Do Overs

Ever need a "do over"?  I do. I have let the twin evils of sugar and flour creep in and become a "normal" part of my food intake. Over the past year I managed to break both habits and reserved flour and sugar for rare social occasions. The past three months have blown all of my hard work! But, never fear, I will just call a do over and start again.  I am declaring a moratorium on sugar and flour for the month of July. If you want to join me in this, please believe that it's not easy. Flour and sugar are as addictive as crack cocaine. But they are not fuel that your body needs. Imagine packing a parka to go to the beach. Useless. Takes up room that's needed for things you do need. It's very worth the pain of breaking the habit.

I will list some of the things that I will ban: soda, diet soda, packaged sweeteners, dessert, sweet breakfasts, wheat bread, white bread, pancakes, syrup, corn bread, most cereals, juice

I will keep local honey and all fruits on the line up. 

Let me know if you decide to take the challenge with me. 

Blueberries

Mrs. Shackelford's blueberries are ready!! If you have never picked blueberries before, I recommend it! She is a delightful lady to be around. Her farm is about 10 miles (I'm not good with distances) east of Ripley on highway 4. Go early in the morning. Take a bucket or bag. Bring cash. 

Motivation

Motivation.

Perhaps the most important question you will ask yourself when beginning to change your lifestyle is: "Why?".

For me, there were two main motivators.  First, quite honestly,  I did not like being overweight.  I had never been before, and at 33 years old, I did not think it was time to give up just yet.

Secondly,  I had a new little girl and I was already chasing her around.  I realized that I wanted to be active and set a good example. I had always loved exploring and I wanted to be able to show her the world.  I didn't want to be an out-of-shape mama !

If a more healthy life is something you are considering,  take some time to figure out why you want to make the decision.  Once you are motivated, those first steps are full of purpose.

Goals

Goals.

Have you ever set out to do something big, only to fall short of the desired outcome? 

Of course you have ... unless you're one of those people, you know, the ones who seem to always finish projects, accomplish tasks, and knock out to-do lists regularly.

I believe those people have learned a skill that is key to getting things done: setting reasonable goals. 

Goals are best when attainable and, more importantly,  measurable.  If you want to see a change, it's a good idea to create an atmosphere of success. 

Attainable goals are those which are within reach of your current situation.  Don't sign up to run a marathon next month if you are currently not regularly exercising.  Sounds silly to say that, but how many times have we set out to realize a dream only to fail?  Try to divide those larger goals into smaller parts and watch yourself meet each of them in succession toward that impressive feat.

Measuring progress in a timely way is another key to meeting goals.  Figure out what you can do each day to show progress. Add that up to set a weekly goal, a monthly goal, and so on. Each goal met is a victory claimed.

I have a yearly running goal of 2014 miles.  I divided that into about 180 miles per month,  or about 5.5 miles a day.  I set this goal each of the past 4 years, and finally reached it last year.

Write out your set of goals and keep a journal.  Notice your progress, celebrate, and be good to yourself as you work hard to reach success.