Greetings, friends!
It is now May, and as such, it is time to explore what new good habits I will engage in, as well as what bad ones I will drop.
So far, I've been doing pretty well with eating five times a day, drinking more water, and removing white bread from my diet (I've had one "white bread" sandwich in the last month, and one that was whole grain white). I'm finding that I really don't miss white bread, even for my PB&J. So now, it's time to add a new habit.
May's good habit is brushing my teeth first thing in the morning. Let's be clear - I brush my teeth, at least twice a day. But I will often wait until I've eaten breakfast to do it in the morning. It's all part and parcel of my mild (self-diagnosed) OCD; why brush your teeth if you're just going t get them dirty right away? So while this one isn't necessarily a health habit, it is a wellness one. By brushing my teeth when I first get up, I am making sure that Hubby's first kiss of the morning is as nice as it can be. I mean, who enjoys morning breath, amiright?
The habit I'm dropping is cutting out snacking after 10 PM. Hubby and I are in a terrible habit of late-night snacking, mostly carb-based (crackers and Boursin cheese, anyone?), and definitely not good for me. So, from today, I will stop eating by 10 PM each night.
I'll be checking in with updates throughout the month :)
Showing posts with label power of one. Show all posts
Showing posts with label power of one. Show all posts
Tuesday, 6 May 2014
Tuesday, 22 April 2014
The Power of One - Eating Regularly
So, here's my update so far:
I decided that the best and smartest thing I could do was to set my body up to work at peak efficiency. To that end, I need to treat myself as if I'm already diabetic. In order to optimize my blood sugar, I need to eat every three to four hours. So that's what I'm focusing on this month.
It's not just eating five times a day, though; what I eat is just as important. And so, I'm also trying to introduce more protein to my diet. I ensure that I get that first thing in the morning, either via yogurt, cheese or eggs. Protein at least twice a day, reduce my white bread intake to virtually nil (replaced it with sprouted grain bread from Silver Hills (http://www.silverhillsbakery.ca/) and increase my water intake to at least two litres per day. Those are my add and take away items for the next few weeks, and then it's time to add more into the mix. I'll keep you posted!
What one thing would you add or take away from your lifestyle to improve your overall health?
Next from Busy Little Bee: Seattle Adventures!
I decided that the best and smartest thing I could do was to set my body up to work at peak efficiency. To that end, I need to treat myself as if I'm already diabetic. In order to optimize my blood sugar, I need to eat every three to four hours. So that's what I'm focusing on this month.
It's not just eating five times a day, though; what I eat is just as important. And so, I'm also trying to introduce more protein to my diet. I ensure that I get that first thing in the morning, either via yogurt, cheese or eggs. Protein at least twice a day, reduce my white bread intake to virtually nil (replaced it with sprouted grain bread from Silver Hills (http://www.silverhillsbakery.ca/) and increase my water intake to at least two litres per day. Those are my add and take away items for the next few weeks, and then it's time to add more into the mix. I'll keep you posted!
What one thing would you add or take away from your lifestyle to improve your overall health?
Next from Busy Little Bee: Seattle Adventures!
Thursday, 17 April 2014
The Power of One
I've been spending a lot of time lately thinking about my body. Which is not to say I've been oblivious to it up to this point, or that I'm conceited or obsessed with it, but allow me to explain.
I got my first taste of my own mortality on my father's 49th birthday. That was the day of his heart attack. I know, it really should have been my father's lesson, and it was to some extent, but I also took something away from it, and here's what it was: Life is fleeting. Our bodies are not indestructible. Things break and stop working well and if you don't take care of the body you're given, you get sick, or worse, die.
