By Heather Katsonga-Woodward, http://themoneyspotprogram.com

I’m glad I have indulged myself for the last six months because let’s

face it, I grew a baby in my tummy and that in itself should allow one

to enjoy some pampering. However, at the back of my mind I knew

that the daily cakes and lattes would need to come to an end. If not for

mywaist line, then perhaps for my now acne-ridden face.

A mere week into eating better and exercising I already feel brand new

and have seen an energy boost – I’m much more productive when I

work. It’s reminded me of how important it is to look after the body we

have. I love cakes and desserts more than the next person but I also like waking up and feeling like I can

defeat the world.

When your body gets to a stage where you think“uuurrgggh, I’m not happy with this”, bite the bullet

and start transforming yourself. Within a short space of time you will see that other parts of your life just

seem to start working better too;you think better and you work better.

This is how I’ve changed.

Since 5 July (Day After I got back from holiday)

Until I fit into my favourite yellow trousers, cakes and desserts are OUT. This will probably take about

two months. At the moment there is at least an inch before I can claspthe button on the trousers.

Having a clothes goal works well for me because it’s more real than standing on a scale.

I consider things like bread and butter treats. I am allowed both but I am trying not to eat more than one

slice of bread 3 or 4 times a week. When I was out of control I started having 2 slices of bread a day

thicklycoated in my favourite whey butter, yum.

I still use full fat milk but I now dilute it with water when I make my oats. The full fat milk is fine; my

personal trainer says my diet is currently too low in fats (and protein) anyway. Oh, yeah, I’ve recently got

a personal trainer too.

Besides cakes, chocolates and desserts I can have small quantities of everything. Instead of having a

whole tub of my favourite rice pudding I might just have half and give the rest to The Good Husband.

Exercise

I have started strength training to increase my muscle mass so that

I burn more calories during rest. I am currently so, so weak; I was

told 60-seconds is the amount of time you should do a plank for if

you are of average fitness, I could only do 5 seconds before I

collapsed. I am currently physically weak but within 4 weeks I

know I will have made leaps and bounds in physical fitness.

By Heather Katsonga-Woodward, http://themoneyspotprogram.com

I would love to start running 5km twice a week again as I did for ages before I had my baby but at the

moment time is a little scarce.

Personal Trainer

This time around I realizedI need help to get fitter because I just got so lazy with my habits so I’ve forked

out £500 ($800) on a personal trainer. It’s pricey and I was very hesitant but at the end of the day I

remembered that good health is my top priority in life.

No amount of money can makeup for bad health. If I got a bad illness today I would probably give

everything I own away to get my health back so with that mindset I closed my eyes and handed the cash

over. I’m quite glad I did now.

Immediate Results

I feel fitter and more energetic and I’ve already lost 5lbs. That’s about a quarter of the weight I want to

lose so I am already 25% there. The fact that it’s come off in just one week shows just how badly I was

eating before. The more overweight you are,the bigger the impact of small changes.

Are You Physically Where You Want To Be?

Eating well and keeping fit is hard and frankly every once in while we all fall off the wagon.

If I facilitated a New Year’s 30-day detox would you be interested in joining me?

It would involve a small group of women encouraging each other via a closed Facebook page and

friending each other via “myfitnesspal” to keep motivated. You would also get some nutrition-expert

approved menus to help guide your meals. A small fee would be applicable. Take the below survey and

let me know.