Exercise is my Friend!

I am very proud to say that I have been exercising fairly consistently, at least 3-4 times per week. My goal for the end of August is twofold. I would like to increase my workout days to 5 times a week and lose 3-5 pounds and develop better eating habbits. I don’t understand why the scale keeps telling me lies!! One day it says 187, the next day its 183, and next day its 185! Can you just tell me how much I weigh and stop ‘flipping the script’ every day, twice a day! I figure that if I set a goal of losing 3-5 pounds then I would actually see the 179 number! But as I stated before, my 30 pound challenge is not about losing weight only. It’s about developing a healthy lifestyle and really developing some healthier habits.


If nothing more, I feel accomplished already. Firstly I am exercising regularly! Even if I didn’t lose one pound, I am comforted knowing that I am strengthening my heart, and reducing my chances for obtaining preventable diseases like diabetes and hypertension. I will also be reducing my chances of getting a clot since regular exercise helps with blood flow. Secondly, besides the health benefits, I feel better. I have more energy, and my mood is better! I can tell you, exercise is like a magic pill for depression. Sometimes if I am feeling down, and I exercise, I leave feeling ten times better. It’s amazing! I guess that is why guys work out so much too…A place where they can appropriately displace aggression, or negative emotions. It works!! Now I know that I can go and exercise to feel better!!

So, right now, food is my enemy. I am very inconsistent with making healthy choices. I either take in too many carbs in the form rice, potatoes, pasta etc. and too little veges, or I splurge on the dessert having way too much ice-cream, chocolates, or sugar in general. I need to work on that. I am hoping that my stint with the nutritionist would help. I know what I need to do; I just need to be consistent about it. More veges, less starch, and dessert in MODERATION (not every day twice a day!).

I tasted a fruity protein shake for the first time and it was YUCKY! I definitely will not be doing any protein shakes! And I tried a wrap that had flax in it and it was like eating cardboard. DOUBLE YUCK! I want to be healthy, but geeze, I want the food to taste good too! So I have a plan!

Starting ASAP, I will try to do the following:

• 2 fresh fruits per day

• 1/2 glass of fresh orange juice (simply orange with lots of pulp)

• 2 snacks (150 calories or less)

• Breakfast – milk and 1 cup of cereal (honey bunches of oats) OR glucerna (a nutrition shake recommended by my nutritionist for people with diabetes. Its low in crabs and high in protein so that helps you to stay fuller longer. I tried a couple and it didn’t taste bad. So on days when I can’t eat my cereal, I will have a shake…Because it is ALWAYS better to eat something than nothing at all!

• Lunch – I will have to plan my meals…But portion control is KEY! I will try to either eat half my lunch and the other half for dinner…OR make sure I eat no more than the allotted amount, ½ cup of rice, 4 oz of protein, and veggies.

• Dinner – Salad! Salad! Salad! I have the meat, I have the lettuce, I just need to do it!

I want to see if these simple changes to my diet will help any. Portion control, more vegetables, and less sugar/carbohydrates. I will reserve on day a week (preferably Sunday) where I would be allowed to “break all the rules.” Moderation is key, I don’t believe in total elimination .

If you have any tips on healthy living…Any good tasting healthy recipes, books etc. please share! I can use all the help and encouragement I can get! Thanks!

Wish me luck! I will keep you posted!