New Blog Design, New Me and Some Diet Advice to boot.

Welcome to the new look Minty Bit Stronger Page. Seeing the season is changing and soon we'll even be flung an hour through time to 'save daylight' I thought it high time for a makeover. Like Madonna's ever changing look I am sure this will be the first reboot of many ...and hopefully (unlike Madge) each one a little better than the last.

Speaking of improvements - this page hasn't been the only thing I have set out to remodel. The bigger task by far (and not something that can be done at a computer in an hour) has been the attempted streamlining and optimisation of my-lardy-fat-arse.

Robert v1.2 is being beta tested as we speak and should be available on the high street (shopping for skinny jeans) by the end of April. I, the aforementioned Robert, have been dieting like hell and walking my wobbly-weight off. The following things I have learned along my journey (so far), read on if you too have a few pounds to shift. (Go away if you are already perfect):-

1. You may start feeling like an anorexic but to lose weight and reduce overeating you HAVE to start recording everything eat you eat in a food diary. Most decent phones will have an app that allow you to do this on the go. I use a brilliant £2.49 iPhone app called 'Tap&Track'. This little beauty looks at my start weight, my goal weight and then determines a calorie allowance each day to help me achieve the goal. It has handy little pie charts so you can see at a glance if your diet has become unbalanced and maybe, as is often the case with me, Carbohydrate heavy. Before you know it you will be eating smaller more balanced meals with less thoughtless snacking in between. Further more, you can record your exercise, be it swimming, walking, running, gym or whatever. Each time you exercise you increase you calorie allowance for the day making sure you start to connect physical activity to the food you eat.

2. You really want to fit your exercise into your life, especially at the start. Don't dive into a Gym membership or buy a Mountain bike when you're starting out. Instead, find ways of fitting light exercise into your existing routine - if you walk the dog, walk the dog for longer. If you need to catch a bus home walk instead. I traded the tube for a one hour, daily walk through Hyde Park and found it a great way to unwind from work, get some fresh air and exercise without resenting it. Anything in your new routine that causes you grief of resentment will likely be unsustainable. If you don't like it, stop and do something you do like.

3. Motivate yourself continuously. Little phrases or pictures that remind you why you're doing this what it  would mean to you if you succeed; What it would mean to you if you fail! Keep them handy maybe in a pad or if you're a technophile like me on a board in the Pintrest app (mine is called Thinspiration) Go check them if temptation rears it's head and recharge your resolve.



Essentially, I am doing it at my pace and it is working for me. I am sure if you do it at your pace it will work for you. Don't overdo it and you'll do it just fine!