Getting Back into Education

 If I could tell my 21 year old self as I celebrated finally finishing my journey through education, that at the age of 27 I would be going back to college, there are certainly a few phrases that would be uttered... none of which are appropriate to be shared (not on this page anyway!) But alas, here we are.

As I shared on my last post I have been on a bit of a health journey over the past few years, and this has made me want to learn more about nutrition and the effects that certain foods have on the body. I have always been a foodie, however have had stomach issues for as long as I can remember, which over time began to take its toll on both my body and my mental health. I would have to check the menu before eating out to make sure there was something that my stomach could handle, or simply approach social events accepting that I would have to spend the next 24 hours suffering (because saying no to good food is hard!) 

After years of living like this I knew that something had to change, so I started being a lot more mindful when it came to looking after my body. I am an avid gym goer and enjoy bodybuilding style workouts, but have decided to lessen the number of weight training sessions per week and incorporate more pilates style movements; this has given my body time to properly recover, as well as focusing on the mind/muscle connection. As well as this, and more importantly for the purpose of this post, I switched up the food. I have always known there is no way I am going to be able to completely cut out the things that don't agree with me (I believe blissful ignorance is what they call it) but I have found alternatives where I can and have spent the last few months journalling to find out what works and what doesn't. Not only this, but I have made the decision to start studying nutrition; my current course is entry level meaning that is going back to basics, but as somebody with little educational knowledge on the topic it is perfect for what I need- and as long as I pass this one, I can move onto the next level and hopefully start helping others too!

I must admit, although I'm used to spending countless hours a day sitting at my computer staring at a screen I forgot how intense it is learning at home... When studying for my degree I opted to stay local for the purpose of saving money (plus the fear of living with strangers) but this time around I'm working full time which means double the workload and double the deadlines! I can't express how much admiration I have for the parents that juggle working, studying and looking after their families- you are super humans. It's safe to say that the next couple of months are going to be busy, but I know that once it's done I'll not only have the qualification, but I'll have the satisfaction of knowing that I wanted to achieve something and I went out and made it happen.