today i've been pondering about changing my old ways of thinking about diet and exercise. i feel like there's been a big shift in my thinking recently. i now see myself making better choices for the rest of my life. it really does feel like a "sea change" in my head. a very drastic change from deep within.
when i say the word "diet", i no longer mean some temporary change in eating habits to loose weight. i now mean the way in which i eat every single day. i choose each and every thing i eat. and i am committed to making better choices, so that i can live a long, healthy and happy life. as much as it's in my control.
i'll make good choices, and sometimes i'll make mistakes. i'll learn from my mistakes and move on. instead of making mistakes, hating myself, and giving up!
i read something recently, an analogy about breaking eggs. the person asks, "in all your years of cooking, have you ever dropped an egg on the floor? when you dropped the egg, did you just stop cooking forever? or did you wipe it up and start over?"
the point being: why let mistakes stop you from trying again? why let a dropped egg keep you from ever making another omelet?
i'm feeling great and making the right choices lately. but i'll screw it up, i'll fail, i'll do the wrong thing. it's inevitable. the big change i'm trying to make is that when i fail, i'll accept the failure, learn from it, and move on. knowing i'll fail at times, but working to not beat myself up about it.
on tuesday i had nothing healthy to eat for breakfast and i was back to work after the holidays. my mistake was being unprepared. so i got mcdonald's, and felt bad. and it was gross!
for lunch that day i made good choices. i stopped my inner critic from telling me that i sucked for eating mcdonald's. it was a bad choice, but i had plenty of chances to make good choices. i've been making good choices for every meal since then.
ok, enough of my rambles. it helps me to keep blogging about this stuff!
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
small victories...
1. day 2 at the gym. rented a locker, brought my awesome new googles, and tried the sauna. also checked out the showers. not too creepy!
2. day 5 or 6 eating better. lean protein, lots of water, small amount of fruit & veggies, few bites of pasta. no wine or mentos!
3. figuring out how to cook for myself and the husband, with 2 sets of mostly different dietary needs. eggbeaters for the win!
mostly i feel positive, that i can continue this way of life. dig it!
2. day 5 or 6 eating better. lean protein, lots of water, small amount of fruit & veggies, few bites of pasta. no wine or mentos!
3. figuring out how to cook for myself and the husband, with 2 sets of mostly different dietary needs. eggbeaters for the win!
mostly i feel positive, that i can continue this way of life. dig it!
Monday, January 2, 2012
Today is the first day of the rest of your life!
So I skipped the gym today. I decided a nap and a plate of cheese would be better. I followed the cheese nap with a bottle of wine & fried chicken. Topped it off with a cup of sugar, snorted through my nose. Just checking to see if anyone reads these posts! (edit: oh these posts are read - copax) I've stuck to my no mentos/ no alcohol rule. I drove out in the snow to get to the gym. I swam laps (doggy paddle all the way!) and then sat in the whirlpool. It was pretty cool. One odd thing: there are no fat girls at the gym! It's all soccer moms & their kids, or weird middle-aged jocks. And not a tattoo to be seen! I'm also wondering what the proper etiquette is for strangers in the whirlpool? Do you make small talk, ignore each other, or pretend to intently read (& reread) the rules posted on the wall. You'll never guess what this awkward girl did! Let's just saw that I know the many rules of the whirlpool & I may have broken at least 3 of them. I'm doing great with eating specific to weight loss surgery. The liquid fast will begin on Friday. Exciting!
I've started using 21habit.com. I've committed $21 and will get back $1 a day for each day I successfully accomplish my stated goal (I will work out 30 minutes a day.) For each day I'm unable to accomplish the goal, $1 will be donated to charity (List of charities) Some people seem to believe that it takes 21 days to turn something into a new habit. This is widely debated (How long does it take to change a habit?) but I figured if I can do it for 21 days, it'll at least be a good start if nothing else. The end of my 21 days will coincide with my birthday. That'd be a hell of a birthday gift to have a new habit like this :)
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Making Changes
Making changes in my life has always been a real struggle for me. I get stuck in my ways out of fear of the unknown, out of a need for control, out of a search for perfection, or just out of laziness. And when I try to make changes, I get caught up in looking for fast results, constant improvement, and/or effortless new habits.
