My #Perfect12Days
So here goes my first ever blog! I've been a keen fitness enthusiast for a while now and thought it was about time I started to document my journey, with a little encouragement from friends here I am.
It all started back in September when a fitness blogger, Zanna Van Dijk, I follow on Instagram set the challenge of a perfect 12 days in preparation for her travels. Recently I've got more and more inspiration from social media and thought why not get involved and set myself a personal challenge. I started to post a picture once a day of what I was eating and getting up to. From protein shakes to breakfast to those sweaty post gym selfies, it's all there!
For me it wasn't just about 'eating clean' or going to the gym every day. I also posted pictures of family, friends and my daily life. My #Perfect12Days wasn't perfect in the sense I cut out any treats and restricted myself from anything, I knew this wasn't going to be realistic. In fact I spent a weekend back home in Norfolk indulging in endless pizza, chips and wine, all whilst being surrounded by my favourite people. It was in fact perfect! I did however start to realise each day I was setting myself my own little goal and starting to make small changes to my everyday life. Have I drunk enough water today? Have I stretched this week? Have I had too much caffeine? Whatever the goal was it was achievable for me. I work a 9-5 Monday to Friday job and have a pretty active social life which can sometimes mean exercise and healthy eating gets put on the back burner. (Writing this blog has been on my lists of things to do for a month!) By making small changes which are sustainable on whatever day it may be has helped me to create a more healthy lifestyle that I can maintain.
Since my 12 days has finished I've carried on posting on Instagram and tried to continue with a healthy balanced lifestyle. Don't get me wrong I'm still very much eating those chocolate bars and drinking a few too many gin and tonics on a Friday night but for the most part I've found myself giving my body all the nutrients it needs and keeping active. I'm never going to cut out the treats and the takeaways, quite frankly I enjoy them too much and it's not actually necessary. It's becoming more and more apparent in today's fitness scene that it's all about the balance. Moderation is key. I've still got a very long way to go and to be honest I'm a little overwhelmed on how much material there is out there. Every day you read something different and somebody else is saying what we should and shouldn't do. What I have learnt is that everyone is different and you need to listen to your body. What I eat and what exercise I do isn't going to work for anyone but me. We're all different and have our own goals.
What I would like to do is share my journey and my influences with everyone which leads me here. By creating this blog it’s also a great way for me to keep motivated and learn new things. I have one last shout out to do and that's for a very good friend of mine who has always encouraged me and been such a positive inspiration. My nickname for several of my friends has been Charles and I have her to thank for my new blog name #ChinUpCharles. She knows who she is! I hope you've enjoyed reading and stay tuned for my next post.