lifestyle change victories

Combating Holiday Stress

Combating Holiday Stress

Holiday stress has really taken a toll on me in the past—lack of sleep, poor diet and little exercise makesstressme feel lethargic, exhausted and bloated. As part of my weight loss quest, I have decided to make some changes to the status quo this year. My goals this holiday season are to:
  • Be kind to my body
  • Fill my body with healthy food
  • Make time every day to exercise
  • Make time ever day to unplug, sit and reflect
  • Get plenty of rest, including naps
  • Savor my food, whether it’s a rich dessert or a healthy meal
  • I will remind myself that it isn’t the food that’s special, but the people that make the holiday memorable (thank you Jansen Schmidt for that great… Read More

Post Thanksgiving Review

Post Thanksgiving review starts with this quote, “The best laid plans of mice and men…”exercise

Cooking and Exercise

I had intended to try Rebecca J. Clark’s, author of The Checklist Diet suggestions for cooking and exercise.
  • Calf raises—whenever you're stirring something on the stove.
  • Side leg raises—while stirring/mixing away from the stove.
  • Stand on one leg—while washing your hands (don't forget to switch legs).
  • Arm circles—while waiting for the pot to boil.
  • Deep breathing—while chopping vegetables (in through the nose, pause, out through the mouth)
I’d also planned to play plenty of music and dance while I was cooking, but all I managed to do was a couple of calf raises. And the outdoor exercise I’d planned, never got off the ground. Of all… Read More

Holiday Weight Maintenance

savor Walnut trees turning color Tis the season when pounds start magically appearing. Exercising and maintaining my weight can be a challenge this time of year. My routine gets out of whack with guests to entertain and an abundance of food to eat. Suddenly, I’m not exercising regularly, overeating and not savoring my food or the holiday.   savor Cattle grazing under Mt. Shasta

New Traditions

This year in my quest for a healthier lifestyle, I am instituting some new traditions. Instead of vegging in front of the television the entire time, I will take a walk. If there’s snow, instead of cuddling up by the fire, I… Read More

Setting Weight Loss Goals

I’ve talked a lot about setting weight loss goals, but I just realized my quest is not only about weight loss. It’s about developing a healthy lifestyle.

Goals

So what are my goals for developing a healthy lifestyle?goals
  • Look forward to exercising
  • Exercise with joy in my heart
  • Exercise because I love it
  • Stop obsessing about food
  • Eat when I’m hungry, stop when I’m full
  • Love the foods I eat and savor every bite
That’s a pretty hefty list when I look at it. And while I’ve made progress on every single item, there are days that exercise just feels like work, and all I think about is what’s in the pantry to eat.

Sticky Notes

I’m looking at the list of sticky notes I wrote last week when… Read More

Social Eating

victories Taking a new path on my lifestyle Sorry for the hiatus last week. I was at a writers conference and just ran out of time to blog. But I came home with a topic after being dependent on restaurants and conference meals. This has always been a real challenge for me, especially before my lifestyle changes.

Eating Challenges

That isn’t to say there weren’t challenges and that I didn’t overindulge, but I did so mindfully. I accepted that I was eating when I wasn’t hungry and with food I didn’t necessarily want. victories View from the plane flying into Seattle But, I didn’t stuff myself until I… Read More