Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Fitness Goals

I have never been good at "fitness." I don't like running, or really very many exercises, or being uncomfortable, or having to take more than one shower a day because I've just been to the gym. On the other hand I love dairy products, chocolate, avocado-bacon-cheeseburgers, and that delicious caloric bomb, the Chipotle burrito.

Maybe I look okay (I'm not going to lie, though, I am usually "sucking it in") but I have never been able to stand in front of the mirror and feel really proud of my body: how it looks, feels, and works. Because I have never done a super great job taking care of it. (Yep, those are a pair of "His & Hers" burritos about the size of our second-born. Also, looks like its time to wipe down those invisible-to-the-naked-eye-but-awkward-on-camera cup-rings. Clearly we haven't hit that housekeeping goal yet.)

So for October I'm focusing on getting healthy. This is going to start with slimming down--my baby boy is almost 10 months old, we're done breastfeeding, and there are no more excuses for this post-baby ponch to be hanging around. Unfortunately, it doesn't want to just melt away on its own.

But aside from slimming down, I want to learn how to eat better, healthier foods on a daily basis: what to substitute to lower calories and fat, what kinds healthy fats, proteins, etc. I need for my body to be not just functional, but nourished. (I'll probably have to take another month somewhere to focus on nutrition alone, but I'm going to get started now.) I want to be trim, but eat real (not processed, "lite," aspartame filled) foods.

I'm not sure what has finally spurred me on except that this year I just feel tired of failing. Of letting myself fail. Of letting that be okay. The other day I just jumped on the bandwagon, and I'm holding onto that thing for dear life.

So here are the goals, bullet-list style. (I know we all love a good bullet list...)
  • Learn how food fuels the body (so I know I am eating healthier, not just cutting calories)
  • Get to a more mid-range BMI (I'm on the heavier-end of healthy, I'd like more wiggle room, so this means getting down to about 105-ish lbs... Remember I am VERY short, so this is an okay weight.)
  • Tighten up the floppy post-second-baby-belly
  • Go to the gym at least 3x per week
  • Learn to eat well & feel full on less calories
  • Eat real, healthy foods (avoiding overly processed foods for most meals)
If you have insight on any of these things I really want to talk to/email you and pick your brain, so let me know!

5 comments:

Jessica said...

Howdy Jamie! This is one of my favorite topics (which is why I majored in Health) and I've found two sources that I really like that helped me out when I was losing my baby weight. The first is a blog by a lady called Trainer Momma (http://www.trainermomma.com/). She's due any day with her fourth baby so her latest posts have been more pregnancy oriented, but her earlier posts are awesome and she has some great knowledge and tips. Not to mention her own before and after story.

The other help that I really like is a book called - The Culprit and the Cure - by Steven G. Aldana. This book is divided into three parts, 1. Why (why you should care about being healthy), 2. What (the science part), and 3. How. If you are interested in borrowing it, let me know.

You'll do awesome, I just know it!

Tiffany said...

You look wonderful! But I can totally understand what you are feeling. If you have instant netflix, I would recommend watching the documentary Forks over Knives. I learned a lot about health from that movie. Let me know what you think!

Paul and Madeline said...

I can't say that I'm always great at this, but I've found that one of the keys to getting myself to eat better is to keep lots of healthy food around and available to eat. I know that sounds obvious, but it works for me. The flip side of that is also helpful -- if you don't buy junk, it isn't there for you to even think about eating. I LOVE chocolate, but if I don't buy it then I have to make a special trip to go get it, which means that I end up eating it far less often.

That was probably way too simplistic, but there it is.

Madeline

Robyn said...

I have a great book called "Body After Baby". It starts from the basics with eating, exercise etc. and keeps things super simple. The book talks about nutrition and includes menus and recipes (I actually haven't tried any). My favorite part is that the exercise program can be done at home and builds each day...that said I haven't pulled it off the shelf in a long while (and I really should). Anyway you can borrow it if you want.
You're doing great!

Allana said...

I like this site: http://www.whfoods.com/

It will talk about the nutritional benefits of each food (vegetable, meat, etc.) and a lot of times you can help generate recipes and stuff if you were so motivated.