Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Healthy May




I have to admit, looking at the long term of my health and diet history, I don't think my habits could really be classified as "healthy".

My only exercise for most of my life was what we were forced to do in gym class in school, and I firmly practiced including sugars as a pretty hefty portion of my personal food triangle.

And for most of my life I would argue that this was 'working' for me.   I was fine, no major issues!


I did have acne for pretty much all of my adolescence and into adulthood, and around 25 I started to get frustrated that I hadn't grown out of it yet.  I'd also been slowly gaining weight because after high school, essentially all forms of physical exercise were happily chucked out the nearest window, because I really dislike most forms of exercise.

In the year leading up to last July and my and Andrew's wedding, I resolved to make more of an effort, and we began walking more regularly as well as counting calories and over all just being more aware of what I was eating.  It went pretty well and though I didn't make it to my ultimate goal that summer, I was really proud of how far I had come and I felt great too!








Well after the wedding I was so happy and with all the stresses of wedding planning in the past, I started to indulge in some deserved relaxation.  Unfortunately that also included relaxing all the work I had done on my healthiness journey, and I started allowing myself to eat family size boxes of Velveeta shells and cheese on my own again!  ðŸ˜‚

I don't want this to seem like I'm on some skinny-obsessed journey here or that I want to deprive myself of things I love, including those boxes of Velveeta + Shells!  Because honestly, that's why I've always put off exercising and trying the latest fad diets.  I want to have a positive relationship with food, and be happy and excited about what I'm eating.  But I also don't want to be mindlessly shoveling brownies and cola into my body because those kinds of things have historically messed with my acne, my mood, and whether or not I feel comfortable in my body (read as: feeling short of breath after crossing a room).



  


So I'm resolving once again to get back on the horse as it were, and try to pay attention to how my daily routines are affecting my health.

A couple ways that I'm addressing this rediscovered commitment is using the MyNet Diary app that helps track calories to pay attention to what I'm eating each day.  I use this free app every day and it really helps me to see visually what I've eaten and even plan out what I'll eat for the rest of the day, tomorrow, etc.  A lot of things bought from the grocery store can be scanned into the app, and a lot of foods from fast food restaurants can be searched as well.

And if I ever make something at home I can log the ingredients of to get my calorie count for a recipe.  For example, I made a quiche today that I'll eat for lunches the rest of the week.  I logged the total amount of the eggs, crust, salmon, dill and cream cheese that I used for the whole pie, and got a total of 2,292 calories.  Then I'm able to make a new "food" in the app, so I divided the pie into 6 slices, and each slice then comes to 382 calories.





So being consistent and having routines of my favorite recipes makes it all easier and fun as well!  I love making quiches and mixing up the ingredients, frequently will make overnight oats and smoothie bowls for breakfast, or a batch of pastries to have with my morning coffee.





We consistently get Blue Apron for our dinners, which comes with calorie information, so that makes it all pretty easy as well.  And one of the things that I love about Blue Apron is that they have a pretty good handle on portion size as well.  Any time I make a dinner on my own, it invariably is monstrous on the plate, which really comes down to the giant portion sizes that proteins come in at the store.  Usually, if I were to log a home cooked non-blue apron meal, I would need to consciously decrease portion size from what is made to be eating a reasonable amount of calories for a meal.







Lastly, my lifelong foe exercise and I need to come to terms.  I recently got a compact desk/ workout bike off of Amazon for a very affordable price, and she has become my new best friend.  Instead of setting aside time to specifically work out, I have resolved to pedal on my desk/bike whenever I find myself doing repetitive computer work, like editing listing photos, or sometimes when I'm watching Netflix.  If I can interject working out into times I'm already feeling a little restless, then I feel like that will be the best thing.  Also, I should just walk more, because I honestly really loved it.  Being able to see nature is always my favorite thing.






So there you have it, I'm making more of an effort.  And to be totally honest, on the day that I'm writing this, I'm not doing too hot!!  ðŸ˜‚

I had breakfast, cake, cereal, and a slice of quiche this morning, and our Blue Apron tonight is going to put me over my "allotted calories".

But just being aware of that fact will make me think twice before suggesting a slice of babka for dessert tonight, so I guess there's where the difference is being made!  And maybe this effort will inspire us to take a walk tomorrow morning if the weather is nice.

It's really the long term that matters, so as long as most days I'm hitting my mark, I'm not going to stop myself from eating a cinnamon roll or indulging in a heavy pasta dinner out at a restaurant (when we can go to them again).  Just maybe not 7 nights in a row!





Until Next Time, 



—The Lovely Red Fox

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