| |
[Jul. 7th, 2008|11:05 pm] |
10 minutes meditation (chanting)
40 minutes kickboxing
scrambled eggs with whole wheat toast
a can of coke
capellini with tomato sauce
an orange
brownies
no dinner, not really -- I've been out of sorts since the afternoon -- dehydration, I think -- and really haven't wanted to eat.
I can do better -- more fruits and veggies, mostly, and adding some beans and whole grains with dinner... |
|
|
| two in one! |
[May. 7th, 2008|12:17 am] |
Yesterday:
breakfast: oatmeal
lunch: veggie sub and a soda
snacks: 3 oranges
dinner: spaghetti and sauce
exercise: 15 minutes strength training
today:
oatmeal
veggie sub and a soda
3 oranges (I don't have these all at once, by the way -- I just eat them throughout the day, whenever I get snacky)
spaghetti and sauce
(yeah, pretty much a repeat of the day before. Right now I'm just happy that I'm eating breakfast, limiting junk and eating dinner before 10 at night)
exercise: 30 minutes kickboxing -- something like 6 or 7/10 -- I'm pretty happy to be moving in the right direction
Clearly I still need to work on getting in my green tea, meditation and various other lifestyle changes, but these are great first steps!
I'm ravenous all the time, it feels like, but I'm not starving myself -- I think my body's just adjusting to the lack of cookies and the abundance of movement. Weight loss isn't my *primary* motivation, here, but it'll be a nice side effect! :) I haven't been at home in my body, this last year or so, and I can't wait to get back to a place where I *do* feel at home -- significantly more fit, a little lighter, and generally healthier and more energetic. |
|
|
| |
[May. 3rd, 2008|01:24 pm] |
For Friday, May 2
Breakfast -- oatmeal with a little sugar and cinnamon
Lunch -- Veggie Hero, Soda
Snack -- An Orange
Dinner -- capellini with garlic
half an hour exercise (still just around 5/10) |
|
|
| Take 213 |
[Apr. 30th, 2008|07:36 pm] |
So I've been sucking at this whole accountability thing. But my behavior itself has been on an upswing. I recently stopped buying cookies (until this weekend, but that was a conscious choice because I knew I wouldn't be able to have any of the dessert at either of the parties we were attending), and stocked up the kitchen with healthy foods. I used a tip from some magazine from years ago, and gave myself one "free" food that I can eat whenever I'm feeling snacky for any reason -- hunger, anxiety, sadness, whatever. I'm not on a diet, so the concept of "free" food is a little odd in the context of my eating plan (I don't measure or count, I just try to eat reasonable amounts of healthy food), but what it's done is wean me almost entirely from the cookie habit I'd developed.
So, today:
no breakfast, because I just didn't have time to make any
four oranges
a veggie sub
a couple handsful pretzels
a soda
(now this is embarrassing, especially in light of the fact that I'd been doing so well about this sort of thing): several fingersful of canned icing!
I'm going to make dinner now. Probably bean and veggie based, with some pasta.
an hour of dancing (at about a 5-6 out of 10 in terms of effort, but right now I'm just happy to be moving)
(and I did an hour of dancing yesterday, too, as well as a couple hours of on and off ice skating)
Tonight I'll chant for 10 minutes and consider that a successful day! |
|
|
| |
[Feb. 26th, 2008|11:50 am] |
Morning pages: done.
The weather is nasty enough that I don't think I'll be walking during lunch. I want to spend some time on the exercise bike when I get home this evening. Think I'll follow through? |
|
|
| Lunch. |
[Feb. 25th, 2008|12:58 pm] |
Chicken noodle soup. Greek salad. Chai latte.
I need to be sure to drink water this afternoon. |
|
|
| The day so far |
[Feb. 25th, 2008|11:51 am] |
Breakfast: Protein shake. Coffee.
Morning pages: Done. Before noon, even. Not too shabby at all.
I'm planning to get on the exercise bike at home for a little while tonight. Hopefully, I will really follow through on this. Except for a bit of sporadic and none-too-mindful walking, exercise has really been missing from my life lately. It's time for this to change. |
|
|
| Food journal update |
[Feb. 22nd, 2008|02:39 pm] |
This afternoon: two sips of Manischewitz grape juice; two bites of challah.
Was I hungry? No, but these were small ritual-sized portions. When I help residents with the Oneg Shabbat, I like to take part in the kiddush and motzi (sp?) right along with them.
I'm still drinking my water, and am anticipating a nice hot cup of tea for the drive home. |
|
|
| |
[Feb. 22nd, 2008|01:28 pm] |
Okay -- I've been procrastinating on this, trying to decide on a plan to which I can really commit. I'm going to try Julia Cameron's program, The Writing Diet, because I've already been working with The Artist's Way for years, so I'm hoping this will be a good fit for me. The essence of the program is in these seven components:
1. Morning pages: Three daily stream-of-consciousness handwritten pages of whatever comes to mind.
2. Artist dates: Once weekly, I take myself on a festive solo outing of about two hours' duration. For the purpose of this diet plan, Julia recommends that these be culinary artist dates, opportunities to savor some special food. I think I'll let myself be fairly relaxed about that; my artist dates often do include some sort of tasty treat, but I'm not necessarily going to make that the focus every week.
