During this past year I have seen some serious changes in my overall health and how I’m feeling. I know getting older probably isn’t helping at all, but I’ve just felt very lethargic and blah. I have to push to get through my days and I knew that some serious changes were going to have to be made when I stopped wanting to travel (gasp!!). Not traveling is not like me at all and right then and there I knew some changes were coming my way.
Overall I thought I ate pretty good. I make the majority of meals from scratch and I don’t eat out, but I also don’t exercise (lordy be, how I hate loathe exercise) and I would say I probably consume more carbs than needed. Plus, I tend to skip meals. I just get busy and forget or, quite simply, I don’t feel like making anything.
Because I want to get back to feeling like myself again and wanting to travel I’ve come up with 5 very simple steps that I know I can stick to. It wont be easy at first, but if I can make it through a month of these changes I know it will start to become a good habit.
5 STEPS TOWARDS A HEALTHIER LIFESTYLE
1. Change what I eat. My father is diabetic and that is not a road I want to head down. I plan to severely limit my carb and sugar intakes and eat lots of more fresh fruits and veggies.
2. Make better snack choices. Now, I’m only human and there is no way I’m giving up everything that is yummy & good. I just want to make better choices. Snacking on Quaker Popped Rice Snack instead of Chips or baking low sugar dessert instead of having a chocolate bar. Little things that allow me to fulfill a craving without all the calories.
3. Exercise. Oh lord, the exercise. At the beginning of December Em & I joined the YMCA. It was only through her nagging that I done it because I am not kidding when I say I hate exercise. The first week was awful. I could barely swim a quarter of a lap without having to stop and my time/distance on the elliptical was beyond pathetic. However, now that we’ve been going for about a month it’s not as bad. I still don’t love it, but I can tolerate it and that’s all that matters.
4. Learn new skills. I’m a firm believer that you not only have to take care of your body, but you also have to take care of your mind. Learning new skills keeps your mind active and sharp. I’m also hoping it will help with my focus. I know I want to improve my food photography skills and also learn something completely new and different like welding or metal sculpting.
5. Enjoy life. I want to stop stressing myself out over things that are out of my control and just enjoy the things that come my way. I think this will be the hardest thing to incorporate into my life. I have spent my entire adulthood worrying about money, health, the kids, etc, etc. What I want to really focus on is all the positive things that can happen and not the negative. It’s a big goal, but I know that life will be much happier if I let go of all the worry and stress.
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