Saturday 21 June 2014

My Four Top Tips to Health Living!


I've learned a few things since I began my healthy lifestyle, so I decided to share from my vast knowledge about healthy eating and starting a healthy lifestyle. I joke, I am not a guru. I'm simply sharing what I've learned since I began this journey and hopefully, it will be of use to someone.

Tip #1- Know your body. 
Everyone's body is different, what may work for someone else may not necessarily work for you. For example, when I started on my weight loss journey, I read everywhere that having 5-6 small meals a day is best to aid weight loss. I tried that but it didn't work for me. I didn't like constantly reminding myself to eat every 3 hours. I discovered that eating 3 healthy meals a day and controlling my portions did the trick for me. Do not compare yourself to others, we're all wired differently. So if you're wondering why what your favourite Youtube guru did to lose weight isn't working for you, it may be because your body is different. Don't be afraid to try something else.

Tip #2 - Take it easy.
Ease yourself into it. You can't become a healthy eating expert overnight. I remember numerous occasions when I would convince myself that I wanted to lose weight and I would become overly-enthusiastic, eliminate junk food from my diet, go on some vigorous workout regime. Well as you would have guessed, I eventually lost interest. Good things take time. Start out by cutting out one or two junk items a week, drink that extra glass of water, have a piece of fruit at dinner etc. These little changes accumulate and are more likely to stay with you long-term.

Tip #3 - Patience is key.
If your goal is to lose weight or improve your fitness level, patience is key. It will take time to see changes in your body. It takes 4 weeks for you to notice changes in your body, 8 weeks for your family and friends and 12 weeks for the world to notice, so keep going!

Tip #4 - Be positive.
Avoid negativity like the plague. Don't listen to people questioning your decision to choose a healthier lifestyle or questioning if you can even achieve your goals. Avoid people who feel that they need to give their input on your own choices, telling you to do this a certain way and not to do that (this irritates me so much, smh). Do your own research. Do what works best for you. And above all, enjoy it!

Monday 16 June 2014

#MotivationMonday

I've recently been losing focus on my health and fitness goals. I'd have a biscuit here, a couple of nibbles of Doritoes there, grab a few chips of my sibling's dinner there and so on... I haven't pigged out fully or had a binge meal yet but I have been feeling guilty over the ones I have had. And I've realised that I shouldn't.
A friend of mine posted something on Facebook that stuck with me and made me come to this realisation, she said "...being healthy and strong is a lifelong journey, so you don't have to rush." And she's right. It's a JOURNEY. I can't never have unhealthy foods. That's impossible (for me, anyway). But rather it's about moderation and self-control.
So if you've fallen off your health and fitness journey (or any other goal you've set for yourself), brush off your guilt and pick yourself up. What matters is that you achieve your goal and not the length of time in which you achieve them. Surround yourself with positivity and keep moving! 

Saturday 14 June 2014

Introduce yourself!

Hi and welcome to my blog!

So who is Precious Amaka and what is she about? 

Precious Amaka is a Nigerian (Igbo) Irish medical student, currently living in Dublin. She recently decided to blog about her interest in health and fitness, share her experiences on her journey to becoming a doctor and other random life situations/thoughts. She is an avid reader, tv show enthusiast, foodie and a nerd in all honesty. She hopes her ramblings on this blog will inspire others. 

Yes, I just described myself in the third person.

Hope you enjoy my blog!