Good January to you!
LG's beginnings fest was a big boost for me! Really enjoyed reading all the sparks!
So 2013. Today's topic is... Lazy Housewife Resolutions!
Does this happen to you? Every Nov/Dec the healthy habits I work on all year fly out the window! As we get older, it's much easier for pounds to be added than subtracted, plus three times less energy to exercise! I call that an unbalanced equation! No fair!
So when January comes, I make my same healthy resolutions like everyone else. This is going to be the year I get healthy and lose weight and yadda yadda yadda... The way to have a healthier life can be summed up in 4 steps which are stated over and over again in the articles of my fave healthy tip magazine, PREVENTION.
Eat more produce
Drink more water
Get more exercise
Get more sleep
Sounds easy enough, right? The trouble I have, and maybe you can relate, is how to go about this with a crazy, hectic schedule and zero motivation (other than a mirror).
Well, my chipper friend, M J Fifield, came up with a genius idea for executing a plan to reach lofty resolutions (though she probably doesn't realize how genius it is or that what she did is even a method!)
Break down huge, vague resolutions for the year into smaller, monthly goals or possibly weekly goals (like Shallee's The Healthy Writers Club)! This way you can put numbers on your goals. They aren't just abstract wishes. I know some of you already do this for writing, reporting monthly achievements. ROW80 is a group that encourages posting your weekly numbers. For me, weekly is too micro and gone in a flash! Monthly is manageable. Monthly is meeker. Monthly is marvellous!
So for the remainder of the month of January, I hope to:
- Eat 3-4 healthy dinners a week & no snacks after kids to bed
TIPS:
Eat a fruit/veg before sweets/snacks
Single serving sizes make snacking on fruits & veggies easier - you can buy carrots that way, I also cut up celery & brocolli and put them in baggies, same for berries & cantalope - works well for kids' lunches too
Smaller snack/carb portions!!
- Drink at least one bottle of water daily
TIP:
Drink water before a meal, you feel full faster and eat less!
- Treadmill/gym/vigorous housework 3-4 days a week
TIP:
go with a friend, schedule an appointment - it's harder to break a date
- Go to bed by 11 pm...
When February comes around, we'll see how I did. How are you going to fulfill your resolutions? Do you have a plan? And don't quit - even if you have a bad day, there's always tomorrow! Good luck!
29 comments:
That sound like an awesome approach! For me, my battle with weight is more about portion control than what I eat. My trick, use smaller plates! :)
This is a great idea! I make these same resolutions every year and the only one I ever seem to actually do is drink more water. I'm hopeless! I hope this new approach works for you!
And I thought the Beginnings Blogfest was awesome too. Really enjoyed reading all the entries.
Have a great weekend, Tara!
It's always the little things. Most people don't realize that even cutting out one can of soda a day makes a difference. But it does take both a healthy diet AND exercise to lose and maintain one's weight.
I probably drink six to eight bottles of water a day. Yes, sometimes I float.
I already drink a ton of water and I drink mostly unsweetened iced tea, unsweetened green iced tea etc. I rarely drink soda anymore. It took awhile to get to this point but it's worth it.
I think you said it best - don't give up if you have a "bad" or off day. Just get back on track the next one. :)
Great goals Tara!
Love the positivity!
Yeah I'm trying to do the healthy eating again after Christmas. Drinking water before a meal is a good one, I try not to eat bread more than a couple of times a week and I have been taking veggie snacks with me to work this week. Lets hope it works!
That sounds like just the approach I need! I haven't been doing so well with my "exercise more" goal, so I'm going to try to set some specific weekly goals, like "thirty minutes on the treadmill, four times a week." Crossing my fingers that will help. :)
Have a great weekend!
You're talking about a different topic here--but I need all the "don't quit" posts I can get today, so thanks! haha
Good luck with your resolutions!!
Best of luck with your goals! Making them for a shorter period of time does make things seem more manageable.
All the best with your goals - breaking them up does make them sound manageable! I might have to follow your example (I have very similar resolutions!)
I'm making lots of physical goals as well - going to sleep on time is one of them! Larger goals can be super overwhelming, great job on breaking them up!
Those are all great and reasonable goals. In bed by 11:00? I'm snoring by 11:00. I don't have kids at him, so I am in bed by 8:30. ;0
Nice plan.
Good luck. I hope you do well the first time and then it will seem easier for the next one!
