A New Resolution - consistency and moderation: do we really need to join the gym?

Now the ‘twelfth night’ has been and gone, the festive season has drawn to rather an abrupt close for another year, and we find ourselves once again facing the dull month of January. If you are anything like me, during the festive period you would have overindulged in turkey, mince pies, a good helping of Christmas pudding, not to mention the endless supply of cheese, all washed down with copious amounts of mulled wine as well as the brandy Santa “couldn’t finish”. For many of us, come New Year, our ‘gut’ reaction as well as our shamed conscience, tells us this is “THE big opportunity” to shed a new leaf, put the wrongs to rights or at least drop a few pounds. ‘2013 is your year’ – heard that line a lot recently?? Last year, 2012 was going to be THE big year and 2011 before that. So, once again, we begin the year with religiously following those resolutions we plan to commit to forever more, or at least for the next few months, which go along the lines of diet, detox (also known as ‘dry January’) and join the gym. I always begin the New Year with complete optimism and intention to follow through. Though five minutes past midnight and another glass of fizz down, one resolution is automatically sent straight into the sin bin and the optimism begins to darken.  Day 7 of 2013 and optimism is absent from class - I am slumped in a chair with a large coffee relaying the past weekend’s activities over in my head... “Saturday - lunch at Grandma’s and at 25, I’ve really got to learn to say ‘no’ to that second helping of pudding; the evening - a friend’s birthday…definitely didn’t need that shot of tequila, and I should have gone straight to bed at 3am instead of polishing off another round of Christmas cheese. And then Sunday, to recover from it all and soak up the guilt, being a ‘day of rest’ (or in my eye’s, which are 9 times out of 10, a lot bigger than my stomach, ‘a day of eating’), to accompany the Downton Abbey boxset came a generous helping of Mum’s Christmas pudding (the pantry is full of them, they tend to keep us going until March) with a generous dollop of brandy butter, followed by an even bigger portion of cauliflower cheese come the evening.” And now suddenly I don’t feel so good…

 

So following my first weekend of 2013, my wallet is bulging with all but cash and gym memberships and I’m trying desperately to recall one resolution I have yet to break, clearly this year is off to a flying start. Am I disappointed in my lack of commitment? Well, my teachers once told me, I think I was about 5, that I was never good at following the rules, why should resolutions be any different? With 20% of the British population holding active memberships to gyms, this clearly highlights for the remaining 80% that the gym is not for everybody. I did, once upon a time, join the gym, though was quickly put off by the blondes in tight all-in-one lycra, sprinting robotically for what seemed like an eternity on the treadmills and also having ended up in a brief liaison with my (or in fact my Mother’s) personal trainer, something I do not recommend and neither of us have been back since.  Our society appears to be governed by the importance of healthy eating and regular exercise, with the shelves in Waterstones packed with books containing the latest life changing diets, written by various “Tom, Dick or Harry’s” hoping to profit from this growing notion that has become an industry. 

 

Though before I portray myself as the serpent, encouraging you to take the apple shaped cheese, I completely agree with the need to eat healthy food and take regular exercise; however at the same time, I think it’s important to enjoy life, we only get to live it once. Let us not depress ourselves every time we pick up a menu and see carbs - the key to being healthy (something I learnt in 2012, definitely my year!), is consistency and moderation – these mixed together creates the perfect waistline. Take regular exercise: as someone who only runs when they’re  late, I was told powerwalking is much better suited for weight loss and toning –I have since tried, tested and with consistency came positive results.  A good power walk doesn’t bring with it a monthly cost, doesn’t require any form of lycra and is (especially if you have dogs) rather enjoyable – you also don’t suffer the humiliation of having to stop to catch your breath. As for eating, we all love a good salad, a hearty yet healthy soup, though make sure you enjoy the naughty things you love as well - this is where the moderation applies!

This year, I will be bringing you a range of dishes, demonstrating how to make healthy food taste good, amongst a few naughty recipes to indulge in. On this blog, you will also find restaurant reviews on the ‘must try’ places about The Cotswolds and with the beautiful countryside it offers, you can always fit in a good walk after a meal!

Happy New Year - 2013 is DEFINITLY going to be our year!