3. Walking: At least three times a week for 20-30 minutes. I'm hoping to work my way up to a daily walking practice.
4. Food journal: I will write down everything I eat and drink. This is where accountability really comes into play, and guess what? I'll be keeping a copy of that food journal right here in this community! Aren't you lucky?
5. Four questions: Things to ask myself whenever I'm about to eat something:
1) Am I hungry?
2) Is this what I want to eat?
3) Is this what I want to eat now?
4) Is there something else that I could eat instead?
I don't honestly expect to be using these questions so much at my regular meals -- well, maybe when I'm considering second helpings -- but will definitely be using them whenever I feel the urge to snack.
6. H.A.L.T.: Anyone familiar with 12-Step programs probably already knows that this is an acronym for Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired. When I am in any of these conditions, I may be vulnerable to emotionally-based urges to overeat. So, I need to be tuned into myself so that I can avoid getting too hungry, lonely, angry, or tired, if possible -- or, at the very least, increase my awareness in these areas.
7. Body Buddy: Have someone (or someones!) to check in with, to be supportive and clear-thinking, to encourage without being hypercritical, to be compassionate without enabling. (Hey, that's you!)
So, here's my food journal so far for today:
Breakfast -- an Egg McMuffin without cheese, a hash brown patty, black coffee, water
Lunch -- a sauteed chicken breast, rice with peas and carrots, chicken matzoh ball soup, Diet Coke
And now, I'm off to have a drink of water. Thanks for being here! |
|
|
| |
[Feb. 22nd, 2008|08:38 am] |
Yesterday I got in part of a cup of tea, and about 10 minutes cardio. Then we rushed off to school, did school stuff, had a decent lunch (I made lentil dal and basmati rice in cooking class), ran home to pick Joe up at the train station, drop him and Sarah off at home, and drive back to the open house. Open-housed for 2.5 hours, drove home, checked email, played ant war with Sarah for a while, went to sleep -- no dinner, no tea, no tai chi, no meditation.
Today's a snow day. Plenty of time for all my routines, and for tidying up the kitchen, dining room and living room for the People! coming tomorrow. And this weekend there's time to think somemore about my routines, and how to make the time for them during the week. |
|
|
| |
[Feb. 21st, 2008|12:30 am] |
Second day back, same as the first -- one cup of tea, 25 or so minutes of cardio. Acceptable lunch and dinner. No breakfast at all, today -- I was out of rice milk, and had no time for anything more complicated than cold cereal.
Yesterday I did meditate before bed. Today I can't remember whether I chanted during my shower or not. The last few days is already running together. I have these routines which, if I can get them activated, will automate most of these good habits, but I struggle to get back on track -- late nights lead to late mornings, lead to rushed days. Leading to late nights. Blech.
Tomorrow -- tea and cardio or tai chi in the morning. Healthy breakfast. Healthy lunch (I'm running cooking class tomorrow -- it damn well better be a healthy lunch). Meditation in the morning. Cardio or tai chi in the evening. Another cup of tea. Tomorrow night is the open house. Keep breathing. |
|
|
| |
[Feb. 19th, 2008|10:25 pm] |
First day back at, well, at work, really -- I always feel a little sheepish about referring to my volunteer position as "work", but I'm working about 90% as hard as I would if they paid me (a number I've been considering pretty carefully, as it looks as if they're going to be offering me a paid position next year, doing exactly what I'm doing now but with a whole new level of commitment -- obviously I won't just be able to say, three months in, 'oh, sorry, we're not coming in on Thursdays or Fridays anymore', as I could right now), and I'm a damn significant resource, if I may be permitted to blow my own horn for a moment.
So, at any rate, first day back at work after the four day weekend, and I begin to see the answer to my underlying question: if all this stuff makes me feel so good, why do I ever get out of these habits? I rolled out of bed, bleary-eyed, this morning, with just enough time to pack our breakfasts and Sarah's snacks, get the both of us dressed and jump in the car. No meditation, no tea, no tai chi, no exercise. School was good but busy, and we stayed late so A and I could talk about the future of the school and my place there. We got home just a few minutes before 5, and I vegged on the computer for an hour before hanging out with Sarah and puttering around a bit. Still no tea, no meditation, no exercise, no tai chi. Also only barely decent meals -- half a decent breakfast, a sorry-ass lunch, and a similar dinner -- and all eaten standing up or on the run.
