Now that I am quite a way into my fitness journey it is safe to say I am starting to realise some things that I really wish I knew before starting the whole progress. This journey has been a bumpy one so far and I will be honest it has also been a real eye opener in a lot of ways. There are definitely some standout points that I really wish I knew before starting on this and those things are... 

You will slip up at times

This has happened to me many of times now and honestly I know know that this is due to the moods I am in. I slip up way more than I should but it is OK to slip up sometimes as you will learn from your mistakes and hopefully not making them again or at least cut back on the amount of slip ups you have. 

Not every week will be a loss 

There are different factors that can have an effect on this and you can have a great week putting everything into it and you might still only have a maintain or a slight gain. I used to get really upset when this would happen to me as I didn't realise before it could simply be down to water retention, salt intake and even muscle growth. Your body might still be recovering too so you might not see an immediate loss on a weekly basis. 

You can eat anything    

When I have tried to lose weight before I have just cut everything out of my diet gone cold turkey and ultimately failed straight away. You don't need to do this though as you can eat your favourite foods and still remain in a calorie deficit. If you cut everything out you are more likely to fail so small changes over time is a lot more beneficial and by keeping your favourite foods involved you are less likely to get fed up like you could with dieting. 

Your body will be sore but don't let it stop you 

In the past and even the first few weeks into this journey as soon as my muscles felt sore I would give up and end up not working out for a long time after. I have now realised though that my body is going to get sore after a long workout as I am putting it through things it hasn't before but I don't need to give up on that specific workout as the soreness is good for me. If I feel sore the next day I don't need to give up I just need to adapt and either push through if I know that pain isn't anything serious or if I do need to adapt as I know I can't lift weights that day I just need to switch it to a cardio session or a long walk. There is no point skipping a work out due to your body adapting to what you have put it under. 

Injuries will happen 

Injuries are going to inevitable with the strain you put on your body and by putting it through movements it is not used to. I have realised on this journey it is really not worth adding extra strain if an injury does happen and the best thing to do is just rest or adapt workouts that won't aggravate the injury there is no need to make an injury worse and prevent workouts for a longer period of time if a simple bit of rest can help the injury heal quicker. 

Your mental health will improve

I honestly thought people lied when they said that this happened when you worked out but now I have seen it for myself so I definitely believe it. My mental health has been effected by my weight gain and I felt so down and didn't want to do anything but since working out my brain seems to have switched and I rarely have bad days, yes they happen from time to time but if I just get working out my mood is soon lifted. I wish I knew this sooner as it would have come in very handy a few years ago. 

You will find out who supports you and who doesn't 

I guess when you start this journey you realise just who supports you and wants you to do well on your journey and those who couldn't care less. I am lucky enough to have a great support network with my family although they will try derail me with wanting to go out all the time to eat but at the end of the day they support me and want me to smash my goals, same with Liam he is 100% supportive on this journey and wants to see me do well. What has amazed me though is how supportive people online are too, Instagram has helped me meet people with the same goals and it is a great source of encouragement and support from those people on the app. 

You won't change overnight 

Everyone falls into the trap at some point thinking they are going to see changes instantly when in reality it could be a month before you notice any changes no matter how hard you are working out and how well you are eating. It is easy to want to give up if you look in the mirror after 1 week and see no difference but keep going you will see those changes over time. 

It isn't all about cardio

I never did weights until the start of this year, why? Because I didn't think it was beneficial if I wanted to lose weight. I honestly thought all my workouts should be cardio based and WOW was I wrong. Since incorporating weights into my routine I have noticed a big difference and I am happy to say it is only effecting my weight loss in a good way. I am so glad I have now got weight based sessions in my routine as it is making it much more fun.  

You don't need fancy equipment 

If you are serious about the journey you don't need a gym membership or super fancy equipment. My journey is taking place at home, I have a cheap weight set, a few resistance bands, a cheap exercise bike and that is all I use. I can take these outside and do outdoor workouts if I like plus I can take myself off for a walk or run locally which of course is free. You don't need to spend a fortune to lose weight you just see what works for you. 

Fitness classes help make the journey fun 

If you had told me last year that I would be happily going to a boxing class once a week and even considering upping that to two a week I would have just laughed at you and said not a chance. However in May 2021 I started going to a boxing class regularly and now countdown to Wednesday evenings when the class is happening as I love it that much. Attending this class just makes working out more fun and breaks my other workouts up a bit with something different to do. If you get the chance definitely try a group fitness class you never know you might end up falling in love with it.

