I've been making some lifestyle changes recently and I'm feeling really good! Naturally I want to brag about, er I mean share them. One of the tools I've been using is
Healthmonth, a site where you set goals, track your progress and play against your friends. You can play for free or pay 5 bucks a month if you want more than 3 rules. It's in beta and can be a bit buggy, but overall I find it pretty user friendly (others may disagree with me on this). The best part is that quantifying my goals and being held accountable is really helping me stick to them. Its also really nice to get encouragement from your friends and encourage others. I'm not sure how the end-of-the-month game play will shake out but I already plan to play next month. If anyone reading is interested in joining our team, leave a comment or shoot me a note! It's not just for fitness-related goals either. You can set goals to meditate, practice your musical instrument, whatever you want!
So, my goals for August are as follows:
Work out for 20 minutes a day 5 times a week
I'd already been on track for this one (even hitting 6 days some weeks) but I wanted to ingrain the habit and keep from slacking off. So far it's going great. I do mostly calisthenics at home, and a lot of work with a resistance band. Whenever possible I ride my bike - sometimes to count for one of the workouts and sometimes in addition to my regular workout. This will be far easier to do once the weather cools off a bit. I may incorporate a cycling-specific quota into next month's goals. We'll see! I plan to change things up periodically by incorporating some yoga, increasing the cycling and maybe even doing some (ugh, embarrassing) Zumba. There are some fitness videos on Netflix Instant so I plan to see what they have to offer. My plan is to keep my workouts consistent but changing ever-so-slightly. For example, I added
burpees to my home workout yesterday with exhausting results.
I haven't lost any weight, which isn't really my goal anyway (hell I'm even cool with gaining weight as long as I'm fit and toned - if I lose a dress size that's a nice bonus) but I swear my clothes are fitting better and I feel slimmer and more energized. My focus is on changing my
body composition - essentially, more muscle, less fat and I think I'm accomplishing that. I've been working out for a couple of months now with quite a bit of strength-training related exercise so I know I've built muscle. Which means that if I weigh the same, I must have lost some fat. Rock on!
Cook dinner at home 5 days a week
This is definitely one I'd be slipping on if I wasn't faced with losing points on the website. Previously, I was cooking 2-3 nights a week and eating out a lot. Prior to moving into our house in February, we were eating out every day! I really enjoying cooking and, while it takes more effort on some days when I'm burned out from work, it's something that simply must be done if I want to spend less and eat healthier. I try to use methods to make some of the days feel low-effort, like firing up the crockpot and doing things like making batches of
empanadas to freeze and cook at a later date. As a bonus, meals out now feel like more of a treat.
Drink no more than 10 drinks a week
Up until about 2 years ago I drank however much I wanted, whenever I wanted. I didn't have a "problem" with alcohol more than any other person in their early 20's, but I knew it was too much. I felt groggy, dehydrated, bloated, and depressed from spending perfectly good days hungover on the couch. In the past year I've cut down substantially, first limiting total number of drinks per day (to 1 or 2 on the weekdays with no rules on the weekends) then cutting out weekday drinking altogether. That latter step really helped break the association I had with getting home from work and cracking open a beer. As a result I feel totally comfortable about my relationship with alcohol - great for my health and my self-esteem.
This 10 a week thing is the first time I've set an actual weekly limit but it's more out of watching calories than watching alcohol intake. I know it isn't the lowest number on earth but hey I'm young and social, and a night out with friends can easily rack up 6 drinks so it's a start. On the plus side I'm now tracking my consumption on the weekends, something I never did before. On the slightly negative side, I've begun to have a couple of drinks during the week to use up my "quota". I'll be tweaking this rule next month - if not formally then at least in my head because I really do like weekday drinking to be off limits aside from occasional social events. I'm also trying to drink less beer and choose wine as a healthier choice but goddamnit I love beer. I really really love beer you guys. A lot of what makes cutting down challenging is that I genuinely believe any meal is improved with a nice glass of wine or beer., not because I'm out to booze it up but because it's delicious! Unfortunately my metabolism and my waistline beg to differ. I don't know if I plan to continue to cut down, but it's likely over time.
So there you have it! My rules are not super challenging (I almost feel silly writing this out when I see how much ass my friends are kicking) but I'm really trying to think of this as a method to instill permanent habits that will add up to an overall lifestyle change, and the best way to do that
for me is to start small. I've also been working on some dietary changes in a non-structured way, like eating less bread and pasta and incorporating more fresh veggies and fruit. I refuse to "diet" (my doctor specifically told me not to since I'm at a healthy weight and BMI) and I eat pretty healthy already (no sweets or mindless snacking to speak of) but loading up on protein and produce while cutting out refined flour and sugar is a healthy change that anyone should consider. One non-health related thing I've been doing for awhile now is tracking my budget with Mint.com. To be honest I always go over my budget (hm...maybe I should look into that) but just the fact that I'm tracking it is making me spend less than before. That plus the health stuff adds up to a happier, less stressed Jen. I feel more in control of my life than I have in a long time. My mood is better, my relationships are better and my chronic stomach issues have even drastically improved recently. I really hope I can stick with all of this. Feel free to comment with what works for you!
