I'm not huge on making resolutions because I know they just beg to be broken, but like the rest of the world, I can't help but think of goals I want to accomplish in the upcoming year while it's still all new and shiny. And in contemplating what I'd like to achieve in 2012 I had to laugh at myself, because it's exactly what this blog was founded on:
I'd like to write.
I'd like to lose weight.
Oh sure, there are a million other things that I'd like to accomplish, I'd like to hike more and read more, find a more fulfilling job, be a better wife and get my kid to sleep through the night. But more than anything else, I want to end 2012 weighing under 200 pounds and with a completed first draft of At Setting.
Since I found out I was pregnant, I feel like I just threw my goals out the window. I was going on an exciting new adventure into motherhood! Everything was going to change and look nothing like it did before and I would probably be so engrossed in reading baby blogs and parenting a genius child that I wouldn't care that my projects (my novel, my self) were lying half finished at the edge of my consciousness. I didn't necessarily WANT these things, mind you, I just thought they were inevitable. Well, I'm happy to say that they weren't. The way my day-to-day life looks changed drastically, but I think that I myself changed very little. I'm still Vicky, not "Laura's Mom". What a beautiful relief. However, now it's time to pick up those old goals, dust them off and cram them into my new life however they'll fit.
Showing posts with label health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label health. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Diet
I feel like the blog has been focused on writing a lot, so I thought I'd made a post about the other half of this blog's inspiration -- health.
Lately, I've been making a real effort to squeeze in time for the things that I love, i.e., writing and reading. And at the same time, I've been making excuse after excuse when it comes to health and fitness: I'm still nursing so I can't diet. That doesn't, however, mean that I need to eat everything I see. I can't take my walks at lunch time, which was always my preferred exercise, since I'm pumping -- but that doesn't mean that I have to give up all physical activity. I'll swear I'm giving up all sweets and processed foods after [The Annual Clam Steam/Nick and Melissa's Wedding/The Garlic Festival/et cetera ad nauseum]. I need to freaking STOP lying to myself and make some real commitments.
We all know that it comes down to diet and exercise. Which one is more important is something that I see debated frequently, but personally, I feel like diet is going to be the angle that's easier for me to tackle at this point in my life, although I'd like to have a game plan for both. I think I'll dedicate this blog to diet and then later this week talk about exercise.
So. What I'd like to be eating:
Breakfast:
My morning smoothie (non-fat yogurt, skim milk, a banana, frozen raspberries and flax seeds)
Healthy cereals with skim milk (making sure to exercise portion control)
Oatmeal with raspberries and raw honey
Homemade Granola with skim milk or non-fat yogurt
Fruit
Eggs, turkey bacon and whole grain toast with Burmmel and Brown.
LESS: muffins, second helpings of cereal, morning sweet tooth fixes, Dunkin Donuts
Lunch:
Healthy Leftovers
Amy's Organic Burritos
Broth-based low-sodium Soups
Kashi Frozen Entrees
Salads with protein
LESS: Processed frozen entrees, fast food, lunching in downtown Albany
Snacks:
Nuts
Fresh Fruits
Cut up Veggies
String Cheese
Hard Boiled Eggs
Air-Popped Popcorn
LESS: processed snacks, sweets, carby crap
Dinner:
Home-cooked healthy meals with whole grains, lean proteins and lots of veggies, especially ones that I can make big batches of for lunches and leftovers.
Less: Take-out, processed frozen dinners, seconds.
On the surface, this looks deceptively easy. I love all the things that I should be eating! I know they fill me and make me feel good. I have two big problems that I need to figure out solutions to:
1. Since grade school, I have a time of day that I have serious binging issues -- the "After School" period, from when I get home from work until dinner time, I feel like my stomach is a cavernous pit that cannot be satiated. Oftentimes by the time I am done snacking during that period, I'm too full for dinner, but since I cook for Frank, I usually wind up eating with him anyway because I feel guilty. How can I stop wanting to eat everything in sight when I get home from work?
2. I feel like, while all the food I listed is delicious and good for me, I'm missing something. Specifically after lunch, I get cravings for something sweet and/or carby like cookies or pretzels. What can I eat to fulfill these cravings while still staying on track? Or should I try to hold out and kill the cravings?
Let me know if you have any suggestions for solutions to my problems or any good dinner recipes to share!
Lately, I've been making a real effort to squeeze in time for the things that I love, i.e., writing and reading. And at the same time, I've been making excuse after excuse when it comes to health and fitness: I'm still nursing so I can't diet. That doesn't, however, mean that I need to eat everything I see. I can't take my walks at lunch time, which was always my preferred exercise, since I'm pumping -- but that doesn't mean that I have to give up all physical activity. I'll swear I'm giving up all sweets and processed foods after [The Annual Clam Steam/Nick and Melissa's Wedding/The Garlic Festival/et cetera ad nauseum]. I need to freaking STOP lying to myself and make some real commitments.
We all know that it comes down to diet and exercise. Which one is more important is something that I see debated frequently, but personally, I feel like diet is going to be the angle that's easier for me to tackle at this point in my life, although I'd like to have a game plan for both. I think I'll dedicate this blog to diet and then later this week talk about exercise.
