Tuesday evening, 01-10-24, the first shop of the month and everyday exercise opportunities.

Good evening, everyone!  

A big 'phew' from me when I got home from the grocery shop - the first of the month is always a bigger one and I stocked up on a few things that I know I will need before very long.

I got:

Three boxes of Sainsbury's own dishwasher powder.  Just as good as the more expensive capsules/tablets, a lot less and you can choose the amount you want to scoop in.

Lots of Fage Greek yogurt.  It always has a long expiry date and I do get through an awful lot nowadays.

Nuts - loadsa nuts,  I de-bagged them and vacuum packed them so when I need a few, I can just de-vacuum, take what I need and re-vacuum.  And they are out in the garden room storage - out of sight, out of mind.  

Frozen fruit because

a) they had peach and nectarine slices and they hardly ever have them in and

b) I needed two bags and that had three for two so I got another bag free.

More chia seeds - I don't need them yet but I will before the end of the month.

Fish - some frozen cod fillets and some frozen smoked haddock fillets.  That's me all set for October's fishy dishes.

Three cans of chickpeas.  I don't need three right now but I will at some point.

Two jars of capers - again, only one needed but . . .

Plenty of lovely f&v

Evoo - just because I don't want to run out.

When I did my little audit yesterday, I found I didn't need to get meat, frozen veg, eggs, canned tomatoes and baked beans, other cleaning products, toiletries, etc.

So that's me all set up with healthy options for much of October.

And when I got home, there was a package on the doorstep.  More about that tomorrow.  

What I ate today

I was really late having breakfast because I decided to go shopping first.  When I got in, I just grabbed the yogurt I had prepared earlier and some mixed nuts and forgot to take a photo.  Sorry.

One syn for chia seeds and a healthy extra B.

I used another of the base soups from the freezer and to it added pretty much the last beans from the garden, some chopped tomatoes and some wilting leaves.  It was delicious!

Half a healthy extra B and one syn for the croutons and one syn for evoo I used in the base soup.

Later on, I had two tiny easy peelers and a plum.

This was nice.  Basically, it was a carbonara with ham, peas and leek and a simple side salad.  Dead easy.

Soften the leek in a bit of oil, cook the peas (I used my microwave), add them and some chopped up ham to the leeks with some pepper and garlic granules.  Cook the spaghetti.  Beat an egg with some grated hard Italian cheese.  Drain the spaghetti, add the leek mixture and a bit of the cooking water, bring back to a sizzle, take off the heat, add the egg and cheese mixture and mix in well until it 'sauces', adding a bit more cooking water if needed.  Taste and season, if necessary.
Serve immediately with a bit more grated cheese and a simple side salad.

No room for any fruit!

One syn for some stray evoo, two for a bit of my dressing on the salad, one healthy extra A

Summary:

one healthy extra A

one and a half healthy extra Bs

six syns - quite low today.

My meal plans for tomorrow:

B:  fruit, yogurt and seeds

L: halloumi salad with orange and mint

Fingers crossed the mint in the garden is still fit to pick and eat.

D:  cajun chicken quinoa, salad; fruit

Exercise:   personal training

The Extra Bit

Everyday exercise.

In our Slim Win chat yesterday, one of the things we talked about was exercise and it set me thinking about how we could build exercise naturally into what might be a very busy life.

After all, it is all very well me rabbiting on about my fitness classes, etc, but not everyone has the time, money, opportunity or inclination to invest in fitness that way.

So - here's a few suggestions.  I do some of them . . .  I'm no angel but I do try.  😈

• Short journey?  Nice weather?  Walk instead of taking the car (saves money too).  Maybe step out a bit more, using lampposts - go a bit faster between two posts, then slow down a bit for the next section.  If you're really brave, you could try alternate lamppost jogging - not really for me though.
  
  
• Waiting for the kettle or a pot to boil?  Do various squats, plank against the sink or working surface, stretches, marching or jogging on the spot . . .
  
  
• Going upstairs?  Put just a bit more energy into it - step a bit faster, run, two steps at a time (be careful).
  Don't leave things at the bottom until there's a load - take them up straight away; that way you make more journeys. 
  If you really want to, use the bottom step and step up and down ten times before each journey up - or twenty times if you're a glutton for punishment.  It takes no time at all and, as they say, every little helps.
  
  
• Going shopping?  Park as far away from the intended shop as you possibly/comfortably can (it's likely to be easier to find a space too).  Going to more than one shop in the precinct/centre?  Walk, don't move the car. 
  Carry your shopping back to the car in evenly weighted bags rather than using the trolley (not always possible or practical, I know) - just be careful to bend knees rather than back when picking them up, putting them down.
  
  
• Hanging out washing?  Put the basket on the ground and make a point of squatting (as far as you can) to pick up each item and stretching up a bit more in your body as you hang it on the line.
  
  
• Ironing?  Make a point of twisting from side to side a bit more as you iron.  Do it standing rather than sitting (watch telly at the same time - less boring that way)
  
  
• Watching telly?  The possibilities are endless . . . jog or march on the spot; squats; arm exercises; if you have a step, use it;  a few jacks or spotty dogs.
  There are loads of ideas out there for chair/seated exercises - just Google or look on YouTube for ideas that will work for you.
  And if there's nothing on you really want to watch, grab a YouTube video to move to - there are so, so many and there's bound to be some that really grab your attention.
  Sit up straighter, stand straighter, really engage that core.
  
  
• In bed?  Try some sit ups, leg raises, etc.  It's easier on a mattress than on the floor.  And I find some horizontal stretches - just a few - really sorts out that initial stiffness when one first gets out of bed.  Try standing from sitting on the side of the bed or in a chair without using hands to push you up a bit (but get your feet firmly even on the ground first and take it slowly, if you need to).
  
  
• And don't start me on pelvic floor exercises, ladies.  Any time, any place.  Very important as you get older.
  You won't be sorry.  Truly!

So, there you are.  Loads to pick and choose from, ideas that won't take time out of a full and busy schedule but that, over time, could make a big difference to your overall fitness.  Do what you can to the level that you can and make them part of your ordinary day, a habit that you don't have to specifically remember to do and which costs you nothing but a bit more effort at times.

Can you think or any others?  Comment, if you would like to - but keep it clean, OK?  😁