New Year New you?

Hey again World, as you can probably guess from the ever so cheesy title this is another New Year related post.

Now, the most prominent new year's resolution the world over is something health related, be it to lose weight, get fit, eat healthy or even to gain weight

These are just my tips on keeping healthy, and helping you along your way to stay well nourished and we all know that being healthy on the inside shows on the outside!  Our skin is clearer, our hair looks better and i dont know about you but I just feel happier when my body's happy.

The first step is an obvious one! DRINK PLENTY OF WATER!

2 litres a day is the recommendation but dont limit yourself to that, if you're thirsty there's no reason why u cant drink more, just dont drown yourself (you'd be surprised).  If you're like me and just dont like the taste of water on its own try mixing it with a fruit squash, it's not AS good for you as pure water but let's face it, it tastes a whole lot better and frankly...it's the only way I'm going to get my 2 Litres in!
My favourite drink to mix with water is...

YUMMY!!
Now I happen to have become quite malnourished at the moment from personal events that have occured, things that I'd rather not talk about but it resulted in me going from being quite worryingly overweight to now being over 6 stones lighter in the space of a year! No it was not healthy and yes I am suffering the consequences of such drastic weight loss.  It was NOT intentional (I am a nurse and therefore couldnt crash diet even if I wanted to).  However it happened and it's left me with little to no appetite, a LOT less hair on my head, achy bones and joints and I have to force myself to take in things that I know will be beneficial for me in order to basicly keep myself from becoming very very ill

So I take vitamins and supplements, I'm currently taking Perfectil's Skin Hair & Nails vitamins.  Now I can swear by these, my nails are much stronger when I take these, My hair loss is reduced to a much more 'normal' pace and my skin feels much clearer.  I buy these in Boots and they come in at around £7 for a box of 30 tablets but Boots often do a 3 for 2 deal on vitamins which is when i tend to stock up.
I also take a daily multivitamin with iron because being ill has left me anaemic, you can find these in any pharmacy or health store and are good for those with a poor food diet (just to top your body up with the 'good stuff').  Sometimes I also take Seven Seas Cod Liver oil tablets as they're known to be good for the joints.

I have also made it a habit to drink atleast 1 cup of milk a day, I know my teeth and bones need the calcium and whether i like it or not I sometimes have to force myself to drink it, now if you're like me and dont care too much for milk, add some fresh fruit and some ice cream and blend to make a milkshake or add a couple of spoons of drinking chocolate to hot milk for a homemade hot chocolate (not quite as good as costa but it'll do for the cold winter nights)

speaking of fruit I try and challenge myself to eat my 5 a day!  Now I'll be honest, I very rarely 'win' this challenge, in fact I'll be lucky if I make it halfway but the point is I'm trying and as long as I carry on trying I know I'll get there one day.  Here are some ideas to keep you motivated...

If the idea of eating an apple, 7 strawberries, a handful of grapes and a banana seems a bit of a chore especially when you have that box of chocolates left over from Christmas, bung everything in a blender, add some pro biotic yoghurt (honey for those with a sweet tooth like me!) and you've got yourself a yummy smoothie and you've already had 4 of your 5 for that day, as Orlov the meerkat would say...Simples!  Similarly you can boil some peas, carrots and whatever else you fancy, blend and add some cream and you have a yummy warming soup.  Get creative with your 5 a day and spice things up, roast some broccoli, carrots, cauliflower and butternut squash, sprinkle on some spices and you've sexed up some originally quite bland veggies!

Disclaimer: I am a qualified nurse, therefore I do know a bit about eating healthy but each individual is different, do not take my advice on medication and supplements as concrete evidence or a miracle cure, ALWAYS consult your GP or local health professional if you have any issues queries or if you are thinking of embarking on a new year diet as they are in the best position to advise you of how to go about it.  I am merely letting you know what I use and what workes for me.  I can however confirm that drinking more water and eating your 5 a day IS GOOD FOR YOU, so do it! hehe

ciao for now world

xoxox