What do you have for breakfast?  Buttered toast just isn't good enough any more, the more we learn about nutrition and understand about the importance of protein with every meal, well we do need to up our game a bit!  I have a few 'go to' healthy breakfasts ...

Overnight oats (you can find my recipe here)
Poached egg and avocado on wholemeal toast
Smoothies
Banana pancakes with fruit and yoghurt
Granola or Muesli with yoghurt

I know that any of these fit in with my calories, I know they are quick and easy and I know they are healthy.  I have for many years only had Lizi's Granola, I've tried others but always go back to Lizi's and I serve it with a generous dollop of Fage Total 2% Yoghurt plus I add in some flaxseeds for their extra health benefits.  So when I was asked if I'd like to try Lizi's Super Muesli, recently launched, I guessed it would be as good as her Granola.  But how to serve it?  I researched and found out that this traditional Swiss breakfast should be served with fruit juice which I didn't have in the fridge so I used yoghurt - which still gives me the protein with every meal which is so important (to keep us fuller for longer).

I haven't done a healthy eating and exercise update for a while and with lockdown I think we have all been a bit tempted by homemade cakes, wine or a G&T or two.  So inevitably a few pounds might have been gained here and there.  I started off well with plans to exercise at least twice a week and daily walks.  Then the sun arrived, and my sun lounger was more tempting and the rose wine at 5 pm became an excellent idea.  But with lockdown easing and normality slowly returning I thought it was time for me to get back to some sort of healthy lifestyle!

Remember, it is important to live a life too.  To incorporate an 80/20 approach.  And to not beat yourself up about the occasional slip up or not doing enough exercise.  Stress is one of the biggest causes of weight gain!  So first of all relax (yeah I know, not easy).  Then the next thing to focus on is a CALORIE DEFICIT.  How ever you measure your food intake (logging calories, writing a diary, or just using common sense and portion control) you will not lose fat unless you are consuming less calories than you burn off.  So any of the fad diets work on this principle - keto, slimming world, low gluten, gluten free, healthy eating - they only work because they put you are in a calorie deficit.

For this post I am really highlighting the importance of small, sustainable changes and not a sudden effort to cut calories, stop eating carbs, give up alcohol and exercise five times a week.

How are you all?  How are you coping with the ongoing lockdown situation, do you feel anxious about it all?  I am surprisingly okay, I am getting bored and I am keen to start going out now, I'd love to sit in a pub garden or go for a walk along the South Bank in London. I am also missing time to myself and a quiet house.  Too many bodies passing through at the moment, and a lack of routine!  But I need to remember to be kind to myself and remind myself I am doing a good job and it is okay to take some time out for me.

Remember back in February, before we knew what was about to hit us, there was a lot of talk about how important it is to Be Kind following the sad death of Caroline Flack?  Well, Mental Health Awareness Week (18 to 24 May 2020) is hosted by the Mental Health Foundation and their chosen focus this year is Kindness.

To save lives and protect the NHS, we must all stay at home - but there are positives in all of this!  I have been a stay at home mum for the last 22 years, with the exception of setting up and running the admin and bookkeeping for our family business and my ongoing role as a company director for our business.  But generally I love to be at home, I have never needed to go out every day and I didn't miss the corporate office environment at all.  Of course I don't have young children any longer, I am not sure I'd have coped if I needed to home educate?  My son was never the most willing academic participant!

So overall putting aside the huge health, economic and social impact of our current situation, for me personally I am not in panic mode.  I don't need to make any big changes to my day to day life.  My son is working from home, my daughter is back from uni and my husband is understandably worrying about business.  And I can't just nip to the shops or meet a friend for coffee.  But I am accepting of the situation, I am frustrated that there are big groups of the population not accepting it though, putting the rest of us at risk.  Like everyone, I am really worried about my immediate family, my extended family and my elderly parents.