LONDON DIARY : MY FITNESS JOURNEY 2016

I say fitness journey because this is definitely not the end but a pit stop to appreciate this milestone, if you like. I'm not the best person to talk about health and fitness because as you may have noticed, this blog chronicled my several attempts to get fit. Here are some journals from 2015, 2014 (juicing), 2014 (yoga) and 2013 (prepacked diet). So, what happened? You may ask. Let's just say it didn't yield the result I was expecting. And as I look back, I noticed these two things are very important if you want to maintain a healthy lifestyle:

a) sustainability (are they readily available, bet it food or exercise)

b) consistency (how frequent am I doing it, food choices and being active)

Picture on the left was taken last August 2015, right was taken this September 2016. I can't give you my weight numbers because I was afraid to step on scales before. :D I started my healthy lifestyle last July 2016 so it's barely 3 months!

Did I find the whole process easy? Heck no! Is it worth the results? 100% Yes! No matter how small the progress is. I decided to list down 3 key things I find helpful the past months.

TIP #1: ARM YOURSELF WITH FACTS AND INSPIRATIONS

Like in any other endeavour, I needed to sit down and come to terms with my 'current' reality. The weirdest thing is, I didn't notice I got extra weight during those times. Maybe because my friends and family were so nice not to point that out or maybe it's hard to tell the difference when you're looking at yourself in the mirror every day. There was no pivotal moment to be honest, because as I've said, this feat is a life-long goal that has been put on hold.

Last Christmas 2015, someone gifted me with a book and a yoga top. As I opened the gift, I can't help but think: What the fudge! Is this a subtle nudge telling me to lose weight? However, I find the book very interesting especially Ella's story: how she started, etc. She has a website, by the way. The book is full of appetising pictures too. My first attempt was to make a bowlful of sweet potato fries. I was blown away on how easy it is to prepare your own meal. It's also liberating because you know what's on your plate (literally).

After that, I began to read more health related books. I realised that if I take time to learn about financial investments and career materials, it's equally important that I set aside some hours to take care of my body. I've come across The Body Book by Cameron Diaz (yes, one of Charlie's Angels!), Wheat Belly by William Davis and Fork Over Knives (Netflix).

As I read and immerse myself with knowledge, I cannot help but act upon it! I am inspired to put real food in my body and put my energy to good use. Which leads me to my next point...

TIP #2: EAT REAL FOOD

There are 2 types of food. Real food and food that appears to be real. Real food includes blueberries, strawberries, broccoli and the like. Food that looks real (but aren't true food, if you ask your tissues and cells) includes fast-food burgers, etc, hotdogs and other processed food. I don't want to sound preachy so what I'll do is to list all the things I did as I transition to a healthy lifestyle:

- Drink loads of water (put lemon, cucumber or frozen berries to make it exciting!) I have a 1 liter glass pitcher on my office desk, I need to chug 2 of those within the day.

- Find ways to intake veggies (I make shakes i.e. spinach, strawberries, almond milk cacao powder)

- Go healthy (salmon over pork, sweet potato over potato fries, almond milk over cow's milk)

- Try to cook / bake your own food (make home baked cookies instead of store bought ones)

- Make it a point to eat produce at their closest raw stage if that makes sense :D Like, eat real avocados (season it with whatever) instead of avocado flavoured ice cream!

PS: I won't lie. I still eat chocolates because, hey! I just can't let go! :D But I'm munching Maltesers and other organic chocolates now rather than Snickers and Twixes! Lesser evil, people! Baby steps!

TIP #3: FIND WAYS TO EXERCISE

Humans are designed to be mobile. That's a fact. And (most of) us sitting behind a desk for 8 hours minimum is not a good use of our energy. Sure, our brain consumes energy but we still need to get moving to utilise our arms, legs and core. Looking back, this was the part that I lack consistency before. Part of the reason is because of work. I've hidden behind the guise of 'I-am-so-busy-with-my-career' and 'It's-so-inconvenient' for so many years and as a consequence: I got no result!

5 PLACES IN LONDON THAT YOU CAN ENJOY FOR FREE!

Cost of living is very expensive in London. According to Expatistan, United Kingdom ranks the second most expensive country to live (next to Switzerland); amongst all European countries. To put things into perspective, a bottle of water can cost Php 70 to Php 200 (depending on location). However, that's not to say that everything here has a hefty tag. If you're thinking of visiting London soon, please know that some places can be enjoyed for free!

Westminster Abbey
This includes Big Ben, London Eye, etc. Google has a plethora of ideas but personally, I can visit Big Ben every weekend. Every time, it just looks different. As you walk towards it, you'll see so many picturesque view and I swear, your camera will capture different shots depending on the season!

Abbey Road
The Beatles recording home. That says it all. It's quite mind boggling when I went there for the first time because my dad is a big fan of the band. Picture was from 2014 and just by looking at it, memories came rushing back. I was like barely a week old in the city when this photo was taken. You can have your photo op just be aware that this is a 'real' road so cars are going to and fro!

Sky Garden

Now, this is interesting because I literally just booked a reservation for us here. You can visit their SITE and you'll see a 'book for free' option (or something like that) on the upper right part of the page. You can't do walk-ins (even if it's free) and the slots are going so fast! It's a new experience for us and I'm really excited to view London from the top first hand!

Parks, parks and more parks

"So... how many major parks do you have in the Philippines?" One of my English friends asked me. I coughed lightly. To be honest, I only know of Rizal park. And not sure if there's a major or minor park. Whew. I just said I'm not that sure (which is the truth!).

I guess this is one of the many reasons I fell in love with London. They have so much park. In fact, a few steps away from my flat, there's a Wimbledon park. You can book all your weekends in a year and fill it with park visits if you want.

Obviously, spring and summer are my favourite seasons for park-ing (see what I did there!) but you'll find autumn interesting too. For winter, head on to Hyde Park for winter wonderland!

LONDON DIARY : SEPTEMBER FEELS

Hello Guys! Same old, same old. And by that, I mean,  'same old' yours truly not posting frequently on this blog. It's been a month since we've had our mini-Europe trip. I should say: that is one of my most memorable holidays! I've had so much fun and there's so many memories that will stay with me for a very long time.

LOCAL LOVIN'

Last Sunday, Gab and I went out for a walk at Wimbledon Park. As we went past through the streets filled with lush green grass, a wide array of shops greeted us. Name it: clothes (Sweaty Betty, LK Bennett, Hobbs), skin care (Space NK), organic food, homewares (Neom) etc. It dawned on me that even if I've been here for a good couple of months, I haven't explored Wimbledon properly. Last weekend was a good start, and we're definitely coming back for more.

WHAT'S THE POINT?

I've always been an advocate of 'promote what you love instead of bashing what you hate' mindset. However, I can't help but notice that there's so much shallowness on social media. I'm not excluding myself into this to the point that I thought: what's really the purpose of my blog? Is it a platform of happy, helpful thoughts or a mere list to showcase the things and places I've covered. In the final analysis, I think it's important that we sit back and assess: why do we do what we do?

GETTING BACK ON TRACK

I'm slowly getting back on my fitness and healthy lifestyle. I won't lie. It takes effort to stick with the plan and sometimes the scale getting stuck on a specific number doesn't help (ugh!). However, I commit myself to do this not only for aesthetics but most importantly, so that I'll live a happy, vibrant life inside and out! More chit-chats on this HERE.