I’m sick of feeling crap due to my lifestyle

[ILiveInSalemsLot]

I eat too much sugar and crap. I don’t drink enough water. I don’t exercise much at the moment.
I sleep too late and spend far, far too much time on my phone.
I really want to change all this so I’m making a start today, and hopefully I’ll lose weight and start to feel better.
I’m not going drastic but things like include fruit and veg with every meal, stopping snacking, walking more, going to bed at 10.30 and spending 2hrs on my phone only.
I want to pick up a book instead of my phone.

If you’ve made these kinds of changes, please tell me how it was for you and inspire me

I know lots of women who did C25K because thye wanted to do more excercise and it had a dramatic effect on their lives. They mostly felt much fitter , better mood, slept better. . Some started parkrun and made a lot of new friends.

Exercise makes you want to eat better quality food too.

What worked for me was a little at a time. I had a lot of changes to make so started small- eg first week no fizzy pop before say 3pm, then the second week before 7pm. First week healthy breakfast every day, second week healthy breakfast plus healthy snack and so on. A gradual approach was easier for me to maintain than a big bang.
And yes to c25k. That’s a build up gradually to better fitness and the guided app is fab!

Thinking purely about the reading thing, don't be overambitious with the reading targets. If you set yourself 52 books in a year, you will falter at the first hurdle. You know your own tastes, but if I'm struggling to read, I either re-read an old favourite or I go for crime as a page-turner, and I set myself a number of pages/chapters, depending how low on focus I feel. I don't start trying to read Finnegans Wake if I'm already struggling.

I’m 4 stone down from 20 stone through exercising 5 times a week and eating a very lean diet. Don’t get me wrong I still eat nice food but I can moderate myself my better.

I take daily vitamins and have stuck rigidly to a skin care regime over my whole body.

Although I’m still big and have a long way to go I don’t ache when I move, I have energy and feel a hell of a lot better.

I am also able to easily deforest my nether regions as I can reach for the first time in a few years. It was the realisation that I was not far off being unable to reach my own arse to wipe it that lead me to change my life.

I give myself a challenge each season and hopefully the habit will stick. Previous challenges have been no snacks unless its the weekend, eat 5 a day, then eat 10 a day, C25k, keep running 3 times a week, gave up smoking, etc

I came on to say couch 2 5k too.

It's life changing. Especially when you start parkruns.

I'm feeling exactly the same as you at the moment! Too much wine, too overweight, eating horrendously and just feel bleurgh in general, all of the time.
I saw a beginners running class starting in a couple of weeks, building up to a 5k. I'm seriously considering it.....

There are a lot like us about! Following this with interest.

I used to be an avid reader. And living in London with no car, I walked a lot. Those two things have changed for the worse following the arrival of smart phones/social media, and a move to a small town.

I dint drink enough water.

I cut down on sugar from June and have seen a difference - my waist and cheekbones have reappeared and a couple of people have asked if I've lost weight. This has inspired me to improve in other areas. I've recently stopped eating crisps and savoury snacks in the hope of losing more pounds. I've applied for a promotion at work. I'm doing some home improvements. Reconnected with a couple of old mates. Things like that.

Ditto Following

I've been using an app called Habitica and setting up things I want to do or to avoid. So for example I have a habit set up as positive and negative, marked as 'eat veg/junk' - I don't want to use a proper diet app that logs every single thing I eat but this is enough to hold me accountable. I also have things like yoga class and 20 minute walk etc. You could set one up for 'drink water' too. And a to do for one book per fortnight/month.

Personally I don't like running. I like walking, I like yoga, I like weights and other forms of exercise, but that's quite a personal thing. find a form of exercise that works for you and that you enjoy. And work it in in baby steps otherwise it's easy to get overwhelmed and chuck the lot, or at least it is for me.

If you’re not into running, or sadly can’t run without pain (that’s me) then I can’t recommend Jillian Michaels fitness DVDs highly enough....30 Day Shred. 20 mins EVERY day....Superb...coupled with power walking in the fresh air🤩. I am still working on the water drinking, reading, less social media, less internal worrying and less self destructive thinking but hey Rome was not built in a day...

