More Of The Same

I have a bit of a dilemma.

When I first set out to improve my overall health and fitness several weeks ago, I did pretty well with eating sensibly. But I had no motivation whatsoever to exercise.

Now I'm doing 4 sets of Dance Dance Revolution (3 songs per set -- it's the game mode for those of you who are familiar with the game) every night -- sometimes more sets on the weekends. I even do a warmup, cool down, stretching before and after, and I'm gradually increasing the speed of the songs.

But I'm back to eating crap. All it takes is for me to think about eating a salad, and I think, "Ugh. Rabbit food." It's like there's a switch: if I turn it one way, I want to eat better. If I turn it the other way, I want to exercise more. How do I get both?

The good news is, I (usually) eat very well at work. We mostly eat with the kids -- and eat what they eat -- and their lunch always includes at least one fruit and one vegetable. And because they're toddlers, we often have leftovers of things like salad and canned fruit (which really comes in handy when the fruit of the day is something I don't like -- I'm pretty picky about fruit).

I have some issues with raiding the snack cabinet lately though. I think the more frequent meals and exercise are causing my metabolism to speed back up again. I'm always hungry. And -- especially at home -- I want to eat something fast, because I'm starving, so instead of cooking or preparing something nutritious, I grab junk food or bowl after bowl of cereal.

My subsequent remorse is twofold: I feel like I suck at the goal of overall health and beat myself up for straying; I also feel uncomfortable what with the different problems with digesting all that junk.

If anyone has any tips for self-motivation for simultaneous diet and exercise, I'd love to hear them.

No More Sitting On My Ass: Part II

So... about those fitness goals. What were those again?

Eating habits:
1. Eat more fruits, veggies, and whole grains; and fewer simple carbs.
Hmmm... fruits? veggies? Buying more, but not necessarily eating them. I have four apples and an unopened bag of salad sitting in my fridge while I sit here on my tuckus sipping a Barq's.

But I'm doing better with my carbs. I bought a loaf of whole wheat bread instead of white this week when my husband asked for "regular-sized bread" for his grilled cheese-maker. And because we're on a very tight budget, we don't have any much money for junk food such as 180-calorie cookies from the bakery.

2. Eat when I'm hungry, and only when I'm hungry.
Still kinda sucking at this one. I'm not skipping as many meals (or substituting meals with sugary cereals), but I could still skip, um, no meals. The eating when I'm hungry thing is hard, given the mom thing, and the daycare worker thing, so I'm still frequently forgetting that I'm hungry. And I'm still giving in to most of my munchies.

3. Eat appropriate portions.
Well, to be perfectly honest, this has never been too much of a problem for me at mealtimes -- but always a problem with the desserts (you may not have realized this, but I have a bit of a sweet tooth). I have one cookie, and I just can't stop there.

Unfortunately, this is still kinda the case. :(


Activity habits:
1. Basic level of fitness.
Obviously, this is not a short-term goal. And just getting myself off the couch was a lot harder than I expected. I have not purposely set out to get active since before I found out I was pregnant (for frame of reference, that was about 2 years ago).

So I'm pretty proud of myself today: I just got done with my "workout" for the third time in six days.

Confession time: my "workout" is 3 sets of Dance Dance Revolution.

Yeah, I'm a dork. But I think it's a nice transition from no activity to some activity, and in about a week I'll start doing something a little more intensive.

2. (later) Better endurance, some tone, maybe some muscle even.
Again, long-term goals. But tonight was the third time I did my ... activity, and I already feel like I need more of a challenge to actually get some results (by which I mean pain).


New goals: 1) Do better on my current goals.
2) Keep track of what I'm putting in my body -- food, drink, gum, whatever.
3) Weigh myself every morning (to be averaged at the end of each week). Just to keep myself in check.
4) Drink more water and less pop and milk (which I'm already doing better with, actually: I bought 2 percent for myself and my husband so we don't drink the baby's whole milk; I'm also already drinking more water). I'd like to gradually increase my water intake to the recommended 48 to 64 ounces every day.
5) Get more rest.


I've really got my work cut out for me, haven't I?

No More Sitting On My Ass

It seems like everyone has physical fitness on the brain these days.

The FLYLady (aka Marla Cilley) is right in the middle of a Body Clutter challenge on Facebook. Kristen from Motherhood Uncensored is hosting the Shredheads for the month of March. Christina of A Mommy Story is once again hosting Hot by Blogher this year -- even her husband Aaron is aiming for a goal of his own.

Independently of all this --I swear, I've been thinking about this for like a month! -- I've also been thinking more about my own health and fitness. I'm coming to the realization that although I may not need to lose weight (come on, I want some boobs to speak of), I'm waaaay out of shape. I have no muscle, no tone, and no endurance whatsoever.

My husband and I are also starting to think about planning for baby -- and pregnancy -- number two (nothing solid yet, just starting the conversation). I am not at a place where I am happy with my body -- not that I've tried very hard to fix that. And before I get pregnant again, I'd at least like to be mostly satisfied with the shape I'm in. That way it will be easier to get back to a place I like after the fact (or at least not harder).

Plus, you know, I should probably start thinking about setting a good example for my kid(s) in the matter of eating habits and staying active. So they may be motivated to do the same.

So, here goes: my two, very general goals are: A) to eat better, and B) to be more active.

As far as my eating habits go, I want to eat more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains; and fewer simple carbohydrates. I'd like to eat when I'm hungry -- no more, no less; and eat appropriate portions for my caloric needs.

As for increased activity, I'd like to have a basic level of fitness, and then add endurance, a bit of tone, and possibly a little more strength and flexibility. Oh, and it has to be fun. I know myself by now, and I won't stick to it if it's not fun or if I can't find a way to make it fun.

So maybe I'll try some walking or jogging, swimming in a few months, maybe even basketball or something. I have three great places to work out: the Jewish Community Center, my apartment complex facility, and the Power Shack gym -- all of which are free! But they're not doing me any good if I don't go.

So tell me: are you in good shape? Do you have room for improvement? Do you have any plans for improvement, and if so, what are they?


*Remember: healthy weight loss is defined as only about 1 to 2 pounds per week. If you're fairly inactive like me, start slow and build up. Don't work the same muscle groups every day -- every other day is plenty. Most importantly, get a buddy! If you have someone going for a goal right along with you -- even if it's a different goal -- it's sooo much easier! Plus, if you have to be accountable to someone other than yourself, it's more likely you'll actually follow through.

And don't forget to stay hydrated!




Hmmm... also I can't seem to find my camera-uploader-plugger-inner-thingy. So, I will post the "before" pictures at a later point in time. After all, what's the point of planning to post "after" pictures if there's nothing to compare it to?