In the latest issue of Bella Grace magazine, there is an article titled, 10 Ways to Add Magic and Happiness Into Each Day. I won't share the entire article here, because, well, I'm pretty sure I could get into some issues with copyright. But, I thought it might be fun to pick a few of their suggestions and see how I can incorporate them into my days over the next few weeks. As I said, the article lists ten ways, so I think I will choose 4-5 of those and feature them here in a post, and we'll just see where that takes us.
As some of you may remember, last Spring I embarked upon a health transformation. I was walking 12-15 miles per week, not including a good 3-5 mile hike on at least one other day. I was eating healthier and I looked and felt GREAT!
Then last summer, I spent a couple of months in Delaware working on my marriage, and I fell out of routine, big time. I was still eating pretty healthy, for the most part, but because I wasn't familiar with the area, I stopped walking as much. There was a gym at the apartment complex where Bill lived, but it just wasn't the same. I am NOT a fan of treadmills, even though I did log quite a few miles on it, I wasn't averaging anywhere near the miles I had before.
When we moved back home in October I had every intention of getting back into my previous routine, but instead, with three of us now trying to live in a tiny basement efficiency apartment, NOTHING about my life was routine anymore. Even though I was SO grateful that Bill was back with us, after a little over two years of separation, I struggled to find the balance of being a wife AND mother once again, and there just never seemed to be enough time to fit in walking/hiking. My diet kind of fell to the wayside over the winter months, as well. Because honestly, once Thanksgiving hits, I am going to enjoy some food! So I kind of excused myself until the first of the year, vowing that I would make a comeback then. It is now March. As it turns out, I don't like walking and hiking in the cold.
But then yesterday morning when the sun came out and I realized the temps were going to reach into the 50's I was inspired once again to take charge of my body and my health. So I put on my fleece lined leggings (because it did get down into the 20's), my favorite sweatshirt, laced up my Nike's and headed for my favorite trail. And can I say it felt SOOOOO good to be back, and much to my surprise, it was pretty easy to get my miles in. I set a goal for 3 miles, 1 1/2 miles in and back, but somehow I ended up missing the 1.5 mile marker and before I knew it I had reached the bridge which I knew meant I was nearing 2 miles! So, long story short, my first day back out I logged 4 miles instead of 3, but I'm not complaining.
In addition I purposefully drank a LOT more water, which tends to happen naturally when I start walking again. Pushing yourself for four miles at a brisk pace tends to make you thirsty. But it changes my overall mindset about food, too. I don't want to work that hard and then just undo it all with what I'm eating. Improved health is about diet and exercise, and while I'm not a fan of diets in general, I think just being more conscious of what you eat is important if you want to see results. But I personally believe in balance as well, and like I said, during the holidays, I want to eat all-the-food! I am not a fan of denying yourself completely, and that is why I am a little more relaxed on the weekends. I love Coke and Jack, and so I allow it from time to time, and I also love chocolate, which I try to consume in moderation.
The hardest part for me about exercise is just making myself do it. My mind can come up with a hundred reasons why I should just sit on my behind, but I know that if I just push myself a little that once I am out there, I will be so glad I did. My head-game is strong, so for the most part I just don't even allow it. Unless I'm sick or the weather prohibits, I just tell myself it's not even an option. Setting goals helps, too. Last year I worked myself up to a minimum of 20 miles a week. I am no where near that yet, in fact my current goal is 9 miles at minimum and 10-12 is optimum. If I go to the trail 3x a week and walk 3 miles then that guarantees 9, and then hopefully I can throw in another day of hiking here and there and get a bonus 1-3 additional miles. As of today, Tuesday, I am at 6 miles for the week already, having walked 4 on Monday and then my husband I walked our street end to end this morning for an additional two. I am already feeling the results, which is so encouraging! My biggest goal this year is stick with my routine through the summer and hopefully into late Fall. I haven't decided yet what to do about the colder winter months, but hopefully before that comes around, I'll have a plan.
So how about you? What are some things that you do, or that you want to do to take better care of yourself? Let's inspire each other in our pursuits, shall we?
Until then, take care of yourself!