I know, most normal people do resolutions in January. This has never worked for me. January is a terrible time to give up comfort food and booze, or to try and start exercising more. Too cold, wet and dark out. Much rather stay under a slanket on the sofa eating leftover Christmas treats.
Much as I’ve felt an improvement in my health having “gone Paleo”, I have let bad habits (too much dairy in the form of cheese and milky coffee; too much alcohol) creep back in and I’m worried I’m undoing all the good work as my ailments are stating to return:
- Sluggish and no energy in the mornings
- Poor sleep
- Blotchy skin
- Extreme hayfever symptoms
- Generally feeling a bit meh
It’s a vicious circle as the less energy I have, the less I want to go to the gym and more I want to down lattes and vino. Summer has (apparently) begun and I’d like to feel like I can enjoy it this year so I need to get back on track. This is no 900kcal/day diet or juice detox, just me actually sticking to the plans I made a year ago, so the recovery plan for the 30 days of June goes thus.
What?
- Dairy intake reduced to 250ml (that’s about 1 latte and 2 cups of tea)
- Alcohol reduced to maximum 14 units per week (in line with health guidelines not to exceed 2-3 units per day)
- Get out for a walk or cycle every day, including gym days
- Up my game at the gym – not just Body Balance and Zumba classes
How?
- No coffee shop visits, and replace hourly tea and coffee with water
- Stick to sharing a bottle of wine with 1 meal a week, and only have beer at the weekend
- Walk or run 30mins every morning, before having mid morning coffee. Cycle to the gym instead of driving
- Integrate twice weekly weights programme