The scale isn't the only way to measure progress

Like many others for a long time I was just focusing on what the scale said and getting down when it was barely moving, it even almost caused me to give up a few times as I felt I was getting nowhere. In reality though if I was checking my measurements, progress photos and how clothing fit me I would have actually seen that my body was definitely changing and I was losing inches off problem areas and that the actual physical progress was taking place even though the scales didn't fully show that. Don't rely on your scales take photos and measurements too it is bound to surprise you. 

So there you go those are the things I wish I knew before I started my whole weight loss and fitness journey as I think the start of it all could have been a bit smoother if I had known these things and I might not have had so many wobbles. As I continue my journey though I will be constantly reminding myself of these points just to make sure I remember specific points especially that the scales aren't everything. 

What do you wish you knew before starting your fitness or weight loss journey? 

You would think after having 2 years to prepare I would have had some idea but nope not a clue right up until an hour before leaving to go see him live. In fact I was risking it quite a bit with picking this outfit as the cargo's I had purchased in hopes of wearing didn't fit two weeks before the concert so there was a lot of hope riding on me fitting into these on the actual day. I tried to be prepared and as I knew I was going to be getting ready at my sisters I actually took 3 outfit options just in case as she always gives me an honest answer with how I look but there was one clear winner on the day which was the outfit I was hoping to go in all along. 

First up we have this BoohooMan t-shirt with cars on it which I picked up for the bargain price of £3 thanks to the nephew spotting it and telling me I needed it who was I to argue. This t-shirt is definitely on the oversized side of things which was a big selling point for me and it gives me the perfect fit and is really comfortable plus the print on it is brilliant and certainly catches your eye. As I didn't know how cold it was going to be in the venue or if we had to queue outside I threw on my H&M checked shirt in the black & white colour way which has actually become my favourite colour way of this shirt due to how simple it is and how well it fits me, I think it looks pretty good with this t-shirt too. 

On the bottom the cargo pants I bought a few weeks prior in the aim to go to the concert in actually fit so I was glad I got to wear those rather than just a pair of jeans. The fit of these cargo's is perfect for me and for just £15 they are definitely a bargain from Primark, I will certainly be going back to try find them in different colours now that I know how much I like them. On feet I ended up opting for my Jordan 11's which has slowly become my favourite pair of sneakers, I just hope that I can keep them in good condition so they last me a while as I have a lot of outfits in mind for them, I just can't believe that they only cost me £30 they could easily be my bargain of the year already. 

So there you go that is what I wore when I finally got to go see Stormzy, the concert itself was definitely worth the wait and I am just so glad that the outfit came together in the end too. 

Do you struggle to find outfits to wear for concerts? 

With me trying my best to rotate my sneakers more these days I actually look forward to the change in season so that I can play about with sneakers that might not have been suitable in the previous season so got pushed to one side due to either their colours or the materials they are made from. It is safe to say this spring I am going to be spoilt for choice with the footwear I own already and with the new purchases I have in mind. I am going to try and mix up colours this spring and try to match with my outfits more but more importantly I just want to wear different sneakers daily, not just the same pair that are beyond beaten now. So here are the sneakers I will be wearing throughout the spring season... 

These Lebron Witness sneakers are a very new purchase but I will be honest when I bought them I had spring in mind. Yes these are definitely sneakers more for the gym or playing sports but honestly I am just going to be happy wearing them on a day to day basis due to the style and comfort of them. These are going to be perfect for the more casual/ lounging outfits I have in mind especially with those sporty items I have in my wardrobe. 

I am really looking forward to rotating through these sneakers during the spring season and I can't wait to spend some time creating some great looking outfits with them all. I think it is safe to say I am going to have a lot of fun getting ready on a morning and matching things up to make some great outfits so keep an eye on Instagram to see those posts throughout the spring season. It is time to move away from the same sneakers all the time and get through some of the seriously neglected pairs at long last. 

What sneakers will you be wearing throughout spring? 

There is quite a bit going on behind the scenes when it comes to the content creating especially when it comes to my football blog Edge of the Area. There is a lot in the works but I am currently still in the planning stages with a lot of the ideas but those planning stages have got me thinking about some equipment I could pick up to help really bring the ideas to life and make them the best they can possibly be. It is safe to say this is a very expensive wish list but each item could come in very handy not just for Edge of the Area but also for the content on this blog too so here is the equipment I would love to pick up... 

I realised a while back I wanted to make changes in the spare room to create a separate space for me to work on my  blogs and other projects in peace and free from distractions. Don't get me wrong I like sitting in the games room with Liam but I get distracted far too easily either chatting to him or thanks to me gravitating towards a game or something else in the games room, I just end up not getting done what I need to which in the end drives me mad as I know I am capable of doing so much more on the weekends and evenings which in the long run would leave me with much more free time to play those games I get distracted by. 

