New Beginnings

“From every ending comes a new beginning”. 

Most people say that when one door closes, another opens and this allows you to start another new and exciting chapter in your life. However, this is not the beginning of a new chapter of my life, this is the beginning of a whole new book.

This is going to be such an exciting year for me - I’ve just applied for a Medical Summer School in Rome, finally chosen my iBsc options, become involved in a clinical research project and am currently organising a summer studentship this year with the Welcome Trust! Things are really going to start moving forward for me and if I want these things to be successful I need to take action. It’s now or never.

So, acting on this new found enthusiasm I have taken various steps to make these exciting opportunities a success. 

1. I joined a gym

This was super scary. I haven’t been to a gym for a while (since my gap year when I could actually put on my skin tight nike training gear and super cool trainers and just look like a pro) so I was slightly apprehensive as to what the experience would be like. However, half an hour later I was walking out with a bright shiny new membership card and a promise to myself that I would start first thing tomorrow morning. Seeing as I am now sitting here typing this blog post after my first gym session (YAY) you can see that I certainly kept that promise.

2. I am ‘detoxing’ 

banana milkshake

The word detox can have several different meanings. The medical profession see it as your organs (specifically your kidneys and liver) eliminating any toxic waste products from your body. This is why medical professionals argue that detox diets are unnecessary as we have a perfectly functioning body to do it for us. However, if you think about it, if these organs worked perfectly and could get rid of any toxins we put in our body (be it alcohol, nicotine, refined sugar, fat etc.) we would still all be slim and healthy. This is, sadly, not the case. So, although one day I will be one of those cynical medical professionals, at the moment I am all for the detox diet. I was going to do the 5lbs in 5 days juice detox diet by Jason Vale, but I do not own a juicer and cannot afford to buy one (being the poor impoverish student I am). So, I am still planning on doing it but I am cutting up all the ingredients and simply eating them rather than juicing them! I personally think this is better anyway as you do not lose all the goodness and fibre from the outside of the fruit! The cost difference is astronomical (my weekly shop was £30 compared to if you buy them and have them delivered - £150 + delivery, although this may suit other people more). 

courgette, spinach and chicken omelette

So, I technically started my detox last night. I made myself a 2 medium sized egg omelette with courgette, a handful of spinach and half a chicken breast. Before my gym workout this morning I drank hot water with a slice of lemon and post gym workout I made a banana smoothie (1 medium sized banana, 2 tbsp of bio live yoghurt, 100ml of milk and some ice cubes). In my opinion these are all very healthy meals and once I get rid of all the unnecessary toxins which are inside my body, my kidneys and liver will finally be able to come up for air and start doing the job they are meant to! 

3. ‘Up for Anything’

When I was younger I won an award which was entitled ‘Up for Anything’ and it is definitely time I rediscovered that side of myself! I used to never say no and I was always up for trying new things and this is particularly important for the career I am going into. I obviously have to be aware of the fact that I am not able to do quite as much as I used to be able to do when I was younger (mainly because studying does take up quite a lot of time now) but with good and efficient time management there is no reason why I shouldn’t be able to fit in going to the gym, Musical Directing shows, seeing my friends and doing extracurricular academic projects around my studying. 

One week tomorrow I will be starting an intense weight loss programme. It involves only eating meal replacements for 8 weeks (soups and shakes) and it is going to test me mentally and physically. I have decided I am going to blog about it so that whenever it gets tough I can look back at the positive thoughts I had during the process to spur me on! This study will be life changing for me and if anything I say throughout the 8-12 weeks can inspire and motivate 1 other person to get out there and make a lifestyle change then that would be fantastic! 

Like Maya Angelou said: “If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude”. I definitely am not 100% happy with the way I look and it is not something that will change overnight. It is going to be a long journey, but it doesn’t have to be tough. By adjusting my attitude and making myself realise I am making these lifestyle changes because I have chosen to will make the process so much easier than if I made myself think I was being forced to. 

I hope everyone is keeping up their new years resolutions! 

x