A few weeks ago I confessed how lousy I was feeling physically. I also confessed that I intended to change my ways for the better. Well, I started to fall of the wagon last week. We hosted a cookout and the chips, the drinks, the hot dogs all called out to me. Then the next day, but who's counting, I was famished and bypassed the fresh veggies in favor of a bag of baked potato chips in the pantry. Forget they were baked, not fried. I probably ate 5 servings. Ugh!
I'm the first person to admit that I'm not the most disciplined woman.I tend to tell myself, "oh well. you tried." and move one to the next thing. Then another month passes, my dresses feel a little snugger, and I begrudge myself for not sticking to my XYZ plan the last time.
This time I'm trying something different. I went back to something a nutritionist had once told me. I used to be in incredible shape. I'm embarrassed to admit this was nearly a decade ago and pre-pregnancy. I weighed 75+ fewer pounds than I do today. I was also kid free and working with a personal trainer and a nutritionist. I looked and felt like a million bucks. Here's the thing. Our bodies are always evolving. I don't expect to look like I did back then. I just want to look and feel like the best version of myself right-now.
Oh, and I'm trying to get back to my best self without the without the help of a nutritionist, personal trainer, or even a gym membership. Its not in the budget for this stay-at-home mommy. Anyway, I've been looking through my old notebooks and dusted off my eating plan. I also found some books and DVDs from the public library. As I was perusing one of my old notebooks, one thing the nutritionist told me came flying back into my head. She said, "Every day you make a choice. Make better choices right n ow." I interpret that to mean don't worry about the whole month or getting to your big goal. That can feel overwhelming. Just think about what is the better choice right now.
With that, I acknowledged the bad choices of the last few days and vowed to make a better choice. To me at least, it feels more manageable. So, here my list of this week's better choices (e.g. healthy habits):
The verdict on how successful I've been? Thus far, I'd rate myself at 95%. I forgot to drink my ACV tonic a few days and I've missed my '100 oz. of water' goal every day. On the plus side, I've definitely gotten my walk in at least 6 days a week. I even managed to wake up 2 hours early to go walk before we left on a day trip.
Next up on my healthy habits list:
I know. It's a long list. That's OK because I don't have to do it all at once, but I do want to be doing those things. What are your tips or best practices for healthy living? Bonus points for things you can do as a working parent and still have time for spouse/kiddos/carpool/PTA/work/sleeping!
I'm the first person to admit that I'm not the most disciplined woman.I tend to tell myself, "oh well. you tried." and move one to the next thing. Then another month passes, my dresses feel a little snugger, and I begrudge myself for not sticking to my XYZ plan the last time.
This time I'm trying something different. I went back to something a nutritionist had once told me. I used to be in incredible shape. I'm embarrassed to admit this was nearly a decade ago and pre-pregnancy. I weighed 75+ fewer pounds than I do today. I was also kid free and working with a personal trainer and a nutritionist. I looked and felt like a million bucks. Here's the thing. Our bodies are always evolving. I don't expect to look like I did back then. I just want to look and feel like the best version of myself right-now.
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| Stop Watch Source: Natalie Duhamel |
Oh, and I'm trying to get back to my best self without the without the help of a nutritionist, personal trainer, or even a gym membership. Its not in the budget for this stay-at-home mommy. Anyway, I've been looking through my old notebooks and dusted off my eating plan. I also found some books and DVDs from the public library. As I was perusing one of my old notebooks, one thing the nutritionist told me came flying back into my head. She said, "Every day you make a choice. Make better choices right n ow." I interpret that to mean don't worry about the whole month or getting to your big goal. That can feel overwhelming. Just think about what is the better choice right now.
With that, I acknowledged the bad choices of the last few days and vowed to make a better choice. To me at least, it feels more manageable. So, here my list of this week's better choices (e.g. healthy habits):
- Apple Cider Vinegar - (ACV for short) 2 x/day. Enough folks are writing or alking about ACV that I won't bother. Most recommend some combination of ACV + honey + H2O and suggest drinking it daily. Research for yourself and talk to your healthcare practicioner first. I did some research on the internet, read some books, researched some more resources. I even talked to my naturopath. I'm only 1 week in, but I felt a boost in my energy levels within a few days. That alone makes it worth the minimal effort. In my book, adding ACV to my day is a pretty low-cost, simple step and better for me than coffee.
- Drinking Water like Crazy - Several trainers, nutritionists, and holistic living practicioners I follow tout the many health benefits from drinking lots of water. Forget the 8 glasses a day we all learned. The latest advice seems to be to divide your body weight by 2 and voila, that number is the same number of ounces you should be drinking each day. For me, that works out to 100+ oz a day. GULP!!!!
- Walking min 45 min at least 6 x/wk. My thought process behind this one? Something is better than nothing. My simple plan is to move every day.
The verdict on how successful I've been? Thus far, I'd rate myself at 95%. I forgot to drink my ACV tonic a few days and I've missed my '100 oz. of water' goal every day. On the plus side, I've definitely gotten my walk in at least 6 days a week. I even managed to wake up 2 hours early to go walk before we left on a day trip.
Next up on my healthy habits list:
- Eliminate most sugar from my diet
- Pilates or Yoga 2/week
- Eat vegetarian 1/week
- Read 1 hr/day
- Social Media fasts
- Pray/Meditate daily
I know. It's a long list. That's OK because I don't have to do it all at once, but I do want to be doing those things. What are your tips or best practices for healthy living? Bonus points for things you can do as a working parent and still have time for spouse/kiddos/carpool/PTA/work/sleeping!
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