Future Plans

So it's been a while since I last posted a blog, but I can guarantee you I have not been sitting around doing nothing.
I have been running, as ever, getting involved in medical trials, racing, and trying to look at my future.


I have decided that my future is dead if I stay where I am, and where I am is stuck behind a desk doing something as mundane and routine as brushing ones teeth. Whilst I am good at my job, and what I do, I literally cannot sit here any longer and let my life pass me by whilst doing something just to pay the bills. I need to do something that makes me happy!


This made me sit and look at myself a little more closely; what is it that makes me happy?
What makes me happy used to be drawing but I would always go through phases where I would draw as much as possible and sell works on a regular basis. Then I would fade off, continue with my normal 9-5 job, and drawing would just die off for a bit until I got the itch to draw again.


Then I discovered running. Running has opened up an entirely new world for me, and I've discovered that I have an extreme amount of passion for it and what it brings to life as a whole.
I have been running for a little over a year now, and through it I have discovered a completely new way of looking at life. How I go about my day to day lifestyle. How I am towards others. What I am like at home, and at work. It has completely changed the way I live, and improved my life 100%. I am healthier, stronger, happier etc... we eat a much more healthy diet, and have been introduced to an entirely new way of looking at life.


All of these changes have had an obvious physical effect; which others have openly noticed; and I am often asked by friends; and colleagues; about whether this food item is good to eat, or if this recipe has healthy elements to it etc... Whether I can recommend a way to improve how someone runs, even what kind of shoe someone should buy!
I think the biggest plus point for me so far is to have been asked by one of my best friends to assist them in their training for the New York Marathon. I don't even live in America (which is where they currently live), I live in the UK, but my friend has asked me for my help via the internet, to keep her motivated, to provide training tips etc...
All of these little things have made me realise that there really is no better job satisfaction than seeing someone benefit from something you advised them on. Seeing others be happier, and healthier purely through one or two little things that you told them would be good to just try.


So what can I do with this knew found realisation in life? Well; I can do something about it. I enjoy helping others, and I hate sitting behind this desk. I enjoy running, and enjoy advising others on the benefits of it. I enjoy cooking, and enjoy seeing peoples reactions to food suggestions that I have given them.
There is only one answer to this situation. I need to turn myself into a life coach, running coach and nutritionist. I need to make this change for me, my family, and for those around me that struggle to find the will to do it for themselves.


It was not long after I decided to begin looking into exactly how I could go about making this change, that one of my bosses sat in the canteen to have his lunch and made a very striking comment.
There were four of us sat around a table, each one of us with our own specific lunch, but each one of us eating salad. The four of us are all fairly health conscious but I am very much a stand out example of dedication to my new health targets etc... I follow very strict rules when it comes to my regular breakfast and lunchtime meals, everything designed to assist my running performances, as well as my overall health and recovery.
My boss sat there eating his shop bought, microwave curry and then said: "There is so much rubbish put up on that notice board in here! With all the nutritional advice you lot; and others'; give one another it would be so much more beneficial to have something of us on it. Something like a nutritional info page, or a recipe or something. Something like Andrews' Salad of the Week, or something like that. Andrew could then draw up his recipe for whatever salad he is eating that week and others could take that away and try to replicate it for their own lunches!"
Everyone agreed, but with an air of jest to their agreement. I on the other hand immediately started looking at it in a positive manner. Ideas started popping around inside my brain, and then it hit me. I can do exactly that! I can write up different recipes that I cook, or make, and then stick them up on the board. if anybody wants to try and make them, they can.
I am a good enough cook to know what I'm doing when writing up a recipe, and I know that a lot of the things I make are fairly original, and taste pretty decent too. On top of that I know that what I am putting in my body is generally better for me than most shop bought products you see people sticking in a microwave.


So here it is, the first idea towards changing my life, and what it is that I do. I am going to start writing up the recipes for different dishes that I make. I will take a photo of the meal and print it out with a list of the ingredients and how to make it. That will then be going up on the notice board in our staff canteen.
I can hear you already; "What's so great about that?"
There is a little twist obviously. Whilst providing people with a basic recipe and pic etc... I will also be putting a QR code on the page. This will allow people to scan it into their phone and be brought to this blog and a more informative description of the recipe.


I plan on picking out each ingredient used and then looking at all the different health benefits of each. This will allow people to then see exactly why the food they are eating is good for them, what the benefits are to eating daily portions of things such as kale. Why it is important to drink lots of water through the day. That kind of thing.
I also want to start drawing up a list of all the different vitamins and minerals, all the essential nutrients that are out there, and then writing an explanation of what each one is, and what they do. Whilst this will be good info for others to look at if they wish, it will also benefit me to learn about all the different aspects that I would think need to be covered in order to study to become a decent nutritionist.


I have already created my first salad recipe and it is tasty!
So from here on in, let's just look forward to regular updates of healthy; tasty; and easy meals for everyone to make, and enjoy.
I hope this works, and that you all get a benefit from the idea.


Enjoy