A fair start

How are your New Year's resolutions going?  I decided to devote the first couple of months this year to improving my health. The new habits I'm trying to establish are:

1. Eating breakfast. And by "breakfast" I mean something somewhat nutritious, prepared at home, and eaten shortly after waking up (as opposed to a muffin or scone purchased at work in the early afternoon once I'm starving).
2. Taking vitamins with breakfast.
3. Packing a healthy, appetizing lunch for work. Limiting fast food or eating out midday.
4. Drinking 8 (8oz) glasses of water, and cutting way back on sodas. I could drink Cokes all day long, and have been for some months now. That's not good.
5. Go for an extra walk (or do something else active) for 30 minutes, three or four days each week. I already take a long walk with my husband and dog every night, but I still feel the need for some extra exercise in my life. Most of the things I really enjoy doing involve sitting in a chair. Which leads me to my last health resolution for the year.......
6. ....take up some new hobby or sport, something active, that I will enjoy and can incorporate into everyday life.

I felt that these six goals were do-able, and not too intimidating. So far, I've had total success with numbers 1, 2, and 3. Number 4 has been harder. Although I've cut down on my Cokes, I haven't been drinking as much water as I need to replace them. It's so hard to learn to like plain water when you have a soft drink habit, even though we have a nice filter and it tastes OK. It's just dull and I forget to drink it. I need to get better at this!

As for the extra walks, I haven't done those even once yet. The weather has been bad--cold and rainy and miserable--so even my nightly walks with GB and Ginger have been somewhat shorter than usual. I'm trying to be realistic about it. I figure that getting more active is going to be a process, something I won't be able to accomplish all at once, and when I'm genuinely deterred by bad weather that's nothing to beat myself up about. I haven't been purposely avoiding it, which is all that really matters.

I would love some suggestions for number 6 (a new hobby or sport) if anyone has any ideas. I need something fun to do besides walking to get me up and moving! I've considered fixing up my bike and riding, but after that I'm fresh out of ideas. Anyone have any thoughts about this? Something you enjoy that gets your heart rate up? (Besides going to a gym. I shudder at the thought of that.)

How are your resolutions going? I hope everyone's New Year has gotten off to a good start this week!

August already!

The last couple of weeks have been busy for me. I have had doctor and dentist appointments, extra projects at work that needed attention, and the everyday housework/cooking/cleaning that never truly gets "done" at all.

Still, it's been a good couple of weeks. I finally talked to my doctor about the lifestyle changes I'm trying to make and the weight I need to lose. He has helped me pull together a plan to make things happen, and has given me a prescription to help me get started. I am logging my food intake, walking 1-2 miles every morning, and drinking lots of fresh cool water. I have a follow up appointment in 8 weeks to check on my progress, and I am hoping to do myself proud! It feels great to finally feel motivated!

Work is going well. I am feeling more confident in my position and have been working extra hard to get things done and to be an asset to my new team. I think this is the result of feeling better physically. I know that daily exercise helps me to have a positive outlook and less negative emotions.
Years ago, when I exercised (ran!) daily, my stress level stayed under control much better than when I allowed myself to get very overweight and sedentary. I hope I can continue to slowly improve my habits with very little backsliding this time. Being fit and healthy not only improves my stress level, but also my job performance, self esteem, relationships....everything, really. I can't wait until it's cool enough outside that I can exercise more. In August in SC the only time you can stand to go outside and walk is at sunrise or after dark...unless you want to risk a heatstroke!

It's still very hot here, and my garden is officially done. My tomatoes didn't produce much of anything this year. I was disappointed, but we have had nearly record high temperatures and very little rain this year. No one seems to have had a good garden this year. I am getting ready to pull up all my dead plants, weed, and work on making the little garden bed ready for a fall planting of mums and pansies.

I am beginning to look forward to fall. I'm already seeing the first fall magazines, candles, and decor out in the stores! It seems a bit strange to think of it being almost fall when it's 100F out, but it really is just around the corner. The sun is beginning to set noticeably earlier, and the angle of the sun is changing. Soon enough (I hope!) the daytime temperature should become more comfortable which is my favorite thing about summer ending!