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It’s true what they say about the little things adding up. It’s also true that the little changes go a long way. It’s almost five weeks into my Lifestyle Overhaul and I’ve gotta say, the changes are worth some of the sacrifices. Sure, I try not to eat or drink processed sugars. I don’t eat fast food. I usually forgo meat in favour of veggies galore. (Although this isn’t always the case.) Kale has become my healthy best friend.
But, even with all of these diet changes, I’m not quite where I want to be in terms of activity. I don’t exercise as often as I know I should be. I often opt for a few more hours of work in the evening instead of heading to the gym that’s in my building.
The truth is that I’m just not a treadmill kind of girl.
And I’m not a “do this exercise” kind of girl, either.
But I am a yoga kind of girl. Inviting in health and happiness for my body and soul? Well, who can say no?
Starting next week, I’m starting yoga at a studio in downtown Vancouver and I’m bringing company.
(Not so) Trivial things I’ve noticed
My jeans are starting to fall off.
I have a boatload of extra energy, in spite of the fact that my son is seven months old and very active. It’s not to say that I don’t get tired — because I do get tired, often — it’s just to say that on average, my energy lasts from 10am to 1am. Seriously. Maybe I’ll nap during the day but not often.
I’m way happier.
I have a clear head, most of the day.
And, according to Mike, this is the most vital I’ve ever been.
Things that haven’t really changed
My sugar addiction. Seriously. I gotta fix this. Even if I’m not consuming processed sugars, I’m still using honey and stevia in practically everything.
My love of coffee. I still have my one cup a day, even though I’m aware that I don’t need it.
My palette. It’s still… lacking. I still don’t like some veggies and some tastes. I’m assuming that it’s just… acquired. And so, I’m determined to acquire.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I’ve always felt that 90% of one’s palate is mental. Training yourself to consider how many people around the world genuinely love the ingredients you’re about to eat can really put you in the right frame of mind to enjoy it. The other side of that is how unlikely it is you’ll enjoy something if you go into it thinking you’re going to dislike it, even if you sincerely want to like it.
I think that’s why travelling can widen your tastes, or why you tend to like certain food as an adult that you dispised as a child, because each person you meet or place you visit or experience you have can potentially shed new light on what you’re eating.
Anyhoo, glad things are going well! I made veggie soup last week with lots of kale in it, so I felt like I was channelling your Overhaul a bit.
Need and Taste are such tricky things. I am on a four week detox from all sugar and carbs…everything sweet. Middle of week two. I do this several times a year, because I can’t stick with it and need a reset multiple times a year.
The fact is that eating this way is incredibly difficult, especially if you are completely dedicated to not making your entire life center around your food. My ultimate goal is always to get into a place where I can eat more of what makes me feel good without turning into one of those people who is talking about their diet all of the time. Very very tricky business that…but important to me.
Very cool of you to post your struggle with this and not just your success. I am taking it to heart as I plow through my second week without a “fix.”
This is so awesome of you to be doing this, it reminds me that I should also be more mindful of the food choices I make both when buying and eating. I know that if I buy something I will ultimately eat it so I try to remind myself when I’m craving junk food that it’s not the true sustenance I need and that I shouldn’t waste my hard earned monies on it.
I’m totally not an exercise kinda gal. Like, ever. So I simply try to do little things, like walk. Walking’s great, it’s easy on the body, and SO undermined in terms of it’s exercise value. If you have an exercise ball you could try sitting on that instead of your desk chair, as it forces you to balance on the chair as well as engage your core muscles ALL WHILE doing your computer work (Mindblowing!). Though I have not been brave enough to try it for fear of having to explain to other people why I’m sitting on a ball while at my computer.
Veggies can be kinda tricky… I try to find things that kick up the flavor a notch naturally and use those in most veggie dishes I make – like onions and garlic. Garlic is REALLY annoying to prep, unless you are patient enough to prep a bunch of them in one go and store that, but I found out only a few months ago that you can buy chopped garlic ready to use in a jar (I am uber lazy so it was like the find of the century for me). I use quite a bit of it in my stir frys, toss in healthy dose of pepper (I lurve pepper), other spices (no salt, lotsa things have enough salt in ‘em already), and I also go frugal with the sauce. Those sauces are the real tricky stuff! Those things pack a ton of not-so-healthy ingredients. Oh and I also like to throw in a lil bit of meat to balance it out – beef, chicken and shrimp are easy favs.
I’m also trying to practice portion control though it’s all too easy to get hungry eyes and then end up eating more than I need. I’m learning how to listen to my body more and pick up on the subtle cues like “I’m satiated, that’s enough for me (so stop eating, chubs)”.
I kind of let it all go when I’m at other people’s houses and there are all sorts of tasty things lying around…mmmm. But not off the floor, no, that’s an Ian thing…
Anyways sorry for the blabbering on, and keep up the small changes and mindfulness!