Sorry for the delay since my last post! January blaaahs, combined with some technical difficulties prevented me from writing sooner.
As you may know, I've been discouraged about my inability to "bounce back" fitness wise after my third child. I've been trying to think back to when I was fit, and what I did differently then (the 90's). The fact is, I was in shape because I worked damn hard at it. I exercised vigorously, ate properly, and maintained good, healthy habits.
Somewhere, along the way, I lost track of these healthy habits. Of course, multiple pregnancies exacerbated the problem, but I think it started before then. Stress, induced by work, losing my mom, and other factors caused me to turn to food as a comfort and outlet. At some point, chocolate and sweets became my therapy and this, I think, became an addiction.
I made a list of some of my healthy habits from the past, and have been trying to reincorporate them into my life. I love the newness of January, and the ability to start afresh with a new year. Here are some of my fitness and nutrition resolutions for 2009. I'd love to hear some of yours too – please share!
- Do some kind of exercise every day. I've got a treadmill in the basement, and no matter what, I get on there for at least 30 minutes a day. At the end of the week, that's 3.5 hours of walking/running!
- Dessert is a luxury not a necessity. I got into the bad habit of always having a "treat" after dinner, whether it be a cookie, chocolate or a dessert. My kids get invited to lots of birthday parties, and I found myself always helping myself to a piece of cake and whatever other treats were offered. Now, dessert is a luxury – something to be consumed only once in a while so as not to trigger that addiction that I know lies within me.
- Fiber, fiber, fiber. In university, my apartment building had a shopping complex with a great health food store. I used to buy these dried soups made by Nile Spice (see image below)- black bean, lentil couscous, sweet corn chowder, minestrone – that I would have for lunch every day. Each soup had about 12 grams of fiber and would keep me full, easily, until dinner. I recently rediscovered these soups at Loblaws and they're still great at keeping me satisfied for up to 3 hours.
- No butter on bread. Period.
- No pizza, fries or ice cream.
Hi Beck I am a personal Trainer and mom of 2. Your lunch problems stems from not having breakfast. This is causing you to be ravenous at lunch causing you crave the “bad” stuff. The double wammy is that since you skipped breakfast your metabolism is also slower now since your body went into starvation mode causing the exact opposite of your goal to happen. Girls…..eat breakfast. This is very important.
I too was fit in the 90’s and after the birth of my third and 18 cms of fresh snow on the ground …..lets just say I am a little more than discouraged.My biggest down fall is that I tend to rush to finish what i am eating so i can get the kids fed and happy (5, 3 and 2 months)any suggestionsto help get me back on the right track?
Oh, my goodness – no pizza, fries or ice cream? I don’t think I could commit to a full year of that!
I’m with you on the post-kids, struggling-to-be-healthy body. It was so much easier way back when.
But, good for you for making those amazing resolutions. And, your commitment to 30 minutes on the treadmill each day has inspired me to want to do the same.
Best wishes for a happy, healthy and fit 2009!
That’s a really inspiring post.
I need to start making better food choices. Where I fall down, weirdly enough, is at lunch time – I’m responsible with supper and I don’t eat breakfast most mornings, so I’m left with my goofy lunchtime choices.
Pizza, fries AND ice cream? I think I might have to join you in that. 🙁
I’m going to check those soups out! I’m often looking for something warm and fast for lunch. Especially in this cold weather we’ve been having!
That sounds like a workable plan. Adding more fiber is a really good idea – and often overlooked by people wanting to lose weight/feel better.