Welcome to my new blog
I’ve been meaning to start a food and health related blog for some time. But as usual I was in procrastination mode. My friend Rebel contacted me last weekend to tell me she had been thinking of starting something, but maybe I wanted to instead. Of course, I said yes and here I am.
Why Food and Fitness for health?
I love food and I also love wine. Trouble is, over the years, I’ve struggled to moderate my intake of both. For many years I was able to keep reasonably fit and healthy and lose weight when I needed to. I’ve never been great at exercising, though I’ve done my share of aerobics and gym work. But since the onset of the menopause keeping to a healthy weight has been more of a challenge. As has taking exercise – I get more tired.
It was my breast cancer diagnosis in September 2018 that made me think more about what I eat and how healthy my lifestyle is. Since then, I’ve read about the links between diet and cancer and realised that I want to change my lifestyle. I want to eat healthy food and take exercise that I enjoy. But also, I want to enjoy life and sometimes indulge. I’m going to publish photos of food and posts that are recipes. Plus I’m going to invite contributions from others.
I can’t run
But I can walk and I can swim. In fact I love to do both. I find they enable my mind to clear and I can form ideas and process thoughts. I want to start exercising in the gym but am a little nervous at the prospect. I hate exercise classes and am a clock watcher. But I know others love to do the things I can’t or won’t.
I want to be able to write freely about my own experiences, but also invite others to contribute theirs.
How difficult is it to get fit when you are unfit and overweight? How does exercise contribute to mental health as well as physical health?
Mental health and wellbeing
I’ve been lucky. Throughout my adult life I have enjoyed good mental health. That’s not to say I haven’t had difficult times, where I have been sad, unhappy or down right miserable. But I don’t suffer from any mental illness. But there are links between exercise and mood, which I will explore at a later date. I’ll talk about my own psychological heath in this blog, but also invite contributions from friends and readers about how they manage their mental health and wellbeing.
Body positivity
I don’t imagine I am ever going to be a size 10. I can’t even think I ever was, after the age of 12. I am proud of the body I have and am not frightened to show it. Many people I know are overweight but not seeking to lose weight, they are happy and proud too. I would never tell another person I think they should lose weight. Sadly there are far too many people out there who fat shame others. Thais will not happen on this blog. I have decided I wish to lose weight for health reasons. I’ll be inviting friends and others to contribute their thoughts on this topic.
Sex positivity
I have another blog that is about my life and lifestyle. It contains details of my relationship including sex life. There are frequent references to BDSM and it contains erotica. It is therefore often Not Safe For Work (NSFW). This site will be about food, fitness and health, however it will also be sex positive. I will speak freely about the impact of my breast cancer, including mastectomy on my life. And, I’ll encourage others to speak freely about sex, gender, sexual orientation and relationships. Though this is not expected to be explicit. These pages will be safe to view in a work setting.
