{mally powell}

100 days healthier: days 7 - 14

This week has been a bit better than last, though still far from exemplary. So much for my plan for three runs, I managed zero. In my defence, I've been surrounded by poorly males this week and both time and energy have been limited.

I've gone off the rails a bit this weekend, though not as wildly as last week. There was a biscuit baking experiment, which I probably should have thought better of, and I made marmalade. Consequently I have eaten rather a lot of toast...

On the up side, the pint of water before meals habit is easing into routine - not perfect but I remember more often than not. And I've been eating a lot more fruit and veg.

So, my Two Tiny Things for this week are to:
Take my Floradix tonic every morning
replace milk with almond milk.

The Floradix (essentially an extract of lots of vegetable based iron, vitamins and minerals. Not entirely yummy, despite their best efforts with fruit juices, but fine with a fresh juice chaser) works for me when I need a bit of a prop to get exercising. Once I start exercising, I have more energy, but getting started from a low can be tough.

I've cut down on coffee lately but I still drink a LOT of tea. And my tea comes milky. I try to stick to chai as I can enjoy that without sugar, but once or twice a day I'll have a builders brew. A builders brew with almond milk is just not the same; in chai its OK, but I have a limit. See my thinking? Cunning eh? I'm aiming to ease up on my tea habit and replace it with herb/fruit teas, but thats quite a big ask and we're talking about tiny things here. Baby steps.

My mum - 68 in a matter of weeks, breast cancer survivor, pace maker user, all round superstar - ran her first half marathon at the weekend having started from a base of no running at all last autumn. And - at the other extreme of the kick-up-the-bum scale - my lovely, feisty great-aunt passed away the same day. So. No more excuses, this is the week when I get back out on the road, and do some stretchy goodness in between.

Oh, and I STILL didn't do my measurements. I'll do it this week... Probably.

Watch me go (puff puff blow)!

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Previous tiny things:
Drink a pint of water before meals
Eat something green every day

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Practically health food: cheaty cheesecakes

I made these last night, expecting them to turn out like little baked custards. The taste and texture is actually closer to a baked cheesecake which, once my tastebuds adjusted to the idea, is a very good thing. They are very easy and virtually 'guilt free', but they taste like a proper pudding. H'rah!

To make around 10 small cheesecakes:

350g vanilla yogurt (I used one of the newish £1 mid-size pots of fat free yeo valley organic)
Pinch of vanilla powder or teaspoon of vanilla extract (optional - I'm a big vanilla fan)
4 eggs, beaten.

Mix all ingredients together and divide between silicone fairy (cup-) cake cases arranged in a roasting pan. I put them in a cake tin first then made a Bain Marie by filling the roasting tin with boiling water to about half way up the cake tin, but now I realise they aren't custard-ey I'm pretty sure this isn't necessary.

Bake in a medium oven (190/350 degrees) for around 30 minutes until just set.

Cool in the cases or refrigerate over night.

Enjoy with fruit of your choice.

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100 days healthier: days 1-7

The theory goes that the first week of a challenge should be filled with vim, resolution and enthusiasm. It's an excellent theory, and one which I wish was true in my case...

The reality is that I sort of forgot, and then on Friday I made Chelsea-ish buns (moreishly good, recipe to follow) for a special valentines breakfast and (later!) drank far too much wine. Consequently I spent the rest of the weekend eating chocolate and carbs. And cheese.

Because I'm clever that way.

So I'm not expecting miracles on the scales or tape measure tomorrow (not least because I forgot to take starting line measurements/weight/photos. As I said: clever).

It wasn't a total dead loss, though. I did make some incremental improvements:
- I did a couple of workouts, and enjoyed them.
- I remembered to drink a pint of water before my meals a few times, and felt better for it.
- I tried to make healthy choices (some of the time) and replaced my desk sweetie stash with a fruit bowl. In fact, it was going pretty well - in a low key sort of way - until I went slightly mental at the weekend.

Today is a new week. I plan to consolidate and build on those little wins. I'll also do the measurements thing and run three times. Yes - three! Not once on Monday and then skip it for the whole week, thus ensuring zero progress and nagging guilt. Like a boss.

I'm also going to break out the Floradix tonic and green smoothies. Because I need to find some energy from somewhere, and apparently mainlining caffeine is 'a bad idea'...

100 days healthier

So. 2013. That was a toughie... Lots of Big Stuff - some really good, mostly not so fun - resulted in seriously disappointing progress against goals and a whopping two stone (28lb) weight gain (comfort each much?).

This year started out with good intentions and initial progress but has already been waylaid by more Big Stuff. I'm struggling with my weightloss goals, my exercise goals, my budgeting goals, my personal development goals, my make-and-do goals, my home improvement goals...

I think I may have too many goals.

So I've decided to keep it simple. For 100 days, starting next Monday - 10 February to 21 May 2014 - I am concentrating on establishing some healthy habits. I want to:

Get back into healthier eating habits

Establish a sustainable exercise routine

Practice kind/positive self talk (I really need to stop the 'I'm so rubbish at.../too fat...' etc in front of the boy)

Make more time for Girl Stuff (doing my make up, having pretty nails, hair that's 'done' not just stuffed up in a rubbish knot. (Good knot - fine, just not the rubbish ones)

Also, I'd like my underwear to fit again!

Thing is, I am so BORED of dieting (I put on most of that weight while 'on a diet'. Make of that what you will...). Looking back at pictures of myself a year ago (on a diet, dissatisfied with myself, looking great!) I have come to a realiseation that I just can't diet any more. Right now, I am well and truly Over It. Hence the emphasis on establishing sustainable healthy habits:

* Herbal tea instead of builders/coffee in the week

* Drink a pint of water before each meal

* Good bread at the weekend, none in the week.

* Minimise processed food

* Minimise sugar

* Maximise fruit, veg, lean protein and healthy grains

* Some sort of exercise every day. Some days a little, some a lot; I want to be able to run 5k comfortably by May 21st.

Lets see how this new approach works. I'm hoping for a little less lard, and a lot more energy.

Go me!