Here\'s to Healthy Choices

tomorrow I walk

mpalmer — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 10:06:38 +0000

I didn’t walk this morning because the kids and I slept so poorly. My son woke up every hour (at least) starting around 2:30. Something was going on with him this morning and I was exhausted so we just hung out in bed. I did walk from the grocer to home with 4 bulging cloth bags however. But I’m not counting that as my excersise. I felt myself wanting caffeine today, but I did not indulge.

I did talk to my husband about my need to know it’s okay to walk in the mornings. He was supportive of me walking this morning and has already supported me for tomorrow. Which is nice.

Two resolutions

mpalmer — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 10:38:24 +0000

My 39th birthday happened on Sept 19. I made two resolutions to myself. One (already heard here, but not acted on) was to quit drinking Coke. The second was to get up in the mornings and walk. So far I’ve done really well on the Coke front. In fact, I haven’t craved them as much as I thought I would. It might help that my daughter is acting as my conscience everytime we go to the store. I don’t want to let either of us down.

The walking is more touch and go. The first week I did walk on a majority of days, although not every day. This week I’ve walked on Monday (about 20 min), but I didn’t walk yesterday or today. Part of the problem is that when I wake up, everyone wakes up. I’ve tried sneaking out while Cam is still asleep, but he usually wakes up within 10 minutes of me getting out of bed. It’s like he has a sixth sense. Most days, he starts waking up and wanting to nurse if I even think about getting out of bed. This morning as I’m lying in bed (feeling a little resentful/torn about what I should do), I several things. One was that walking this morning was out for today since my husband needed to go in to work a bit early. Two was that I really do want to walk in the mornings (no matter how much my night owl self wants to resist) and that on the mornings that I went I felt much better. Three was that I need to hear from my husband that it’s okay that the household wakes up at 6am so I can go walking. To be fair, he’s said it once. But tonight I’ll tell him that I think I need to hear it again.

don’t worry mom

mpalmer — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 11:58:45 +0000

While trying on some pants in a fitting room with my four year old daughter, I was saddened to discover that I needed to go to a larger size. Then trying on a different pair, I found that size was too large. I exclaimed out loud that the pants were too big. My daughter replied, “don’t worry mom. You’ll grow into them.”

Food Goals

mpalmer — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 01:43:32 +0000

Yes, I want to lose some weight, but my primary goal is to make healthier choices. I am hoping this site will help me clarify my goals and will serve as a reminder of what they are. I need some help keeping on track. So: onto the goals–

Broad Goal Number 1: Make healthier choices regarding Food

A. Drink water, tea, or milk. No cokes! This shouldn’t be too much of a problem now that we’re in Australia and a bottle of Coke is almost $3.

B. Desserts should be something like fruit or small bit of chocolate. Other dessert maybe only once a week or not at all? I’m trying to think of what’s practical here since my whole family is addicted to dessert. Will I be able to be the only one not eating it? If I allow myself small bits will that satisfy the craving or is it like an alcoholic who has to swear off it all completely?

C. Dinner: I think we eat fairly healthy dinners although since I’m not a huge fan of cooking we sometimes have frozen pizza. Still, mostly we eat food from scratch and not pre-prepared meals.

D. Lunch however is often a different story. I hate packing lunches and often end up eating out but because I’m cheap and usually not willing to wait that often means fast food. Again, being in Australia may help with this since food is more expensive and we’ll be watching pennies.

E. I always eat breakfast and it’s usually fairly healthy.

F. Portion control. Aha. I think this is where a lot of my problem comes in. I’m the typical American who wants to get the most fries for her buck. I would like to relearn what the proper portion is.

G. Fruits and Veggies. I don’t eat enough. What we do eat is often canned or frozen (veggies). Fruit is usually fresh. I would like to start eating local produce. I need to figure out how to cook it though.

Hello world!

mpalmer — Fri, 16 May 2008 17:50:00 +0000

Here it is then, a symbol of my complete acceptance of the world of blogging– blogging something really personal. Two things led to this journey: I saw this site mentioned in Oprah’s magazine (which I normally don’t read– killing time in a waiting room this morning) and I am dying for a Coke. I want a Coke so badly. I almost stopped for one on the drive home, but I had my one year old with me who is recovering from his surgery to fill cavities. And now I find myself thinking “if not a Coke then how about some sugary-munchy thing? Or maybe I can grab one this afternoon.” And an argument ensues in my brain: “If you eat healthier, you’ll feel better. You won’t be so spacey. You’ll connect more with kids and husband. You’ll lose weight. You’ll feel better about yourself. Don’t forget to be a good role model for the kids.” But a Coke would taste so good.