Post operative fitness

Hey guys, sorry for my radio silence. With a combination of new job, new town and an unexpected operation meaning I couldn't exercise for 6 weeks I've been feeling a little uninspired on both the trainers and the treats front.

It's been more a time of fighting fire. Working late, and eating pretty poorly. 

However on Friday I got the thumbs up from the docs to start exercising again (two days before run to the beat, needless to say I had to drop out) and I'm finally getting to grips with the new job and am beginning to be able to leave somewhere a little closer to on time meaning my evenings are free for exercise and cooking healthy meals!

I have some new golden rules for health at fitness thanks to the extensive reading I've been doing over the last few weeks....

I've also been getting some great tips from some fantastic blogs I've discovered such as Naturally Leah and The Londoner (which has some amazing recipes on such as guilt free egg fried rice (without the rice))

I've also been finding lots of yummy recipes and been trying out a few new cookbooks (posts to follow)...

So here are my new golden rules (for those of you that are interested...)

• Monday to Friday lunch time is healthy and fitness time - for me, having a structure to being healthy and keeping fit works. If I have strict boundaries on my healthy eating and exercising I tend to stick to it better, knowing I'll have treats at the weekend.
• Weekends I eat healthy 50% of the time. Don't get me wrong. Weekends are for treats. But I've found if I eat crap all weekend I never lose weight and put all my hard word to shame. So I've decided every other weekend meal I can choose unhealthy options if I so wish (kinda fits into the 80% 20% overall rule)
• Just because I'm eating out doesn't mean I have to eat unhealthily. This idea came from a book I recently read called the Manhattan Diet, a book about New York women and how they stay so slim despite the huge number of fabulous restaurants in NYC. Its a great read to help pick healthier dishes in restaurants rather than just going for it like I usually do....
• Variety. In Everything. I am the kind of person who gets bored unbelievably easily. So I've discovered I eat better and exercise better if I have tons of variety. I've found this easier to do with eating -  I have so many cookery books its insane, but have realised its time to spice up the old exercise side of things. I had got to a point where all I was doing was running, but now I've joined Pure Gym (15.99 a month and open 24 hours) for classes like spinning, yoga, circuits and joined a miltary fitness group with a running club for some ourdoor fitness fun! Not to mention found my local pool does free swims on a thursday (many london pools have the same on a friday)
• Organising leisure activities that involve exercise. Meeting a friend for a run or cycle, going for a long walk with parents, going on a pedalo in a London Park or booking an afternoon horseriding. Every friend I've asked has said yes!
• Book lots of events. My last new rule is something I've found hugely useful. If I book events then I'm motivated to train and motivated to push myself harder to get a new PB. Simples

So what this space, there are tons of new posts coming your way!'