10 simple changes I made to help me lose a Stone! (And that number continues to shrink!)

So over the years my weight has gone up, down, sideways and all the way around! But having done a LOT of homework and even studying Gym Instruction & Personal Training I decided to make some achievable changes to my Daily routine that helped so much!

1. - Drink 2 Litres of Water every day - NO EXCUSES! Not Fruit Juice, not Tea; Plain and simple Still Natural Water. If you only take one thing from this list; Take THIS!!!

2. - Get Up Earlier - Over sleeping can lead to sluggishness which leads onto you eating junk or more food than you had planned resulting in weight gain.

3. - Have a Breakfast - Put Oats and milk in the fridge overnight, make a smoothie, even eat a health bar but EAT SOMETHING NUTRITIOUS for breakfast. Don't go hungry or you'll over eat all day and make really crappy choices.

4. - Stop Adding Sugar - Just stop, cut it out, don't put it on your porridge (use berries), dont put it in your tea or coffee (suck it up and don't be whinging at me!) Just stop putting it in things that it doesn't NEED to be in. And if you absolutely have to have something sweet; seek out natural Honey and add a tiny drop of that instead.

5. - Buy Good Runners and Insoles if needed - One thing that put me off exercise was the pain I would get in my feet and legs because of tightened muscles from years of dancing. The most important thing I did was invest in a decent pair of Asics Runners and Insoles to help the pain. You may not need insoles, check with your physio but they definately helped with my pain.

6. - I started drinking Aloe Vera - This one is not for everyone; I did a 9 day cleanse with the Forever Living products and as soon as I started I was hooked. No it is definitely not the nicest taste in the world but you do get used to it and there are different flavours to choose from. It's a lot better than most of the Tonics I've ever been on in my life and I find it gives me so much energy and helps me make good decisions throughout the day because I've started it correctly!

7. - Have a Pampering Shower & Stick your Gym Clothes on - If you feel good and you are ready to exercise then you've just moved one step closer to making it a routine. Also, when we look after ourselves daily and make it a choice and need rather than an afterthought, we make better choices during the day too because we feel like we value ourselves.

8. - Cook From Scratch - It's cheaper, saves you monies, is better for your waist line and your intestines and you can prepare a batch load in advance! I got a bunch of sectioned containers on Groupon.ie and made up big quantities of my favourite healthy nutritious meals (took me less than an hour and a half and I had 10 meals for 5 days done!) Then you can freeze them or use them one by one from the fridge.

9. - Keep a Food Journal - When my weight plateau'd and I couldn't understand why, I decided to take a second diary (as I have a habit of buying multiples forgetting where I put the previous one) and call it my accountability tracker. Every day I track water; Exercise; Food & Spending which helps me be more aware of the areas that I tend to fall down on most.

10. - Don't Keep Sweets, Crisps or Chocolate (Unless its Dark) in the House! - I only keep 56 - 70 % Dark Chocolate in the house, I get the bars with added orange or almond and then when I have some it actually feels like I'm being cheeky when in actual fact, you'll rarely get past half the bar and it satisfies you faster. If someone brings cakes or biscuits to your house, (unless they're the super fancy kind - savour every tiny bite of those) pass them on to your family, friends or neighbors. Or donate to food drives in your supermarket; pop it in your shopping bags on the way to the Supermarket and donate it before you even begin your shop. Alternatively. If you have several; Make a hamper and raffle or donate it for your chosen charity.

Don't Make Excuses! You need to live in your body for a long time yet so you might as well make it a bit healthier everyday. Don't go overboard and try to implement all of the above at once. Pick one or two changes a week or a fortnight and take it little by little. Good Luck and I hope you enjoy any of the changes you make.

Lots of Love,

Liz xxx