Gotta Get Healthy!



The awesome bridesmaid dress,
imagine it in thistle.

So, I need to get healthy.  I have some unhealthy habits, a few extra baby pounds, and a cute strapless J.Crew bridesmaid dress to wear in May.  What I don't have is self-discipline, a desire to eat vegetables, and an attraction to exercise.  So I've decided to get healthier by gradually adding small, easy, healthy practices to my life.  I want to share a few of those small steps with you.  I had to find things to add to my life that actually seem doable and not overwhelming.  I have a full-time job that often takes more than 40 hours week, a one-year old who is more than a full-time job, and I also like to maintain some semblance of a social life.  An intensive exercise regime or a major diet just don't fit into my hectic lifestyle.  But here are a few things that do fit into my lifestyle:

1. I bought a pedometer (and eventually figured out how to program it!).  For just $5 (from Wal-Mart), this handy little gadget, in an attractive periwinkle hue, records how many steps I take.  Following my friend Mo's advice, I'm wearing it today to get a sense of how many steps I take in an average day.  Then, I'll try to increase my daily steps by 1,000 to start.  This will probably mean I take a walk around my building (the quad is gorgeous in the spring) or use the bathroom on the second floor of my building!  Pretty easy changes to get some more exercise in.
2. I'm drinking more H20.  I have refillable 20 oz. water bottle.  I'm trying to drink one full bottle every morning before I have my first cup of coffee, and at least 2 more bottles throughout the day.  We have a water cooler in my office, so I have all-day access to cold, tasty water!
3. I signed up for a daily healthy challenge at http://www.meyouhealth.com/.  I stumbled upon this website through an advertisement on my facebook profile.  Essentially, you register with your e-mail address, and every morning at 7:00, they send you a health challenge for the day.  The challenges focus on physical, emotional, and mental health.  Once you complete the task, you check "done", and have an opportunity to share a reflection about completing the challenge.  You can also invite your facebook friends to be in your circle, and offer each other encouragement.  There's also some sort of points/reward system that I haven't quite figured out yet.  The daily challenges aren't particularly difficult or exciting, but they're a great reminder at the start of the day to think about your health. The website has some iPhone apps as well (for you apple nerds). 

So those are my easy healthy steps this week.  I plan to keep up as best I can, and hopefully add more healthy lifestyle changes regularly.  With Lent beginning next week, I imagine I'll be adding/or giving up in a way that contributes to my health.  I'll keep you posted, and hope you might leave a comment sharing simple, healthy living tips that have worked for you!  For now, I'm signing off - at 758 steps!



If Michelle Obama thinks I should get healthy, I'm inclined
to get on board.