Tonight I managed to get in one cup of tea, 25 minutes of cardio and, dammit, I'm getting in 10 minutes of chanting before I go to sleep, tonight. Tomorrow morning, with an extra half hour in the morning (I went in early today to start the conversation with A.), I intend to get in tea, tai chi and meditation. Tomorrow after school, I intend to get in another cup of tea, some cardio, and a solidly healthy dinner. Breathe. |
|
|
| |
[Feb. 18th, 2008|09:56 am] |
Yesterday I got more stuff done, but not enough to cross off more items -- more decluttering, but not a full 30 minutes, more work on my ToDo list, but not enough to have finished any specific three items. I'll try to make my daily lists more free form, so I get to give myself credit for my work even when I haven't completed specific projects...
So, this morning:
skin detox -- check
meditation -- check
green tea -- check
tai chi --
decluttering -- check
research --
breakfast -- check (does it count if it was lettuce, chickpeas and avocados on a roll?) |
|
|
| Sunday |
[Feb. 17th, 2008|05:02 pm] |
So far today I've had two cups of green tea, and have had a moderately healthy breakfast, lunch and snack (cereal with rice milk; beans, onions, roasted tomatoes and avocados over egg noodles for lunch and snack), and done quite a bit more decluttering. I've also had a really nice visit with renegade_geek (it's really good to have friends you can visit with while cleaning in your pajamas!).
My plans for the rest of the day:
meditation
exercise
tai chi
at least another 30 minutes decluttering
a healthy dinner
a cup of tea
collage time (focusing on what I want for my home, I think)
My non specifically health-related habits:
research
music
declutter email account
reading
writing
reaching out
play school with Sarah
get three items off the ToDo list
That feels a little stressful, looking at that list. I may see how much I can get done in the next hour, and then reevaluate my plans for the rest of the evening. |
|
|
| dcdragon67's healthy goals |
[Feb. 17th, 2008|09:53 am] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  hopeful | ] |
exercise daily (flexibility)
exercise daily (aerobic)
exercise regularly (strength)
mindful, healthy eating
drink water and caffeine free tea
sleep 6-8 hours each sleep/wake cycle
keep dream journal
keep mood diary
keep daily life diary
light morning (birth) candle
light evening (death) candle
weekly artist dates
one hour of artist play every day |
|
|
| Saturday update |
[Feb. 16th, 2008|09:18 pm] |
meditation -- check
green tea -- check
exercise -- check (20 minutes kick boxing/stepping)
healthy dinner -- check (chickpeas and cauliflower -- one of my favorite quick, tasty and healthy dinners)
grace -- forgot to do it before dinner, did it half way through
tai chi -- I probably have just barely enough time before J&S get home, but I *really* want to watch this episode of NCIS -- I wish I knew the routine well enough to do it without the DVD! |
|
|
| Saturday -- Day1 |
[Feb. 16th, 2008|07:52 pm] |
|
I've been decluttering, today, which I think of as part of my health upkeep -- both mental and physical. Other than that, though, I'm not doing great in terms of healthy habits. I had my classic Saturday breakfast -- a white roll with orange marmalade (Joe buys bagels for him and Sarah every Saturday, then makes them egg-n-cheese to go on the bagels, and picks up a plain roll for me, because I'm rarely ready for eggs that early in the day). Lunch was healthy (homemade refried beans-and-tomatoes with some avocado on top), but I haven't had dinner yet. I haven't exercised yet either, haven't meditated, and haven't even gotten in my tai chi. It's 8:00 right now, and I know Joe and Sarah will be out at least another hour. Which means I have plenty of time to eat a good dinner, get in some exercise, and some meditation and green tea. I'll let you know how it goes. |
|
|
| Welcome! |
[Feb. 16th, 2008|07:26 pm] |
I feel a little silly starting a whole new community for this, but I'm struggling to get back on track with my health and fitness goals, and I really need the accountability of having somewhere to post daily (or, heck, every hour or two, some days!) about whether I'm keeping up with my good habits. And while I know I could use my own LJ for that, I find that I never do, that something keeps me from feeling comfortable with posting either my successes or my failures in this area.
My goals:
My weight goal is to get back down to 155 (the weight at which my body seems to be quite happy -- I'm 175 right now, and I'm not at ease in my own skin). My other health goals are: to be fit and strong and full of energy, to be calm and centered, to have excellent cholesterol and blood sugar levels, excellent circulation, and to be in generally excellent health.
My intentions are:
to eat 4 healthy meals a day
to exercise 5 times a week
to do a little tai chi every day (I'm still learning the beginning routine, so doing 10 or 15 minutes a day is enough to hold the space and keep making progress)
to meditate daily
to keep up with necessary medical checkups
to drink plenty of water
to drink 3 cups of green tea daily, ideally as part of my daily moments of silence and chi kung meditation
to say grace before dinner, as a way of being mindful of the act of nourishing my body, and the Source of that nourishment
Feel free to hang around just to provide me with accountability, or to join and post your own goals and daily progress. Either way, welcome! |
|
|
![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif){kind=small}
accountableafm