Trying to Live Healthy

So I have not had chance to update my blog for April! I am falling short of my goal to write weekly blogs :). I have so much on my mind and so much I want to say…if I could only figure out a way to pen my thoughts consistently…If you have any suggestions please let me know. I would like to be more disciplined with my blog.

So in my last post I talked about my desire to live a healthier lifestyle. My goal was to start in April. I have had a bit of a setback while at the same time I do acknowledge that I made some progress. My biggest challenge right now is changing my eating habits! So my goal is to ensure that each day I eat two servings of veges and fruits, while minimizing my carbs. Well here is the problem…what had happened was…the first week I was home I did really well…And then my parents (dad and stepmom) came to visit and that week was good as well…BUT they brought some roti (carbs)…and then my husband ordered Indian food for my surprise birthday party later that week…And we had a lot of left overs…So for the following week I didn’t cook…I ate roit, Indian food, and left overs! I mean I can’t let it waste, right!? I did try to incorporate my daily fruits and veges and limit the carbs per day…I was conscious of that. But then my fruits finished and I was/am too lazy to go to the grocery store…And I can feel myself starting to slip back into old habits. I think that is natural though…when things get “rough” we tend to default to the behavior we are more familiar and comfortable with, even if that behavior is not right…This is probably how addicts STRUGGLE to overcome. At this point I feel like I only need to eat fish and veges to pay for my “food sins.”

My plan is to continue trucking on. I know that part of changing a behavior entails a bit of back and forth struggle. So I refuse to grow weary. Instead, I would make a menu for the rest of the week and next week, along with a shopping list and get to it. I just have to force myself to plan, shop, prepare, cook and then eat healthy. I cannot eat healthy if I do not make a plan of what I am going to eat.

The next challenge to eating healthy is that I still have some “sinful” food in my kitchen. I just cannot throw it away, so I feel that I need to eat it till its done! For my birthday there was birthday cake and brownies left over. Then, I have some preserves (sugared fruits) from Trinidad, and my dad brought me some caramel (candy bar) from NY…BUT I am being mindful when I eat these things and do eat in moderation. I am also trying to exercise control over my sugar cravings, but having these sweet snacks at my disposal has not helped my cause!!! So my plan is to not purchase and stock those types of snacks (cakes, brownies, candy etc.). Because once it is in my kitchen it would serve as a temptation. The next stage I need to get to is to be able to say NO even though it is BEGGING me to eat it! I have to look all those lovely sweets in the eye and just say NO – DIABETES IS REAL!

I know I am capable of doing that because years ago one of my friends told me that she does not drink soda because it’s not good for you. Instead she drinks water. So I tried to adopt that until I got to the point where I would not drink soda at all, and would ask for water. I would not even drink kool aids, or fruit drinks because I think that is wasting my calorie intake. I rather eat that 200 calories in a chocolate bar…So I was not necessarily being healthy, because I was still eating the sugar and calories. But I generally prefer not to drink my calories. So remember guys, those glasses of sweet tea, and soda that has free refills…beware! Because each glass has a lot of calories! Replace those drinks with a glass of water. Right now I try to drink one glass of pure orange juice, which also counts as my fruit intake. The rest of my drinks are water…Occasionally I would drink other drinks from time to time – like wine. But that has been proven to be good for your heart. Everything in moderation though.

Progress – I am on my third week of consistent exercise! Last week I exercised 5 days in a row and did a mild walk on Sunday. This week I am also going to aim for 5 days of exercise. But I missed today because I was not “in the mood” and my bones and muscles are hurting! I even ventured to exercise during my lunch break. Since I joined the YMCA I have had great luck with my exercise routine due to its convenient location to my job (one block away). Just like preparing my meals, I also plan out my exercise. I look at my schedule at work and life and I decide if I need to exercise during the day or after work. I decide which classes I want to try and pack ALL my clothes for the week Sunday night, including my swim suit if I ever get in the mood! I leave everything in the truck so that I would not forget! This has been working great and I am really proud that I am making great progress in this area. My only challenge with my exercise is that I need to develop the passion where I exercise when I am at home or on vacation. It seems easier to go to the gym, but it takes a lot more motivation to just exercise to a DVD or just jump of an exercise machine. But this is a work in progress so I have to give myself room to grow.

I think I might do a weigh in the first Monday of every month to track my weight loss for my 30 pound challenge. My body mass index is 29 point something and I am in the overweight category. Just losing 30 pounds would put be on the edge of healthy weight and overweight. BUT I would also significantly reduce my chances of chronic diseases.

I want to plead with you to take care of your health. Make the time for you. Find at least 30 minutes every day…use your lunch break, mornings (if you are a morning person) or evenings or night…But do it for you and for your family. Your family will appreciate your ability to be healthy later in life. I know that I am extremely thankful that my father is alive and functioning independently at 80 years old. I know there are many who are confined to a bed before that age…So please, do it for you, do it for your spouse, kids, future grandkids etc…

If you have any suggestions as to how I can accomplish my 30 pound challenge, please feel free to share. And if you have any ideas for healthy recipes I can try I would love that!!

Thanks for stopping by and please leave a comment before you leave :)

Be blessed and be healthy!