healthy

Make Healthy A Habit – Day Five

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Today was a little harder than the other four.

I was somewhat depressed, which I suppose goes hand in hand when trying to stop one’s vices, and intense cravings kept sweeping over me for some things I’m trying to reduce or eliminate.

I can’t say anything was wrong exactly but I felt a little down.

Then, as I was walking on the street toward work, I felt something on the side of my head. As I wondered, “What the hell was that?”my hand went to the spot and I soon learned exactly what it was.

Bird poop.

Granted, it wasn’t a ton but I think it’s safe to say that any bird crap in your hair is no fun. And it was a perfect addition to my day.

But then, as I thought about how great a glass of red wine sounded, I realized that these kinds of days are going to happen. There are going to be bad moments. And I can’t run to my vices at the first sign of them.

No, I have to remind myself two things:

These types of days are tests.

They are not reasons to give in.

Make healthy a habit. #makehealthyahabit

 

**For the original idea, please visit here.

 

 

Make Healthy A Habit – Day Four

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Out of all the things I love to eat, sandwiches come close to being my favorite of them all.

And I love having chips on the side. They’re the perfect supporting crunch for the delicious main star.

But they are so not healthy for me. And I know this. But I’m not okay with giving up one of my favorite side dishes (and yes, I know I just referred to potato chips as a side dish.)

So I thought about this. How can I still have chips with my sandwich but make them healthy?

Kale Chips.

They are so easy to make and you can adjust the spice level to your preference every time you make them.

I used this recipe from the recipe blog, Oh She Glows, and absolutely loved it!

Sometimes, it’s about finding new ways to make the things you love healthier for you.

And those kale chips tasted just as good, if not better, than any kettle chip I’ve ever had.

Make healthy a habit. #makehealthyahabit

 

**For the original idea, please visit here.

Make Healthy A Habit – Day Three

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As I was planning the list of errands I wanted to do today, I thought about how I would often bike ride instead of drive when doing errands but haven’t really done so in a while.

I realized it’s because the weather has gotten colder. And the day’s sunlight has shortened. And well, it’s been raining.

And then I felt like laughing at myself.

Really? Am I that soft that I can’t handle a little adverse weather conditions while on my bike?

I did not want that answer to be yes so I bundled up and hit the streets. My husband came along for the ride and we got all our errands done. In the rain. On our bikes.

At one point, we talked about how exercise shouldn’t only be when it’s convenient. Since biking is one of my favorite forms of exercise, I asked myself if I was going to do it only when it was easy.

A problem I think I have with making exercise a part of my life is that I only do it when I feel like it. When it’s convenient for me. But that’s far from being a healthy habit.

Today was a step in the right direction though. (See the picture above. Me in all my layers.)

While I don’t plan on exercising every single day, I do plan on staying healthy and incorporating it into my week –  whether or not it’s convenient.

Make healthy a habit. #makehealthyahabit

 

**For the original idea, please visit here.

Make Healthy A Habit

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I want to change some habits of mine. Things like not drinking wine as much and eating food that is better for my body (damn those french fries!)

New year. New start. The road is wide open.

It’s no wonder gym memberships sky rocket after New Year’s. It’s a great time to hit the restart button. Start of a new year. You’re ready to go!

But… that passion at the start of the year is rather difficult to maintain and the once-crowded gym of January becomes a much-emptier one by February.

So, how does one keep the passion alive for change well beyond the start of the new year?

I don’t know if there’s one magical answer but I do believe it has a lot to do with consciously trying to change one’s daily habits and making the life-changing commitment to do it. Therefore…

Welcome to my next blog project!

My husband mentioned he read it takes three weeks to form a habit. I did a little research on that and learned it’s a debatable claim loosely based on the work of cosmetic surgeon, Walter Maltz. I’m going to give it a shot, nonetheless.

For the next 21 days, I’m going to attempt to make healthy a habit, one that will become a lifestyle for me, not a short-lived resolution. I want to eat healthier, decrease my wine intake and learn new ways to treat my body and mind better. I’ve been reading up on the Paleo diet and while I don’t plan to eliminate all grains and dairy, I am very drawn to the idea of eating food directly from nature and returning to a simpler diet of meat, vegetables and fruits.

I’ll be posting daily (though exact times will vary) about my three-week journey of trying to make healthy a habit and I invite you to join me. After that, I’ll be posting weekly about how my habits have (or haven’t) changed.

We begin now.

I took a Kundalini yoga class this morning to help put my head in the right mindset. And now, I’m off to my local Sprouts to stock up on groceries for the week to help me make better choices. It will be tempting not to swing through a drive-through after I’ve worked all day or reach for a bag of chips rather than carrot sticks when I want a snack but it will only happen if I begin the process now and make the commitment to follow through on it.

Here’s to success!

Make healthy a habit. #makehealthyahabit

 

 

Ways to exercise without going to the gym

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Sometimes, in the name of health, you just have to force yourself to do things you really don’t want to do.

Things like quitting smoking. Brushing your teeth. Flossing. And my personal Achilles heel, exercising. What I particularly find unappealing though is exercising in a gym. I should disclaim I’ve only been in an actual gym a handful of times, and that’s counting the little one-room thing an apartment building I lived in had, but I know enough to know I don’t like them. Anyway, as those who read my blog know, I recently, in an attempt to stay healthy, tried doing a routine of exercising at my house, one put together by a workout enthusiast friend I have who knows her shit, but I grew bored with the whole repetition thing and didn’t care for how much time I had to devote to doing it. So let’s just say, it wasn’t for me.

I have, however, for many years, done something I like to call “forced exercise” – exercise done during time you would be using anyway to do something else but now put exercise into that equation. For example, I routinely take the stairs rather than the elevator. I figure, I’m going up, so why not do a little exercise in the process? For me, it works perfect and I was thinking, in case there are any others out there like myself, why not share some of my ideas. So here goes…

WAYS TO EXERCISE WITHOUT GOING TO A GYM (aka FORCED EXERCISE)

1. TAKE THE STAIRS instead. Though mentioned in the paragraph above, it’s truly the best way to force yourself to exercise.

2. LIFT THE HEAVY BOXES yourself.

3. STRETCH whenever you are sitting. Repeat every ten or twenty minutes for however long you happen to be sitting.

4. WALK don’t drive if it’s less than a mile. (And for the real adventurous, JOG.)

5. SCRUB YOUR SHOWER, don’t just spray and wipe.

6. BABYSIT any child under four. For bloated days, make it two kids under three.

7. CARRY heavy things around while you do whatever it is your doing.

8. When you TIE YOUR SHOES, why not do a few SITUPS? You’re basically in the position.

9. Give those you like MASSAGES.

10. DANCE while you clean.

11. And always PARK in the first spot you see, whether or not it’s the closest.