Love yourself from the inside out!

When I was at the swimming pool today, a lady I have got speaking to told another lady that was there that I sometimes do 100 lengths.

This other woman, rather than say 'Oh well done' or anything complimentary, instead just gave me one of those looks up and down, you know the sort only women can give, which in an instant can wipe out all your confidence and make you feel like you should be apologising for being you!

Her withered look basically said all that was obviously going through her mind, 'But you're fat, you can't possibly be fit'.  Maybe I am being unfair, maybe she wasn't thinking that at all, but the look certainly said she was, and the tight little smile she managed afterwards followed it up.

Once upon a time one of those looks would have sent me scurrying back into the changing room and hiding till everyone had gone, made me lose all self worth and make me hate myself.

However today, I just smiled broadly at her, right into her face, and said 'Yep, I certainly do, and I love it' and walked off to the pool.

I didn't give a damn what she thought, it made no difference to me, she was nothing to me, I was there to do something about my weight, and nothing she said or did was going to change that, I was doing it for myself, not for her or anybody else's approval. 

~BREAKFAST~

 

This is one of my favourites, although most people would probably balk at the though of eating it at 6.30 in the morning, but I love it.  Breakfast is my favourite meal of the day, it has to be something I love and that excites me.

So it was two slices of Nimble wholemeal topped with a tin of mackerel in brine (drained obviously), with lots of vinegar and white pepper.

I toast one side of the bread then before toasting the other side I spread a little Flora Lighter than Light and arrange the mackerel on top and season it, then grill.  Once toasted and warmed through I season liberally again with vinegar. 

I had this with another half a grapefruit, again grilled and topped with cinnamon.  Delicious.

~MID MORNING SNACK~

 

Today, as I had had such a filling breakfast, I just nibbled on some of the almonds, apricots and seeds that I keep in a tub on my desk.

Just a little handful is enough to keep the energy boosted and the blood sugar levels stable.

~LUNCH~

 

Lunch today was not the prettiest to look at, but still tasted good.    I mixed some ready cooked quinoa with some flaked poached salmon and little brown shrimps, and added some chickpeas.    I I dressed it a dressing made of rapeseed oil, white wine vinegar, dijon and wholegrain mustard and honey.  Then finished it with a squeeze of lemon just before I ate it.  Was very filling though, didn't manage to eat it all!

 

~AFTERNOON SNACK~

 

Had to go shopping after swimming today so when I got home I just picked at some mango chunks I had picked up, love mango! They taste so good you forget the are healthy!

Amongst their many, many benefits, they are good for the skin.  Mangos contain beta-carotene, which is converted by your body to vitamin A. That and vitamin C are crucial for skin self-repair.  You can even mash them up and make a face mask, great for unclogging pores and reducing pimples.

~DINNER~

 

Tonight was a 'bung it in and see' dinner, and it was a huge success!

Bacon, Chorizo and Kale spaghetti.

I chopped a couple of mini chorizo sausages and dry fried them in a pan to release their oils.  I then wiped the pan of the oils.  I took some lean bacon medallions, cut them into strips and added them to the chorizo and cooked it all till crisp. 

I then added a chopped up red onion and cooked till softened, further adding some chopped up asparagus, a couple of handfuls of kurly Kale and some frozen peas and let it all cook down a little. 

In the meantime I added some wholewheat spaghetti to a pan of boiling water and let it cook.

I then added a couple of tablespoons of philadelphia extra light and a ladle of the pasta water and let it melt in.  Finally I gave it a good dose of white pepper and some chilli flakes, added the drained pasta and mixed it all together.  Served with a sprinkle of freshly grated parmesan cheese on top.

It was soooo good and soooo tasty, Matt practically licked the bowl out!!!

 

 

~EXERCISE~

 

So today was back in the pool.  My body had had lots of lovely rest over the weekend and I was full of energy and ready to go again.  I absolutely love being in the water, it totally, totally relaxes me.  With every stroke I love the feeling of pushing through the water  and feeling it 'slosh' back over your body.

 

The pool was pretty empty today which always makes me just keep going for as long as possible whilst I can.  I swam for about 1 hour 15 minutes, and I think I hit just short of 100 today, I only got out because I knew I had to go shopping.

 

I heard a saying the other day of  'Don't count the laps, just make sure each lap counts' and that is what I am now trying to do.  Putting every effort into each lap to ensure I am pushing my body to its full capacity and getting the most out of it, not overworking it to ensure I reach a certain number!  If it has had enough, I will stop, knowing I have given it a good workout.

 

Thanks again for reading
Jo
xx