It dawned on me this weekend that I'm no longer even thinking about eating breakfast. I'm just doing it. I wake up ready to eat. Victory!
The journaling continues to be a struggle - mostly because my meal planning has gone awry again. I just haven't had time/motivation/whatever and I believe that I am probably not balancing my meals very well. I'm going to make consistant meal plans and journaling the focus for the next few weeks.
It also dawned on me this weekend that I need to get more exercise. Plain and simple. I've been good with lifting weights, riding the iGallop (haaaa! heeee! hooooo!) and jumping on the trampoline, but the reality for me is that I need a lot of walking as well. Trying to carve the hour or so out of my day to get a long walk is tough. So tough that I haven't been doing it.
It struck me as I was dashing out the door to the van for the five minute drive to school last week - I used to walk the kids to school every day. And with all the time I've been spending thawing the windows, warming the car, loading the kids... seriously, walking them to school takes the same amount of time as driving. I leave the house at 7:45 and I'm home by 8:20. It is a mile each way.
So yesterday, I tied on my shoes, put the leash on the dog, and pushed the stroller just in case, and my four-year-old and I walked the two older kids to school. By five minutes into the walk, my heart felt light, my head cleared, and I felt like my day was off to a good start. When I got home, I had so much energy, and as an added bonus, my four-year-old went off to preschool while I had a conference call with Steve Case. She was worn out after walking two miles, and having school, and I got the first nap out of her I've had in a month. Wooo!
While rehashing the call with a friend, I found myself rummaging in the pantry. Snacking while on the phone, while pretty damn rude, is also a habit of mine. I've been known to consume large portions of food while gabbing, and I forced myself to leave the kitchen while I talked. Afterwards, I realized that I hadn't been hungry at all, and celebrated with a cup of herbal tea.
Baby steps, I know.
baby steps is right! Good job on taking them!
Posted by: Sillychick | 01/23/2007 at 07:29 AM
One of the biggest issues (especially for me) is just realizing what you do. Then, being concious enough to correct the bad stuff (like you leaving the pantry while on the phone!). Great Job!
I am really envious of people who are close enough to walk or bike to school, or for that matter anywhere! We are in the sticks, a 13-minute-plus drive to anywhere!
Posted by: Cindy | 01/23/2007 at 03:33 PM
It actually sounds like more than baby steps, sug. I think you may be on the road to skinny pants! Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: jenn2 | 01/23/2007 at 03:51 PM
They may be baby steps, but it sounds like you are doing great! Congratulations!
I wish that I could walk my kids to school, but as Cindy said, it takes me 10 to 12 minutes, just to get anywhere.
Posted by: LoriB | 01/24/2007 at 07:01 AM
Good for you for realizing that you needed the activity. I'm just now starting to try to incorporate more activity into my day, including walking. I used a Christmas book store gift card to buy Bob Greene's new book Best Life Diet, even though I said I wasn't going to buy any more diet books. The first phase, which is minimum four weeks, is really mostly about adding activity and exercise into your life before you start restricting calories. The other parts of that phase are drinking more water, taking vitamins and striving to eat three healthy meals a day and one or two healthy snacks. The other thing that has really helped me is that he asks you to focus on why you are eating. It really hit me this week that I do engage in "emotional eating" when my daycare provider informed me she was stopping doing daycare with only 1 week notice. I started eating junk. I found a new preschool for my daughter that same day and it was like I suddenly woke up and saw the junk food around me and couldn't believe what I was doing. I am definitely going to be more conscious of what I'm eating and why.
Good luck with your goals. You're an inspiration to me.
Posted by: Paula | 01/24/2007 at 08:09 AM