Mapping It Out

PLANS FOR A PLAN

Creating a route for a planned journey just got really easy. I love Google Maps and have used their maps for years to find locations and for navigation but forgot all about the function of mapping out a route with stops added in and notes overlaid in a format that can be shared, edited and amended by the group who are all included in the trip.

Google Maps Route Planning
Google have an array of great apps at our disposal - Blogger being one of my clear favourites, but their map editing software is a really cool took and likely something that many miss out on.

In just a short space of time, I've been able to create a route that me, my partner and parents can go on to visit/enjoy northern France Christmas Markets trip in mid December. It also means we have full directions on hand, are aware of the distances we travel every day, have interesting stops planned - marking out some key places to visit and options for where we can stop to refresh ourselves at these great festive markets - well in advance of the travel date.

Keeping an eye on the Calendar

PLANNING DOWN DAYS

Something as simple as making plans for some extra recovery time after a fun-filled boozy weekend is all we need if we wish to stay on top of the hangovers and illness picked up from overdoing the partying. Yet, this is rarely been something I've looked at in the past.

By taking a regular look at a diary, blocking out the weekend's activity and forward-planning the week ahead, we can all make better decisions for when and how long we want to push the fun limits. We can then make a good judgement call with a measure taken against the importance of having a functioning brain for the week and for better taking on our responsibilities where anything less than being on our game will suffice.

Therefore, every Sunday afternoon, I now look at my diary for the week. All mutual diary events shared with my partner have to be agreed in advance and shared, but if there's events planned that aren't showing, they may be crossed off altogether. This means both of us are now much more on the ball with our timings and coupled with a new attitude towards freelancing/portfolio working and being punctual, makes for a much better way of managing life to counter having any sick down days.

Strategic moves

LIFE IS A CHESS GAME

There are people who play it and other less smarter people who get played. I mentioned in an earlier post that life is a game. It is - and if we want to have a better chance of succeeding in the game of life, we can create an advantage by thinking more before acting and planning ahead. We need to have a strategy.

Stay Sharp

In order to implement our strategy well, we need to be 'switched-on'. Chances are, if you're prone to day dreaming, wrongly believe that others have your interests covered or you're just used to being reactive rather than proactive, you'll likely have a few stories where things have not gone your way. Some may say they're unlucky but I truly believe you make your own luck in life. 

We are constantly battling against outside forces to ensure the majority of our waking hours are positive & happy. There's so many things that can 'crop up' without warning to affect our day. So it makes sense to be mindful of as many potential hiccups before they happen. Some days, we know there's just going to be tough situations coming up and in order to rise above these daily challenges - we have to be alert and ready for battle. This means having good food, sleep and time to prepare ourselves to be in a focussed state of mind.

A lot of people seem to think I'm carefree, happy-go-lucky or worse, unconcerned and clueless to what's going on around me. Thing is - I'm actually a very thoughtful and 'secretly boring' person. I am very organised and efficient - to the point of obsessiveness. I use this side of my character to structure my life but I don't really want my friends to know I'm an OCD nutcase, so I keep this side hidden away from sight. 

That's why it often appears that I'm relaxed and easy-going - because I've already taken my role play situations - ie. acted out a few future moves in my mind, assessed likely outcomes, looked at the 'what if's' and predicted the end game. In this process, I've reasoned how important certain things really are to me and how they will affect other 'pieces' or people in the move/game. 

Just like a Grand Chess Master, I'll imagine different scenarios/outcomes - to remove any unforeseen surprises and any consequent emotional responses like frustration or anger from surfacing. The major benefits of thinking this way are that you've already placed allowances for damage limitation. If there's time/energy required for managing other's expectations or potential disappointments that could have arisen from those outcomes - you'll be set up because you've been smart enough to factor in some contingency plans. The result being - even if things don't go entirely as planned - there should still be a positive mind set and ultimately success in the end. 

Choosing Alternatives

IT'S ALL UP TO YOU

In just a few weeks, I've made some measurable changes that have had a really positive impact to my life path. Removing alcohol from the house, and not going to the pub have helped me to be more disciplined, get better sleep, have more energy, eat better food, use free time constructively and save money. Through adjusting my sleep pattern and resetting my body clock, there's now a couple of extra peak performance hours in my day. Taking certain foods out of my diet has meant I've burnt off some excess body fat and dropped 13lbs (5.8kg). Having a schedule of exercise has meant I'm moving, thinking, feeling and performing better all round. Having the extra time to make assessments on progress in the form of a blog, plus leaving space for creating every day means I am improving my mental capabilities as well as the physical. And all of these changes are happening because of me.