There are a couple of blog posts on this subject that have recently clicked with me when it comes to making changes
The Half Step That Will Change Your Life - Leo Babuta, Zen Habits
The Single-Changing Method - Leo Babuta, Zen Habits
The basic gist is to pick one thing, one small thing, and kind of give that one thing a laser-like focus. It can be as simple as taking 2 minutes out of your day to just do nothing and reflect on your life, or drinking more water, or eat one new healthier option. From a consistency standpoint, try to only worry about that one new change you’re making, if you slip-up, just go right back to that one thing. Once it gets to the point that you feel like it’s really become a “habit” and you can do it with minimal effort, or you really enjoy doing it, then move on to another change, and do the same thing. Don’t get caught up with the end goal, focus on the step itself and enjoying the change you’re making. One thing I’d throw in that’s not necessarily mentioned in the posts would be to give a change a fair shot to see if it will work out, but if it doesn’t, then don’t feel like you failed and don’t give up on making other changes. Just find a new small change, focus on it, and see what it does.
I know that I personally feel overwhelmed with the vast amount of stuff in my life that “needs” to change. And that can lead me to giving up, that there’s no way I’ll be able to make it all happen. But now I’m starting to learn that, you know what? That’s the way life goes, and it’s gonna be ok nonetheless. Maybe I can make all those changes over time, maybe I can’t. Maybe I’ll get them changed in a timeframe that feels fast enough, maybe I won’t. Regardless, I can’t stop trying to make some of them.
There are a couple of blog posts on this subject that have recently clicked with me when it comes to making changes
The Half Step That Will Change Your Life - Leo Babuta, Zen Habits
The Single-Changing Method - Leo Babuta, Zen Habits
The basic gist is to pick one thing, one small thing, and kind of give that one thing a laser-like focus. It can be as simple as taking 2 minutes out of your day to just do nothing and reflect on your life, or drinking more water, or eat one new healthier option. From a consistency standpoint, try to only worry about that one new change you’re making, if you slip-up, just go right back to that one thing. Once it gets to the point that you feel like it’s really become a “habit” and you can do it with minimal effort, or you really enjoy doing it, then move on to another change, and do the same thing. Don’t get caught up with the end goal, focus on the step itself and enjoying the change you’re making. One thing I’d throw in that’s not necessarily mentioned in the posts would be to give a change a fair shot to see if it will work out, but if it doesn’t, then don’t feel like you failed and don’t give up on making other changes. Just find a new small change, focus on it, and see what it does.
I know that I personally feel overwhelmed with the vast amount of stuff in my life that “needs” to change. And that can lead me to giving up, that there’s no way I’ll be able to make it all happen. But now I’m starting to learn that, you know what? That’s the way life goes, and it’s gonna be ok nonetheless. Maybe I can make all those changes over time, maybe I can’t. Maybe I’ll get them changed in a timeframe that feels fast enough, maybe I won’t. Regardless, I can’t stop trying to make some of them.
23 1/2 hours
23 1/2 hours
It’s such a simple concept. Exercise make you healthier and helps you live longer. But for me, and I’m sure for others, it’s a struggle. I know for myself, it’s not so much a struggle against external factors. It’s a struggle against myself. I own an exercise bike. I work at a job that has exercise equipment available. I’m single, no kids, no major time commitments outside of my job. Yet I still don’t take the time to do it. This video makes a really solid point, and I don’t mean to “spoil” the video, but the title is kind of a giveaway anyways.
The summarizing point of the video is this. ”Can you limit your sitting and sleeping to just 23 1/2 hours a day?” Well, yeah, when you put it that way, of course I can. 30 minutes a day. That’s 2% of your day. For a logical nerd like me, that’s evidence that’s kinda tough to ignore.
