1/3/10

Ten in 10

Yay! It's 2010! Happy New Year everyone! I love the beginning of a near year- the last three years have been very exciting for me: in 2007 I turned 22, graduated from college and got married to my dear husband, Derrick, in 2008 I had my adorable and energetic daughter, Helen, and in 2009 I had my lovable, cuddly daughter Eloise- so I'm hoping to keep 2010 a little more low key! I decided to kick off the new year right by joining Lori's challenge Ten in 10, you can read all about the challenge here. In short, over 200 people have pledged to spend the next ten weeks getting healthier- there are no guidelines or requirements- everyone sets their own personal goals.

After back to back pregnancies and two c-sections I am more out of shape than I'd like to be (that's putting it kindly!) and I am still stuck in my fat jeans with a whole closet full of clothes that I haven't worn since college. I really want to get in shape this year- I worked out all the time in college but everything is so much harder to do with little kids so I'm trying to make feasible goals.

1. Exercise everyday with hard workouts 3 times a week- even if I can't do a long work out dvd or run on the treadmill- I want to get moving every single day without exception. I was walking at least 2 miles 5 days a week for awhile but that tapered off as I got busier and busier with the holidays. I love walking and so do the girls so I certainly want to get back into that habit! I'm also going to try to do The 30 Day Shred- but I'm not including that as one of my goals just yet because I really want to try it out for a few days and see if I'm in good enough shape to go for it or if I need to get into a better exercise routine for a few weeks before starting it. I love working out and miss the feeling I used to get after a really hard workout in college.

2. Stop mindless snacking- Ok I'm still breastfeeding so I can't stop eating between meals completely, but I am going to try to limit my snacking to fresh fruit and veggies.

3. No eating after dinner and go to bed earlier- evening is when I am most likely to binge on junk food. I know that the only reason I eat between 6:30 and bedtime is because I'm exhausted and what I really need to do is get in bed.

Now here's what I'm not going to do:

Count calories- I have struggled too much in the past with becoming unhealthily obsessed with calorie counting. Instead I'm going to pay attention to portions and try to always choose fresh, nutrient rich food over empty calories.

Give up anything- I'm not going to stop baking (although I do plan on cutting back) or eating sweets. If I make cookies I will eat a cookie, not five cookies. If I make a pie I will have a slice, etc. When I limit myself I end up craving carbs, or sugar or whatever it is that I had intended on giving up. In fact I'm hoping to try to expand my cooking repertoire significantly this year to include healthy, flavorful ingredients that I've never cooked with before (and hopefully start blogging a lot more about the recipes I try out!).

Give up if I fall off the wagon- Too many times I have skipped a workout or eaten unhealthily and then decided that I messed everything up and that there is no reason to continue. This time around I'm going to be reasonable- if I go to a party I'm probably not going to eat carrot sticks, if I get a horrible cold I might not feel like lifting weights that day- so I'll just have to pick up the next day where I left off.

I feel so excited about Ten in 10 and I'm really loving all of the great support on Twitter and through Lori's blog!

2 comments:

TeaLady said...

These sound very reasonable and do-able. You go, Girl

Jessica said...

I'm just catching up on blogs. I think you set some awesome goals. I am such a believer in allowing yourself treats in moderation. I hate feeling like I can't have something. You've been tweeting some awesome healthy snacks lately -- I need to take a page out of your book!