Making Some Lifestyle Changes

Since I left teaching  I have been working on my self development and making some lifestyle changes. For a while I went very quiet and withdrew from several areas of my life as I had no idea what to do or where to go next but I knew I needed to make some significant changes and that’s exactly what I have been doing.

Going self employed

The main change  to date is  obviously the fact that I now work for myself as a content creator and social media manager, helping other small businesses spread their messages online. This change has been wonderful as it means I can now work around the boys schooling and extracurricular activities. I don’t need to worry about or pay for child care, I can attend the majority of school related events and I can be there for the kids if they are poorly. It has also meant that when it comes to work I can pick and choose the type of work I take on and when I do it.

Exercise

This huge lifestyle change has also had knock on effects that are starting to take shape now that I get into a routine. When I was teaching I tried to go to a weekly yoga class and for the occasional swim but more often than not I would have to cancel due to deadlines for planning and marking or because I was simply too tired and couldn’t be bothered but now I have been able to change my gym to one closer to home and can fit in more classes. I attend weekly Pilates and clubbercise session and have even attempted a couple of body attack sessions over the last couple of weeks and although my routine does still slip from time to time it is much more active than it once was.

Diet

As well as making changes to my exercise regime I have also started taking a greater interest in diet and nutrition making a conscious effort to eat more healthily and drinking more nutritional drinks like Vita Coco and water instead of fizzy pop. My recent trip to the OM Yoga show in Manchester was a real eye opener and  I learnt a lot about yoga, relaxation and veganism and although I am not yet at a place where I would consider becoming Vegan I have been reading a lot about it and trying some vegan specific foods and further reducing the meat from my current diet.

I have also started to incorporate more protein based products into my diet, especially pre and post workout. I am a fan of the protein yoghurts that you can pick up in aldi, especially the toffee flavoured ones and I have recently found these protein powders from Pulsin too that can be added to my meals without changing the taste but increases the nutritional value.

Manifestation

The OM yoga show really reiterated to me  the importance of having a healthy mind and a healthy body and how I have been right to experiment with new experiences and researched other therapies that are believed to impact on life in a positive manner, such as gratitude and numerology. I started by reading The Secret a few months ago and have since been counting my blessings every day as well as trying to outwardly show my gratitude to people as often as I can and this has made me feel noticeably happier and more content with what we have as a family instead of always comparing myself to others and chasing the next big thing.

It was at the yoga show I first heard about numerology and  came away curious and eager to know more so I visited the  numerologist website which claims to give the best numerology readings and was surprised at how accurate some of the information was and it has definitely encouraged me to delve a little further into this area. However,  there are some things that I heard about at the Yoga show  I am not yet willing to try, such as Naked Yoga or Yoga with goats, or any other animals for that matter.

I feel like for the first time in a long time I am making actual lifestyle changes that will effect all aspects of my life instead of just making dramatic changes to my diet for a quick fix and weight loss prior to a holiday and although I know the results from all these changes will be slow, I’m hoping the results will be much more long lasting and will improve my mood and general feelings of well being as well as my health and weight.

What lifestyle changes have you made that you would recommend to others?