Today when I woke up one of my first thoughts was, "I want to go for a walk"
We're having a heatwave so morning is the time to get at this activity. I am feeling really energized but I'm really not sure what the cause is. Am I in some sort of honeymoon phase of this year long venture? Is my body in altered diet mode and because I'm eating 'better' I want to boost the results by doing more? Are the types of foods I'm eating changing my mental health and therefore my recent slothfulness has diminished? Time will tell on some of this but as I posted recently now is all there is so I'm heading outside as soon as it's daylight.
[Side-note: I am a morning person so me being up at 4 am without an alarm is normal, especially when I have "stuff" going on in my life. My version of sleeping in is going to bed before 9]
I have been following the Eat Clean page on Facebook another site linked to this page posted recently about foods that, for various reasons, are good choices when trying to loose weight: eggs, oats, figs, apples, beans, Greek yogurt, potatoes, and wheat berries. I've cut out two of those for this year, potatoes and wheat are a no. I plan on buying some figs, they are sweet yet apparently dense with fiber making them satisfying in both flavor and fullness.
I am intrigued at my own idea of eating a certain way for year rather than until I'm a certain size or other goal.(It's like running for a certain amount of time rather than distance.) Health "experts" often say you need to make small changes and that diets don't work because you'll go right back, that changes need to be permanent. I can't face forever, this past year one of my biggest obstacles in making changes was not wanting to disrupt the flow and mood of eating with others. As much as I don't enjoy the extra weight I'm caring around I have enjoyed the freedom of eating with others and ordering what I truly felt like eating. I did that for a year (or more) and now I'm doing this. My self-doubt creeps in and says I'll just go back to eating horrible after a year, to my doubts I say "QUIET, let's just deal with now!"
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I'm back from a quick walk and breakfast.
About 17 years ago I was heavily following The Zone (Barry Sear) way of eating and with much success. I was in my early 30's at the time and was no longer able to loose weight with better eating and added exercise. I began running/jogging in HS and had been able to maintain weight through my teens and 20's with running as my go to tool of health. I learned a lot about myself during the 2 or so years of Zone eating, that's why I am ridding myself of certain high glycemic index foods. I also learned that I could lose weight without over exercising. I had previously thought that I needed to get my heart rate up for a certain amount of time in order to shed pounds. Mr. Sears suggested being diligent with food choices, always pairing carbs and proteins, and walking casually for an hour a day. I have used these tips in variation for many successful weight loss periods over the last few years. It works but, when done with total focus, often left me feeling like I was in a body prison. As I entered my 45's I wanted to be able to be social and in the mood of life invents. If my friends are enjoying nachos together I want to dig in too, if there's cake at a party I want to partake, if french fries were an option I circled yes! In this year of Zone-lite (I have NOT cut out all things and I'm not being consistent with protein pairing.) I want to get moving again, walking is cheap*# and I have plenty of time to do an hour a day, the problem is I'm bored with it. This morning during my quick 7 minute walk I decided I am going to aim to do 8 of those a day M-F until I go back to work (I'll adjust this in mid-August). I am blessed with a walking park adjacent to my house, a quick walk around the trail, and Bam!
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A physical change I've noticed the last 2-3 weeks (so not necessarily a direct result of this but still good) is that my bra is fitting better. Sorry guys but I just had to share.
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*#I used to go to Curves and I loved it. I quit a year ago for various reasons none of which had to do with them. I am 100% behind their mission and the awesome ladies there.
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