Change can be VERY overwhelming for me. Sometimes so much so that it stops me from changing. In our POSH meeting, I was absorbing ALL the ideas/information and started to feel a little overwhelmed (especially when one of the options we could do was go home and throw out ALL the junk in our home). I know I have LOTS of changes to make in my life to become a healthier version of me (mind/body/spirit), and to be honest when I think of all the things I NEED to start doing, it makes me feel very anxious. During the meeting, one of the ladies said "you don't have to do everything all at once, pick 1 thing you are going to change this week and focus on it" - OK another weight was lifted off my shoulders (gee no wonder I have so much neck/shoulder pain, as I write these blogs I am seeing just how much I have been carrying on my shoulders all these years!). This makes so much sense. If we change too much too quick we can get overwhelmed (as I have in the past) and not succeed BUT if we take "baby steps" and conquer one thing at at time we CAN do it.
My "GOAL" (I almost wrote "challenge" here but re wrote it as it should not be a "challenge" to be healthy, it should be a GOAL!) this week is to drink more water and continue to track my food. Over the years when I take the time to track my water intake I drink more water, which in turn makes me feel so much better. I KNOW I need it, yet when I don't track it, I tend not to drink it. TBH I could go all day without taking a drink of it (and usually would turn to a pop that was sitting in the fridge instead, than have the "sugar hangover" the next day from drinking it). Why is it we KNOW what our body wants, yet we don't make the effort to do it. We can spend hours on the computer or watching TV, yet we can't take a minute to fill our water cup. I've made up my "daily chart" which included spots to write in how much water (and other beverages) I drink, what I eat through out the day (you will be shocked when you see just how much you are actually eating....those little bites of left overs, or snacking while making the kids lunches - it all adds up!.....and you will begin to be more conscious of what you are fueling your body with. I know there were times in the past when I did this, that it helped me to make better choices as I was more aware of it, and I didn't want to write it on my sheet), and spots for any supplements/medications as well as when I woke and when I went to bed (and how well I slept), what exercise I did that day (which is not in my "goal" yet but will be adding it soon), what time I spent meditating/mindful breathing (which is also a goal I will be adding, as when I did my mindful breathing in the past I was less anxious, more joyful and felt at peace) and how I felt that day. Because I also suffer from IBS, I am tracking how food makes me feel and how my bowels react to foods. I KNOW certain foods trigger it yet I go ahead and eat it, cause some food taste so good, yet my body pays for it. My Goal is to continue these sheets for the remainder of the 5 months on the program and hopefully by the end my body will be "trained" and I wont need the sheets any longer!
Tips:
- Keep the chart on your fridge so you don't forget to keep track. Make yourself write EVERYTHING that enters your mouth, no matter how small you think it may be.
- Don't "beat yourself up" for any falls, it will just make you eat more. Acknowledge the fall, embrace it, release it and work at improving.
- Fill a container with the amount of water you need to drink per day (ask your doctor or professional if you want to see what you should be drinking for your body size/activity) and that way you can see just how much you need
- Start out slow - if you aren't use to drinking 8 -10 cups a day, don't go chugging them all down right off the bat (as I learned!), work your way up (E.G. add an extra cup per day)
- Add lemon slices (or other fruit) to your water to make it more interesting and detoxifying (cucumbers are yummy as well as oranges, limes and berries)
- Keep pop downstairs so that way you are less tempted to drink it (I know I personally will not take the time to go down and get one and the craving passes, but if it's handy I will turn to it) - IF you can't get rid of it yet - Ideally, just don't bring it into the house (but if you are like me, I have a hubby who isn't on board with this YET so I have to have it in the house).
My "GOAL" (I almost wrote "challenge" here but re wrote it as it should not be a "challenge" to be healthy, it should be a GOAL!) this week is to drink more water and continue to track my food. Over the years when I take the time to track my water intake I drink more water, which in turn makes me feel so much better. I KNOW I need it, yet when I don't track it, I tend not to drink it. TBH I could go all day without taking a drink of it (and usually would turn to a pop that was sitting in the fridge instead, than have the "sugar hangover" the next day from drinking it). Why is it we KNOW what our body wants, yet we don't make the effort to do it. We can spend hours on the computer or watching TV, yet we can't take a minute to fill our water cup. I've made up my "daily chart" which included spots to write in how much water (and other beverages) I drink, what I eat through out the day (you will be shocked when you see just how much you are actually eating....those little bites of left overs, or snacking while making the kids lunches - it all adds up!.....and you will begin to be more conscious of what you are fueling your body with. I know there were times in the past when I did this, that it helped me to make better choices as I was more aware of it, and I didn't want to write it on my sheet), and spots for any supplements/medications as well as when I woke and when I went to bed (and how well I slept), what exercise I did that day (which is not in my "goal" yet but will be adding it soon), what time I spent meditating/mindful breathing (which is also a goal I will be adding, as when I did my mindful breathing in the past I was less anxious, more joyful and felt at peace) and how I felt that day. Because I also suffer from IBS, I am tracking how food makes me feel and how my bowels react to foods. I KNOW certain foods trigger it yet I go ahead and eat it, cause some food taste so good, yet my body pays for it. My Goal is to continue these sheets for the remainder of the 5 months on the program and hopefully by the end my body will be "trained" and I wont need the sheets any longer!
Tips:
- Keep the chart on your fridge so you don't forget to keep track. Make yourself write EVERYTHING that enters your mouth, no matter how small you think it may be.
- Don't "beat yourself up" for any falls, it will just make you eat more. Acknowledge the fall, embrace it, release it and work at improving.
- Fill a container with the amount of water you need to drink per day (ask your doctor or professional if you want to see what you should be drinking for your body size/activity) and that way you can see just how much you need
- Start out slow - if you aren't use to drinking 8 -10 cups a day, don't go chugging them all down right off the bat (as I learned!), work your way up (E.G. add an extra cup per day)
- Add lemon slices (or other fruit) to your water to make it more interesting and detoxifying (cucumbers are yummy as well as oranges, limes and berries)
- Keep pop downstairs so that way you are less tempted to drink it (I know I personally will not take the time to go down and get one and the craving passes, but if it's handy I will turn to it) - IF you can't get rid of it yet - Ideally, just don't bring it into the house (but if you are like me, I have a hubby who isn't on board with this YET so I have to have it in the house).