Like many people I made some promises, resolutions, goals, etc. for the new year. I started on Jan. 2 because I always feel like Mondays are really great for starting over. And like most people being healthy and losing weight are part of my goals. I know it's not very original but it seems to be something that a good majority of us always need to work on!
Losing weight is not something I ever had to worry about growing up. I was just skinny! I didn't know it then but I was. I ate whatever I wanted and didn't feel guilt over it. I can't say that I was healthy during those years though. I remember many times in high school skipping lunch and only drinking a Pepsi. I had stomach issues and blood sugar issues that eventually seemed to just go away. I try to think about why I was thin in my youth. Was it just because I was young? Maybe. Did I just not eat that much? I don't know. One thing does stand out though...exercise. I often think about how much movement happened when I was young. When I was a child I loved playing out doors and could spend the whole day outside. That had to burn off some calories. When I was in high school I walked up and down 3 flights of stairs every day with a load of books on my back. I walked home from the bus stop everyday too. Lots and lots of walking. It makes sense. When I was young I was moving every day! It continued when I went to college. Walking to and from class every day with books on my back. Everyday required walking.
Now I have to be really purposeful about moving around that much in a day. I'm up and down with my kids all day and doing some cleaning around the house. I walk to my care and then inside the grocery store. I don't think these things really add up to the amount of moving around I did back then. So now that I have decided I really do want to shed a few pounds I've realized that I need to get moving! No more excuses! I can't say that I don't have time because of my kids. I can't say it's because I don't have a gym membership. I have many resources available to me. I can go for a walk outside. I have an elliptical machine. I have a Tae Bo DVD and The Biggest Loser and Zumba Wii games.
So for the past 2 weeks I have been getting in some movement! I have added 30 minutes of exercise to my routine 6 days a week. It's not been easy and my body is tired but it's a start! I also realize that I need to start knowing what I'm eating. I have gone back to tracking my calories and working on portion sizes. Even after only 2 weeks of starting these changes I can feel a difference. I'm down 4 lbs on the scale. It's getting harder to stuff myself with food and feel good about it. I have noticed that I now feel good after eating to be satisfied rather than eating to be stuffed. I am learning to reward myself in other ways besides food. ( I am an emotional eater) I have goals and rewards posted on my fridge. I am trying to stay motivated and even when I'm not motivated I don't use that as an excuse. I have noticed that I feel more positive and happy.
It's only been 2 weeks but I think I'm off to a good start and can hopefully keep it up. I have done all of these things before with some differences. Before I never made concrete goals and wrote them down. I also only did exercise to the bare minimum! This time I also have a partner (sort of) in Brad. He has also made goals for himself but they are more specifically geared towards running. It helps that we can encourage each other. I also try to be positive about where I'm at. I don't have 100+ pounds to lose and I'm glad to be making these changes before I do. I'm not quite ready to go shouting out the numbers I have though.
I feel like this is only the start of making a better me this year. As I press on I plan to look at other areas of my life that might need growth. No more excuses!
Losing weight is not something I ever had to worry about growing up. I was just skinny! I didn't know it then but I was. I ate whatever I wanted and didn't feel guilt over it. I can't say that I was healthy during those years though. I remember many times in high school skipping lunch and only drinking a Pepsi. I had stomach issues and blood sugar issues that eventually seemed to just go away. I try to think about why I was thin in my youth. Was it just because I was young? Maybe. Did I just not eat that much? I don't know. One thing does stand out though...exercise. I often think about how much movement happened when I was young. When I was a child I loved playing out doors and could spend the whole day outside. That had to burn off some calories. When I was in high school I walked up and down 3 flights of stairs every day with a load of books on my back. I walked home from the bus stop everyday too. Lots and lots of walking. It makes sense. When I was young I was moving every day! It continued when I went to college. Walking to and from class every day with books on my back. Everyday required walking.
Now I have to be really purposeful about moving around that much in a day. I'm up and down with my kids all day and doing some cleaning around the house. I walk to my care and then inside the grocery store. I don't think these things really add up to the amount of moving around I did back then. So now that I have decided I really do want to shed a few pounds I've realized that I need to get moving! No more excuses! I can't say that I don't have time because of my kids. I can't say it's because I don't have a gym membership. I have many resources available to me. I can go for a walk outside. I have an elliptical machine. I have a Tae Bo DVD and The Biggest Loser and Zumba Wii games.
So for the past 2 weeks I have been getting in some movement! I have added 30 minutes of exercise to my routine 6 days a week. It's not been easy and my body is tired but it's a start! I also realize that I need to start knowing what I'm eating. I have gone back to tracking my calories and working on portion sizes. Even after only 2 weeks of starting these changes I can feel a difference. I'm down 4 lbs on the scale. It's getting harder to stuff myself with food and feel good about it. I have noticed that I now feel good after eating to be satisfied rather than eating to be stuffed. I am learning to reward myself in other ways besides food. ( I am an emotional eater) I have goals and rewards posted on my fridge. I am trying to stay motivated and even when I'm not motivated I don't use that as an excuse. I have noticed that I feel more positive and happy.
It's only been 2 weeks but I think I'm off to a good start and can hopefully keep it up. I have done all of these things before with some differences. Before I never made concrete goals and wrote them down. I also only did exercise to the bare minimum! This time I also have a partner (sort of) in Brad. He has also made goals for himself but they are more specifically geared towards running. It helps that we can encourage each other. I also try to be positive about where I'm at. I don't have 100+ pounds to lose and I'm glad to be making these changes before I do. I'm not quite ready to go shouting out the numbers I have though.
I feel like this is only the start of making a better me this year. As I press on I plan to look at other areas of my life that might need growth. No more excuses!
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