Find Your Sober Glow!

One of the reasons I started this blog was to document how my life has changed by stopping drinking and exercising more – hence the name!! But more importantly I hoped it would help anyone looking at making the same changes in their lives. Since I started blogging I have had a number of emails asking about my exercise programme, or how to get started. (All I can provide is advice based on my experience as I’m not qualified in this area! But hopefully it will help!)

I am certainly not someone who has always exercised, apart from playing netball at school, and having a 6 month period at a gym in my early twenties!  Exercise hasn’t been a big part of my life until recently! I was in my worst physical shape after having my two girls because being a mum was my priority (same as a lot of other mums out there), and it wasn’t until my youngest started preschool that I attempted to get myself back into shape.

To start off with I  began running, well jogging, well hyperventilating……. that just put me off and made me realise how out of shape I actually was, but it gradually got easier. Then a mum from school recommended the Jillian Michaels 30 day shred dvd, which started me off  using small hand weights. I was still drinking and my diet was all over the place but I gradually saw the weight coming off slowly. The problem was I would workout in the week, not drink most nights and not eat a lot most days, then by the time the weekend came around I would feel like I ‘deserved’ to drink and eat whatever I wanted, and not exercise – the weekend was my time off. Now this is fine and I totally agree with giving yourself a break and not being too strict with your diet but the problem was I would just feel so rubbish by Monday that it would take me until mid-week to get exercising and eating healthy again. I can see now that it was a crazy, vicious circle, but of course I couldn’t see that then!

So for me it was only when I stopped drinking that I saw a huge change in my energy levels and motivation to exercise.

About two years ago my friends boyfriend started his own personal training business and he introduced me to weight training.  I loved it from the start, lifting weights makes you focus on being strong, not skinny and that was a whole new way of thinking for me. I was still a bit hit and miss with exercising and would be committed for a few weeks then do nothing for a while. It was only when I stopped drinking that I started to exercise regularly. I started doing both weights and running and I began to see the change in my weight and body shape.  The main thing wasn’t what I was doing it was the fact that I was being consistent, there were no weeks off or hangovers that took over the beginning of the week and no weekend binges. Regular, consistent exercise and a healthy, balanced diet with weekend treats (sometimes daily treats!) is what has worked for me.

So am I addicted to exercise……? Erm I’m not sure really!! All I know is that it clears my head, lifts my mood, helps me deal with life better and I feel healthier than I have done in a long, long, long  time! Plus (and probably the most important) I eat more now than I have ever done!! Major bonus!

So if you’re trying to cut down or quit the booze, try to make regular, consistent exercise your focus. It doesn’t have to be anything too strenuous, just a daily walk or exercise dvd, just something to change your mindset and get you on track to being healthy and feeling fab!

And to anyone following me on the 100 day challenge, comment and let me know how its going? I’m going to be honest some days it has been hard for me to fit exercise in but I feel like I can’t give up now, so it’s keeping me on track! Hope its going well for you 100 day challengers – we’ve got this!!

Angie xx