So since I spoke to you last my life has pretty much been consumed by... Work! Working 12 hour days Monday to Friday AND going in to work on a Saturday, you would think that the me you have grown to know so well through my periods of blogging inactivity would have let the busiest week of my year so far, get in the way...
Well this is the new me! Or the latest me at least but whilst this latest challenge I've set myself seems to be spurring me on I won't question it and hopefully long may it continue!
This is a new me that also reached the end of one journey this week and as of today starts the beginning of another!
I know what you're thinking... "That all either sounds very metaphorical or he's been Indiana Jones this whole time and we've never even realised it!"
But alas, I have not been deceiving you, nor have I taken to the metaphorical ramblings of Yoda!
Both of which would have been far more exciting and film script worthy than the tale that is about to follow...not that I'm trying to put you off...forget I said that and continue to read on with all the excitement and expectation of a Spielberg classic!
I know what you're thinking... "That all either sounds very metaphorical or he's been Indiana Jones this whole time and we've never even realised it!"
But alas, I have not been deceiving you, nor have I taken to the metaphorical ramblings of Yoda!
Both of which would have been far more exciting and film script worthy than the tale that is about to follow...not that I'm trying to put you off...forget I said that and continue to read on with all the excitement and expectation of a Spielberg classic!
Instead, this a tale over 3 years in the making...but don't worry, I won't waffle on and bore you with the details, building a back story etc. Suffice to say, I had a sudden change in health that has taken on numerous forms, been tested in numerous ways and caused numerous amounts of uncertainty and very few answers. Something made all the worse by my very real phobia of all things medical...especially when it comes to tests!
So roll forward to August of this year... and after much deliberation and multiple conversations, it was during a busy social spell that I realised that something had to change.
I had noticed changes in my appearance, my energy levels and my overall awareness levels...all of which meant that a test was looming over the horizon.
I guess in the next scene came the lesser of multiple evils, a finger prick blood sample (which wasn't an easy experience either...just ask my sister and girlfriend!) sent off to the people of YorkTest to potentially provide me back with a list of food groups that I was showing an intolerance to.
Which, after what felt like an eternity, they certainly did...
And despite a knowledge at the back of my mind that it would definitely show something. Nothing had really prepared me for it to say this...
"Reactionary: Avoid Gluten, Wheat and Dairy"
Gluten, Wheat and Dairy!!! That's practically my entire diet!
This wasn't going to be easy. This would as big and drastic a lifestyle change that I have ever faced and surely it would be easier to just carry on as I was?!
But now it's there in black, white and red, something told me that I couldn't hide from it anymore. Here is the reason to make the change.
A change that would start with a prescribed 12 week journey of going "Free-From" these troublesome ingredients and in to the unknown.
An unknown that saw me effectively go through the withdrawals symptoms we lovingly referred to as "cold turkey" in weeks one and two, a time in which I wasn't the easiest person to live with (sorry Zo!).
It has also been 12 weeks of increased food bills, as for those of you with any intolerances or allergies know, the alternatives don't come cheap!
But it has also been 12 weeks of eating more fresh and varied foods, expanding my horizon and monitoring what I am putting in to my body.
It might be a pain to read labels and be the "awkward one" when out with friends and family but you would be surprised just how many places cater for one, two or sometimes all three of these and many other strange requirements!
All of which has led me to this moment, 12 weeks on, feeling improvements, however slight but also realising that I'm not alone in this. Th research, conversations and help and support from friends and family all drive you on and ensure you turn your mindset from feeling like a victim, to simply being a part of life!
It was back in February of this year I wrote a blog post about how habits are formed (feel free to check out that post here...but do come back and finish this one straight after), during which I used a mixture of stats and even an interview with a close friend and personal trainer to basically make myself feel better about my inability to stick to new years resolutions or change my ways!
Now I don't expect you to remember that posts word for word (or even at all), especially with it being one of my more lengthy posts but as a quick reminder there is one paragraph within it that seems to be quite poignant at this moment in time...
"...resolutions don’t have to be drastic or negative.They can be little incremental changes that make the greatest impact and they should always be for the positive.
It’s often how you approach them that can lead to whether they will be achieved or not!
Nor do they have to be made just at the turn of the year. The desire to change or improve can come any day or night of the year.
It’s making sure that this change is the thing that will have the greatest impact on your life and that the desired outcome is the thing that you want more than anything."
Little did I know just how true some of these ramblings would turn out to be!
It's pretty safe to say that removing gluten, wheat and dairy from your diet is pretty drastic and could definitely be seen as a negative...but having the right support around me and approaching it in the right way certainly helped more than you would ever realise.
And last time I checked, August certainly isn't the turn of the year! The desire to finally focus on the change that would make the biggest impact to my lifestyle and help me achieve my desired outcome came shortly after my 28th birthday during the height of the summer!
To say it hasn't been easy would be an understatement...but sometimes the biggest drivers come unexpectedly and just stay with you throughout!
Trying to set myself #RandomTasks throughout the year to help make resolutions a success worked to an extent but as it turns out it was necessity that was my biggest driver to date.
And when it comes to your health, well that's the biggest motivator you can ever need to make a change...however small or large!
Now I don't know how long this next stage of my journey will be, when it will end or if this is the path that I am being led down for life.
All I know is that these first 12 weeks has seen the biggest change in my approach to all things food related and no matter how many ups and downs are to come, the improvements that I have seen so far have been enough to change my mindset from doing this in the vain hope that I'll be able to get back to eating the foods I once could...to actually finding enjoyment in a new healthier lifestyle and break myself out of my "comfort food zone".
So as we ebb nearer and nearer to the annual resolution time once more, take a second to think about what you really want to achieve...and if the answer doesn't come to you by January 1st fear not... some resolutions are for life, not just after Christmas!
No comments:
Post a Comment