MISS HOLLY P
A BIT OF ME . A BIT OF FOOD . A BIT OF WINE
girl talk

Is Your Pill Working For You? Hormonal identity crisis no more!

Hi all,

I just wanted to revisit a topic I shared some struggles with last year and update you all on some changes I’ve made and what a life change it has been for me.

So, I’m 29, 30 next month, I was put on the pill at 15 to reduce my PMS and calm down my skin, heavy periods etc. I’ve always been on the 21 day pill and have tried a few different brands but predominantly containing the same hormones. Anyway, not sure if you read or not but last year I really hit an all time low with my mental health, I was seriously questioning if I had some far more serious issues and if I could I have an underlying, undiagnosed condition. I was convinced there was something wrong with me. I was peaking from highs to major lows, when I was around my period I would see blind red rage, if I drank around those times I became a spiteful drunk, I lacked motivation and energy, I felt self loathing. It was just so so awful and I needed to do something about it. I went to go and visit my GP and explained how I had been feeling and she said that it was not uncommon and that my pill was no longer a good fit for me and my hormones and suggested I go on the progesterone only pill which you have no break with, I’m on Cerelle.

It has absolutely changed my life, no exaggeration. I have been on it 6 months now and my mood and attitude has been consistently good pretty much solidly and if something makes me mad I no longer feel that stomach turning red bubble of rage, I am motivated all the time (within normal reason) and since changing pill and my hormones being better and having energy 4 weeks a month rather than 2 I have lost over a stone, me and my boyfriend barely argue anymore, I’m a nicer manager at work and all in all my quality of life is so much better. I just feel like a genuinely different person and like I am my best self.

After thinking properly of course my hormones at 15 wouldn’t be the same at 30 but no one GP or family planning had ever urged me to have a review! All women are different so not necessarily this pill or contraception will be right for you but if you are finding any of my struggles sounding familiar please visit your doctor and have a chat because from that day my live changed for the better.

Thanks for reading guys, any questions just ask, H x

anxiety

Gym-timidaton- Some top tips on beating the fitness fear!

Gym success! Top tips to squash intimidation, help you not quit and have a quick reality check!

I thought I just made this word up but clearly not, Urban Dictionary sums it up quite well!

“gymtimidation
The fear of working out at a gym because everything from the crazy contraptions to the seriously ripped bodies is extraordinarily intimidating.
Jack got gymtimidation from all the muscleheads at the gym”

So you may have come across this post because you’re thinking of joining a gym for the first time and feel edgy AF about it or you’ve already joined a gym and get the fear every time you’re there so I’ve put together some little tips to help and some little truths to help you through the period until you feel like part of the furniture!

  • First and foremost! Do not worry about what other people are doing, they aren’t worrying what you’re doing, trust me!
  • And on that point also, no one is looking at you and for those who really have it bad no one is laughing at you either!
  • If you’re offered a gym induction take it! It’ll teach you the ropes, help you settle into a new space and some gyms may offer to write to a programme included which will help you be in the know!
  • Struggling to stay motivated? Maybe join a class where the shame of leaving half way through is greater than the pain of the exercise or if you can afford it get a PT to push you.
  • Don’t know what to do? Get some fitspo and do some research, use Instagram, Pinterest, you tube, books there’s loads of moves and ideas on there or actual workouts just to follow! Structure really helps!
  • Buddy up! Take a friend cause hey misery loves company *jokes* but seriously stats have shown that individuals that work out with a partner have a higher probability of reaching their goals
  • Have a plan of what you want to achieve but set realistic goals so you aren’t disappointed and want to quit because you aren’t Kayla Itsines after the first week. Results take time and effort but don’t be disheartened it’ll be worth it!
  • Try not to weigh yourself too much, max once a week! Weight loss/gain can depend on many things so don’t be too hard on yourself and remember the number on the scale isn’t everything!
  • Don’t have all the gear no idea but I do recommend feeling equipped, comfortable and confident in your clothes! So you can strut like a boss to your next exercise!
  • If you think you don’t really know what you’re doing, don’t worry, half of the rest of those people are just pretending they know what’s going on too!
health

Exercise for PMA

Hey friends,

It’s Friday night and I’ve just got home from a jog, not a long one but enough to take my breath away. The route and scenery on my travels were severely mediocre but none the less I’ve got home feeling so invigorated and re-energised. I was so exhausted when I finished work today that I sacked off the gym and I felt lethargic and grouchy…until my run! Now I feel that same sense on mental clarity that is consistent after every time I do any kind of exercise that challenges me.