Taking the time to research ways on how to improve myself, I've been presented with lots of new information - digested, understood it and made decisions based on sound reasoning. I've taken action, made good decisions and chosen viable alternatives where necessary. Alternatives to things like: having a few pints of beer and staying out late, snoozing in a warm bed longer, lounging around eating junk and watching trash TV. There are a lot of alternatives that are seemingly easier to do but there are also alternatives that are just as easy, fun, tasty etc. but will show a different result at the end. Alternatives that, if followed consistently, will make us fitter, faster, stronger, brighter and better. 

Here's a reminder for some simple decisions and alternatives:

Eat In More

Buying groceries rather than ready meals - especially in bulk quantities, will save money. We know exactly what's going into every meal so always choose healthy, organic, un-processed and nutritious food over the alternatives.

Plan Ahead
Preparing meals in advance, will also help with discipline and save time. My partner and I now make this part of our quality together time early on a Sunday morning and we're always exited to try new food and look forward to making our meals every week. 

No Alcohol When Socialising

There's so many alternative beverages when you're at home but pubs, bars and restaurants have mostly sugary, carbonated and alcoholic drinks. If you have alcohol - try paleo drinks like Gin, Ciroc vodka (made with grapes), dry white wine or cider and avoid carbonated sugary mixers or juices if possible. I will have fresh press apple juice or an organic ginger beer/ale mixed with ice and water in a pint glass - and add a shot of whiskey or vodka if drinking alcohol. A glass of red wine has also got anti-oxidants and not going to harm you - but so has eating certain vegetables. I've had just as much fun meeting, catching up with friends without the alcohol and been far more controlled when it's come time to say goodbye, eat and get to bed early. 

Move Around More

Walking everywhere and doing it 1.5 - 2 times as fast, will speed your metabolism and burn calories/lower cholesterol. Take stairs up 2 at a time and never stand on an escalator. 

Eat Less Sweets And Junk Food

Swap the crisps for nuts, the sweets for fruit and if you want extra treats - restrict them to 1-2 times a week - ie. The weekend. There's great alternatives to mass-produced chocolates and sweets that are made with raw chocolate, sweetened with honey or maple syrup instead of processed sugar. They may cost a little bit more but you should only need a little bit if you've eaten well. I've removed all snacks from my day during the week and look forward to having with a film on a Saturday night - this is all I need. There's lots of alternatives to diary and if you want bread, try rye or spelt alternatives. Swap out oil and butter for coconut oil when cooking and avoid at all if possible.

Remember to think first: What's the alternative...?

Whatever you're doing, take a thought before acting and ask yourself - do I need this? Is it going to benefit me and are there better alternatives?

Check the Internet and you're bound to find out!

Preparation Is Key

STAYING AHEAD OF THE GAME

I'm getting on track. I've got my early morning routine down. My diary has been updated with my exercise routine and my partner and I now also have a calendar with all our shared social events in, so we can plan the rest of our free time accordingly. I'm starting to run more on auto-pilot in the mornings. So this week I'm looking more closely at my financial situation. Not going out much at the moment or drinking alcohol, are definitely helping, but I've eaten out a few times last week and there were a couple of meals that could have been better for budget and performance. I had a fairly late night last week (10.30) and grabbed a subway for dinner. It was a tuna 6" with low cal mayo, so not really that unhealthy, but bread late isn't good for me plus it wasn't really enough food. If I'd just prepared a salad in my canteen at lunchtime for take away, I could have had a really healthy, light meal before going out, or eaten a portion of it earlier and finished the rest later on. The following night I ate a bigger plate of food, but again not ideal as it was a lot of food after 7pm, spicy and contained quite a bit of protein which takes more energy to digest. Both nights were consequently later because it took longer to get off to sleep and it wasn't the best quality rest needed to stay on top of things.

The Right Food For The Job
I live an active lifestyle. I'm up early, bed early and doing physical activity regularly throughout the day and I need to get the right foods in at the right times and best nutrition for the jobs in hand. I'll definitely come back to writing a more detailed food page at some point, but for now, here's a few pointers for the types of food I should have on-hand for nutrition, value and convenience.

My ethos, is to eat pretty much everything in moderation but I tend to avoid processed food, ready-meals and keep to eating a balance of simple and natural foods – fruit, veg and meat. Kind of like the cave man or Paleo diet.
Here's a few of the staple foods I've found to work for me and at certain times of the day:


Mornings
Aloe Vera – 5am
I always start my day with a 60ml shot of Aloe Vera, which helps to regulate my digestive system.

Lemon juice - 5.30am
Drink some hot water with squeeze lemon juice and honey for Vitamin C and good for keeping neutral Ph balance.

Banana - 5.30-7.30am
Great source of potassium - the riper ones will have more sugars and this is great if I need a bit of energy to get me in to work on the bike in the mornings.