Now, at the ripe old age of 22, the lesson didn't really stick. I still ate whatever I wanted, drank socially and deliberate exercise was nonexistent. I have a family history of diabetes and heart disease, and cancer. I should really know better. So should we all. But we go blithely along, stuffing our bodies full of crap because it tastes good, or it feels good, or we don't think that eating it will have a lasting impact on our health. Every time. And every day, we make choices to drive rather than walk, to find the closest parking spot (and waste time looking for it), to shrug off the idea of a walk after dinner because, well, just look at those clouds! The dog languishes on his bed, getting tubbier by the day, and we silence the voice that admonishes us to get off our increasingly large butts and move. I always told myself - and others - that I would start getting regular check-ups at 40, that I would more closely monitor my blood sugar, that I would eat better and exercise more. Because 40 is when you actually have to start taking your health seriously, right? Right?
I am now teetering on the precipice of 42. I've had exactly one blood panel done, which told me what I already know; diabetes is a "when", not an "if" for me. I am otherwise pretty healthy, or at least my blood is. My weight has fluctuated over the last 15 years, but I am currently enjoying being within the healthy range for my height and frame size, and have mostly done so for the last 3 years, on and off. But I've had four children, and my body has changed. I have a harder time losing weight, I have less elasticity, and my midsection really really likes to hold onto fat. This old bod just doesn't bounce back the way it used to. And so, I need to get it into the shape I want to be in for the rest of my life.
This is where The Power of One comes in.
In order for me to achieve buy-in from myself, I need to be able to stick with it. And for me, that means taking small steps. I want to effect permanent change for my life, and to do that, I'm going to do the following:
1) Add one healthy thing to my life each month. This can be anything that increases my health and wellness, from committing to taking a daily vitamin, to meditation, to an exercise regime, to a piece of good quality chocolate a day.
2) Take away one unhealthy thing per month. This can be anything that negatively impacts my health and wellness, from culling my Facebook friends list, to reducing my simple carb intake, to not eating that double Mars bar.
So, who's with me?
I got my first taste of my own mortality on my father's 49th birthday. That was the day of his heart attack. I know, it really should have been my father's lesson, and it was to some extent, but I also took something away from it, and here's what it was: Life is fleeting. Our bodies are not indestructible. Things break and stop working well and if you don't take care of the body you're given, you get sick, or worse, die.
Now, at the ripe old age of 22, the lesson didn't really stick. I still ate whatever I wanted, drank socially and deliberate exercise was nonexistent. I have a family history of diabetes and heart disease, and cancer. I should really know better. So should we all. But we go blithely along, stuffing our bodies full of crap because it tastes good, or it feels good, or we don't think that eating it will have a lasting impact on our health. Every time. And every day, we make choices to drive rather than walk, to find the closest parking spot (and waste time looking for it), to shrug off the idea of a walk after dinner because, well, just look at those clouds! The dog languishes on his bed, getting tubbier by the day, and we silence the voice that admonishes us to get off our increasingly large butts and move. I always told myself - and others - that I would start getting regular check-ups at 40, that I would more closely monitor my blood sugar, that I would eat better and exercise more. Because 40 is when you actually have to start taking your health seriously, right? Right?
I am now teetering on the precipice of 42. I've had exactly one blood panel done, which told me what I already know; diabetes is a "when", not an "if" for me. I am otherwise pretty healthy, or at least my blood is. My weight has fluctuated over the last 15 years, but I am currently enjoying being within the healthy range for my height and frame size, and have mostly done so for the last 3 years, on and off. But I've had four children, and my body has changed. I have a harder time losing weight, I have less elasticity, and my midsection really really likes to hold onto fat. This old bod just doesn't bounce back the way it used to. And so, I need to get it into the shape I want to be in for the rest of my life.
This is where The Power of One comes in.
In order for me to achieve buy-in from myself, I need to be able to stick with it. And for me, that means taking small steps. I want to effect permanent change for my life, and to do that, I'm going to do the following:
1) Add one healthy thing to my life each month. This can be anything that increases my health and wellness, from committing to taking a daily vitamin, to meditation, to an exercise regime, to a piece of good quality chocolate a day.
2) Take away one unhealthy thing per month. This can be anything that negatively impacts my health and wellness, from culling my Facebook friends list, to reducing my simple carb intake, to not eating that double Mars bar.
So, who's with me?
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