My number one reason for wanting to be fit and healthy is family. This means many things. First of all, I love Fisher and Nicholas and want to spend my life loving them the best I possibly can and for as long as I possibly can. When I am healthy I am teaching my son to eat healthy and exercise and I lead him by example. I inspire Nick and he inspires me to keep going and push harder. We will get to live longer together. Educating myself and my family means our quality of life will be better. If I can help it (and to this extent I certainly can), I will take care of myself so they don't have to take care of me more than they do just out of love. I don't want them to have to wipe my butt or pay someone to do it. I don't want to lie day after day in terrible pain, give myself shots, endure costly surgeries, take a ton of prescriptions, endure the side effects of my prescriptions, be short of breath, etc, etc, infinity. I would also like to be able to keep up with my child and his friends and my grandchildren if I should have them.
Of course, I also want to look good. I have recently found that I want to be athletic. Even if it's just to help me when I get involved in theater, film, and working on my house and garden or playing ball in the yard.
And damnit, I'm doing it! And now I'll tell you how. Our family has changed our lifestyle pretty dramatically. It's made 70lbs of difference so far, we get better sleep, we have more energy, we suffer fewer illnesses and less pain, we are all learning so much, and we have the confidence that comes from knowing we are taking control of our lives and taking care of our bodies.
Here are some "foods" we stopped keeping in the house. This isn't to say I never have any or that I will never buy them again. They are simply rare treats or things I no longer indulge in at all due to their lack of nutrition and their surplus of fat, salt, chemicals, cholesterol, sugar, etc.
Hot dogs, bologna, corn dogs, chips, candy, cookies, ice cream, waffles, sausage, frozen dinners, sandwich meat, full fat cheese and other dairy products, canned soups, pickles, white bread, muffins, cinnamon rolls, most juices, soda, diet soda, eggs, individual serving packets of oatmeal and other things, donuts, sugary cereals, fruit snacks, most full-fat meats (we have a steak on occasion still), crackers, pop tarts, hot or lean pockets, pot pies, refined (white) sugar, coffee, frozen pizza, and more.
And here are some of the delicious and nutritious alternatives I have fallen in love with <3:
Beans, rice, nonfat greek yogurt, light string cheese, flax seed, egg whites, almond milk, wasa bread, peanut butter, almonds, pistachios, 100% rolled oats, fresh fruits and vegetables (there are SO MANY! Talk about variety!), frozen vegetables, water, granola bars (Kashi and Nature Valley until I start making my own soon), whole grain pasta, quinoa, grapeseed oil, natural sugar, chicken breasts and other lean meats, fish, and more.
Yes, I have even cut back seriously on my alcoholic beverage intake. I also don't add butter, sugar, or salt to much at all. I use pepper generously and I still enjoy my sauces but I'm starting to take a closer look at them and will be trying to find alternative to some of them. I'm already trying to replace my salad dressings with vinegar (Nick hates vinegar and uses orange segments to juice up a dry salad) because the dressings just have a ton of things that aren't good for me.
Up until now I have been running 30 mins a day, about 5 days a week. I play Just Dance games for the Wii (probably around 5 hours a week) and do a little yoga, strength, and medicine ball workouts (currently probably only a couple of hours a week, if that, and I'm about to amp that up). It is fun and really doesn't take that much time, and I often complete a workout while I'm watching my favorite shows when I used to just sit there and eat. I try to take the stairs when I can, I walk briskly, and I also try to keep good posture, which can be a workout in itself, along with proper breathing.
This is definitely a lifelong process that will never be perfect, but the more I learn the better health I acheive, and I can certainly live with that. My mom calls me the food nazi. I'll gladly wear that name rather than feeding my family doses of poison with every meal, which sounds to me more like a German nazi (like when they experimented to see what chemicals and other things would do to people) even if it costs a little more. It will save me money in the long run when I avoid surgery, doctor bills, prescription costs, miracle diets, and more, so rethink your "value" next time you're at the grocery store buying frozen prepackaged meals. I know the convenience is great, but I don't think convenience is worth feeding my kid things that are ultimately harming him right now and for the rest of his life.
I'm thrilled to break the cycle. I get scared sometimes that I'll fail, sure. And I will fail every now and then, of course. I went on a sugar binge just last night. But instead of saying screw it today I got up and ran hard and committed to doing better today, despite my hormones. Never quit <3
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