If you couldn't tell from the title, Marshall and I have been watching The Office constantly for the past couple of days. I highly encourage anyone who has a sense of humor to watch the show...it's pretty much amazing.
Marshall and I are continuing our newly formed healthy habits. We are both finding a high level of satisfaction in our health focused behaviors and are beginning to see some results. While my weight seems to be increasing (mainly due to the building of muscle mass), Marshall is witnessing a decrease in his weight! WHOHOO! I am so proud of him!
Grace (Marshall's sister) had shown some interest in the specifics of our health plan. And honestly, most of our current behaviors are simple...and rather common sense ideas and practices. The most important thing I have learned in regards to health and wellness, is that a person can have an extensive amount of knowledge, but if the individual does not possess intrinsic motivation (or a belief the change is beneficial)...well then, nothing will happen...and the knowledge is never applied.
I believe Marshall and I have a few different sources of motivation, but the biggest influence is probably just having each other. We've already had those days where one of us just wants to lay around all day or eat the gallon of ice cream. But thankfully, we have both been good about encouraging each other and helping each other see the benefits of working out and eating in moderation on those trying days. Just having some around to ask, "Do you really need that extra serving of Mac n' Cheese?" brings a sense of accountability to the day-to-day challenges.
Another source of motivation is our family history. Marshall has a strong family history of heart disease and other health issues which are making him want to lose weight and lower his blood pressure. My family history also includes some warning signs such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and struggles with maintaining healthy body compositions. We both want to live happy and healthy for our friends, our family, each other...and hopefully someday, for our children.
So specifics. Well, I haven't baked since we have moved. I know, sad day, right? If any of you know me well...you know I LOOOOVE to bake. I worked in a bakery all through college...which only reinforced my desire to bake. Anyways, the trouble with me baking is...as you can guess...Marshall and I eat the goods. Both Marshall and I have trouble with moderating sweets. So the best way for us to lower our sugar (and caloric intake) is to just not have it around, and it really has benefited us! We have a bag of marshmallows in the freezer pretty much all the time which helps to curve our sugar cravings quite a bit. AND, one mallow only has about 25 calories and 3.75 grams of sugar...as opposed to a cookie with probably has at least 4 times as much!
What else. We force ourselves to look at the top row of cereals of the grocery store. (As I am sure most of you know, the healthy cereals are placed at the top...conveniently leaving all the kiddy..high sugar and low fiber containing cereals in the middle and at the bottom shelving units. So much for trying to lower the childhood obesity, right?) So we eat breakfast, EVERYDAY, while getting at least, if not more, 4 grams of fiber in the morning. This gives us energy for the day..(and the soon-to-come workout) and helps to keep hunger away until lunch.
Hum. We don't buy beef. We've gotten pretty hooked on ground turkey and frozen chicken. We don't buy or use mayonnaise, real butter, regular dressings, etc. Mustard (spicy) is great for cold or grilled sandwiches. We buy frozen vegetables for stir-fry to go with our rice (we got a rice-maker for Christmas last year from my parents...also, AMAZING). We have been pretty good lately about buying fresh fruit and veggies. Grapes tend to satisfy my sugar cravings as well. We only buy skim milk and low-fat yogurts...and always have (low-fat) cheese to provide some extra flavor on our food. We have been dinning out a lot less...and when we do, we try to pick health options...and if possible, we split something. Splitting cuts down on calories one individual consumes and has also helped save us some money! I am sure there are more food decisions we have made...but I think those are the main ones...
As far as exercise. Just get out and move! Marshall and I walk to the post-office to get our mail, we walk to the grocery store, and walk just to walk. Walking is so good for the body. We do spend at least an hour a day at the gym. I enjoy cardio more than lifting weights...so I run on the treadmill, or use the elliptical for at least the first 30 minutues. Then, depending on how I feel, I will lift some weights, use the row machine, or whatever else I can set my mind and body on doing. Marshall really enjoys lifting, so mainly his routine is focused on that...but he makes sure to get some cardio in there as well. (BTW, YAY baby, for running 20 minutes straight!) The main thing about exercise is to find activities that are enjoyable...not painful. Who wants to do an activity that is painful...or boring?! And Marshall and I are trying to listen to our bodies. If a certain part of our body is sore, then we will work that part less and focus on a different part. We take at least one day off from the gym a week as well, just to give our bodies some time to rest and recuperate.
Whew, this is a long blog (and maybe boring for some), but I just wanted to share some of the changes we have made...and are continuing to make. Being healthy...and well..isn't like a test...where you study all you can and then just go in and take the test...and then it's over. Wellness is lifelong. You have to be in it for the long haul. But isn't living a healthy and enjoyable life better than living in constant distress and agony that could have been prevented?
Be well!
SLK
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