I probably shouldn't admit this on Day 1 of my new healthier lifestyle blog, but I fully intend to cheat tonight. My boyfriend's birthday was this week, and the man loves Mexican food. So, I'm taking him to our favorite Mexican place, the restaurant where we had our first date (albeit, a different location), Uncle Julio's. This place makes some of the best tortilla chips I've ever had. And I fully intend to eat them and suck down at frozen daiquiri while I'm at it!
OK, let's back up just a minute, and I'll tell you what the rest of my plan is, too. It's Saturday morning and I woke up with a plan: Purge my room of any and all evidence that Christmas ever existed in there (it was just time!). That included a trash bag full of cookies, candies, and any type of goody that had chocolate, caramel, or other goo lodged inside of it. (OK, I saved myself some of my favorites - M&Ms and Jelly Belly jelly beans, but I'm human and I need a bit of a reward now and then!) It felt so good to be rid of it.
Next, Pinterest has become my best friend when it comes to finding recipes for savory dishes that I would love to try and experiment with. But, it's also become a valuable resource tool for fitness routines, healthy living recipes, and creative ideas to change my lifestyle. It's off to the grocery store this week!
Back to the gym I go - thank goodness I already have a membership, because it was very easy to just walk back in and get back into a routine. I also credit this ease to my workout buddy, Angela, who sometimes has to drag me out the door. I've gotten to the point where I'm OK with having "lazy workout" days because I can look back at it and at least say that I did SOMETHING!
So, what is this blog going to be about? Well, I've been tackling my weight issues since I was a young teenager, and I've tried every fad out there (South Beach diet is definitely not for everyone, especially people addicted to caffeine like I am!) and most of them definitely were not for me. This year, I'm trying some new things. First, the gym - I have to hold myself accountable to going to the gym and getting some kind of workout in at least 4-5 days/week. I can't always rely on Angela to drag my butt there, so I have to do it myself. When I have to work late or the weather is bad, I've started to challenge the girls (I'm still a nanny - only they're 3 1/2 now) to Just Dance dance-offs which they love and think is just a wild game of watching Miss Lindsay flap and jump around for thirty minutes. It really is a great cardio work out and the girls love it too!
Second is healthy eating. I say this every year that I'm going to give up all the crap and eat healthy 24/7 but I've learned to be realistic. The truth is, that I learned this a long time ago from Weight Watchers, that if you give up everything you love, then you're denying yourself a lot and you'll struggle and wonder what you're doing this for. Therefore, I've trashed all the junk food, minus the two things I stashed for awhile (the candy!). I've thought long and hard about giving up the diet soda and for right now, it's just not in the cards. Going light on the carbs, eating more veggies, and watching my portions is hard enough but to do it without my morning caffeine jolt would likely break me. Diet soda stays. I've added in more dairy, fruits and veggies, whole wheat, proteins (never had a problem eating lean chicken and turkey!) and finding a balance. It's a one-day-at-a-time plan, so I can look back on it and say "OK, I messed up today, but tomorrow will be "today" soon, so I can fix it then." I won't let ONE DAY ruin everything.
Now that I've rambled on for all the time, it's time to get back to work, finish cleaning and take my man out to dinner for his birthday. Oh, and just to clarify my intentions to cheat... Uncle Julio's has amazing fajitas - lots of grilled chicken, grilled veggies and delicious homemade salsa. One tortilla, the rest just eaten with a fork (less carbs)... one drink, a handful of chips and if he's nice enough he'll share his dessert with me!
This year, it's about finding balance to find happiness
