What do you look forward to when you wake up?

11^th August 2014

If you don’t go after what you want, you’ve never have it.  If you don’t ask, the answer is always no.  If you don’t step forward, you’re always in the same place.  Nora Roberts.

Good morning world it’s a brand new day, did you see that Super Moon last night, how incredible was that, I don’t know what the forecast is for today, but at the moment it looks lovely and bright out there so in a moment I’m going to make me a cuppa and go sit outside for half hour, enjoy my garden and take it all in, my office and my garden are the two places I feel at peace no matter have crazy busy my life can get.  I look forward to writing my blog in a morning in my office, it helps set me up for the day and I always look forward to sitting in my garden and relaxing, it’s almost like there’s a button that gets switched when I go sit out there that doesn’t happen if I sit in the living room.

So here’s a few questions to ask yourself that were prompted by a book I was reading yesterday; what do you look forward to doing every day of your life?  Do you even enjoy your life or feel like you are constantly ‘having to’ do stuff?  If all you have to look forward to at the end of your day is food and eating it’s not surprising you have a weight problem.  If you feel like your day is filled with you constantly giving and doing for others and you’ve no time left for yourself, no wonder when you get home exhausted you head to the kitchen to ‘have something nice’ for yourself. 

What’s the solution?  Well you could look for some none food related things to look forward too, they don’t have to be expensive, extravagant experiences, it might just be making time to have a nice long bubble bath and taking half hour for yourself, or sitting down with a magazine and a cup of coffee for a ten minute chill out mid morning.  Make time for you because you’re important too, give yourself permission to be indulgent, have something to look forward to every day so you actually want to get out of bed!  There are lots of reasons we turn to food and this is one of them, an interesting one I think because I do know so many people who seem to be the ‘doers’ and never the takers or makers of their own pleasure apart from eating.

I think we all do this sometimes don’t we, had a bad day – eat to cheer ourselves up, someone upsets us – eat to feel better, and so it goes.  I don’t have any magic solutions I’m afraid but realising we do it helps with how we start to undo it.  If you notice when you’re about to go eat for an emotional rather than a physical reason you can start to question why and if it’s worth it. 

We had a delicious salmon dinner yesterday, so today we shall be having chicken – I love eating I do, but I do seem to be able to stop myself from overeating to excess most of the time now.  Still have my moment though, usually hormones are part of the reason but it’s getting better because I’m noticing the patterns and anticipating my behaviour.  Having only good food in my cupboards helps enormously, I know if I’d have had a drawer full of Walkers Cheese and Onion crisps, or salted peanuts in the cupboard last night, I’d have eaten them, no I wasn’t emotional, I was hormonal hungry, hence the reason there weren’t any of those types of food in the cupboard so that I wasn’t tempted.  I know I’m not that strong to resist at that time of the month but I can’t eat what isn’t there, I’m not one for testing my willpower when I don’t have to!

So today, I’m thinking chicken stuffed with St Agur cheese wrapped in chorizo and ham served on a bed of brown rice mmm nice.  I need to sit and think about some quick tea ideas for work nights, so that I’ve got it in my head ready or even in the fridge ready – that’d be even better, it’s the one meal that can catch me out so it’s the one I’m going to put some thought into. 

After a few crazy Weight Watcher work weeks, I’m getting back to my normal 45 hours a week which means I can fit everything else in as well, who knows I might even get some cleaning of the house done today ;) that’ll depend on the weather thought, rain means there’s a good chance of housework, sunshine means not a hope in hell!

On that note have a BeYOUtiful day, focus on the healthy and happy and take care of you. xx