Before the spare room was just a bit of a dressing room but I knew we no longer needed the sofa bed in the room so I thought it would be a time to get rid of it and finally make the room into a new space for me to shut myself away in and just work on what I need to. I wanted to do this transformation and it has cost me less than £50 in total which has amazed me as I have picked up a fair few bits for the room. It is still partly a dressing room as you will see but all I really do is get ready in this room and hang my planned outfits or the items I need to shoot for the blog. So here is how the room is looking now...

With my love for sneakers constantly growing I have realised it isn't just my love for the finished product I love, I am also loving looking into other areas such as the advertising and the limited release etc. There is just something about sneakers at the moment that is fascinating me and I find myself wanting to know more about the history etc so I think in the near future as I am starting to read a whole lot more I am going to pick up a few sneaker related books that are going to improve my knowledge on the topic and also hopefully brings more sneakers to my attention. So here are the books I would love to pick up in the very near future... 

This is a post I have wanted to sit down and write properly for a while now and a few people on Instagram have also asked to read it so here we go, here is why I have finally said enough is enough and have really thrown myself into my fitness journey to make an overall change for myself and become a much healthier and fitter version of myself at long last. 

This change has definitely been a long time coming and when I look back at old pictures and what I used to do it really does make me wonder how I have ended up like I have. I was always really active growing up and up until the age of 21 I continued like this however, once I hit 21 my knee gave way and those knee issues got worse therefore I was no longer active and the weight started piling on. I couldn't even walk for 5 minutes without getting badly out of breathe and it was making my asthma get much worse which wasn't nice at all, I even started to get more health issues cropping up. I even started to stop going out with Liam on date etc as I hated getting ready and finding something to wear when I hated how I looked in the mirror so it definitely got to the point it was effecting every aspect of my life and I noticed I lost all more or less all of my confidence and it wasn't good for me at all. 

It didn't seem to bother me too much until in 2019 when I realised things really needed to change, the catalyst for this was when my sister asked me to go to a Gymshark event in Manchester with her and I started to panic. I didn't want to go somewhere with all these muscly people when I was almost 17 stone and I became really uncomfortable with how I looked. I ended up saying yes to going though and I will be honest I felt so uncomfortable when I got there with everyone looking fantastic and I just looked so out of place. I knew then that something needed to change but what kicked it all of was when I looked back at the pictures I had taken with some of my favourite Gymshark athletes, I looked huge and a shadow of my former self, my clothes were clung to me and it showed off every roll I had and I just looked like I didn't want to be there and I looked so uncomfortable. This is when I knew I needed to change it, I spoke to Behzinga (Ethan from the Sidemen) and he gave me some great advice and words of encouragement that really helped me decide that a change was needed and to get going.

I started making small changes after that day however, I didn't full get going  until January 2020 when I went into the new year with a plan in place and more determined than ever to make a change. I am actually glad I did start it at this point as once the pandemic hit and we were locked down I just had months to chip away and make progress as I was home alone each day. My days started with a workout and were filled with eating so much better. I was definitely worried at first how the lock downs would effect my journey but they definitely benefited the whole process in a big way as I lost a fair bit of weight. Thing did get a bit bumpy though when things started to reopen and I had to get back into a routine with work and I started to gain a bit of weight back but I am more determined to get that back off and finally start to make much better progress towards my end goal. I now ave an online coach helping me on my journey, family are on board and supportive and I am going to smash every little goal I set for myself. 

It dawned on me recently I am 28 this year, which isn't that far off 30 and in the next two years I really want to become a fitter and healthier version of what I am now as I know it is going to help me in so many areas of my life. So here is why I being more serious about the journey and why I am not giving up this time around and why I am going to push myself to smash those goals and be the best version of me... 

I want to have fun with my nephew, I want to take him swimming, chase him round and play sports with him without me feeling uncomfortable and out of breathe every two seconds.

I want to feel more confident, even after small changes I feel much more confident so just imagine how I will feel after when I reach my end goal

I want to be able to look in the mirror and like what I see, for so long I have hated what I see looking back at me in the mirror but I am going to be changing that hopefully. 

I want to improve my mental health, I know that a big effect for me is my weight and if this improves hopefully my mental health will too plus working out definitely helps with my mental health as it helps clear my head. 

I want to be able to go out with Liam etc and feel good, I think I will have a better social life once I see progress too as I won't be letting my weight etc hold me back. I can go out more, meet new people and hopefully do a lot more for my blogs by making these changes as I don't want to hold myself back anymore. 

