Friday, November 23, 2012

Here's to Honesty

Well...here's the kicker. So far my Maintain Don't Gain Goals have basically...well...failed. BUT I did actually work out today. And have avoided pop most of the time. As well as making better choices. I am going to post my goals all over my house though, and have talked to Wes about helping me. So, as far as the updates go: It was a giant fail. But luckily, each day has potential. And I think since I am telling myself I have to be accountable on the blog world that it will be the clincher into getting me started.

In other news:
I baked my first pies. Plural. And started an oven fire. I didn't realize the huge difference of shallow pies and deep-dish pies. So things turned out interesting. But it was a great experience. Ammon has been sick. It's the worse because he's not so bad I think we need a Dr. but at the same time it makes me feel bad because I'm not always sure what to do for him. We'll get it though. In the mean time Wes and I will take good care of him. Here's some Thanksgiving Pictures:


HAPPY THANKSGIVING! AND BLACK FRIDAY!

Monday, November 19, 2012

Goals for the Holidays...and hopefully Habits

So I desperately need to update but SO much has happened that I'm not going to worry about it this post and I will next update tomorrow or Wednesday with a picture post.

Instead I want to talk about goals, and hope that this will help me be more accountable with my actions. The year before I got pregnant I gained 30 pounds, I mostly blamed birth control and there was a big component of that which I still think is true. (30 pounds in 3 months when I hadn't gained more than 10 pounds over the 4 years I was out of HS before this is my excuse.) However, I still had gained that weight, wasn't happy with my body and even more I wasn't healthy. I wasn't eating right and I was not exercising. It was also the first time since my sophomore year of High School that I could not go out and run a 5k for fun and enjoy myself--without walking. When I'd decided I was going to get work on that I found out I was pregnant. I did my best to try to be healthy during my pregnancy and remained active--which is how I know I got through my c-section and recovered easier than I'd been expecting. I told myself after that, that I would get back into shape. But then I was getting up to feed Ammon and was tired so I started drinking Dr. Pepper and have NOT been eating healthy. I was still walking everyday and was feeling fairly good.

Then we discovered the blood clots. Even though I didn't have the typical short of breath, low blood oxygen levels, etc. I was still told that I needed to be very moderate in my exercise that I shouldn't over-exert myself.  This terrified me and I have instead taken things to the extreme on limits. I stopped walking and have kinda been stagnant. And I'm tired of it. I feel my best when I am healthy. When I exercise and know that I can do things for fun. I used to love running--I hate the start up but I know that I loved to be able to go out and run a mile or even 3  and be okay. That's when I was the most happy. I also know that while I was worried about Gestational Diabetes I was super sensitive to what I put into my body. I learned a LOT about carb intake and healthy eating, more than I did previously. And I felt the best I have in 2 years, even though I was 6 months pregnant!

Even still I want to justify and say I'm not completely unhealthy. If I have the choice I will always choose wheat bread. I do drink Dr. Pepper but generally only once or twice a week. Even still that is much more than my past. I used to steer clear of carbonation and opt for 100% juice. Generally when I choose snacks I will opt for popcorn, nuts, or vegetables over potato chips. And I still make it a goal to 'stroll' at least one of my breaks during lunch. But even still, for honesty's sake: I drink more carbonation and caffeine than I ever have in my life. I am more inclined to eat ice cream and cake at night while Wes and I watch a Netflix. I could probably not run a mile without stopping right now. I only have 2 pairs of work pants that fit that aren't maternity pants. I eat a burger and fries at least once a week. I am not living healthy.

And I want to change. I'll be honest, I hate dieting. And think they are stupid. Automatically I see a diet as something one WILL fail at because it is only temporary. And I don't want to be the girl who always eats salads. I don't want to be rail thin. I want to be healthy. I want to feel comfortable in my body. I don't want to hurt like I'm 60 years old rather than 23. Even then I still don't want to feel guilty when I eat Fettucine Alfredo or have a bowl of ice cream. But I want those to be rare rather than every day. I like eating. I LOVE food. And there are good-tasting healthy alternatives.

