Category Archives: Wellness

Staying Healthy Part 3: What I have been doing this week

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Losing weight and getting fit is hard, but sustaining it is just as tough. It is half term and there has been chocolate and fizzy drinks. Oh dear. All is not lost as I have been keeping up with my healthy habits and focusing on my goals. The occasional treat is fine. Or when you have two children under four, and no childcare, daily…. I jest.

My last chest X ray was a week and a half ago and my lungs are completely clear now. I also have no infection markers. It was a happy day but my doctor said that when young people get pneumonia it hits them harder and it will take me four-to-six weeks to get to my base line. So I have not been drinking alcohol as it weakens your immune system.
I have also been:

Making sure I stay hydrated. The negative effects of dehydration are underestimated. Drink more water!

Doing yoga with Adriene. I have long eschewed yoga, finding it too boring. I prefer to sweat and have a big calorie burn as I love food. I do know yoga has its benefits and I have decided to give it another go. Yoga with Adriene is fantastic. She is a blogger who does a free thirty day yoga course. I feel so relaxed when I do it. I also forgot how hard yoga can be. You need strength and a strong core. I have not exercised in over eight weeks because I had the pneumonia and I had barely exercised before that because I had my surgery, but I am slowly building up my strength. This course is perfect for that.

I have also been working on having my five-a-day. I have long felt inferior to people who manage to eat their five-a-day easily but I am good at it now. I usually add avocado to my toast, blueberries to my porridge and as much veg as possible to my supper. I also eat apples and satsumas throughout the day. Little things make a difference.

I have also not been forgetting my brain and I am learning a new language.

What have you been doing this week?

5 Things That Helped Me Get Fit & Healthy | Wellness

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health, wellness, lose weight, women's health, wellness, Catherine Balavage, fit, fruit, strawberries, blueberries, spinach, tomatoes, When someone decides to go on a health kick there is usually a reason why. A health scare, a baby on the way, or maybe seeing a picture of themselves and thinking they need to lose a few pounds. My first health kick started when I was trying to get pregnant with my firstborn four years ago. A back injury had left me overweight and I had irregular periods. I was about to get married. In total I lose twenty-two pounds. Everybody thought I did it for the wedding pictures but, no, I did it for the blue-eyed boy I have now.

I got pregnant almost immediately. My second health kick happened when, you guessed it!, I started trying for baby number two. I lost less weight this time because I switched up my training, but I become the healthiest I have ever been and my body looked amazing. She took her time but nine months later I was pregnant again. Becoming a parent has made me health conscious. I want to be around to see my children grow up and take care of them. While consistency is still something I am working on, here are five things that helped me lose weight and get super fit.

1: I tracked what I ate.

I recommend everyone tracks what they eat. Even if it is just for a few weeks. The results will be shocking. We all underestimate how many calories we take in. You will also probably be horrified about how much sugar you consume. Healthy eating is hard. I was horrified that I was doing the classic mummy thing of allowing myself chocolate because I deserved it after a hard day. What I really deserved was to respect my body and not to load it up with sugar everyday. One day I had consumed over 100 grams of sugar. The recommended daily allowance is 30 grams!  MyFitnessPal or Lose It! are great apps for your phone to make tracking easy. You can also find out if you are having enough protein, fibre and carbs.

2: I exercised.

There are two kinds of people in this world: those who exercise and those who lie and say they have no time. Don’t be the latter. I love Fitness Blender and PopSugar. Both are on YouTube. Saying you hate exercise is like saying you hate food. You just have to find the kind that you like. The amazing Joe Wicks does Fit in 15. Excellent fifteen minute cardio workouts. You can forty-five minutes a week. Everybody can.

3: I made little lifestyle changes.

I gave up having sugar in my tea. Yes, I hated it at first but my taste buds changed and now I hate the taste of sugar in tea. I also made sure I upped my veg and fruit intake. Five-a-day is a minimum.

4: I stayed active.

The school run helps me to stay active. That and running around after my toddler. Walk more, do more housework or even just dance in the kitchen. Sitting down a lot leads to an early death.

5: I educated`myself.

There is a wealth or resources to help you stay healthy and fit. The NHS.co.uk has a huge amount of information about losing weight and getting fit. YouTube.co.uk has every kind of exercise video you can think of, plus talks on health. I love Women’s Health magazine and I also listen to podcasts. Channel 4 also have a great series called How To Lose Weight Well. It is important to keep looking for inspiration and new things. Losing weight and getting fit is only the beginning. Staying fit and heathy is just as hard.

I will share more things that inspire me and help me on my way to wellness. Good luck and please feel free to get in touch. I am on Twitter @Balavage or @Frostmag

Please note I am not a doctor or a medical professional. This article is about my experience.

In Search of Wellness | Catherine Balavage’s New Health Column

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healthy eating, food, mushrooms, broccoli , It started with abject fear. The radiologist would not meet my eye. They were all smiles when I first arrived. I have had scans before and I know, without a doubt, that this time they have found something. When I go home I tell my husband they found something. He tells me I am being silly but I saw it in the radiologists eyes.

It is a week until the doctor calls me with the results. They have found nodules on my thyroid. I had told the doctor about my persistent sore throat many times. ‘I am going to be alright though?’ I ask the doctor. I cannot tell you that she replies. Everything feels very real. All I can think of is my two little children.

In another three weeks I have more tests and another scan. The consultant decides that they are not worried after all. I feel like I can breathe again. The weight of burden being lifted makes the world even brighter than before. But then I feel angry at myself. I have taken my body and my health for granted. I read an article in a newspaper that having sugar in your tea increases your risk of cancer. I rarely have a soft drink but I love chocolate and in July 2019 I took two sugars in my tea.

When this happened I was overweight. Not by much, but enough to make me worry. I have since lost a stone, stopped taking sugar in my tea, exercised frequently, and improved my diet. There was a huge difference in every aspect of my life. After I cut out sugar a lot of people told me my skin looked amazing and I was glowing. I stopped having those awful sugar crashes. You do not realise how awful sugar and caffeine makes you feel with the constant highs and subsequent crashes.

I have started this column to talk about my progress. Not just the weight loss but the improvement that happened to my health. The highs and lows, along with my relapses.

In November I had a medical emergency that required urgent surgery. I almost died. A few weeks after the surgery I got severe pneumonia in both lungs and ended up going in and out of hospital. The past three months have been the worst of my life but I refuse to let it break me. This column will cover everything about wellness as I become the fittest and healthiest I have ever been. From healthy eating, exercise and meditating; if it is about health I will cover it and give you the low down. Here goes.