I just want to feel better in myself, I just know that hitting that end goal is going to be so beneficial for me overall and I can't wait to get there. 

So there you go that's why my fitness & weight loss journey started and why I won't be giving up this time around I am so determined to smash all these goals I have set for myself and the rest of 2022 is going to be a big push to make a big difference. Let's smash this. 

As I am on a mission to save money in 2022 I am really cutting back the amount of times I go shopping throughout the year, this will hopefully mean that I can have some bigger better shopping trips with more money that I have managed to save which should make shopping a whole lot more enjoyable. For a while I would end up going shopping just to stop me from being sat in the house bored and I have realised that this is definitely a waste of time and money as I was buying things I really didn't need just for the sake of going home with something. However, now after spending more time at home thanks to the pandemic I have realised I really don't need to go out if there is no football as there is so much that I could be doing at home to fill the time whilst me not being sat around bored. So when I haven't got the football here is how I spend my days without leaving the house to go shopping... 

Blogging

Of course I spend most of these types of days sat at my PC blogging away. I have been making the most of these days by just sitting down and blogging away which has actually been brilliant for me as I have actually managed to get so far ahead with my content. It feels so good to be ahead for a change rather than rushing a post the day before it was due which was what I used to do as I would rather head out than spend the day behind my PC like I do at work every weekday. With now having 3 blogs any extra time to work on them is fantastic and well needed. Let's hope I can keep this up throughout the year and keep well ahead. 

Gaming

My love for gaming really returned towards the end of 2021 so I am definitely making the most of that this year by spending any free time glued to the PS5, Xbox Series X or Nintendo Switch. I have so many games piling up that are just waiting to be played so rather than heading out I am planning on spending my days playing those games so I can finally start buying new ones again. I have enjoyed just sitting and gaming for hours on end lately and having the new games room has really helped me enjoy this time a lot more. I can't wait to get lost in some of the worlds of he games I have to play as I know I am going to get lost in them for hours. 

Binge Watching TV

This is a bit of a new one for me as I never really bothered with binge watching TV shows too much before, I would usually just jump in and out of them and get around to finishing the show a long time down the line. However, since Disney + came about I have taken to binge watching shows a whole lot more and I am happy to just lay on the sofa for hours and get lost in the show I am watching. I have actually turned down opportunities to go out just so I could watch Grey's Anatomy which has me absolutely hooked. I am really enjoying finally getting the chance to sit and just get lost in a show and I need to get picking my next one as I am nearly all caught up on Grey's Anatomy. 

Working Out

It is a miracle, rather than heading out shopping on an evening after work or early on a weekend I would much rather spend an hour or so working out instead and once I have done the workout I am too worn out to do anything else for a while. My health has become a big priority for the year so any extra chance to workout and get it much better is welcomed here now plus if I am at home I am more likely to eat better than if I went out where I would just end up eating fast food. 

So there you have it those are the things I do now to stop myself going out shopping every single free weekend that I have. I am proud of how it has been working out so far since I started doing this towards the end of 2021 and I am hoping I can continue these changes throughout 2022 and way into the future as it is about time I started building up those savings to get jobs around the house done at long last and so that I can treat myself to those more expensive items I have wanted for a while now. 

If I throw it back to the early stages of mine and Liam's relationship things were really different and to be honest we were so much healthier than we currently are especially for me things have changed so much since then and honestly I wish I could go back to those days and how much fitter I was. 

Back then I was at college studying sports science so as you can imagine there was a lot of practical work involved and I was in the gym nearly everyday either as part of college work or just after college. I was also on the college football team so I was training most days with a mid week game thrown into the mix. One of my favourite things though was the evening runs me and Liam would do, it was nothing too strenuous but it helped me keep in shape and it was good fun. That all stopped though when I dropped out of college as I got an apprenticeship and any free time I had was gone alongside the football and gym nothing got done other than work and sleeping. Since then my weight has just increased and my fitness levels have massively dropped. Throw into the mix a really bad knee and nothing happened and everything changed. 

With this fitness journey I am on now though I am wanting to get back to my old ways alongside throwing some new things into the mix. I have my weekly boxing session which I am loving as it is so different to anything I have done before then I am planning on knuckling down and going to 5 a side football once a week but that will be in a few months when a few other things have cleared up and I can really commit to it. I also try do 3 home workouts a week so my weeks are pretty full when it comes to staying active just like they used to be and I absolutely love it being back that way but I just can't help but feel something is missing... 