So. What I'd like to be eating:
Breakfast:
My morning smoothie (non-fat yogurt, skim milk, a banana, frozen raspberries and flax seeds)
Healthy cereals with skim milk (making sure to exercise portion control)
Oatmeal with raspberries and raw honey
Homemade Granola with skim milk or non-fat yogurt
Fruit
Eggs, turkey bacon and whole grain toast with Burmmel and Brown.
LESS: muffins, second helpings of cereal, morning sweet tooth fixes, Dunkin Donuts
Lunch:
Healthy Leftovers
Amy's Organic Burritos
Broth-based low-sodium Soups
Kashi Frozen Entrees
Salads with protein
LESS: Processed frozen entrees, fast food, lunching in downtown Albany
Snacks:
Nuts
Fresh Fruits
Cut up Veggies
String Cheese
Hard Boiled Eggs
Air-Popped Popcorn
LESS: processed snacks, sweets, carby crap
Dinner:
Home-cooked healthy meals with whole grains, lean proteins and lots of veggies, especially ones that I can make big batches of for lunches and leftovers.
Less: Take-out, processed frozen dinners, seconds.
On the surface, this looks deceptively easy. I love all the things that I should be eating! I know they fill me and make me feel good. I have two big problems that I need to figure out solutions to:
1. Since grade school, I have a time of day that I have serious binging issues -- the "After School" period, from when I get home from work until dinner time, I feel like my stomach is a cavernous pit that cannot be satiated. Oftentimes by the time I am done snacking during that period, I'm too full for dinner, but since I cook for Frank, I usually wind up eating with him anyway because I feel guilty. How can I stop wanting to eat everything in sight when I get home from work?
2. I feel like, while all the food I listed is delicious and good for me, I'm missing something. Specifically after lunch, I get cravings for something sweet and/or carby like cookies or pretzels. What can I eat to fulfill these cravings while still staying on track? Or should I try to hold out and kill the cravings?
Let me know if you have any suggestions for solutions to my problems or any good dinner recipes to share!
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
There and Back Again
I remember reading an article with a list of tips for blog writing. Number one was: Never start off by mentioning how long it's been since you last post. I've stuck to that until now, but I feel like over a year of absence warrants some kind of explanation.
On June 6, 2010 I found out that I was pregnant. Since then, the world as I knew it has been shattered apart and put back together, with many priorities landing in different places -- some more surprising than others. Sadly, my two biggest priorities when it comes to this blog have been shoved pretty firmly to the bottom of the list. I'm hoping that than can begin to change now.
I've learned in the last 24 weeks that when it comes to being a parent, time is the greatest commodity. You're either waiting it out, battling against it and you're always longing for more. Time is what I need to meet my goals, and it's what I'm fighting for, starting today.
Given that I'm nursing, my options for health and fitness are limited, but in this case limited is far from non-existent. I can still make as many healthy eating options as possible and try to squeeze in exercise -- whether it's taking the stairs, parking farther away, or strapping the baby on for an early morning walk -- whenever I can. The most important thing is to not lose sight of my goals. They seem farther away now than ever, but this is not a race. I have the rest of my life to work toward them, and the goals of healthful living will never really be met, they'll only change and grow with me. I'm looking forward to the challenege!
"Writers write. Period." -- I remember reading this as the tag line of someone's blog a couple of years ago, and it's stayed with me. The statement is deceptively simple, and utterly true. Even if it's twenty minutes twice a week, even if it's from my smart phone in carpool, even if it's in my head while I'm changing the baby, I'm a writer and I must be writing. Right now, my goal is just to start carving out a little time to myself whenever I can and be constantly choosing action over apathy, something I battle in all aspects of my life.
And yes, it's been a while ... but I hope that you'll be seeing more of me from now on!
On June 6, 2010 I found out that I was pregnant. Since then, the world as I knew it has been shattered apart and put back together, with many priorities landing in different places -- some more surprising than others. Sadly, my two biggest priorities when it comes to this blog have been shoved pretty firmly to the bottom of the list. I'm hoping that than can begin to change now.
I've learned in the last 24 weeks that when it comes to being a parent, time is the greatest commodity. You're either waiting it out, battling against it and you're always longing for more. Time is what I need to meet my goals, and it's what I'm fighting for, starting today.
Given that I'm nursing, my options for health and fitness are limited, but in this case limited is far from non-existent. I can still make as many healthy eating options as possible and try to squeeze in exercise -- whether it's taking the stairs, parking farther away, or strapping the baby on for an early morning walk -- whenever I can. The most important thing is to not lose sight of my goals. They seem farther away now than ever, but this is not a race. I have the rest of my life to work toward them, and the goals of healthful living will never really be met, they'll only change and grow with me. I'm looking forward to the challenege!
"Writers write. Period." -- I remember reading this as the tag line of someone's blog a couple of years ago, and it's stayed with me. The statement is deceptively simple, and utterly true. Even if it's twenty minutes twice a week, even if it's from my smart phone in carpool, even if it's in my head while I'm changing the baby, I'm a writer and I must be writing. Right now, my goal is just to start carving out a little time to myself whenever I can and be constantly choosing action over apathy, something I battle in all aspects of my life.
And yes, it's been a while ... but I hope that you'll be seeing more of me from now on!
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