Getting Back in the Groove

By "groove" I mean the deliciously healthy lifestyle I'd worked so hard to get back into right before I got pregnant with Rowan.  Healthy isn't a diet, a phase or a project to me.  Healthy is a million tiny decisions you make every single day to be the best you that you can be...eventually they become habit and there you go, healthy lifestyle. When I was a teenager I wasn't healthy.  I ate like a teenager, but on on my frame and my metabolism it didn't look good.  When Amy and I were 21 or 22 we lost a lot of weight.  I lost 60 lbs with no magic pill or diet.  Working out and eating right.  At the rate that we lost it though it was hard to maintain.  I had NOTHING else do do besides go to college and workout and eat right.  I was a liiiiiitle crazy about it (seriously...I was skinny but CRAZY about what I ate and working out).  Amy and I loosened the reins a bit, fell into our healthy but not crazy lifestyle and then we both fell in love and got married.  When I got pregnant with Rylie I ate what I wanted and still gained a healthy amount of weight (around 25 lbs).  I lost almost all of it 2 weeks post partum and then over the course of her first year I gained 15 lbs back!  Just being in new Mom survival mode was hard for me.  I didn't make the right food and fitness choices and when she turned a year old I decided I wanted my healthy lifestyle back....4 months later I'd lost 20 lbs....then I got pregnant with Rowan.  This time I'm not waiting a year before I get my groove back.

I've had 6 weeks to cut myself a break and now it's time to get going.  I say all of this because I want you all to hold me accountable.  Ask me if I've worked out this week, poke and prod me for new healthy recipes, just keep reminding me.  Better yet, join me if you want and we'll take this journey together.  I'm trying to start with realistic expectations because I don't have time to workout for hours or the money to eat like a saint.  I'm not aiming for perfect, I'm aiming for healthy  =)  Here's my plan.

1. Drink more water!

I've got one of these Brita pitchers and I looooove it.  The taste of the water is delicious and I'm not wasting a million plastic water bottles.  I'm aiming for 8 cups of water a day (that's 4 fill-ups in my Tervis tumbler).  I ALWAYS have better numbers on the scale when I drink more water and this one habit is as easy as PIE.

2. Workout. Have a plan.

(source)

Long gone are the days that I can workout whenever the mood strikes me.  I need planning so that I can make sure they get done.  I'm starting out easy.  I'm going to commit to 2 weekdays (probably right when Jason gets home from work) and I'll tell Jason at the beginning of the week so he can write it down and one weekend day.  The 4th day will be a floating day and it'll be a long walk pulling Rylie in the wagon and wearing Rowan in the Baby Bjorn (weight resistance, right?).  That's a grand total of 4 days I'm committed to it and possibly more walks...especially if this beautiful weather continues.

3. Better food choices.

I will be the first to admit it.  I eat when I'm happy, when I'm sad, when I'm frustrated, when I'm in a hurry.  It's terrible.  The kids are both screaming during naptime? I deserve a cookie, right?  No...well not everytime at least  =)  For me, eating is the biggest part of being healthy...it's all the little choices.  Working out, you do it and it's done.  Food is a huge decision (because I LOVE food).  My focus is health.  I'm not into Lean Cuisines or 100-calorie packs.  Even if it's a few more calories...I'll choose the Lara Bar (less processed) over the Fiber One bar.  I'll choose the Greek yogurt over the Lite and Fit and I'll choose a Green Monster shake over  one of those Special K protien drinks.  The shorter the ingredient list the better.  I just know that if I focus on nutrient rich foods and not scrutinizing over each calorie...I'll do much better and feel less deprived (crazy!!).

So that's it. Nothing major.  I just want to slip back into making healthier choices because I know I'll feel SO much better.  So who is going to hold me to it?