Liam doesn't do any of the workouts with me, sometimes he will watch and have a laugh when I am trying to do certain exercises but I would love to get him more involved in this journey as I know it would really benefit him too. He can't come boxing or to the football as they are female only sessions however, he could do the home workouts with me but honestly I can't see him doing them as he does enough weight lifting at work when he is having to move boilers etc around. One way I could really get him involved though is if I could convince him to go for a run with me a few times a week. 

I have wanted to start running properly again for a while as I know it is going to help my fitness levels out massively and also aid my weight loss but I know I won't go on my own so if I could just convince Liam to join me that would be great as I know he loved it before and who knows he might end up loving it once more. I might even treat him to some running gear just to encourage him to join me that little bit more but then again he can be picky with clothing so it might be best to leave him to pick that side of things. 

We don't actually do much just the two of us any more so a few hours just running around together could be just what we need and if it is half as fun as it was before I know it is something we could bother really end up sticking to. I have bought myself some running shoes and some warmer clothing to move along the process of getting started so lets hope I can get him motivated to head out on a few smaller runs to start with to get back into the swing of things and see how it goes from there. 

I am actually really looking forward to getting out running in the fresh air and adding something a bit different into my routine to keep things fresh and hopefully keep me motivated to keep progressing on this health and fitness journey I am on. 

One of my goals for 2022 was to cook a lot more so that I wasn't always relying on poor Liam cooking for us like previous, it was also a goal to bake more and my sister and nephew did me a baking hamper for Christmas which I have used a few times already but would love to use a lot more than I have been doing. Being in the kitchen a bit more though has opened my eyes to items we have missing or items that could really do with an upgrade as we have had them since we have moved in and they are starting to look a little worse for wear, there are also a few items I would just love to add as I think they would look great or would come in quite handy especially as I am a pretty messy cook. So here are the items for the kitchen that I am hoping to purchase in the very near future... 

Spoon rest

This is an item I have had my eye on for a while as I am such a messy cook and I never seem to put the spoon in the same spot each time so the worktop ends up in a right mess. I am hoping that by getting a spoon rest I can limit that mess and keep the spoon in the same spot each time. Plus it might stop me from knocking it on the floor all the time too which seems to happen far too often. 

New knives 

We have had the same knives since we moved in and honestly they are mainly cheap ones so I would love to invest in some good quality knives that will cut through what it is needed for easily without dragging. I think a nice set could be a bit of a treat for both me and Liam so who knows these might be one of the first things we buy off this list. 

Knife Sharpener

One of the issues with our current knives is that they have gone blunt very quickly so I think if we invest in some better knives I also want to pick up a knife sharpener so that the new knives have a longer life span and stay a lot sharper for a lot longer. I know you can get these cheap but if we are spending a fair bit on knives I want to make sure we get a sharpener that won't ruin them. 

Casserole dish

Me and Liam have spoke a fair few times of making a nice casserole on a cold day however, we still don't have a casserole dish. I don't know why we never got one when we first moved in but looking at them now they all seem so expensive. We are definitely on the hunt for a good quality one at a reasonable price though so we can finally start making what we have wanted for so long. 

New Pans

We have had a few different sets of pans now but we seem to ruin them so quickly and the handles end up coming off them, which I think is just down to us not looking after them properly. I definitely want to invest in some new pans this year though that are actually non- stick and are good quality & strong. I have already got my eye on a few sets but again why can pans be so expensive? 

Serving board

We are trying to get back into the routine of eating at the dining table which is something we haven't done for a while now. I would love to have a serving board which could be put out for meals such as fajita nights or taco nights just so we could have everything set out nicely and make our own rather than us trying to make them all whilst struggling for space in the kitchen. If we ever had guests over I think this could be a good idea too just so everything looks nice on the table and doesn't actually mark the surface.

Apron

Finally we have an apron, this is a big one that I definitely need to get soon because as I said earlier I am a messy cook and I am sick of staining clothing due to this. A lot of things I cook involve sauce which I usually end up wearing the most of so it would be nice if I could have an apron to throw on and provide my clothing with a bit more protection. 

So there you go those are a few items that I would love to buy in the near future to help us out when it comes to cooking and I think each item in this post could come in very handy. We are currently saving to do jobs around the house and one of those jobs is eventually going to be replacing the kitchen so I can't wait to get that done and have a kitchen which I love being in rather than one I try to avoid. 

Can you recommend any of these items? Or where to look for the best ones?  

Well that is February over and done with, the shortest month of the year and it definitely flew by. February was a busy month but it is nowhere near how busy March is going to be, as for my journey in February honestly it started off really strong but then started to fall off track towards the final two weeks which I am a bit annoyed about. So here is a look at the goals I set for February...