It’s such a simple concept. Exercise make you healthier and helps you live longer. But for me, and I’m sure for others, it’s a struggle. I know for myself, it’s not so much a struggle against external factors. It’s a struggle against myself. I own an exercise bike. I work at a job that has exercise equipment available. I’m single, no kids, no major time commitments outside of my job. Yet I still don’t take the time to do it. This video makes a really solid point, and I don’t mean to “spoil” the video, but the title is kind of a giveaway anyways.
The summarizing point of the video is this. ”Can you limit your sitting and sleeping to just 23 1/2 hours a day?” Well, yeah, when you put it that way, of course I can. 30 minutes a day. That’s 2% of your day. For a logical nerd like me, that’s evidence that’s kinda tough to ignore.
2012 Resolutions
Next year, I resolve to do more, move more, eat better, worry less about the unknown, worry less about work, worry less in general, cry less, stress less over the unknown, stress less over work, stress less in general, be sad less, be happy more, clean more, read more, game more, worry about others less, put others first less, worry about myself more, put myself first more. I resolve to be vulnerable in order to find love, find a new place to live, and ultimately find a life outside the rut I’ve been living in. And I resolve to seek out and ask for the help and reinforcement I will ultimately need to try to accomplish everything I’ve listed here. I have a lot to do, and I haven’t done much of it before out of fear of failure and the unknown.
I wish everyone who sees this a safe, happy, and prosperous new year.
I wish everyone who sees this a safe, happy, and prosperous new year.
new year's resolution. there, i said it!
i'm sipping my cup of coffee, listening to experts on the today show talk about how resolutions almost always fail. well, F that! i feel a real excitement about my goals.
for the first time in over 10 years, i've joined a gym. i am really excited to start my exercise routine with swimming 3 days a week, and then a yoga class or spinning once i'm in a little better shape. I CAN DO THIS.
i've spent weeks researching a special diet that caters to weight loss surgery patients. it will start with a 5 days fast, and then i'll go back to the basic post-surgery rules: protein first, then a small amount of vegetables & fruits (low glycemic), tons of water, protein shakes, and no snacking. I CAN DO THIS.
i'm also giving up the mentos. i was up to 2 rolls a day. i stopped buying them last week and yesterday i had my last piece.
yesterday we had a great pizza for lunch. then that night we had a really nice red wine, and a few bites of cannoli. it was all good, but i need to make that kind of stuff a special occasion and not an every day thing.
i'm cutting way back on coffee and alcohol. i'm slowly cutting back on the coffee (so that i don't get horrible caffeine withdrawal headaches). i'm cutting alcohol back to just one drink with dinner. when i do the 5 day fast (hoping to do that in about a week) i'll have no coffee or drinks. I CAN DO THIS.
i'm participating in a 30 day yoga challenge with friends at work. it entails eating 1 vegetarian meal, 15 minutes of yoga and 15 minutes of meditation every day. I CAN DO THIS.
and finally, i want to make healthy meals for the husband, to walk the dog more, and to find new way's to handle stress. WE CAN DO THIS.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Sunday, June 26, 2011
perserverance
One of my favorite comedians, Brian Regan:
Last visit to the doc revealed my cholesterol is going up, despite being on multiple cholesterol-lowering medications and starting a daily Omega 3 fish oil regiment. Now they say my sugar levels were high and had to go back for more blood work. Results next week...
Both of my parents had a heart-attack before 65. Dad is diabetic. I guess it's easy to see where this is going.
So, once again, I'm starting to eat better and move around more. I have to make it last this time. Life-time habits, not just diets. Jen's in it with me too. Wish us perserverance!
Last visit to the doc revealed my cholesterol is going up, despite being on multiple cholesterol-lowering medications and starting a daily Omega 3 fish oil regiment. Now they say my sugar levels were high and had to go back for more blood work. Results next week...
Both of my parents had a heart-attack before 65. Dad is diabetic. I guess it's easy to see where this is going.
So, once again, I'm starting to eat better and move around more. I have to make it last this time. Life-time habits, not just diets. Jen's in it with me too. Wish us perserverance!
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