It was the usual start to a Monday morning, off to collect our weekly grocery shopping and happy to see Marky Mark back manning the lockers.
It was then home, unpack, wipe everything down, wash the fruit and veggies, get rid of the packaging and put everything away...followed by a large coffee.
I was then able to finish off painting the garden furniture that I had started yesterday. Everything could be turned upside down and the places I couldn't get to yesterday could be painted. Thankfully the furniture was in the garage as the weather today was not great which meant it could get painted and dry while it rained off and on.
After a bit of tidying around and Simon getting all the beeps and boops working for his R2D2 we took a short walk out to get some mail for work in the post before heading down to our 'other house'. Okay...this is the house that belonged to Simon's mum who died at the end of last year but I can't keep referring to it as her house as, to be frank, it is not her's anymore it is ours...so hence our 'other house'. I don't mean this to sound callous but let's just say there was not a lot of love lost between me and his mum!
Anyways we are in the process of clearing the house and tidying the garden. The weather being a bit unpredictable today had stopped us tackling the garden but we decided to bring home a garden bench as it is something that we can make use of. So after a bit of manoeuvring we were able to fit it in the back of our car to bring home and store in the garage so that it can dry out and then hopefully this week I will be able to sand it down and repaint the wood and ironwork.
When we got home we decided to move our patio furniture out of the garage and back to the patio where it belongs and it looks so much better for a lick of paint but as we put it in place the heavens opened and although we were only outside for a couple of minutes we got drenched through.
My afternoon was rounded out with a little jigsaw time which got interrupted with a pre-school phone call! But can't complain as it was a parent looking for a place for their child, so I was happy to chat and sort them out.
So today there has been two main news stories. Firstly, people returning from Spain now face a 14 day quarantine which is really unfortunate, but it was mentioned when we opened up travel to other countries that this could happen at any time for any country depending on case numbers. It can't be great for anyone out there and now thinking about their return we can only hope that the government will be better at giving notice and explanation on these things in the future. My heart goes out to one of Molly's friends who was due to travel to Spain tomorrow to see her boyfriend who she has not seen for 7 months and now can't go...that is just so sad and heartbreaking for them.
The second news story is all about how we, as a country, need to tackle our obesity crisis. It is now being recognised that being overweight or obese is not good for those that are unfortunate to contract COVID-19 so our government has decided it's time to do something about it. Which is great...in principal...but I fear that the message needed will not be the one that is delivered.
Today they announced a ban on junk food adverts before 9pm, which is good but is a mere drop in the ocean. It was great to see cardiologist Dr Aseem Malhotra being interviewed today and getting the chance to explain that the problem is the ultra processed food that we are being sold and putting into our bodies. Over the last 30 years or so we have moved away from cooking our meals of meat and two veg, from scratch, to buying pre-made, easy, cheap and nutritionally deficient food.
Just over six years ago I used to be guilty of buying all the various foods that went from freezer to oven without any thought and a simple read of the instructions. I would try to stick to low calorie and low fat options because I thought that was the right thing to do...I always said I was never a cook because all I ever did was re-heat things. But all the while I did that I was never happy with my weight and anything I ever did would see a few pounds disappear only to go straight back on plus a couple more when I went back to 'eating normally' or simply 'had a little treat'. See my page 'Eating Well, Staying Healthy' for my journey from your traditional low fat diet to a low carb/keto diet.
I now know that eating low fat was never going to work I was eating empty calories that never made me feel full and meant I would be snacking and grazing and always feeling hungry. Switching to a low carb high fat/keto diet now means I am a weight and shape that I am happy with, that has stayed pretty constant for the last six years and I never feel the need to snack. I now cook from scratch every day, I enjoy the food that I eat and do not miss all the bland, beige, boring carbs that we ditched.
When you realise that the starchy, bland carbs that we all eat are just that...bland...and are simply fillers on our plate that ultimately leave us feeling hungry not long after we have eaten, it is very easy to give them up. We all know cakes, puddings, chocolate bars and sweets are bad for us but when you realise it's the sugars and the carbs in lots of other foods that are the main culprits you suddenly realise just what you have been putting in your body.
For most people the idea of giving up these bland carbs...the bread, the pasta, the potatoes, the rice...is something they couldn't possibly give up but honestly giving them up is not an issue when I can eat meat, cheese, cream, butter, green veggies, berries, eggs, dark (very dark) chocolate and I even have a glass of red wine most evenings. See my post called 'But I Couldn't Give Up...' for more information.
So yes we as a nation need to tackle the obesity that we have, but simply banning junk food adverts till after 9pm will not do the trick. We need to change the information. We need to re-educate. We need to get back to eating real food and cooking again. We need to understand there is no magic wand, no fancy exercise regime, that calories are not all equal, that eating less and moving more does not work. We need to put the right fuel inside our bodies (just like we would do with a car)...put in the wrong stuff and the performance will be rubbish but get the right fuel and the results can be astounding.
Please go and read my previous posts as mentioned above to find out more about eating a healthy, satisfying diet. On my 'Eating Well, Staying Healthy' page there are lots of links to websites, books and interesting people to follow on social media.
So please take care out there, think about your diet (and please ask if you'd like help), look after yourselves and wear a mask.
xx
No comments:
Post a Comment