are very family friendly. I won't go into too much detail about the diet itself, but if it's new to you and you are interested, you can find out more information about the basics here and here.

The thing I enjoy most about this way of eating is the focus on whole foods. The SW plan is centred around home cooking using fresh, whole ingredients, with an emphasis on fruit, vegetables, lean protein, pulses, beans and pasta/rice/grains/potatoes, all of which you can eat freely (yes, as much as you like). For someone like me who adores fruit, salad and veggies and loves cooking with fresh ingredients, this felt like a wonderful way to enjoy good nutritional health and lose a little weight in the process.

Foods which contain fibre (such as wholegrain cereals and wholemeal bread) and foods which contain calcium (milk and cheese) must be eaten as part of your diet every day for health reasons, and these are in controlled amounts. 

And then there are the treats - these are still allowed (nothing is off limits) but again, in controlled amounts. So foods high in fat and refined sugar (which includes alcohol) are part of the diet (yay!!) but it's not really possible to indulge too much. A biscuit, a glass of wine, a little chocolate - I still eat all these things, but now only in small quantities. I was surprised how quickly I got used to it, but then I really was determined to stick to the plan and make it work. My head was in the game and I was 100% committed.

As the weeks went by, I started to see my weight drop. It was quite a slow and steady process for me and I did manage to lose weight most weeks. As the months passed, I began to re-think my eating habits, changing my focus away from the numbers on the scales and thinking more about how best to nourish my body. I stopped eating products which contained artificial sweeteners as I found my digestive system didn't really like them very much. In fact I eat very little refined sugar at all these days (a biscuit, or a little good quality dark chocolate is pretty much it). And with the exception of fat free Greek yoghurt (which I genuinely love) and a certain brand of light cheese spread, I don't eat anything that is marked as low sugar or low fat. So I eat proper butter, full fat cheese, olive oil for cooking etc, but I'm very watchful of the quantities. I also started to reintroduce things like nuts, seeds and avocado to allow some healthy fats into what is essentially an extremely low fat, low sugar eating plan. 

And my goodness me, I do feel SO MUCH BETTER for the changes I've made. It has been quite remarkable really. It took me  7 months to reach  my target (I've lost 2.5 stone in total which is 15.8kg) but best of all I have managed to keep it off since the start of July. I have so much more energy, I sleep better (mostly, although still get troubled by an aching hip/lower back which I know is purely due to hormonal crap), and I just feel more like the happy ME I used to know and love a decade ago. My body works better going up stairs and hills, and I am not nearly so sluggish and stiff any more.

Although I would say my diet is now pretty "clean" I do still enjoy treats. With regards to caffeine, during the start of Lockdown in March when all cafés were closed, I had around 3 months of home-made coffee and was entirely caffeine free. But since life opened up again, I allow myself one caffeine brew a day (which as you know I ADORE), then I switch over to decaf. It's a good balance I think.

Its the same with alcohol and sugary sweet treats - I still have them but really in moderation. A single glass of prosecco/wine once a week and on special occasions I enjoy a piece of cake or a pastry. I admit I do have fantasies which involve a warm pain au raisin going straight into my face, but I manage to keep my cravings under control.

:: EXERCISE ::

As you know I love love love walking, and have been a walker all my life. J and I have always walked for pleasure and so I'd say that on the whole I am a reasonably active human. I like climbing hills, and I like my daily routine which involves walking everywhere as opposed to sitting in a car.

It may sound odd but I've never really considered walking as exercise. I think of it as a leisure activity, an enjoyable pastime, or as something that needs to happen if I want to get from A to B.

I treated myself to a Fitbit at the start of the summer holidays (I needed a new watch, and this seemed like a good idea). Oh my gosh, I absolutely love it! I'm still in the honeymoon stage as I haven't had it for very long (since mid August I think) and I am ever so slightly obsessed with my daily numbers. I average 15-16 thousand steps a day (on a normal kind of school-run week day) which I think is pretty good. 

Like I said, I don't really think of walking as exercise (although the fitbit does) - to me, exercise is the thing you do to get sweaty, increase your heart rate and strengthen your muscles. I guess hiking/hill walking does that, but an actual proper workout (leaping about wearing trainers and stretchy clothes) isn't something that I felt the need to do. And then Lockdown happened.........

.....and along with many thousands of other families we began to join in with the daily live PE session with Joe via YouTube. In the weeks when I was doing this with Little B, we were using my crochet blankets as exercise mats, and I wore a very old pair of baggy leggings and a t-shirt. Sometimes I did it in bare feet, sometimes I put trainers on, but it was all very low maintenance. All I really needed was the motivation and a big bottle of water.

