So, betcha you're wondering how my healthy adventure has been going since it's been over a year since I've last posted. Well...(drum roll please)...I've continued to gain weight. Yup, that's right. Yes, it's discouraging, maddening even, especially since I've not done anything to cause weight gain. So where does that leave me?
Seems to me this is the perfect time of year to assess things and come up with a plan. No more Weight Watchers or any other plan that's going to cost a monthly fee for me NOT to actually attend. The fact is, I know what I need to do and I have all the tools I actually need to do it as well. Eat better and move more... those are the keys to it all. Simple, right? WRONG! I have health issues and take medications that fight against successful weight loss. That said, I can still do things to live a healthier life. It's never an all or nothing scenario; I can do whatever I can actually do to improve my health. Now's a great time for me to lay out my plan for the coming year.
First, because of my fibromyalgia, I can not push myself with lots of working out. However, I can still move more in a way that benefits my health and helps me to move better with less pain. 1: Stretching! Flexibility is vital to maintain and yes, I've actually put that on the back burner for far too long. Even my medical team has said that gentle stretching at least twice a day will do a world of wonders for me and help me feel much better. So, I will begin stretching exercises morning and night each day, without fail. 2: Cardio Exercise. I may not be able to do several miles on my treadmill every day like I use to do, but that doesn't mean I can't do anything at all. Even a half a mile at a snails pace or a few minutes on my Simply Fit Board, on my bad days is better than nothing at all. Maybe all I can do is walk Annie up the cut-de-sac, or only one very slow lap on the treadmill... the key is to actually do SOMETHING each day. This is what will help me to build my strength back up over the coming months. Being smart about this and not getting frustrated because I can't do it like I use to is really important. I'm dealing with fiber and severe lung issues... two things that don't like to cut me any slack when I overdo even a little bit. 3: Because my life is crazy and schedules are nearly unheard of, I need to be hyper-alert to getting these two things done each day. Yes, I will be drawing up a schedule for the new year to help be certain that these get prioritized each day.
Second....FOOD; the bane of my existence. Frankly, food isn't a huge thing with me. I am not a "foody" as many people pride themselves on being. Food fills a physical void, nothing more, nothing less. Sure, there are things I enjoy, and there are times something really "sounds good" to me, but usually I eat because I "have" to. This can be a blessing and a curse. It doesn't take very much to fill me up. Quite literally half to 3/4 of a kids meal at most places fills me up and most of the time, it will keep me full all day long, leaving me to only want a small snack late in the evening. At home, I'm more of a "snacker".... again, this poses challenges. When such small amounts of food fill you up and keep you full, you must be more disciplined in what you choose and do your best to make healthy, well balanced choices....something I'm not the best at doing, frankly. When food is "utilitarian", you tend to not spend much time on deciding what to eat, let alone preparing it (the easier and quicker, the better). I plan on doing better about making better choices.... menu planning, cooking at home, planning ahead. Keeping things simple, but doing a better job of balanced nutrition. Not only will this help me personally, but it will also help my family since I won't be facing that inevitable 4:30pm "Crap! I have no idea what's for dinner" dilemma each night. I don't plan to go on any "diet plan", count any points/calories/carbs/etc, no worrying about low carb/low fat, etc; but I do plan on cooking and eating at home and cutting down on eating out. That in and of itself will help in so many different ways. I already subscribe to The Six Sisters Menu Plan and enjoy their weekly menus in my inbox every Friday. My goal is to stop collecting them and start implementing and making them;) We will continue to enjoy "hot" breakfast like we have always done (eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, waffles, muffins, hot cereal, etc), simple lunches (soup and sandwich, salads, simple one pot meals, etc), and typical comfort foods for dinner utilizing my InstantPot and crockpot as well as making casseroles and pastas. Eventually, I'd love to get back to baking homemade breads as well :) I'm not going to stress out over getting it right according to The Daniel Plan or Trim Healthy Mama, however, I am going to utilize things from these programs that I'm comfortable with.
Third, working on my sugar addiction. Yes, due to my medications and the chronic health conditions I deal with personally as well as taking care of my kids and their health conditions, I've developed a sugar addiction. No, I'm not going to even suggest that I'm going to just go cold turkey and cut all sugar out. What I am going to do is work on cutting out the excess where I can. Choose lower sugar options (not substitutes), cut down my soda consumption (something I've been working on for years already), cut down on sugar in recipes, taking Plexus Block before my meals, basically anything I can do to lower the sugar in my (our) daily diet. Not only will I feel better, but it will help balance out my physical system as well.
Finally, logging/journaling what my days entail. There is not better accountability than HONESTLY writing down everything that goes into your mouth and what activity you've accomplished each day. Whether I track these things on an app on my phone or in a pretty little journal, the key is consistently doing it. In addition to my food and activity, I will also track my medications and supplements as well as my water intake since I'm not always disciplined in these areas on a daily basis.
Alrighty, there ya'll have it.... the steps I plan on taking to head down the path to improved health. Yes, I expect life to get in the way and throw me off track. I mean, I do have two kiddos with Type 1 Diabetes, an elderly mom, a husband with a crazy work schedule, 4 tween/teen daughters and their moods and drama, a small zoo that needs attention each day, and of course my own health problems... it's not easy, but I realize that it's vitally important if I want to enjoy the rest of my life and be able to meet the needs of my family. 2017 is the year that I work on getting stronger and I don't worry about "losing weight"... Now there's a fresh idea ;)
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