Avocado - 6.30-7.30am & 6.30-730pm
These are a great food source that contain good fats and are pretty much a meal all in themselves. They are easy on the digestive system, so great first thing or before bed. Cut them in half, score crossways and diagonally. Add a little (quality) balsamic vinegar and eat straight out of the skin.

Eggs - 6.30-730am
I'll eat a bit more food in the morning if I'm training. Either I'll make scrambled eggs; - usually with a combination of tomatoes, spinach, broccoli and/or avocado. If I want to make the best use of time, I have two boiled eggs and eat an avocado straight out of the skin (see above). I bought a really nifty little device called the Princess egg timer and steamer - really great for making the perfect eggs and steaming fish or vegetables while you can get on with your work!

Fish - 6.30-7.30am & 6.30-7.30pm
Steamed fish goes well with eggs - I usually have this meal in the mornings if my dinner the night before has been quite light, or enjoy on weekends for brunch. Really sets me up if I've got a big day ahead. I'll also eat steamed fish with new potatoes and steamed broccoli/asparagus for dinner because I can have it ready within 20 minutes.


These are the foods I also eat - but not so much and only at certain times

Bread - 6.30am - 2.30pm
I usually go for one piece of toast with breakfast eggs a few times a week or I'll sometimes have bread with my larger breakfast on the weekends. Bread is a slow release energy source and so I try and keep it early in the day. It's also a carbohydrate and processed wheat so I only eat when I need it and stick to quality grains to avoid any stomach issues. My partner likely has a wheat or gluten intolerance because she suffers with discomfort when eating bread or pasta.

Pasta - 12.30 - 7.30
I don't have a problem with eating bread or pasta but it can bloat me or make me feel tired. Pasta is another good energy source but I tend to eat only in moderation and have more green vegetables instead as a source for my carbs.

Spicy meals - lunchtimes or Saturday early evening only
Spicy meals taste great but for me they can create acid and heat in the body. So provided I can drink lots of water and I'm not trying to sleep straight after, I'll eat curries and richly seasoned meals.

Sweets - lunchtimes or Saturday early evening only
I like chocolate occasionally and the odd sweets. I'll tend to have a couple of mouthfuls of a desert and that's enough. Having too much sugar makes me 'jittery' and I definitely avoid before bedtime.

Caffeine
Coffee and tea - 6am-3pm
I like the odd tea and coffee throughout the week - usually with a bit of milk, and half a sugar in coffee. I'll have a mocha on a Saturday morning to keep me going before a hearty brunch but try not to drink on an empty stomach or after lunchtime (unless it's decaf).

Cheese - 10.30am-7.30pm
Cheese is my chocolate. Cheese also goes well with my other favourite indulgence - biscuits!

Lunch & Evenings
Salad
I usually have a light but filling lunch most days to keep my energy levels up throughout the afternoon. Eating salads are a great way to stay lean. I'll have some protein with it like tuna, chicken or salmon.
The rest of the salad consists of:
– Leaf = spinach/rocket
– Tomatoes
– Potato salad
– Rice
– Peppers
– Cucumber
– Carrot
– Pulses and chickpeas
– Vegetables ie. green beans & broccoli


Meat - 12.30-3pm & 6.30-7.30
I'll stick to grilled or roast chicken (especially in the evenings) if I can but the occasional lamb, or quality cut of beef (good source of iron) won't hurt. I'll also have a beef stew as it's easier to digest when the meat's been tenderised. Stews are a great way to get a meal easily prepared that contains meat and vegetables. We make our own stews in the winter months - often weekly on a Sunday and it takes no more than 15 minutes to prepare. We have a slow cooker that cooks the stew throughout the night while you sleep, so ready when you wake. It makes 4 large meals plus a soup each for about £6-7. This means we have 3 meals for the week in the fridge - ready to heat up in the evening or take as a lunch to work.

Keeping It Light
It's winter - I believe it's not such a bad thing having a few extra pounds at this time of year - I call it my winter coat. It gets cold on the bike and, like on a sea lion - blubber can help keep out the cold and used for some energy reserves too. So I'm not going militant on my diet but I will say it's better to cut out where you can. I don't have any butter or spread on my toast any more but I will use butter for my scrambled eggs. I don't fry much food but when I do have a bit of pan-fry fish etc. I use minimum oil - the oil sprays are good. I avoid sauces and salad dressings except a little olive oil and balsamic. And I skip the gravy or avoid adding fat (melted butter etc.) to my carbs. If I want to add flavour, I'll sparingly add a little balsamic, piri-piri/tabasco (not in the evenings), sweet chilli or HP/ketchup sauce.

That's it for now - I'll add a page on food, their benefits etc. and some easy, nutritious recipes for the slow cooker to try at some point down the line. Tomorrow, I'll be looking at a couple of other things I'm also trying this week...