So it's been about a year now that I've started my journey to health. Maybe not quite a year. But a good 6 months under my belt. I can honestly, finally, say that I'm feeling good. I'm not exactly sure how much weight I've lost. I only weigh when I go to the doctors because else it's too discouraging. I go to the doctors quite frequently so it's no big deal to just weigh then. I did have a few set backs. Lost some weight. Gained some weight. Lost some more. I really did start to get down and discouraged but now, I can say I'm feeling the affects of my change in lifestyle. It did take a long while. People would say "Just push through and work out and you'll feel great." I'm here to tell you the honest to goodness truth. NO! I did NOT feel great. In fact, I felt like complete and utter crap. My knees and ankles were almost always hurting. Not too long ago I actually sprained a deep shoulder muscle (can't remember it's proper name) and that set me back. All of that does not feel great. But eventually it WILL feel great. I started with small things like trying to eat 3 meals a day. Since being married I'd average MAYBE eating twice a day. Most days only once. And it was always in the evenings. Not good. I completely jacked up my metabolism doing that. Plus chemo didn't help either. I know my heart and liver have both been damaged thanks to chemo. And my unhealthy eating habits didn't help either. So, I finally took time to start taking vitamins regularly. That coupled with trying to eat a decent breakfast really started making a change for me. Then I started taking even more vitamins/supplements. And now I'm taking Aloe Vera in place of my Omeprazole. Not only does Aloe help with indigestion and heartburn, but it actually HEALS the inside of your body. Which my body is in desperate need of. I can already tell a HUGE difference. My end goal is to cut out all my prescribed medicines all together. I can't totally do that yet because I have one that's helping control my blood sugars and it's a tiny little pill once a day and it really does seem to be helping. So I'm sticking with that for now. For the longest time I really felt that I couldn't feel healthy or loose weight unless I invested in some special diet or program or supplement. Boy was I wrong. I don't need something special to feel good. What I need is good 'ol fashioned exercise, better food choices and lots of vitamins! That's it! Just that! It takes hard work and dedication. But, it's definitely worth it. Even if I'm not loosing all the weight I want to right now, (I mean, come on! Who wouldn't wanna wake up 100lbs lighter? lol), I definitely can feel my changes making a difference. And that's really what matters. Oh sure, I still love my Big Macs and other random horribly crappy food. I just don't eat them NEAR as much as I used to. Or like, instead of getting a whole Big Mac Meal...if I want the Big Mac, I pass on the fries and pop, and opt for water and the burger. Cause lets face it! That burger has enough calories for an entire meal. haha! I also try to only eat one bad thing a week. It doesn't always work out that way...but I find the effort is really helping me make better decisions food wise. I also have to say I'm loving how I've built up more stamina with working out. I still have MUCH room for improvement. But considering when I started out, I'm doing SO well with my progress in the gym. It also helps to have someone motivating you. Kudos to Keri! For always being the one to keep me accountable and at the gym. Most times we don't even do all the same things. But it makes me feel so much better if she's there busting her butt and I'm there doing the same. LOL So here's a short list of the things you need to be successfully healthy. It's not a complete list and some things may not work for you...but these are the things I'm discovering vital to my success!
1) Clean Eating: This doesn't mean everything you eat needs to be organic. Though that does help. But making wiser choices about what you do eat. Watching Sodium (that's a HUGE thing lots of foods sneak in there), carbs, fat and sugars are all things you need to be aware of.
2) A Buddy: It can be a gym buddy or a clean eating buddy. Or just a buddy who listens to you vent and whine about how much your legs hurt. haha For me, that main person is Keri! I have several others who I talk to, but mostly Keri because we actually workout together. haha
3) Vitamins: I was skeptical. But I promise you, it works! The one's I find help me most are, Prenatal, Vitamin D (like 3 doses), Vitamin E, Magnesium, B Complex and iron. On the days I miss one or two of them (or all of them) I really notice a difference in my mood and energy level.
4) Eating Breakfast: Another thing I was skeptical about. it's still hard to convince me that I NEED to eat breakfast when I wake up and even 2 hours later I'm still not hungry. But it doesn't matter. Now, I eat anyways. It may only be a greek yogurt with granola or it could be a full blown breakfast of eggs, toast and bacon. For me it mostly depends on the time I have. But regardless, I try to NEVER skip breakfast any more.
5) Activity: Honestly, any regular activity is SO good for your heart. Whether it's a walk or bike ride down the street. Or a full blown workout in the gym. You also don't need a gym to be active and healthy. (Have you ever tried doing squats holding a bag of flour? Workout! Total workout! haha) There are so many resources via google and youtube. I remember when I started out. I just downloaded a whole bunch of dance videos on youtube and just had fun for an hour. I would get a good sweat going and my heart rate would stay up for a good half hour. That kinda stuff is so good for your heart. Also try and do something every day. I usually do have one day a week that I don't do anything. Mostly because I am still overweight and working out is hard on my joints. My body just needs the recovery time. But I'm also going hardcore in the gym. If I were just walking every day. I wouldn't rest. If you're a mom. Find things to do with your kids to have them join in and be healthy too! It's such a good example for your children when they see you working out and sweating hard. Some of our best family memories are the 4 of us sweating it out over Insanity videos. Each of our intensities were different based on skill level and ability. But we all did it together. So healthy for a family! I highly recommend it!
6) Inspiration: Mine comes in the form of shirts. I always feel more pumped by throwing on a workout tank that says "No Guts No Glory" than I would just throwing on a plain tank top. For others actual quotes work better. Find your own source of inspiration! :-)
So those are a few tips I thought I'd share with you all! If you need any encouragement holler my way! I haven't got it all figured out, but I'm feeling good and looking forward to feeling even better! :-)
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