Investing in yourself... a month on.

I posted about my urge to improve things about a month ago, due to a general feeling of UGH. So has anything changed, or am I still in a general malais?

I'm happy to say that things are a lot better. I know myself pretty well, and I tend to respond better to small, manageable changes than big life overhauls, so that's how I've approached things. I've still got a way to go, but I feel like I can keep this up, which is exactly how I want to feel.

Wanna know what I'm doing?

Resolution 1 - Eat healthy
It's taken a little while to get my head round this, but it clicked when I started going through Pinterest and pulling out healthy recipes that I wanted to make. Last week we made burrito bowls, which were won-der-ful and chicken and coriander burgers (recipe posts for both are coming soon). I haven't been tracking Weight Watchers points either, and I'm hoping I can keep these habits up and get to the point I long for - eating well without using a diet plan as a crutch. They've really helped me before, and I'm not against them, but I don't feel like it's something I can do for life.

Resolution 2 - Get moving
I bloody love my Fitbit. I'd just ordered it when I wrote that post, and since posting it, I've become a huge fan of that little bugger. It's basically a fancy pedometer that tracks your movement and gives you a report on your smart phone. Wearing it doesn't make you move - you could just ignore it and use it as a fancy, useless watch instead. But I'm naturally quite competitive, so I want to see my stats mounting up at the end of the day, and I want to hit that 10,000 step target. So I park at the far end of the car park, I take the stairs instead of the lift, I go for a lunchtime wander, I get off the train a stop early, I drag Matt out for a walk after work. It's helping. I'm not shedding stones yet or running marathons, but the more walking I do, the more I want to do, and the easier it gets. I'm much less achey and tired already and am finding myself scouring the internet for good walks - I've even started a Pinterest board about it and that's when you KNOW I'm serious.

Resolution 3 - Less processed crap
I'm already buying less low fat stuff, and last week I quietly stopped drinking Diet Coke at work. I didn't announce it or make a big thing of it, I just didn't have it one day. Or the next. I'm keeping a bottle of squash on my desk which is a good replacement for when I want a sugar hit (because I always think of Diet Coke as a sugar/caffeine hit, but honestly, there's not that much caffeine in it). I'm still having my sugary Oatsosimple every day, but my next goal is to buy a Blend Active and make smoothies from oats, fruit and yoghurt instead, and I'm pretty excited about that. I inadvertently had a couple of wheat-free days last week and felt a lot less bloated, so I may try incorporating more of those into my week, too.

Resolution 4 - Make more effort
This is a tricky one. I did start trying more with my hair and makeup at work, but it didn't take long before I went back to my usual weekday hair routine of drying and straightening my fringe and pulling the rest of my hair into a bun, still wet from the shower. It's just easy, ok? And I haven't bought any new work clothes - I did spend a small fortune at ASOS on the hunt for a dress to wear to a wedding, though, and it was lovely to wear something that I genuinely loved. It's been a while. I am still reluctant to spend money on clothes until I lose weight, but there are some sales on at the moment, so maybe I can justify a couple of new dresses.

Resolution 5 - Skincare routine
I've really focused on the small changes here. I've swapped my cleansing wipes for micellar water, which I think is a really good start. But that's it so far. My next steps are to swap my facial scrub for a more gentle cleanser, and start using an eye cream. And I have invested in better makeup - I've swapped my old primer for a mattifying one which is definitely helping my oiliness, and bought an Estee Lauder concealer. I also spent a small fortune on lipstick and blusher in Sephora when I was in Paris. So I'm getting there.

It has only been a month, and it's easy to keep up good habits for a short period, but I feel pretty positive that I've made good changes. I'm especially pleased with how much more active I've been, as that's the most difficult one for a lazybones like me. I'm excited about it, and about doing more and more. I also got through March without getting a cold, therefore breaking my cold-a-month cycle that's been going on since November! I don't think living a bit better can have hurt - I've been getting more fresh air and eating better - but it is a bit warmer too and I'm not surrounded by sniffling people as much any more, so probably a combo of that. Still. Yay!