Say Yes: To Making Healthy Choices
I've never met a bowl of ice cream I didn't like. I'm pretty sure I could eat ice cream for every, single meal. But ... that's also not the healthiest choice, right?
I had surgery in May to remove pesky growths (thankfully they were benign). I had a second surgery in June because of complications related to my first surgery. This has been a tough year for me physically, so I've made it a priority to say yes to making healthy choices.
The most important healthy choice I've made is to exercise daily. Yep, every day. We (Mike and I) alternate between running and walking each day. We started doing the Couch to 5k Program, which has been helping us run more and do so without killing ourselves or getting burned out.
We're wearing FitBits to make sure we get at least 10,000 steps each day. All this exercise has made me feel more relaxed ... it sort of wears me out and helps my mind to relax. It's also helped both of us lose a little more weight, which isn't a bad thing.
Making healthy choices becomes addicting. When we first started, we committed to walking, hiking or running a mile a day. At the time, that was all we could manage. We've quickly worked up to about 3.5 miles a day, but when we're short on time we are just happy to get out there and so whatever we can – something is ALWAYS better than nothing. Don't let a lack of time keep you from exercising. Start small, it will make a huge difference.
Once we started exercising daily, I wanted to make better choice when it came to the food I eat. I've rededicated myself to a gluten free diet, which helps with my arthritis. I've also been limiting my daily caffeine intake and upping my water consumption. I've gotten to the point that I crave water and don't need or what much caffeine.
In the next few months, we're planning on working up to running a 10K, with the ultimate goal of completing the Tucson Half Marathon in December. We're also going to continue tweak our diets to add more fish and healthy proteins to our weekly menu plans.
What healthy choices are you making? Any suggestions on how to make those choices stick (that's kind of where I'm at .... working hard to make my changes stick)?
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One of my goals is to say “no” more often and be extra thoughtful about when I say yes. “Say Yes” is a new series featuring the things or experiences I’m saying yes to and why. Each Friday, I’ll post about what I’ve been saying “Yes” to and what I’ve learned in the process.