Thursday, May 8, 2014

The Healthy Living List

So I know last year I did several posts on my healthy living goals. I was giving up one bad habit or sticking with one healthy habit for a month at a time because frankly I can handle trying almost anything for a month. In January, I gave up fast food, so I didn't have fast food that month. And one month was focused on exercising more.
This post here  is kind of a recap of all that.

I was pretty successful with my goals for the most part. Getting 7-8 hours of sleep a night was the tricky one to follow through on for me.
But the ultimate main goal is to try and live a healthier lifestyle.
I'm not perfect at it by any means, but I think working on small goals and taking it one step at a time is really helping me make the changes I need to be making.

So for my list today, I am going to share the goal that I have been working on and then another list of what is coming up :)

Current Goal  - Exercise Regularly
And by regularly, I mean at least six days a week. Really personally there is no excuse for me not to do it. What I have learned is that I need to make it a priority and write it into my daily schedule! I don't get on the computer to check emails and blogs in the morning anymore. I leave that for later in the day and sometimes not until bedtime. Exercise comes first. Even if it means just doing a series of push ups and sit ups because I can only squeeze in a short amount of time. I have one day during the week that is just packed full.
Plus, I have added strength training to my regimen because everything I have read says women over forty must include it in their work outs to speed up our metabolism. And it works!

Here is a list of what a typical week might look like. I am not putting days even though I usually try to keep a set exercise schedule. But sometimes I feel like changing it up:
1. Yoga - It's calming and helps me feel ready for the week. Also if I can get a combo cardio/strength training workout in before church, even better!
2. Cardio (30-45 minutes) - usually a Turbo Jam or Turbo Fire workout
3. On my crazy, busy day - whatever I can get whether it's a few toning exercises, a short walk, etc...
4. Cardio (45-1hr)  depending on the weather, either a run/walk outside or a Turbo workout or Pilates inside
5. Toning or sculpting workout video - I devote at least one day to just that.
6. Cardio - (20-25min) Usually a Turbo fire HIIT workout (high intensity training) burns a lot of calories
7. Cardio - (45-1hr) run or long walk outside if weather permits; if not a video inside

Like I said - I like to mix it up. If I don't feel like doing cardio, I might switch to a yoga or pilates workout. As long as I am doing something, I am happy!
One thing I have learned though is that right now I cannot do more than two runs a week. My body just does not respond well. But I do like my Nike Run app because it inspires me to get better and set goals for myself. So when I do run, I look forward to it. My last run was the Wednesday before last and man it was tough on my back. So I chose to do an hour plus walk on Saturday and this past Wednesday instead of run. I think I will probably be ready to do a run now on this upcoming Saturday since I rested for a bit. I listen to what my body tells me because I seriously don't want to hurt anything at this point. I am on a roll here exercise wise and don't want to lose my momentum!
Plus, it's funny that I can burn just as many calories in one hour of power walking as I do in 45 minutes of running. So it's all good!

Now that exercise has become a major priority, I have a few more goals I plan on throwing back into the mix. One at a time of course.
1. Sugar detox - need to eliminate as much sugar from my diet as I can. So one month of no sugar is in the future
2. Sleep - going to really force myself to shoot for that 7-8 hours of sleep a night. I am really seeing how critical it is for my health.
3. Cleaner Eating - I know I will not ever switch to 100% clean eating, but the cleaner the better I say. We have made a lot of progress here as a family, but there is always room for improvement.
4. Drink More Water - I am so bad about this. I mean water is what I drink more than anything, but I am still not drinking enough. And I am letting myself have one Dr. Pepper a week. I usually get a 12 oz bottle and drink it over two days (lol) But I find myself slipping sometimes and drinking two in a week.
5. Unplug - Summer is coming and I know this will be easier to do. Those iphones sure make it a little too easy to check in way too often though. But this is another area I have made progress in as well. I used to play a ton of computer games and have eliminated most. Only two or three on my phone now. And one on my daughter's ipad that my son likes me to play with him.

