My lack of a proper plan this week has been an absolute godsend. The pressure has been totally off, and I feel a million times better for it. I've been eating whatever I want - not restricting myself, feeling guilty or overindulging - and ironically as a result my diet's been much healthier, less stressful to maintain and I'm an awful lot more focused. Clearly I thrive on opposite ends of the spectrum: either with an extremely strict diet or with no limits at all. It's when I'm stuck in a faffy panic-striken limbo that it all goes to pot and I lose all sense of normality and control. Now I've shaken off the shackles of the 90 Day SSS - both physically and mentally - it's like I'm free to move forward and find what works best for me. For the first time in weeks I feel like I've lost weight too. I haven't been weighing or measuring myself, but instead going by eye and how my clothes feel, and this week I think I've definitely turned a corner by losing a layer of insulation. I can't express quite how good that feels. Over the last few weeks I haven't felt or looked like I've put on weight at all, but my uniform of leggings and baggy Harry Potter t-shirts (working from home has its advantages) have not only hidden a multitude of sins but also contributed to my increasingly sluggish and frumpy mindset. I've felt big even when I'm not, so it's pretty great to have slightly sharper edges and recharged energy levels again.
(IMAGE SOURCED FROM www.twitter.com/smrtgrls)
Also, I've bitten the bullet and started the BBG again. I haven't worked out properly - i.e. planned sessions where I've pushed myself to my limits - in over a month. I've had the odd impromptu workouts but I really haven't given them my all. I'm not going to lie, yesterday (week 1 legs and cardio) was an enormous shock to the system! Everything hurts a little today and stairs are virtually impossible, but I don't mind as I know it's worth it. While my fitness levels might have dropped more than I would have liked I'm definitely not back at square one: I found my notes from when I first tried the BBG in May, and yesterday I completed each circuit in half of the time it took last time, and so I repeated them twice more to make up for it. I may not be where I'd like to be, but I'm clearly heading in the right direction.
(GIF SOURCED FROM www.buzzfeed.com)
In addition, my head's in a pretty fantastic place right now. The BFI London Film Festival is my absolute favourite time of the year - rivalled only by Christmas! - and I'm spending the 12 days of the festival frantically popping back and forth to London to catch as many screen talks and films as I can. There's something incredibly special about being back in my favourite city, seeing my favourite people and indulging in my favourite things. My head's clicked back into place and I'm more inspired, giddy and generally content than ever. Although everything's a little hectic at the moment I think I need it and if anything it'll help enormously in the long-run. In the past I've been buzzing from the festival for months afterwards, so I'm pretty excited to see if I can ride this wave of film-induced happiness all the way to Christmas and beyond. When I feel this good everything else seems to slot into place. Film has a magical way of making me feel invincible and like nothing can hold me back from achieving my dreams, and the timing couldn't be better for a dose of this self-confidence!
(GIF SOURCED FROM www.buzzfeed.com)
Basically, life is good. I'm going to try out loosened-reins on the diet front in conjunction with a concerted effort to complete the BBG and see where it takes me. Maybe the combination of no food boundaries and strict exercise boundaries could work wonders? I don't know for sure but I think it's worth a shot! For now I'm going to soak up the atmosphere on the Southbank before settling in at the cinema to lose myself in another world. Life doesn't get much better than this.
No comments:
Post a Comment