Little B and I were really into doing this together at the start of lockdown, and every weekday morning at 9am we would spend half an hour working out together. It was loads of fun and I can highly recommend it if you would like an introduction to HIIT exercise (high intensity interval training). This is where you typically do 30 seconds of full-on exercise, then have 30 seconds of rest, then 30 seconds of a different exercise and 30 seconds rest etc. It's fast and fun, and I was amazed at how quickly it improved my strength, flexibility and stamina.

Joe's PE workouts are sometimes a bit on the silly side (obviously aimed at entertaining children and encouraging families to exercise together which I think is brilliant) but the workouts are tough enough to really make a difference to your fitness levels.

When the PE sessions finished at the start of the summer holidays, I found to my astonishment that the habit of daily exercise had well and truly rooted itself and I knew without a doubt that I wanted to continue on my fitness journey. I invested in an exercise mat and began to follow a more grown-up workout routine - enter the world of Chloe Ting. Chloe is a very popular YouTube fitness instructor with more than 15 million subscribers. Her workouts are pretty tough and to be honest I think I would have found them too hard if I'd come to them without having done any previous workouts.

I worked through a couple of her exercise programmes, but I eventually found them just a bit too long/hard so I started to put together my own schedule using shorter combinations of her free videos. 

Towards the end of the summer holidays in August, J showed me an article in the paper about an online fitness instructor called Lucy Wyndham-Reed. I took a look at her videos on YouTube and decided to give them a try - they appealed to me because they only lasted for 7 minutes which I felt would work for me once we returned to our school routine and I would have to fit my exercise into a tight morning schedule. Oh, I LOVE these exercises, they are fabulous. Seven minutes, seriously!!! The HIIT ones are my favourites as I really enjoy the intensity of them - you do seven different exercises and each one lasts for one minute with a 15 second rest in between. They go by so fast that before you know it the seven minutes is up and you've tucked a full body workout under your belt. I can highly recommend them ((on YouTube)) - I usually do a warm up first, then do two of the 7 minute ones back to back. I do this five days a week, Monday to Friday, and it as become an important part of my wellness journey. I do still do some Chloe Ting and Body Coach HIIT when I feel like a change, but the 7 minute LWR are my definite favourite.

Getting into regular exercise isn't easy from a mental point of view and it's very easy to put it off and procrastinate around it. I know because I have spent many, many years thinking about trying to exercise and never actually doing anything about it. The way I approach it these days is to set my intention the night before. I lay out my workout clothes right where I can see them beside my bed (yes, I invested in some proper workout leggings and a sports top and I love them) and I tell myself that as soon as I get up I will put them on and commit to making myself feel good. I set my alarm and I get up, get dressed for my workout and don't allow myself any excuse to wriggle out of it. Soon enough it became a habit that I don't even have to think about any more, it's just a regular part of my routine, a great way to start the day.

The thing I like most about Lucy W-R is her positive attitude. She has this phrase : "exercise is an investment in your future health" which has really stuck with me. Coming through the peri-menopause is hard, I had absolutely no idea how hard it would be or how flippin long it would last! I love to think about making my body as strong and healthy as it can be to carry me forward through this decade of mental and physical change. Committing to a daily exercise routine goes beyond wanting to lose weight or drop a dress size and becomes more about my vitality, my energy, my heart health, my strength and my mental wellbeing. And about beating those pesky hormones into submission too. All those things. I am investing in myself, and it feels soooooooo good.

:: HYDRATION ::

This is something I've really had to work on this year as drinking water doesn't come naturally to me (I'm a passionate coffee drinker, enough said). However it's an important part of the Slimming World routine, making sure you drink enough water each day to help with weight loss. But also, I find it does help with my concentration and my general well being if I keep myself hydrated throughout the day. I have this 600ml Systema bottle ((from Amazon HERE)) which I use throughout the day and I make sure to drink at least three of them. I always polish one off with my morning workout, and a second one when I do my daily walk through the woods. The third one gets drunk more slowly with my breakfast and lunch usually. I also drink two glasses of water with dinner so I manage to drink my two litres each day.

:: SLEEP and BEDTIME ROUTINES ::

If you've been reading my blog during the past few months you will no doubt have gathered how much I value my sleep and how much I adore my bed. I think having a routine and getting enough sleep is vitally important to maintain a good level of wellbeing and I try very hard to make this happen for myself. I have a few rules which I find help enormously....

1. I keep my mobile phone out of the bedroom - it gets plugged in to charge downstairs and I don't look at at after 9pm or before 8am.
2. Lovely cotton bedding and comfy feather pillows - bed should feel like a luxury. I also like to sleep with the window open (even in winter) as the cool fresh air does help me to sleep better.
3. I try and keep set times for going to bed and getting up. I am usually in bed by 9.30pm - I light my candle and allow myself at least half an hour to relax with a book or a magazine. I find I'm usually ready to sleep between 10 and 10.30. My morning alarm goes off at 6am and I allow myself an hour to get up, re-hydrate (usually a hot water with lemon and ginger) and wake up fully. No phone or emails at this time though, as tempting as it is to browse! Workout begins at 7am, no procrastinating!