I started by reducing wine to a couple of glasses at the weekend - this improved how I felt in the morning.
I then gave up snacking (always had my hand in the biscuit tin). I have lost weight slowly (I am in my 50's which doesn't help - 1.5 stone took about 6 months).
I am walking more - two/three times a week.
I have also tried to become happier about my appearance by getting my hair cut more regularly, looking after my sink etc..
I also want to read more - too much time spent on MN - I love Kate Atkinson so going to get her new book.
All small steps and I do feel better about myself. You can do this..either more quickly than me or take a more gradual approach.

Yes I’m the same. I’m planning to make some changes when the kids go back. I also think that some changes will naturally occur when we are all back in our routines.

I started leaving my phone downstairs and having my kindle by my bed instead. I read loads but have slipped again.

I'd love to know how to manage my phone use. I complain about the kids but I'm just as bad if not worse. I can't not have a phone because it's for work but I am distracted by it all the time. I used to be so good at getting things done...

I'm 15 stone down from 19. Slow gradual changes have worked for me.... longer dog walks, no sugar or sweetener, small and regular meals. I'm also vegetarian so was eating way too many carbs. Being diagnosed T2 diabetic a few years back was my trigger.... something had to change. I feel so much more energetic and healthier, even though I've still got another 3 stone or so to go.

It’s great to read all your posts.
Couch to 5k sounds good and I’ve done it before but I don’t feel like I have energy for it yet. Maybe in a few weeks. I just want to walk more at the moment.
The app sounds good but I think I need to step away from my phone more. I might pick up a notebook instead and use that for forming new habits and checking off lists.
I’ve picked up quite a light book from the library (The Playdate) so I’m just going to ease myself back into reading. I feel like my phone has ruined my concentration.
I’ve done well with water and fruit and veg today.

I went cold turkey with the phone -straight in the drawer when I got into work.
That's 2 hours a day back.
I joined slimming world -your GP can refer you and you get 12 weeks free.
I started getting out more -early morning before walk with the dogs.
I'm 2 stone lighter already.
We all have green tea, smoothies, eat healthy because I'm only cooking one slimming world meal.
Housework is split -we sit down and they all get choices. Easy really didn't seem it at the time.
Go cold turkey with your phone -you won't regret it.

I think it's around 66 days before something becomes a new habit....... that's why making slow changes works far better than a drastic change you can't stick to.

I have the same struggles OP. This is what's works for me.

Set alarm for 6 and get up, then drink a multivitamen in a pint of water.

I go out running 3 x a week (started with c25k)

Eat a cooked breakfast. E.g. Omelette and cup of tea. I don't look at my phone until breakfast.

If my day has started well then it's easier to keep making healthy choices.

I go to bed as early as I can, leave phone downstairs charging, but I do take iPad up with me!

Every few weeks I'll read a book for a few days instead. It's one way of taking a break from it.

Having said all that, over the summer ive been overeating and online and sleeping later but, starting Monday, I'm back on it!!

It's a battle OP!

I think it depends on your personality type as to whether you can switch from "unhealthy/bad habits" to "gold star" in stages or whether you need to take a deep breath and risk being thoroughly miserable/give up after a couple of days.

It is like you are doing a "dry January", but you are giving up other things.

Good luck OP.

I think I have to just get going with this. It’s the lack of energy that’s affecting me mostly. I have days where I’m just plodding along.
I do go out with the kids but some days I feel so lethargic that I can’t be bothered.
I barely have energy to read with my dcs. Yesterday, dd was begging for another chapter but I was exhausted and ended up getting annoyed because all I could think of was getting back downstairs to collapse in front of the tv. Poor dd.
I’m pretty sure it’s lifestyle related as I usually feel fine when I’m eating well and not on my phone so much.
I’m going to start taking some floradix too in case I’m low in iron, which I always have been whenever I’ve had blood tests.
Good luck to everyone else trying to make changes.

I think you might be me op.

I really need to get more sleep, more exercise and eat loads less.

I have managed to cut cans of coke down to once or twice a week, where.previously it was up to 2 litres a day.

Might be worth getting a blood test too if you haven't had one recently, mine has shown I'm vitamin d deficient which obviously hasn't helped me feel motivated to get off my arse.

So many of us, not sure whether that’s heartening or depressing tbh I’m concentrating on sleep this coming week, aiming for 8 hours within ‘normal’ sleeping hours (I’m a night owl and struggle to sleep before dawn ) but sticking to my get-up time even if I can’t sleep til 3am. Wish me luck!