Hooked on healthy treats


I am trying my very best to get myself healthy again and so far its going okay if not a little slower than I would like. Many months of not really making much of an effort to curb my eating habits or exercise have not been kind to me. As I make the slow journey back to being a slimmer fitter Laura I find myself slowed down with stomach complaints and overwhelming fatigue. I returned to Crossfit three weeks ago and oh boy was it a painful awakening. By that I mean the first workout made me feel awful and I was in a lot of pain for the days following it. Weirdly I now find myself in the gym surprised that I can no longer lift what I used to and its going to take a while for my body to relearn how to be fit and strong. Unfortunately this process will not happen while I lie on the couch engrossed in a book but I have done four Crossfit classes and a few more workouts at home and I can already feel myself looking forward to the next one. Or at least looking forward to that wonderful post workout feeling of taut muscles and excess serotonin. At least it means I can say I Crossfit again and not just say I used to Crossfit and then mutter something about my crazy work schedule. Its still just as crazy but now that I actually want to, I am finding time for Crossfit too.

I know that my crazy hours are a big part of my fatigue. Not only are my days long but some can be tough and I don't seem to be getting enough downtime between them. This is largely because I keep agreeing to take on more hours. This means its especially important for me to eat better. I am back eating blueberry porridge in the mornings (half cup porridge, half cup coconut milk, half cup water , and handful of blueberries cooked together. Its especially yum when the blueberries burst) and I have been making giant pots of soup, different ones each week, to ensure I am getting plenty of veg. I have found before that snacking is one of the areas where I let myself down. Now that I am two months off sugar, I have to be a bit smarter about it.

I have rediscovered my love of smoothies for one thing. Look how pretty they look before I mix them up. They will look considerably less pretty once blended but my mid morning one stops me from eating all around me which can only be a good thing. It is costing me a small fortune in strawberries though. The milky one is Strawberries, blueberries, flax seeds, spinach, almond butter, almond milk and I have just started adding my new Pulsin pea protein. It tastes like chalk but its sugar free, vegan and only €9.99 for the bag of it. Plus you barely taste it in a smoothie. The other one I made as a treat because I have a long day of work tomorrow and I like to be good to myself sometimes. Its just a mix of fruit, coconut oil and coconut water. As well as that I do like to snack on Apple with almond butter and I have just toasted some sunflower seeds with a little salt to keep me reaching for salted peanuts. As well as that I am still a big fan of ombar although admittedly I am less of a fan of their prices per tiny bar. You do seem to pay a hell of lot more for chocolate made with coconut sugar. There is only one place in Waterford selling them but the odd indulgence keeps me from going on a sugar binge so I guess its worth it. Their nicest bars are the coconut and coco milk but my absolute favourite item in their range is the ombar buttons. Its the same chocolate but in button form and yes I am clearly a big child. Another thing I have grown rather fond of lately is Bounce protein bars. Particularly their almond flavoured one, it has protein in it and it has a lovely nutty kick. The peanut one tastes a bit like a snickers bar so that's pretty good too. The only thing is the whey protein is not so good for my stomach. I had two of them today ( I always snack more when very tired) and my stomach is in bits. 

Hopefully all going well I will keep this up. I will soon be a less squishy version of myself with more energy and all will be well in the world or at least in the world of Laura.



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