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Micro wisdom delivered to your ears every morning in voice notes ranging from 3 to 15 minutes long. Wisdom on how to live a healthier and more fulfilling life. Every podcast will ground you in the present moment to ensure you know what's important, the here and now.
Hey there. My name is Hannah, and today I'm taking over the One Day at a Time podcast. I hope you're well and having a great day, whatever you're up to while you're listening. I was listening to Melanie's podcast this morning and she mentioned that she was pushing herself out of her comfort zone recording her episode. So here I am standing in solidarity and pushing myself out of my comfort zone too.
Speaker 1:Today I want to share a couple of the challenges I've faced over the last few years while focusing on my health and fitness goals and the ways in which I've overcome them or at least understand and navigate through them better. But first let me introduce myself. As I mentioned, I'm Hannah. I'm 31 years old living in London and working in the music industry as a radio plugger and PR. I've been a member of the Turtle Method community since May 2019, back when it was branded as Live Like Louise.
Speaker 1:When I joined three and a half years ago, I had no idea what a difference it would make to my life. Beforehand, I had no idea what macros were and my nutrition knowledge was basically non existent. But as I became equipped with my nutrition knowledge and I combined that with strength workouts, I finally found the missing piece of the puzzle, allowing me to progress with my goals. However, it's not all plain sailing and even though I am way more equipped than I used to be, I have faced some challenges along the way. I hope that some of the things I shared today resonate with you and help if you face similar challenges along the way.
Speaker 1:If not, I hope you still enjoy this episode. The first thing I'd like to talk about is weight and the scales. I weigh myself every morning to get a weekly average so I can use it to stay aligned with my current goal. I've been doing this for the best part of the last three and a half years and as much as I don't like to admit it, for the majority of that time I've allowed that number on the scale to dictate my mood and outlook on the day. If weighed myself and my weight dropped when I was on a fat loss goal, great.
Speaker 1:I'd feel really happy, I'd be motivated and nothing could get in my way. However if my weight was higher than the previous day I would be the complete opposite. I'd feel disappointed I would feel deflated I'd question why I was even bothering you know I'd often say things to myself like but yesterday I had perfect macros I drank my water I hit my ten zero steps I even did a workout so why has my weight gone up? Even when I could rationalise it I would still allow that number to hang over me all day Perhaps I'd consumed more salt than usual, or I was retaining water because of where I was in my cycle. Or maybe my muscles were recovering from the workout the day before.
Speaker 1:But that did not matter because my goal was fat loss and the scales were going up, which was suggesting otherwise. Or at least that's what I told myself. You might say, well, why do you weigh yourself daily if it's going to make you upset or annoyed? Now I completely understand why some people might not want to weigh themselves every day but for me having that data is so important to identify trends, to keep me in check with my goals and to also allow the Turtle Method app to work its magic when I do a check-in. So how did I overcome it?
Speaker 1:Well one of the things I did was Google 'same weight different body composition' and if you do that you will be amazed because I certainly was. That really helped me to turn a corner and not always rely on scale weight. The people you see in these photos weigh the exact same in both photos, but their body composition is completely changed. Now I not only weigh myself every day, but I take progress photos, I take weekly measurements, I think about how I feel in my clothes. And since having this moment of realisation, I've ditched that negative mindset where I solely focus on the scales.
Speaker 1:Another thing that has really stuck in my mind is something that Doctor Paul Rimmer once said in a nutrition seminar and that was 'weight is not fat' and it's really really important to remember that. Just because your scale weight goes up, it goes down like it's natural to fluctuate that does not mean that you have put on a pound of fat because you would need to consume 3,500 calories more than your maintenance to put on one pound of fat. So please please do not let the number you see on the scales dictate your day because life is far too short. The second thing I wanted to talk about was balance and moderation. We all lead busy lives and some days you won't be able to stick to your routine perfectly that is just how it is.
Speaker 1:So I think it's really important that you don't strive for perfection and take an all or nothing approach, which is easier said than done, I know. Back in the days of lockdown, I found it really easy to hit my goals because my environment was a lot more controlled. Now, with the nature of my job, I regularly attend live events, including several festivals during the summer, and I also want to make the most of going on holiday and the social opportunities I have with my family and friends. Once my social calendar started to fill up again, I often felt my anxiety build. What if I couldn't track?
Speaker 1:Was I going to be tempted to drink too much? And would that impact my tracking the next day? Having that lack of control was really difficult for me, to the point where I would genuinely be close to counselling plans. Like, that was seriously a real issue for me at the time. So how did I overcome it?
Speaker 1:Well, I wouldn't say I have fully overcome this, but I certainly handle it a lot better than I used to. It's something that I'm learning to take in my stride rather than allowing myself to get stressed out or anxious by it. There will always be busier periods of my life where some weeks I have more nights out than I do at home. In fact, the Christmas period is a great example of this. So what do I do now?
Speaker 1:I try and implement an eightytwenty approach where 80% of the time I try and stay on track allowing myself 20% of the time to relax and enjoy perhaps an indulgent meal or a few glasses of wine. So for example if I'm out four or five nights in one week I will choose to just drink alcohol on one of those nights. Again some weeks that will be hard to stick to but I just do what I can on those steps in, hit my protein, drink at least two litres of water, try and get a good night's sleep. I don't want to look back in years to come and remember the times where I was afraid to make social plans because I couldn't track accurately. I want to make as many memories with my loved ones as possible, which you can still do while achieving your goals.
Speaker 1:And on that note, I'm going to bring this episode to a close. I feel like it's been short and sweet, but I really hope that you're able to take something away from it. Thank you so much for listening, I hope you've enjoyed it and have a great day. Bye!