Guest Post from Just Ems | Healthy Lifestyle Tips

Hello everyone! So today's post is a guest post from the lovely Emma from Just Ems.  I lover her blog and all the health tips, recipes and everything else she posts so please all go and check out her blog here! Also, can I just say well done Emma, you're doing amazing!

Onto the post...

Hi there!

I'm Emma from Just Ems, a weightloss blog that I started in November last year. I'm here to share some of my healthy lifestyle tips with you and hopefully motivate and inspire others to adopt a healthier lifestyle too! Before I start with my little pearls of wisdom that I have picked up over the years, here's a little about me and my journey so far:

I have been overweight almost my entire teenage and adult life and like many others have tried every diet going. Slimming World, Weight Watchers, Atkins, Slim Fast and VLCD (very low calorie diet in the form of 3 shakes a day). My weight has fluctuated up and down as I tried each diet and lost weight but gaining the weight back after I gave up each one. The only diet where I actually lost all the weight was the VLCD however, after getting close to goal, it prompted bouts of binging and purging in my eating habits and I gained all the weight back and more! 

In July 2014 I weighed in at 16 stone 2lbs (my highest weight ever!) and after seeing that 16 number on the scales, I knew I had to do something. I knew deep down that whichever way I chose to lose it, it had to be for life and the weight would have to stay off. I discovered Clean Eating and started my journey in October 2014. So far I've lost 3 stone and 5lbs / 21.3 kgs / 47lbs and I am halfway through my journey with another 2 stone and 11lbs / 17.6 kgs / 39lbs to go. My aim is to reach my goal weight of 10 stone / 81 kgs / 140lbs by July (my birthday) and losing around 2.5lbs a week, I should get there.

So I've compiled a list of healthy lifestyle tips that I do my best to adhere to every day. I definitely feel that each of these tips have helped me to lose weight and have a healthier body on the inside and out! Of course, we're not perfect and there are days that we're unable to stay 100% healthy but if you try these tips you could potentially lose weight and have a healthier lifestyle!

*Green Tea - there are many benefits to drinking green tea due to the antioxidants and nutrients it contains. It also boosts your metabolism which can aid to weightloss. Personally I find normal green tea too bitter and prefer the flavoured ones from Tetley. Twinings also good a good range of flavoured green teas and there is a seller on eBay who does an assortment of flavours so you don't have to buy all the boxes, click here to see the listing

*Drink at least 2 litres of water each day - I don't include any cups of green tea or coffee that I have in this amount, I only count the pure water that I drink. I am alittle strange in that I don't like the taste of tap water so I've bought a Bobble which has a built in filter so you can fill it up with tap water and filter out the nasties! I shop in Asda which sell them and you can get them online too. They may seem alittle pricey at £8 each for the bottle and filter but once you've bought the bottle, you only need to buy a replacement filter every 3 months, think of how much money you'll be saving on bottled water. I know that water can be boring so you can infuse your water with fruit if you like. I haven't reached that stage yet but maybe in the summer I'll try it with strawberries!

*Exercise 3 times a week - Exercise can really depend on many factors; how much weight you want to lose, how much you want to improve your fitness, how dedicated you are/can be to an exercise routine, what you enjoy, the list goes on. For a general tip, I would say to do something that you enjoy doing so that you'll look forward to doing it and you'll actually do it. There's no point in signing up at a gym if you can't stand going to the gym as after a few sessions, you may stop going and you'll have wasted your money on a membership that you can't cancel. If you enjoy cycling, invest in a bike. If you enjoy classes, sign up to some. If you enjoy running get the Couch25k app on your phone. The possibilities are endless with exercise. Do whatever is right for you and get new clothes to do it in, I love getting new gym clothes as it motivates me to go! Weird huh!

*Eat natural wholesome foods - I'm a strong believer in that Clean Eating is the way to go. Cut out as much processed foods that you can and eat food that is as natural as possible. As with exercise, food is another broad spectrum that can be taken in many ways. Find a food plan that works for you and your lifestyle. I know lots of people who have found success with Weight Watchers and Slimming World and its about finding the right plan to fit around you, your job, your family and your social life.

*Be as active as possible - take the stairs instead of the lift, park further away and walk where you can instead of taking the car. Every bit of exercise adds up to burning calories and boosting your metabolism

*Be mindful of what you're eating - are you eating that cupcake because everyone else in the office is eating one? Are you having a second helping of your dinner because it's there? Taking a couple of seconds to ask yourself 'do you really want it?' can make the difference of several hundred calories. Don't be afraid to say no to something and any leftovers can be chilled/frozen for another meal to have on another day. Your health is in your hands, no one is going to force feed you a cup cake!

*Be organised - One of my favourite quotes is 'Fail to prepare, prepare to fail' and it is something that in order to lose weight, I have to adhere to otherwise I can find myself in a situation where I'm starving and making the wrong choices because I'm hungry! Each week I make a meal plan where I work out what I'm having for breakfast, lunch and dinner for the next 7 days. I write up a shopping list based on what I need and head to the supermarket. I then try and cook as many meals as I can in advance on a Sunday ready for the week so that I don't have to spend as much time cooking during the week. Of course, I appreciate not everyone can allocate this much time but if you can take some time to plan ahead and only purchase what you need you will save time and money and you will be eating healthier.

*Most of all.. enjoy it! If you're doing something that you don't enjoy then it will be harder to stick to. Find an exercise plan that you enjoy doing and you'll want to do it 3 times a week. Find a food plan that you believe in and that fits in with your lifestyle. Discover recipes that you will want to eat and cook again and again and share with family and friends. I hate using the word 'diet' as to me it means a short term restrictive fad that people use to lose weight quickly, myself included! Eating clean for me is for the long haul and its not just about losing weight and looking good, its about the health benefits from eating natural foods and reducing my risk of diseases. 

I hope you have enjoyed reading some of my healthy lifestyle tips! 

If you are interesting in following my weight loss journey please feel free to check out my blog where I also feature recipes, meal plans and transformation pics too:

Just Ems

Much Love

Just Ems

Start Date: 7th October 2014

Start Weight: 15 stone 8lbs

Current Weight: 12 Stone 11lbs

Total Weight Lost: 39lbs

Height 5'2