Anyone want to join me in a March "glow up"?

[LavenderIsland]

Getting ready to emerge from wintery clothes and comfort food and wanting to look better, I feel it's time to sort things out.
Starting a bit before March to give myself 6 weeks to lose a stone and sort out my skin and hair, I'm doing the following -

Eat nutrient rich food
No snacking
Daily walk
15 minute daily weight workout
Daily skin care and moisturising
Haircut
Weekly face mask
Weekly hair mask
Foot mask

As well as that I'm starting to declutter and want to read instead of being on my phone at night.

Come join in

All this sunshine down south is helping massively. I’ve managed to get outside in the sun every day, and remembered to put on some SPF! Today was meant to be a lazy pyjama day but it’s too beautiful outside so I’ve already loaded DS’s bike into the car and we’re going to drive to a beautiful cycle route later to explore. I’ll do a brisk walk whilst he cycles ahead. Just waiting for the food shop to arrive then I’ll do some lunch before we head out.

I had an awful episode of biliary colic on Friday night that lasted a couple of hours so I’ve got to be really careful with my diet now. It’s very stressful as I’m dealing with gallstones and POTS whilst also trying to do low carb and lose weight and be more active. Very tricky balance! So I’m sticking with plain chicken or fish and veg, with a packet of ready salted crisps every so often for salt intake. Swapped milk in my tea for soya.

Skincare is going strong though and I’ve been adding tanning drops to my moisturiser every morning, and gradual tan all over every evening. I’ll switch to every other evening when I get to the level of glow I’m happy with!

Oh dear, I’d rather not die!

Pole dancing is literally my therapy although I get a lot of judgement for it 🙈.

Paddleboarding is also my therapy but I’m a fair weather paddler and it’s not quite warm enough yet. Well done for standing up! Lots of people can’t or don’t ever.

I got my first compliment on my hair and skin yesterday so the glow up must be working 🥰.

You're all doing so well! My skin is a loooong way from receiving compliments- I changed to the minipill and have spots for the first time in my life. I feel like a clueless teenager- no idea what I'm supposed to do to help them (if it is the minipill, I'm not sure there's much I can do).

Also in agreement with those saying it's time to look properly at diet. Sugar, processed carbs and alcohol need to go.. at least for a little while. It's SO HARD!

One positive I can claim is that I've been active in some way every day. Workout videos and out with DC mainly- did the same as @PeachesPeachesPeachesPeachesPeaches today and fast walked with a bike ride! I've rediscovered muscles I forgot I had with some Joe Wicks videos. If only they weren't all hiding under a layer of fat 🫣

@Idratherbepaddleboarding compliments on your skin is very encouraging.

@PeachesPeachesPeachesPeachesPeaches sorry to hear you've been unwell. Hope you feel better now.

Ok low carb starts today. I really don't want to because I love my carbs but I have to. It's the only thing that works for me but it's tough going initially. I don't eliminate carbs but will reduce them drastically. I stop sugar, wheat and other cereals.
I need to do this!

@NahThen it will be the mini pill, I got them on my cheeks when I was on the mini pill. They were fixed by getting the mirena coil fitted. Then I got another load when I started Tretinoin but only for a week! DS is a teenager and is having a lot of success with Duac cream from the doctor, which is adaplene, another retinoid. He also got a compliment from the same person but was less impressed 😂.

You got this! I’ll join you on starting low carb today. I’ve really let the carbs slowly escalate to being a normal part of my diet again and I know I can’t lose weight whilst eating them. I’m starting intermittent fasting properly today (eating window between 12-6pm).

I’ve done my morning skincare, a 10 min Julia Reppel mobility workout, and a 20 minute brisk walk. Gunna do about 15 mins of weight training later to start to build that into my routine.

Thanks @Idratherbepaddleboarding I had a chat with the GP last week about possibly trying the coil instead- I'm going to give it a couple more months to see if it settles (and also pay a bit more attention to skincare) but that will probably be my next step. It's annoying because other than the bad skin the minipill seems to be suiting me quite well, I've not really had any bleeding and other than being a bit more in tune with hormonal fluctuations (I've had the PMT rage this weekend!) it's been fine.

If anyone's looking for a new YouTube workout to try I found Eleni Fit and they're good- no jumping which suits me so much better but I can really feel the effects. I've just done a 15min one to tick off some sort of movement for the day.

I don't have a plan to tackle food beyond 'more veg, less junk'. Let's see how it goes!

I've been using Lush dream cream on my very dry cracked heels and in the space of a few days they are so much better and much less cracked.

How's everyone getting on with the glow up?!
A nasty virus has taken me out of exercise this last week but I've refocused my efforts on skincare and although it doesn't look much better, it feels smoother. Thinking about adding in dry body brushing ahead of my hols in May.

Still battling with chocolate intake and have been forgetting vitamins. I try to take them after lunch but as lunch is hit and miss for me it's a bit silly. I've moved them to my bedside table and going to try evening instead.

Trying not to lose momentum!

Doing pretty well. I revamped my entire wardrobe (through vinted, of course) and am trying to build a capsule wardrobe of expensive, good quality clothes.

My hair still looks great after getting it cut at the end of Feb.

My skin is mostly clear thanks to spironolactone.

I'm back doing cryptic crosswords to glow up the brain.

Finally getting my hallway painted and my stairs carpeted so the house is getting a glow up too!

And I'm improving on how far I can walk without pain and fatigue (M.E/CFS).

Oh and I had my car washed and cleaned out since my husband now has his own so isn't using mine and getting it filthy.

It's all going well!

How's everyone else getting on?

@NahThen I have to set a daily reminder on my phone to remember to take my vitamins and meds! Would that work for you?

I’m doing good! I’m into a good routine with my power half hour in the morning, trying to make the most of the sunshine with the dog even though it’s still far too cold and doing my pole dancing in the evening. My hair is looking great with the Aussie curl cream and people keep complimenting me on my smell 😂. My skin has definitely retinized with the tretinoin but the only problem is it’s looking a bit too glowy, I’d like to tone it down a bit. I’ve settled in to drinking about 3 litres of water a day. I’m also taking collagen which is puffing up my face a bit as it was looking a little, well, skull like.

I just really need some annual leave so thinking of booking the rest of the week after Easter off.