Ahhh, this has turned into a mammoth blog post, well done if you've made it through to the end. I hope you've found my journey of some interest, it has certainly been a year of positive change for me, despite the restrictions of lockdown and all the emotional ups and downs. I am happy to report that I do feel well, really well actually. And despite the ongoing floofy brain and hormonal cray-cray, I feel better now than I have for many years. I'm determined to make my fifties a fabulous, thriving  decade of my life, and right now I do believe I'm on the right track.

If you have any questions, please do leave them in the comments and I will answer/help as best as I can.

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ps the above photo was taken on 31st July this year, a sunny day trip to paddle in the sea at St Annes. I was in my happy place and oh, it was glorious! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

Comments

[Heather]

Thank you Lucy, I have referred back to this post and it's comments several times. I began the workout you mentioned in January and together with some decorating at the end of last year have now lost 2 stone. I was a bit worried it was coming off too fast and just came back to reread it. I do feel healthy, we are the same age and height. I am now at 11 stone and will continue but keep an eye on toning up and nutrition. I am also taking vitamins. I have a veg box delivery, which i think has been key, so I just don't go in the supermarket anymore. So choice is restricted in a helpful way I think. Not so easy when there are other people in the house though. I get a stock cupboard delivery once a month. It's been incredible, so thank you.

[maxine]

I just read this from the link in today's post, 19Mar21, and am reinspired to buckle down a little more on my own wellness journey. One of my cornerstones in this effort is autoimmunewellness dot com. Not affiliated in any way, but a ton of helpful info and recipes that we so totally enjoy. Continued success to us both! Cheers!!

[JAMES]

Dear Lucy,
this is the first time I'm writing a comment. I've been following your blog for ages (like, 10 years?). I love the pictures you publish of your town, they make me dream of going where you live (I'm French). I've lived in Brightlingsea for one year when I was 20 (now I'm 47!), seems so long ago (I absolutely loved it!). Your town and environment seem so peaceful, lovely, simple and friendly.
I love the simple and happy way you make your everyday life a joy for your readers.
Thank you very much for being there, somewhere far away from me but still, very close!
Have a very nice day.
Muriel

[Annette]

Oh Lucy! I loved this post. Thanks for sharing. I'm right there with you, wanting to get into a routine that works but so far I haven't found my way... I'm a bit lost in this pre-menopause (or whatever it is called...) with unwelcome changes in body shape, mood swings, blues, brain fog, lack of energy, bad sleep, feeling overwhelmed and sluggish... I need to do something about it. so thank you for this post that inspires me to really REALLY become proactive and just DO IT! For the moment I'm working on a morning routine to stick with. I'm practising meditation to see if it will help with better sleep, more focus and stress release. I think I'll add YouTube Lucy to my regime. Looks like great fun and so easy to follow. Maybe I'll start tomorrow. Got me a new pair of training tights for my birthday. I'll put them next to the bed in the morning and we'll see how it goes. The exercise starts at 7 am. No procrastination. Let's do this! Courage, as we say here in French-speaking Switzerland. And well done you for sticking to your new lifestyle and making such great progress. You should be really REALLY proud of yourself. It is not easy. But you're doing it. Every day. "Exercise is an investment in your future health" Great quote.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Annette

[Alison Lawson]

You have inspired me to invest in my well being, thank you and keep it up

[Linda]

How wonderful, Lucy! I’m so happy to read of your successful wellness journey! Congrats to you, and thank you for taking the time to share about it—offering inspiration (and helpful links!) to others! ❤️

[Sue Crawford]

Thank you Lucy for this inspirational post. It was just what I needed right now. I live in Melbourne Australia and we are finally out of lock down and things are looking good for us now. The warmer weather is starting and I feel the need to start looking after myself better now we are out of the doom and gloom. You have provided the motivation I needed.

[Helen Davies]

Thank you for this post. I read it a few days ago now but it has really stayed with me and inspired me.

[Jackie Robertson]

Thankyou for this post. I’m currently going through ‘the hormone crap’ and for the first time ever, I have a belly!! I’ve tried exercising, but put it off after a few days as I feel ‘I have to get on with other things.’ I need to change my mindset to the fact that ‘it’s an investment into my future.’
I’m going to try this new mantra xx

[Jane]

Thank you Lucy for sharing you have been such an inspiration to me will check out those videos well done you have helped so many of us by sharing your day to day life xx

[Rachel]

Thank you for your honesty Lucy; I am in awe of your commitment to all these good things for yourself. I have recently discovered PERMA from Martin Seligman's book 'Flourish'. In these times where we are all coping with so much and are fearful for our safety or jaded with all of the restrictions he talks about how we need:- Positive emotions (feeling good), Engagement (finding flow) Relationships (positive relationships) Meaning (purposeful existence) Achievement(something to be proud of). Most of all be kind to yourself <3

[Gillian Greenshields]

Would love it if you posted some recipes from time to time (every day haha)

[Trish Annie Stevens]

Inspirational Lucy! I too am trying to look after my body through good nutrition and exercise. I hadn't come across Lucy WR before, but having just had a quick look, I plan to start using her 7 minute workouts. I wonder if you'd like to share your time-management strategy with us? I rarely relax because there always seems to be such a lot to do. I'd love to know how you manage work, family and all those lovely long walks.