So I've started a challenge at work that is called Maintain Don't Gain through the Holidays. We are supposed to create at least 2 goals to follow during the holidays and try not to gain weight through this time by maintaining these goals. They recommend, however, that instead of 2 goals you have one for each of these categories: Nutrition, Physical Activity, Sleep, Mental Health. Then we track these goals. I want to continue to track them and be healthy. I am going to talk to Wes, my Mom, and my co-worker to help as my support system through this. And want to be responsible for myself to be happy. Not because I look freaking amazing and have the body of a model. But because I want to feel comfortable being me. I want to show my child what eating right looks like. And how to love himself no matter his shape or size.

I feel hypocritical through this because I have always been critical of dieting. Of hating your body. My mother and one of my high school best friends always struggled with their body image. I have watched my Mom consistently wavering between trying to lose weight and telling everybody to screw themselves because she wanted to be happy and hated everyone telling her that she couldn't be if she were overweight. That's a lie. I believe that people are beautiful in every size. That being said, I am vain enough to know that I am doing this because of my looks. But even more, I want to be healthy. So here are my goals. I am also going to put suggestions on how to handle them.

NUTRITION
* Create and follow weekly meal plan:
I am really fairly good at creating a meal plan. Even buying ingredients. I'm bad with follow through though because I find I forgot that one ingredient or I didn't get this out of the freezer. OR most common: I'm too tired to do it or it's too late.So I want to -plan time in the morning to get stuff out, -take time on a free evening or weekend to prepare for the following weeks, & -plan meals that are quick, easy, and healthy.
* Eat at decent, consistent times:
I am really bad at cooking at consistent times. I am generally in a rush in the morning, particularly now that I have to feed Ammon amidst the rush. So I typically eat at work. But I'm not really good to remember about eating until I'm half-way through the morning. Even though I am an avid breakfast eater. Then at night I get home and feed Ammon and then I do not want to get up to fix. Because I'm lazy and need time to decompress. So I would like to -set reminders to eat, -ensure I have sufficient materials to eat with minimal effort.
* Drink water instead of Dr. Pepper:
I write this while guiltily looking at my TWO 32 oz. cups--one that used to have Dr. Pepper. The one I'm sucking down on now used to have water.
*Indulge. But don't overindulge:
I don't think it's always bad to have a donut or eat potato chips. But lately I eat sweets every night. Etc.
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
* Physical Activity 30 minutes a day! NO EXCUSES!
I am good at making excuses. But and being lazy. Especially since the cold weather is coming in. I want to create a plan that I will follow through on a weekly basis that includes 30 minutes a day. Whether this mean that I am doing my Biggest Losers Weight-loss Yoga before I go to bed or in the morning. Running on the track. Or if I am doing Water Aerobics or Zumba or something new. Or if I am doing WiiFit despite my fear of watching my WiiMi get fat, which is the for reals reason I have not gotten on it yet.
* Create a game plan so that I have NO excuses
I want to try to mix things up. Somedays I want to run. Others WiiFit. Others strength-based or Yoga. If I have a game plan I will be more likely to go through with it.
SLEEP/MENTAL HEALTH
*Read a book:
I love to read. It relaxes me and makes life a lot better. For my mental health I will read a little bit everyday.
*Record Tender Mercies:
I always notice my blessings better when I take note of them. A year or so ago I was really good at writing them down daily and I'd like to return to that. Because then I remember that I am really too blessed to be stressed.
*STUDY Scriptures before sleeping:
I want to make sure that I take time for my spiritual self as well. And I love to read my scriptures before going to bed. It calms me, I'm more introspective and helps me with my tender mercies. However, I haven't been as consistent as I normally am lately. I would like to change that.

There we have it. Nine relatively simple goals that I'm really hoping to become habits. This MDG Challenge is from Nov 19 through Jan 4. So I will try to blog about how I'm doing. I know I won't everyday but I will try to keep things updated to keep myself accountable.