Heather
It's definitely better to break a big resolution into smaller more manageable goals. Good luck!
It's hard adding more these days. But baby steps is a great way to go at it. When I started I had 'planned indulgence' days where I'd be allow to eat a reasonable amount of some food I didn't think I could live without. Every change I made was permanent. Now I never eat those things anymore. I eat mostly organic and vegetarian. But if I had started that way, I never would have stuck. So work with yourself, not against yourself.
Good tips. I told my grandkids to break their resolutions down into something measurable. Instead of 'exercise more', make it 'run three times a week'. Checklists or charts can be helpful, too. Writing that checkmark can be a great motivator.
Breaking it into monthly goals sounds like a great idea.
Love those - I really, really need to get more sleep for sure!
Sounds very similar to our family plans. We've started by planting fresh herbs in the garden and will move on to veggies next. In the past when we've had veggie gardens we eat more veggies (funny that). We're also planning our meals out for the week, so there's no last minute junk food runs (although that's time consuming and I can see the planning part getting dumped by February). Good luck!
Hi Tara .. sounds a good idea - I've started slowly building things up ... and now January is here and I've thrown my flu bug off ... I'm about to settle into a more sensible routine ... particularly the exercise ... and turn the radio off overnight! Not good - too interesting things talked about ..
Cheers and good luck to you - Hilary
I like these ideas. Drinking enough water is an issue for me too. And vegetables and fruits are essential. Best of luck in getting it all done.
I'm trying a new mantra for the getting healthy. I have no idea if it will work, but I've built a mental image of a mountain of choices. Each choice can be added to the healthy pile or the unhealthy pile. The goal is to make the healthy pile a mountain and the unhealthy pile a mole hill by comparison. There are not take backs. It sort of helps because even after you've just eaten a donut and are at lunch with friends, the piles of choices gives you another opportunity to put a good choice in the healthy pile whereas before, I'd be like "Well, I already blew my calorie count for today, I might as well have the bacon burger special with cheese and onion rings."
Great approach to making resolutions work! I started breaking mind down into one month and three month chunks a while back. Exercise and diet goals I can make work weekly, but my writing ones sometimes get out of hand. My exercise goal this week: 5 days on the exercise bike or running around the YMCA, and 1 day skiing, and one day of total rest.
Smaller goals are key. And much more realistic. Instead of saying I'm losing 20 pounds, I say I'm working out 30 min every day. Still waiting to see if that happens. lol
Sounds like you have a willing plan.
Mine is to be on a zero-carb diet for 3 weeks.
While exercising.
Reason: Do not want to carry around an unnecessary 5 lbs in Berlin. :-)
Great ideas! I'm very good at drinking lots of water. I do need to exercise more, though. I tried to get the boy interested in doing some yoga with me last week, but he had zero interest. Any ideas on how to exercise with a toddler other than dance parties?!
DL - smaller plates is a great idea, i do that too =)
Julie - thanks, may we both meet our goals!
Alex - that's a lot of h2o! And I don't drink much soda, but I probably should cut back on the coffee for water...
Madeline - it takes lots of work to make a good habit!
Mish - thanks, sweetie!
Suzanne - sounds like you're doing a great job!
Dana - hope it helps us both!
Tamara - hope you are feeling more inspired to keep going!
LG - thanks! i'm going to try!
Vikki - talking about it helps! and i can update on celebration fridays!
Bethany - thanks! (but i missed my bedtime tonight!)
Brinda - no wonder you're so perky!
Heather - thanks, yes, the second time for everything is usually better =)
Cherie - thanks!
Mary - i like the sound of indulgence days, and i get full faster these days and try to listen to my stomach!
LD - i love charts, i might try that again too
Jenny - yes, i hope it works!
Jemi - i'm late tonight, just one more thing...
Charmaine - things you make/grow yourself always taste better!
Hilary - glad you aren't sick anymore! good for you!
Sheena - thanks! here's to both of us succeeding!
Rena - sounds complicated! but i like it!
Tyrean - way to make a great schedule! sounds fun too!
PK - me too! good luck to us!
Misha - i've tried the low carb plan, it's super tough! good luck!
Christine - go to the park and let him ride a trike while you walk =) but i know how short attention span they have! good luck!
Fantastic idea.
Happy New Year! :)
Since I am so late to get here, I will ask how it's going. How many nights before 11? For me that would be 0, but it wasn't my goal :) I do already break down my goals into smaller, manageable goals.
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