Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Last week, I got an email from SparkPeople that I should celebrate and reward myself, as I've been on my spark journey for 12 weeks, and I was still going.
At first, I was quite discouraged. I weighed two pounds MORE than I had when I started my spark journey 12 weeks ago!
However, over the next several days, my view shifted. The ideas and motivation I've been reading throughout these 12 weeks, all the great thoughts and inspiration that have been seeping in, began percolating out. I realized that I have made some significant lifestyle changes, and the scale is not the only measure to watch. (Although I certainly hope I'll see some healthy and significant change there soon!)
So, I'm starting this, my first ever blog, to note the positive changes:
- Exercise is a habit in my life now. I have done at least 10 minutes of cardio every day except one day for 112 days! Now, instead of looking at cleaning out the garage or working in my yard as just one more thing on my to-do list, I think, wow, that'll be a great way to get some exercise and get something tangible done that I can feel proud of at the same time.
- Attacking the clutter in my house and in my brain is becoming a habit. I'm on my 4th week of de-cluttering one area in my home at least one time per day. Woohoo! It's scary how much clutter is still there, but I'm making progress. Another strategy is to create no new messes at least 4 times a week, and I'm on my third week there.
- I'm eating better food much of the time. I've eaten at least some sort of fresh produce every day for 112 days! This healthy habit actually started last summer when I purchased a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) share in a local farm. It was fun to learn to cook and eat with the seasons, and my kids and I found that we really missed fresh veggies when the share ended in November. I bought more fresh fruits and vegetables than I used to from the grocery store, and very few of them have had to become compost without being enjoyed! This year's farm share starts this week - yea!
- My muscle tone has improved. It's in small ways. During this journey, I have been battling and finally, beginning to overcome, pain and numbness in my hands that relate to issues with my median nerve. So, I haven't been able to do strength training that involves wrists, forearms, or shoulders. This excludes an awful lot of exercises! However, SparkPeople's User Entered Exercises section has allowed me to enter and track my physical therapy exercises. I noticed a couple of days ago that I actually have definition in my abs! Wow! Of course, most of the time it's obscured by fat, but it's there. Wow!
- My blood pressure has gone down. On December 6, 2009, it was 153/99. On April 15, 2010, it was 115/79!
I've realized that I actually do have healthy lifestyle changes to be proud of and to celebrate.
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