All my life I always thought I would be someone who despised exercise and fitness forever, but a few years ago when I found myself broken from a crappy breakup from an even crappier relationship alongside being overweight, down on myself and pretty all around depressed I decided it was time to do something about it and I hired myself a private PT. To cut a long story short this was the turning point in a long journey which I am still on (much of which I will delve into deeper at a later date) where I discovered the power of positive mental attitude which I never could have even considered was an option until I started regular exercise.

Not only does it make you feel so positive that you are moving in the right direction with whatever goal motivates you to do it but you feel so much lighter, more cleansed somehow. My thoughts are cleared, possibilities seem endless, ambitions seem reachable. It just makes the cup half full. It opened my eyes to something that anyone can do that physically- and more vitally for me mentally- makes you feel so much better. I’m not super fit by any means- sometimes I wouldn’t even say I’m fit, I can’t run for more than about 1.5km without stopping and I still have only managed 80% of a body attack class but there is something to be said for trying your absolute hardest and gradually getting better.

If you have a pair of trainers and some road to run I highly recommend it if you’ve had a bad day. Nothing like it to clear the cobwebs.

Has any one else got any stories like these?

H x

health

My Fitness Pal- A life saver for weight loss

Hey lovelies!

 

I know this is a really well known app but it surprises me still how many people have never heard of it when I’m raving about it so I thought I would share the features and benefits. If you are considering trying to lose weight, start a healthy eating regime, go on a new diet, change your existing diet by going vegan or veggie or just like to keep track of what you eat my fitness pal is amazing, it will track, educate, inspire and help you on your journey! Its available in the Apple app store and or Android too for FREE!

My fitness pal for me personally- more than anything- just opened up my eyes to how many calories you can sometimes intake without even realizing it! One great thing is that it has a scanner facility so you can physically scan the packet of what you’re going to eat and it inputs all of the information for you, you just need to alter how much you ate of what you scanned, there is of course a manual feature too! You input how much exercise you have done, how much water you have drank and handily it also has a built in pedometer so it will tell you how many steps you have done and what that is in calories burnt. The range of foods stored into MFP is just so vast and amazing, including many popular restaurant chains too so you can still stay strict and focused even when eating out! For the more advanced trackers you can add tour foods by the single gram too if you don’t want to approximate.

When you first sign up it will take all of your details such as- your height, weight, goals and activity levels and then based on the information you have supplied it will work out how many calories you need to eat to achieve your goals, this doesn’t always have to be weight loss, it can be to help you gain weight too or just maintain. You can also put progress pictures on there too so you can really visually see the development of your goals. As you update your weight progress there is a graph too which measures your loss/gain or shows the maintenance.

A feature that I find really interesting too is the nutrients and macros. Nutrients shows you where you are sitting VS the RDA or a custom goal you have set yourself. This is so good because you could possibly be really lacking in a certain nutrient or having too much of something- commonly for a lot of people this will be sugar from overeating even good things like fruit and too high cholesterol from eating too many eggs or other high cholesterol foods.

The macros feature is like a pie chart of the balance of your macros- macros are your carbs, protein and fats and again is a good way to track if you are having a well balanced diet.

 

So what do you have to lose? It’s free, if nothing more it is a fantastic digital food diary, it certainly could teach anyone a thing or 2 about their own diet and what they are eating and it congratulates you when you do well!

Thanks for reading! Has anyone else found this or any other app really handy? I couldn’t live without this now!

Hx