Evening
I managed to get out for some more fresh air today- walked up to the shops in the other direction (saw a dead rat frozen in the snow which was pretty gross!)- it was icy in places, slushy in places, deep snow in places, and no clear paths at all. Shame as I was hoping that I might find a route for a run. No such luck. I also did level 2 shred (I did the cardio gently as my calves are still stiff)- actually it helped to loosen the muscles.
This afternoon I had such a christmassy snack- 2 clementines, 2 gingerbread cookies (I had some left over dough from the mini house) and some christmas tea. Love it!
Here is the tray of cookies- I decorated then with a few squares of dark chocolate which I melted, and then assorted sprinkles from one of those decirating tub things- we will be giving some of these away too;
I also did some more cooking, this time it was savoury stuff! I made some yummy pumpkin pasta. I could not remember the recipe that I did before, so I sort of made it up. Anyway, it was 1 pack of silken tofu whizzed up with around 300g canned pumpkin and 5 sundried tomatoes. I then stirred in 150g cooked wholewheat pasta and 150g cooked spinach. This made 3 portions (I put them in those silver foil tubs)- one for tonight and 2 for the freezer. Not bad 🙂 Once I am back at work I love having meals in the freezer that can defrost during the day and be cooked quickly while I am in the shower in the evening.
I have been reading on lots of blogs about how people tend to manage being healthy over christmas. Generally I don’t find it too hard, but I think as I am vegetarian I miss a lot of the typical massive meals (plus the sides like those pigs in blankets etc), plus I don’t like roast potatoes, stuffing, gravy or sauces, can live without yorkshires etc. As a family we have never had starters, whereas I know some people would have a 3 course meal at lunch for christmas. Plus I don’t drink alchohol- water and tea are the best liquids for me! I don’t ever tend to have different breakfasts- porridge is where it is at for me! Lunches will stay fairly similar to normal. I have nice festive snacks like clementines and a few nuts. I also try to keep up with the exercise. I know myself that if I don’t exercise I start to feel lethargic and a bit bleurgh, so I make sure it is in my plan to get something done each day.
The main issue I have is that I get given loads of chocolates from work (the children are always so sweet and like to help me open their gifts, and this year I think I was given 13 boxes of chocolates (including 2 mammoth trays of MIlk Tray)- I always manage to give lots away, and have left some at school for the staffroom, but I keep a couple, and if I open a box it is easy to have a couple here and there. They add up pretty quick! I use WLR so I make sure I log my meals each day, log my exercise (once done- I am a bit supersticious about logging it before I actually do it) and then seeing what I have left for snacks.
If I know that I have enough calories for a slice of christmas cake in the evening, then I look forward to that during the day. I won’t beat myself up if I go over my calories on a few days, but I know myself that I will start to feel rubbish, so it is in my interest to keep as healthy as possible. Gosh I have written a lot!
So, to conclude- during the festive period I try to;
- Get some fresh air each day
- Get some exercise each day
- Eat lots of portions of fruit and veg each day
- Allow for a “treat” each day (so keep the diet balanced, not totally restrictive and not all out unhealthy)
- Drink lots of water
- Keep and eye on calories in and calories out
Enjoy the festive season 🙂