Hi everyone !!

Welcome back to another one of my rambles.

Tonight, it’s actually a topic that I have only recently gotten myself into.

I like to talk a lot about positive mental health. So I thought I would talk a little about positive body image, my fitness journey and where my motivation sparks from.

In the last year or so, I really have focused on my fitness journey, my mindset towards healthy food and regular exercise.

All within that, learning the ways of daily life and realising that balance is actually so important to leading a healthy life.

Even if you work out 7 times a week and eat seriously clean, if you don’t let yourself enjoy the chocolate, then what’s the point.

Disclaimer – I AM NOT saying I am a know it all within the nutrition sector, so therefore I am not giving what I have done a way of advice, it is just what worked for me, my body type and the everyday things I enjoy.

If anything I would like you to get inspired to start your own fitness journey and learn how to maintain it.

However, I am very interested within this route, so educating myself is something I’m committed to doing so!

Please also be aware I never would state that there is a certain body type of style, everyone is absolutely beautiful within their body.
It’s not to promote a certain “instagram body”, it’s that YOU can feel comfortable within yourself. It’s that YOU are working hard and ultimately, prolonging your life-span, this will be because YOU made changes within your active lifestyle and changing your consumption of different foods!

Also, this blog is a safe space for me to document my life in a storytelling format (in years to come I can always look back) 😊

The thing for any lifestyle to stay long term, you need to ensure it is sustainable. Which ultimately always begins with your mindset.

It will always refer back to the intention you made with yourself, before you started.

If you want to change the way you live, driven behind a feeling of upset or anger. It simply will not last.

Yes, some people are not replaceable. BUT – those feelings can be.

If you want to alter the foods you eat or the exercise you take up, because you don’t feel validated, the moment you receive that feeling from someone else, it can all change.

You need to make the intention based off of you! Check in with yourself, where are you at?

Where are your fitness levels at, your knowledge on the topic.

Looking into a nutritionist or educating yourself is always a good idea. This way you aren’t following fad diets, realising that this certain style won’t last forever and ultimately giving it up.

It needs to be tailored to you, the foods you like – the things you haven’t tried.

How much time do you have in the day – majority of the time, we eat based off convenience – if I am hungry, I would rather grab something quick to eat rather than cook a whole meal, but then I’m still hungry?

If you have this prepped, it can make life a whole lot easier.

However, that’s another post for another day – because I would be here all night if I went into talking about how and what I eat on the daily and how I went about it.

Once you set your intentions, make some goals. They don’t have to be mad big or anything, they just need to be realistic to you and where you are at.

Be easy on yourself, life can be busy and you aren’t going to get it right the first time.

But giving up at the first hurdle, it can be hard the first few months, but once you start to see results, that’s when the hard work begins!

The rewards are amazing, I am at a place where I eat as good as I can and I either workout, run or do yoga! But if I want a cookie, you better believe I am going to have it.

I educated myself, I received a nutritionists advice and I looked up basic home workouts.

It really was that simple.

It was the little changes for me.

• Listen to yourself! If you are hungry, eat something. It doesn’t have to be a whole meal at night, it could simply be something small. Do not hold out because I promise that won’t stay sustainable either.
• I would never say anyone needs to lose weight or have a certain shape or size, because the way we are, is where the beauty actually begins. This post is to motivate you, to inspire yourself to get more fit and active.
• A healthy body contributes to a healthy mind.

• It sounds crazy, but I consume a lot more water than I ever did before.
• NEVER skip breakfast! This meal sets you up for the day and it truly makes a difference. Now I know intermittent fasting you try to avoid this, this is just something I didn’t need to do at this moment in my life.
• REALISE THERE IS NO PERFECT SHAPE. You will never be 100% happy with yourself. We are human and we are our biggest critics. If you always put yourself down because you are not reaching your goals straight away, you will never be satisfied. Be happy with the smallest of milestones and you will appreciate the journey so much more.
• If you fall of track, that’s okay! A lot of people have an ice-cream (again, YOU ARE HUMAN) that doesn’t mean you need to fall off track for the rest of the day.
• An ice-cream won’t make you reach your goals, the same way a single apple would not be able to make you run a 15k.
• Don’t punish yourself for enjoying the foods you love. It’s just these things everyday is just what makes the difference.
• Consistency is key, mindset is everything.
• YOU ARE THE ONLY PERSON IN YOUR LIFE TO WHOM YOU OWE AN EXPLANATION TOO. You are the person who gives yourself the validation and you are the human who you must care for first, when you depend on that person, be proud of the hard work. You will be truly grateful to the human who realised their worth.
• Don’t seek for the appreciation from others (so much easier said than done).
• Rather than talking about all of the things you are doing, JUST DO THEM. Wake up an hour earlier, start with some yoga stretches. At the end of the day – try to get a walk in. Make the daily changes. Food really is everything but rather than talking about a certain food change, just gather information on it, seek proper help and DO THE THING!
• Get some sleep. Go to sleep earlier, you work hard – sleep is the best thing you can give yourself.
• I don’t have caffeine after 12 in the day, but that’s just me!
• I researched foods and meals that I knew I would enjoy. I love cooking so this for me was purely just enjoyable.
• Look into some cute / matching gym sets or at home workout gear, it always keeps me motivated to train! Also look into gym memberships.

Thank-you all for reading thus far, it truly means so much. I hope one person got inspired from this. 😊

You are amazing and I’m not saying you need to change, but somethings in life can be uncomfortable to do and no growth comes from being comfortable.

This is only one very tiny part of me, but it’s fun to share this side and document the process, I keep my goals to myself because these goals aren’t to be a certain size or anything, it’s to be happy within myself and depend on the woman I am growing into everyday.

I’ve also being making the 40 minute journey to Flame Fit gym in Westport, it’s actually amazing! Ran by an amazing women, Siobhán Cahill, the place promotes body positivity, lady empowerment and overall a brilliant wellness centre!

Again, I am still learning on the daily. Growth means putting myself out there – doesn’t mean I’m 100% right as I claim to not know it all, but I’m getting there and everyday is a learning process and a curve.

Big love and sleep well –

Ali signing off xx