'Rome Wasn't Built In A Day' - Spoonie Fitness Club

Recently I've been trying to overhaul my life in terms of diet and exercise. Lupus and Rheumatoid Arthritis generally mean that I spend a lot of time inside either tired and or in pain. I also take steroids daily which have the unfortunate side effect of weight gain. I was just feeling like I was in a bit of a rut so I decided to do something about it.

Here's what I've been doing:

MyFitnessPal
I think I downloaded this app at the start of the year and have been using it everyday since. (It's FREE! So no excuse not to give it a go!) I find it really helpful although they have a lot of branded foods/Restaurant meals; they haven't got all of them. I get round this by adding in the contents of my meal separately. I'm pretty used to doing that now so it doesn't really bother me. You set a goal (mine is weight loss) and it generates a daily calorie limit. You can also add in any exercise you do. I have set mine to calculate it automatically so I don't have to try and remember how long I started and finished etc. 

SlimmingWorld
I joined Slimming World online for three months and that subscription will be ending next month. I saw loads of testimonies on Instagram and decided to give it a go. My weight loss hasn't been as much as I would like at this point, but it's taught me a lot about where I was going wrong. Initially you're told to keep a paper food diary for four weeks. It's amazing how writing down absolutely everything, opens your eyes to just how unhealthy your diet is. Although I've decided for now not to re-subscribe, I definitely learnt a lot and it has encouraged me to be a bit more adventurous with my meals. 

Walking
I have two pairs of trainers. It wasn't exactly my intention to own two, but that's what happened. I needed the first pair as I could only find one shoe from my previous pair. Not helpful. Like seriously what am I doing to do with one shoe!? They are from the shoe brand Echo who are specialists in comfortable footwear. Perfect for us Spoonies! I previously had school shoes from the brand but they were so ugly I just stopped wearing them. (Sorry but I keep it real.) Not the type of shoe a twelve year old would want to seen in... Just no. Although that was then and this is now. They have improved a lot design wise while still promising the comfort and foot support they're famous for. I purchased these in TKMaxx (Mama's favorite high street store) so it was by chance that they were Echo but I knew they would be perfect. 

My second addition happened through a trip to my local Primark. I was just browsing but that day I came out of there with four pairs of shoes, including the trainers! The selling point for me was that they were labelled as having a 'memory foam' sole. Now I'm sure you've seen the term 'memory foam' more and more these days. Some aren't the real deal, but I can confirm that these trainers are. I actually wear them more than my Timberlands or my Echo trainers at the moment. I have two pairs of memory foam slippers from Primark and I hoped the trainers would be just as good. Thankfully they were! 

My most recent purchase was a pedometer. I had been looking at buying a FitBit for a while but I then changed my mind. The reason for this being is that I wanted to make sure I would get adequate use of it. So I bought a cheap pedometer first to see how committed I would be to walking and trying to achieve at least 10,000 steps a day. I still plan to get a FitBit but maybe as a birthday or Christmas present. Or on Amazon's Black Friday. (Best for getting Christmas presents or birthday presents for the next year; if you're organised like me) 

Yoga
I started attending weekly yoga classes at my local community centre earlier this year. I then flared for a couple of months and couldn't attend. This month I got back into it. I really enjoy it, it helps to clear my mind and improve my strength and flexibility. Obviously it's not easy having the RA to contend with but I try my best. My instructor is also amazingly helpful and understanding. I made her aware of my illnesses and limitations right from my first class and she tailors the moves to my abilities. If I really can't do something, she never makes me feel bad for sitting that particular exercise out. It's also not competitive at all which is definitely a factor that makes the lessons all the more enjoyable. Not one person in there cares how experienced or advanced you are. Everyone's just focusing on themselves and our teacher. I walk there and back as the distance is short.

Zumba 
Zumba is another exercise I thought I'd try. This takes place once a week at a secondary school not too far from where I live. I'm enjoying it so far, I'm still trying to learn the steps and then I will focus on the arm exercises that coincide. It's so much fun that it doesn't feel like exercise! However it most definitely is and I always have a sweaty T-shirt as proof at the end of each one hour session! If I'm feeling up to it, I will then walk home afterwards which gets in an added 30-45 minutes of exercise for the day. 

What forms of exercise do you enjoy doing? Are you also on a weight loss or fitness journey? Let me know in the comments. 

Have a wonderful day! 

Oyinda xo

Leap: An Introduction Of Sorts

My first post. Both exciting and scary. Which is part of the reason as to why I've thought about blogging, opened accounts and even bought a book. The actual posting however, is a whole other ball game. I think that's why I've decided to title this 'Leap:An Introduction of Sorts. It's me finally biting the bullet, taking that leap and expressing my thoughts and feelings through this medium. I've always loved writing, In I fact still try to keep up with writing a diary as often as possible. The difference between my diary and a blog is that one has always been solely for my benefit, my private rants and ravings. This of course is more public and I think that both excites and terrifies me. Although here we are so without further a do...

 Hello! I'm Oyindamola. I'm a 21-year old Nigerian female, born and raised in the UK. I been been suffering with SLE (Lupus) and Rheumatoid Arthritis since I was around 10 and a half years old. The main purpose of this blog is to raise awareness of this life-threatening chronic disease, and to give readers an insight into how it affects me and my general lifestyle.This blog will be tailored mostly to me and how I am affected. I think is important to point out as every Lupus sufferer is different; and how they're affected varies.

 Everything I express and share with you through this blog will have a connection to Lupus, however small that connection may seem. This is because I live with Lupus everyday; there is not yet a cure. I have the bad days and good days and as anyone who is affected or knows a person who suffers with a chronic illness will already know. Therefore some posts be happier than others as want to give a honest account of how I feel and what I'm experiencing at the time. Having said that, even the serious moments hopefully won't be all doom and gloom! My Mum (and the film Stuart Little) have both taught me to see the humor and the silver lining to every cloud and situation, however bad it may seem.

I hope people from all walks of life will enjoy reading this blog, whether you suffer from Lupus or not, it doesn't matter. Even if it means you go away just knowing what Lupus is, then that is a small victory in my mind. It's a start and as my Mum often tells me, you have to crawl before you can walk.

So thank you very much if you have taken the time to read this, please give me a follow and check back reguarly for more! Also feel free to follow me on social media, the buttons are on the right.

Oyinda xo