Going Green

I had a great call last week with my health coach, Caren Meyer.  This girl knows her stuff!

I have to say, the information I get from her is great.  Having done just about every health/diet/exercise fad known to man, I thought I pretty much knew it all -- I just lacked the discpline to act upon my knowledge.  But, as it turns out, I'm not so smart after all.

That's what I love about working with Caren.  She is able to teach me new things and challenge me in ways that I could not/would not challenge myself.  And she does it in such a caring, yet "no excuses" way.

We had a long talk about the power of eating leafy greens.  I never really put much emphasis on this part of my diet, even though I have heard it a bazillion times.  But after talking to Caren, I realized how although it really isn't rocket science, it is a critical part of being healthy.

I have never been much of a veggie lover, although like anything else, with an open mind and a little bit of trial and error, you can become whatever you want to be.  Veggie "lover" might still be a bit strong, but veggie "liker" probably fits the bill.  So yesterday, for the first time in my life, I found myself buying kale and bok choy.  Unbelievable, yet true!

I spent my Sunday afternoon in the kitchen cutting up fresh veggies so that my morning routine is easy with regard to packing a healthy lunch.  I start my new job tomorrow, ("Ice Storm of the Decade" permitting), so I really don't know how my day will shape up.  But I will be prepared for a healthy day.

On another note:
I made my goal of working out EVERY week day in the month of January.  I have totally shocked myself with this one.  So today I start my next challenge:  Writing everything down EVERY week day during the month of February, building upon my exercise goals, not replacing them.  I just got back from the gym, and I feel great.  I feel like if I can put together both the exercise and the healthy food element, I will finally achieve a level of health and fitness that to be honest, I never really thought I would achieve. 

Food diary challenge?  Sure, bring it on!

It's the Little Things That Can Make the Biggest Difference

A good friend of mine suggested to me that I keep a small pocket calendar nearby, and on every single day, write down what I did with regard to exercise.  He made a big point of telling me that if I did nothing that day, I needed to write that down as well.

I am AMAZED at how well this little, easy, fast exercise is helping me!

For three solid weeks now, I have kept this calendar.  My goal was to exercise every single week day, with weekends being optional.  The first two weeks were pretty easy, as I had the "This is my year" adrenaline buzz that often accompanies the changing of the calendar.  But this week was a little more difficult for many reasons.

I am in the midst of changing jobs, my routine is off a bit because of snow days, I had a couple of nights when I didn't sleep particularly well, and on and on and on.  Previously, I would have felt completely justified in giving myself a pass for any one of these reasons.  But, not now.  I just couldn't take the thought of messing up my "perfect little calendar."  How silly, but how incredibly effective.

So here it is, the end of week three, and I have worked out (cardio and weights) 15 out of the last 15 weekdays!  I can say with near 100% certainty that this has never happened before.  (I must admit, I get additional inspiration from my 18-year-old son who works out with me every morning and finds excuses "lame.")

They say it takes 21 days for something to become a habit, and I have to say I agree.  So I have decided to take my health and weight loss goals in 21-day chunks.  I think I have a good handle on the workouts now, so next week I am going to tackle my next big goal - consistently writing down every bite I take.  This is no easy feat for me, so it will certainly be a challenge.  But I'm up for it, and I think combining that with my consistent workouts will definitely help me get to being my Best Bets.

Have a great day and please drop me a comment if you are reading this blog.

Betsy

Please allow me to introduce myself . . .

Wow, I am so excited to finally start my health blog!

My goal in this blog is to help others and build a community of like-minded men and women who know that to truly get the most out of their lives, they must treat their bodies well.  I want to share my triumphs, but also share my challenges and speed bumps.  My belief is that the more you share with others, the more you can learn about yourself, and ultimately find the success you are looking for.

I plan to keep my posts short, sweet and to the point, blogging with frequency rather than length.  I hope my brief but honest and thoughtful insights will be of great value to others as I progress toward a healthier lifestyle.

It is important to me to share that I have just begun working with an amazing health coach, Caren Meyer.  With her knowledge, support and inspiration, I feel that I am finally going to meet the fitness and nutrition goals that have eluded me for the better part of my - lets just say - less than fifty years.  I can't tell you how excited I am to have her on my side to help me become the "Best Bets" I can be.  (Many people in my life refer to me as "Bets" so why not let my new community of blog readers do the same?)

So for now I will close, but I hope that you will feel free to comment on my posts and let me get to know you as well.

Until next time,
~Bets