[Joy]

Thank you for your interesting and inspiring post on your well being journey. Your posts have always been inspiring to me... the colourful story of your everyday activities are a must read... especially since March and the first lockdown.
I just wish I could crochet. I’m desperate to make one of your beautiful blankets. Stay well and thank you again. Best wishes Joy xxx

[Nancy Swank]

Thanks for sharing this, Lucy! I really enjoyed reading it, and you have a wonderfully kind, thoughtful perspective on health. So glad you are doing well!

[Filozailes]

Hello Lucy,
I m glad to see you have taken the command of your health.
It was the same for me during the period of 50.
Sorry, I go on in french, it's easier for me :o
Donc, oui, la période de la ménopause est compliquée et j'ai fait comme toi. J'ai trouvé d'autres moyens, mais tout aussi efficaces.
Si ça peut t'aider, pour les problèmes d'inflammations articulaires, j'ai utilisé l'huile essentielle d'eucalyptus citronné dans de l'huile de noisettes, c'est très très bien.
Et je profite de ce comm pour te dire merci pour tes généreux partages de crochet qui m'ont permis de me faire une couverture en chevrons sans problème.
A bientôt.

[Elaine]

Well done! I am inspired by your post. I had enjoyed your blog previously but assumed you were 'perfect.' It's reassuring to know that you struggle like the rest of us. My fitness has gone down during isolation (my first year of retirement!) and my weight has gone up. I'm going to check out the ex programs you recommended and I'll try to revamp my diet. Like you I want to eat healthily, without low fat substitutes and processed foods. Please keep us updated with your journey!

[Jules]

Just brilliant Lucy and congratulations for all your hard work! Thanks for sharing your journey with us. I started my exercising journey in my early fifties and have recently discovered Her Spirit on FB and Instagram. They do great Podcasts from women for women based around fitness but also around all aspects of life. There's a fantastic one by Dr Louise about the menopause...so interesting and feel all women should hear it! Link below.

https://bit.ly/34RiiLj

Also recommend the book Roar by Dr Stacy Sims #womenarenotsmallmen

Keep going! :)
Jules

[Laurel Pries]

Well Lucy, you've done it again...an awesome post!! I am well past my 50s, and 60s too, but still find your posts a pure pleasure!! You are such a talented inspiration for all of us. I am working on my 4th blanket of yours and so enjoy it (the Aria), and am soo looking forward to the new one in January! Although I am well old enough to be your mom, I find myself looking forward to each of your posts, so keep up the great job you do, even for us öld Ladies"! Best wishes, Laurel

[Anne Agar-krill]

Hi Lucy,I so needed to read your journey today.Thank you so much for sharing and congratulations on finding your way back to wellness .So inspiring!

[Susan]

I found this post very interesting. Lots of good ideas to think about as I need to improve my health. Thank you for taking the time to share this.

[Valentina]

Thank you Lucy for this lovely post! I'm still sligthly overweight after 2 pregnancies one right after the other but with my youngest being 3 now I really feel I should get going with losing it! I've never been a sporty person so your super quick workouts really appeal to me, I'll give them a try!

[Leslie Shrage]

Bless you, as always for writing the things that I feel. It is so good to "know" someone who is going through the same things as me, and feels the same as I do. Well done you for making lasting changes! It encourages me to try again.

[Vedette]

Thank you for sharing, Lucy, and congrats on your wellness journey. I am so happy for you! I am about to embark (once again) on a wellness journey. I just need more guidance this time around so I am using Virta Health here in the US, which specializes in metabolic health/diabetes reversal.

[Kathryn Grimshaw]

Thank you so much Lucy, for taking such a lot of time and effort to tell us about your journey over the past few months , and I applaud your commitment. You are an inspiration and I wish I had your will power and strength to commit to taking care of your wellness. I guess you already know what a strong and determined woman you are, but well done to you, it is quite a commitment. I do not have a huge amount of weight to lose , but I find it impossible to lose any! Well done for putting yourself first, I admire your willpower and determination. I am sure that you are amazed at
how many women ( myself included) empathise and feel they have so much in common with you. Thank you once again for sharing your journey, and I wish I had a smidgen of your will power strength, motivation and determination xx