To ask what changes you've made that have changed your life?

[Fishface77]

I'm starting to have breakfast from tomorrow.
I'm usually late up and running around but I'm going to get up half an hour before the kids and am hoping this will help with my energy and mood in the mornings.

But I could do with some inspiration from my mumsnet family!

Pilates. You can do the best bits watching telly with wine. None of that niggling back ache everyone gets, ever.

Lanaorana Can you recommend any good Pilates resources or specific styles of lessons? I did a few years ago and found them great but I can't remember much about the type of Pilates or the moves.

Annie if you made a change and it made a difference to your life then it counts.
Some good ideas on here
I really really want to reduce the amount of "stuff" I've been so materialistic and don't want to pass those values on to the kids.

Stopped drinking
Get up earlier
Stopped caring so much about what other people think (about shallow stuff I mean)
Had 6 months of CBT!
Exercise. Amazing how much difference this makes
Meal plan
Budget
Keep house decluttered

I sound very boring!

I left, with the DCs. After 3 decades.

I have self esteem again, the DCs are getting counselling and are calmer. I am now losing weight as I am finally getting my comfort eating under control as my stress reduces.

Drogon if you don't mind me asking how does CBT help?

Brie well, I went to a class for a term and got the tutor to tell me what to do at home to fix my knackered editor's back.

Thing is, it's the movements you or your job personally need rather than the full gym session. So ask a tutor, I would. But I do a pelvic tilt all the time (tuck bottom in so your stomach is holding you up not your back, bliss once you get the hang of it) and arm exercises with weights - all while enjoying period drama.

Pilates sounds like hard work lanaorana

Running.
Healthy eating.
Quitting smoking.
New career.
Kicked out abusive husband.
Found new amazing husband.
Started saving, not spending every penny.
Letting other people's dramas roll past me.

Loads more but these summarise how I turned my life from unhealthy, unhappy into the amazing happy stability I have now.

Taking notice of the saying 'Never feel obliged 'rather than doing things because I feel like I should I think do I actually want to?

Having my children totally changed my life for the better I was a bit of a mess before I had them and they pulled me together and gave me a purpose that I didn't think I had before.

Left a job with a fantastic salary that I’d only been in for 3 weeks. There was no way I was going to put up with toxic colleagues and a manager who was a bully no matter how much they paid me. I didn’t have a job to go to but felt like I was alive again after leaving said job.

Oooh and, I put in some much needed distance between me and my toxic siblings. They’d been in my head/life too long and needed to go!

Leaving my EA alcoholic bully of a husband. I should have left years ago. Life is good.

Great thread op

Got a small adorable dog

Get up early before anyone else have a cuppa and a short hectic byke ride, it’s my time just me, not
me as mum, gran, wife, dd, just me.

Learn to say no without feeling guilty.

Clean the house once s week and loos daily and that’s it. No need for more.

Outsourced the ironing! Heaven.

Quitting sugar, processed foods, bread and pasta completely and alcohol only on weekends/special occasions.
Also fasting 18 hours each day. I'm mentally alert, feel fantastic, have lost weight and after the first day or so after I've eaten some sugar, I don't feel any cravings, nor am I hungry once it's all out my system.

Home educated the kids.

No more school runs, packed lunches, homework deadlines, stupid school uniforms, demands for money, playground bickering, school gate mums, SATS tests, holiday fines etc etc

Just loads of relaxed fun time watching our kids transform into unbelievably self confident, motivated and extremely mature youngsters. Did it two years ago and it really is indescribably brilliant - its felt like giving us all the greatest gift imaginable.

@Strokethefurrywall- how on earth do you manage 18 hour fasts? Please share your tips. Aren’t you hungry or malnourished? I need to make some dietary changes but am struggling to implement the 5:2 diet.

Basecamp that’s so brave I think I would never have dared do that when mine were School age but looking back now I feel it would have been bloody amazing. It takes guts though.

CBT

I think I need CBT the more I look Into it!
And basecamp that's really good!

Did a day long workshop in London about ditching diets. It was the start of a big change in my relationship with food.

Am a healthy and happy size 8-10 and I don't deprive myself of anything (age 40).

Also, marrying my love.

@mussinboots - not hungry or malnourished, in fact properly better nourished than I was before I quit all the shit food!

I started with alternate day fasting years ago as I'd read it was good for asthmatics. I found 5:2 not great as I would tend to overeat on the 5 days so looked into 16 hour fasts. Turns out I regularly did this anyway as I never ate until after midday (finishing at 8pm), so started to push it a little later.

So now every day I eat between 2pm and 8pm and I don't restrict calories at all, BUT I only eat fresh foods, protein and a shit ton of vegetables and healthy fats. I'll throw in a starchy vegetable like sweet or white potato once/twice a week but limit them as I find them very bloating. I'll sometimes round off a meal with a bowl of frozen berries with coconut cream.

Because I don't have sugar, I don't miss it at all and I really don't crave anything. Before I quit processed foods and sugar, I would look at a chocolate advert and immediately crave. Now I don't even notice them and I don't feel like I'm denying myself at all.

All this being said, I don't believe in restriction for the sake of it. If I'm out to dinner/drinks/holidays/Christmas, I don't deny myself anything and if I want to fall face first into a Cadbury's selection box, I'm going to do just that But on a normal day to day basis, I love the stability it gives me emotionally and mentally.

You will find that the first day is the hardest. I was in NY for work a week or so ago and of course that came with plenty of eating and drinking - it took me until Monday just gone to cut everything out again, I'm back on day 3 of 18 hour fast and feel great again. No hunger at all.

Running! I'm 43 and had literally not done any exercise beyond a bit of swimming and a brisk walk since I was 18. Started C25K in February, finished it in May and now run 10K twice a week. Really enjoying feeling fit and have gone down a dress size. Most importantly I can carry on drinking wine and eating nice food without the guilt!

Being kind to myself.

I have anxiety, and I feel that this small change in my outlook has improved thing tremendously.

Nice thread, will be reading it carefully.
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