A great guest blog from FlidFit.

A woman after my own heart who loves travel, good food, exercise & looking after herself for optimal health & wellbeing.

Tell me more about you:

I’m Simone, 57 years old.  I live in Reading, Berkshire (I’ve lived here all my life!)  My Mum took the Thalidomide drug when she was pregnant with me which means I was born with my femurs (thigh bones) shortened, 

I don’t have properly formed hip joints, my arms are shortened to elbow length and I have three fingers and no thumbs on each hand.  But despite my disability, I was bought up to be very independent by my Mum who encouraged me to do everything that my two younger sisters did. 

I have a daughter, who’s now aged 23 and living in Leeds after graduating from Brighton University. 

I worked as a secretary when I left school, but eventually moved to working for various charities before I “retired” when my daughter was 4. I also had a serious car crash around that time, that further reduced my mobility, so I was finding work too physically demanding on top of caring for a small child.

Nowadays I am involved in various voluntary roles both locally and nationally – mostly committee work around disability issues.  In fact, I am probably as busy (if not busier) than when I worked full time.  But the difference is I find my various roles very rewarding. 

What inspired you to write your blog?

Initially, I just wanted to keep a record of my weight loss journey.  I wanted to lose weight and get fitter for myself.  However, not long after the start of my weight loss journey, it became apparent just how few resources there are on the internet around weight loss and exercise when you have significant mobility issues. 

I wanted to share my own experiences, useful resources I discovered and – most importantly, to try and inspire others who might want to make some lifestyle chances of their own.   

How do you want/does your blog help others?

I have discovered that the lifestyle changes I have made have been massively beneficial to me in ways that I couldn’t even have imagined when I started my journey over 8 years ago.  

I realised that I had been using my disability and the injuries sustained in my car crash as excuses for why I was overweight rather than accepting that I had been eating far too much for a very short (4ft 8”) fairly sedentary woman of more mature years. 

Once I acknowledged that I could lose the weight without any exercise whatsoever by concentrating solely on my food intake, my journey became somewhat easier.

That’s not to say it was (or is) a breeze and I have accepted that I will need to keep a close eye on my food intake for the remainder of my life if I don’t want to regain the weight I’ve lost.I am keen for my Blog readers to understand just how restricted I was by the additional weight I was carrying (4 stone / 25.5kg) and how liberating it has been to get rid of that weight that was holding me back in so many areas of my life – far more than my disability if I am totally honest.

I also love cooking (I have a French Mum, so it’s in the blood!) and enjoy sharing my recipe ideas and pictures.  I began to see my love of cooking as something positive – it has enabled me to plan and create healthy meals from scratch.

What are your tips for staying on top yourhealth?

My weight loss has had an incredible benefit to my health.  I used to get asthma, but no longer do.  So I need to keep that weight off.

I eat as healthily as I am able to – without cutting out anything.  During my weight loss journey I have made many changes to how I eat and what I eat – for example, I eat just two meals a day, swap processed carbohydrates for vegetables, cutting out the “low fat” foods and replacing them with healthier full fats – but in smaller quantities.

In terms if exercise, I exercise for mobility, strength and also as a way to keep on top of my pain.  So I do around 45 minutes of stretches for my back, neck, shoulders every single day and then bounce vigorously on a gym ball, swinging my arms back and forth and listening to music.  It’s something I enjoy now and I don’t see it as a chore – it’s just what I need to incorporate in my daily routine.

How has Covid 19 affected you during lockdown?

I’ve actually enjoyed the lockdown situation, but then I do have company (my husband) and I don’t have school age children.  I’ve been enjoying the slower pace of life and having more time to exercise and enjoy the garden.

I’ve been a little frustrated at the problems in getting my usual on-line delivery slots booked, but we’ve not gone short on food.

I had ordered a new car just before lockdown, which is not sat at the dealership waiting to be modified for me to drive!  Having said that, I’ve not missed being out sat in traffic jams.

Like many others, I’ve had to learn how to video conference using Zoom!  I have around 5-6 Zoom calls and meetings – the largest was 21 participants and I was chairing! 

I’m missing my Mum and my sisters. I’m really close to my family. I speak to them all on the ‘phone, but my Mum is 85 years old at the end of May and has dementia. I can’t wait to see her again and have a big hug.

For more information about Simone & to read her inspiring & helpful posts, follow her at Flidfit

Much Love

BellesWheels xoxo

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