New Year's resolutions. I've done them for years but it seems like they are a real struggle to keep. This life challenge actually started before New Year's anyway, so I'm not calling it a resolution. Maybe I will have better luck keeping it then.
It started when I had my foot surgery in mid-November. One fo the first things that happened to me what an overpowering headache the day after my surgery. I knew instantly what it was. A caffeine withdrawal. I had always started my day with my little 4 cup coffee maker brewing up almost 5 cups of coffee. I would flood it with flavored creamer and head out the door. I also was a fan of at least one or two cans of pop a day. The day of and the day after surgery had me taking both of those caffeine sources out of my diet. Instantly I decided that being that addicted to something was not okay. I didn't want my body to be that dependent on something that was obviously bad for me.
Since my surgery I have completely given up coffee. It's been hard and when I smell someone else's coffee, I almost break down. But so far I'm doing it. At the same time I almost gave up pop. I say almost because I still allow myself a pop when we go out to eat sometimes. It's a treat I tell myself. Again, not having a pop at certain times is way harder than I thought it would be. There are times when I would have had a pop in the past and sometimes the cravings are so real it's scary. But I'm learning to love lots and lots of water. I even gave up all the mix ins I was using and rely completely on a few drops of lemon or grapefruit essential oils to flavor up my water.
Along with giving up (mostly) on caffeine, I decided to make other healthier choices when the new year rolled around. I vowed to get rid of the bowls of candies in the kitchen, but then Valentine's happened and they are back. I have very little self control but I've been doing great. If they are still there in a week or two though - away they must go. I'm a sugaraholic - like terribly. I love to bake and eat my baking. I love ICE CREAM. It had gotten to the point where every trip to Rochester meant stopping at Flapdoodles, Cold Stone or Culvers for ice cream or custard. Since making healthier choices I have only stopped once! Yay me! I've tried instead to focus my sweet tooth on fruits if I am craving something sweet. Doesn't quite hit the same as a sundae or a blizzard from Dairy Queen, but I tell myself my health is more important. (I don't always believe it - but I'm trying.)
I also upped my vegetables intake by a LOT. My entire lunch is made up of vegetables. Lately I have been steaming stir fry frozen mixes and adding a little garlic salt. 10 for 10 recommend because I love the variety of flavors and textures. I adore frozen or canned peas, carrots and green beans also. I focus on adding vegetables to every meal if possible and eating LESS at every meal. Oh my gosh I was eating a ton. Slowly but surely if you whittle down your portion sizes your body doesn't hate you so much. Stop eating when you START to feel full. It takes your body up to 20 minutes to register that it is full. So by the time you stop eating you are way past being satisfied.
We love going out to eat. It's our break, our treat to each other. It's our date night. But I also really really love food. So when they put that good food in front of me, and I know how much it costs, the frugal person in me says I have to eat a lot to make it "worth it". There is an entire day's plus worth of calories in one meal out. So - here's a trick. Get a box right away. Divide your meal in half and put half in the to go box. Ta da - portion control. Just no sneaking anything out of that box until the next meal. A person could always wait until the end of the meal but I know I stink at that. I always have good intentions of saving half of it. I rarely manage to do it.
My students have been keeping me honest. I have to do my best to turn down the birthday treats (really they are almost daily with students from other classes coming in too.). They have gotten to where they will tell kiddos coming in, "She doesn't eat sweets!" They aren't quite right. I do still eat them, but rarely. Or as rarely as I can stand it. It's good they do that because there are some birthday treats (Zebra snack cakes...) that I have a very very hard to say no too. Having 22 students holding you accountable helps. Too bad they can't follow me home.
Lastly, I incorporated yoga into my daily routine. I started with yoga instead of my old standby, running or walking, because of my foot. Yoga seemed like something I could do as my foot was still healing. It was and still is something that puts a lot less strain on my foot. It was also something that helped my left leg get strength back. I did a free 30 day challenge on Amazon Prime and I am now almost halfway through that same 30 day challenge for a second time. I didn't notice the changes in my body until I started over and suddenly I could do some of the moves and balance. It's incredible the increased strength in my body. I'm super excited to finish the challenge for a second time and try a new challenge next. (I blogged about this challenge a few blogs down if you're interested in the link. It is also free on youtube.)
Why am I doing all of this? Everyone asks if it is about losing weight. Yes, I would love to lose about 10 lbs. But honestly - it is about being healthier. I have noticed that the number of headaches I have regularly has almost disappeared. That is huge. I feel stronger and like I've bounced back from my surgery much faster than I thought I would. My balance has improved and I can start to see muscle development. Have I lost weight? Maybe a few pounds (like 6 total). I'm not going to lie, I wish it were more. But I'm trying to focus on the positive life changes and hope that I can keep these healthier choices going for the rest of my life.
I know that a person can add back in some of the fun things from time to time, but I'm not one of those people. As soon as I have one cookie, I can justify and rationalize having 3 more. As soon as I have pop one day, I will have one every day. If I skip yoga for a couple of days, I'll stop doing it altogether. It's a slow slippery slope back into bad habits for most, for me it's like a cannonball in the deep end. For some reason I don't have the will power to stop at one. This has to be a lifestyle change for me. Wish me luck.
One last healthy tip...
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