So there you have it! My road to a healthier lifestyle. :)
Any tips or suggestions you would like to share would be welcome!

This post is part of a list-making project called Lists With Friends 2014 which is an effort to document the year in lists of all types.

17 comments:

  1. That is awesome, Mary Jo, and I'm sure your body and mind are feeling all the better for it! Best wishes with your upcoming goals! :)

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  2. sounds awesome
    i always feel sooo much better when I exercise. for the past year it is 7 days a week for a 45-2 hours a day! at 47 this is the best i have felt for the last 10 years!

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  3. These are great goals and you should be so proud of yourself, Mary Jo! I just came across this clean eating challenge yesterday (through a friend) and everything looks so good. I'm going to give it a try. http://www.buzzfeed.com/christinebyrne/clean-eating-challenge

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  4. I love your resolve! That is quite a routine you have set up but it is worth every minute if you feel better for it! Anne xx

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  5. These are really awesome goals! I love the different types of work outs that you schedule into your week. I loved to run sprints when we had a treadmill in our apartment complex, but I have a really hard time running outside. So now I walk instead, but I still prefer sprinting.

    It is great that you are thinking of cutting out sugar. My dad did that right before my wedding and he ended up losing weight (not his goal, but not unwelcome!) and he said he felt so much better. I am thinking of doing it too, but I have no idea what to cut out! I need to research it more, but that is definitely a summer project.

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  6. You are so inspiring!! I have tried really hard to make exercise a priority this year, and I keep hurting different things and having set-backs. And then I get depressed, and it's hard to get going again. My shoulder, then my knee, my other knee, my back, my ankle, in between being sick, recurring allergies and having a minor female procedure that had me sidelined for another week. It's been terribly frustrating, but I'm keeping with it. I have a mental image of being the turtle from the Tortoise and the Hare story ... maybe I'll do a layout about that at the end of the year! :) Thank you for posting these updates, because you keep me inspired, and feeling positive, and I'm sure I'm not the only one! :)

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  7. Great focus on making you a healthier person. Have to say FF was an easy elimination, sugar a bit harder (at least for me). I did do a 3 day sugar detox which made me drop 4 lbs but really it was more a lack of food and happy to have my caffeine back once I was done. Keep up the good work..it's all about long term healthiness.

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  8. I so need to do this too!
    I am an obese lady and in the summer I lose a bit of weight just by going to aquafit every morning and walking more.
    When we are at the lake, II walk for a coffee at the coffee shop. I walk out with a backpack for a few groceries, I walk to the farmers market and to the library. All these places are just under a mile away. Perfectly manageable withmy walking sticks. There are three places I can sit and take a one minute rest as there are some lovely benches along the way.
    I hope to combine this with healthier eating as well. I know you have done really well with this in the past! I think you excell in the dedication to your exercise too!

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  9. You should be so proud of what you have accomplished so far.
    I applaud you.
    I have been doing my walk every day…but this week I have let it slip.
    I have cut down my Coca cola to only on the weekends…but have had a can at supper tonight.
    I am good on the sleeping ;)
    I need to get back on the no take out.
    In January we were so good as my daughter kept us on track, but we have been slowly slipping again. Time to get back on track here :)

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  10. Wow, your workouts look really good to me! I just do 30 minutes of cardio (power walking) per day, plus stretching of course. And I try to do housework really energetically/fast when possible. Since the housework needs to be done anyway, I figure I might as well make it do double duty and give me some exercise benefits as well. :)

    Good luck with the rest of your goals! They look like good ones.

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  11. WTG, MJ! I'm so happy for you!! I'm trying to exercise more too but Im not a good schedule yet like you! I have time but not making it a #1 priority right now with being so close to the unpacking I want to get it done so thats my focus but Im doing a little more each week in the exercising making baby steps!
    Thanks for the inspiration!!

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  12. I should just print your list and put it up for myself. They are all things I'd like to change about my/our habits! Baby steps though. Right now it's more water and regular exercise. I used to be the "good one" about that, but winter did me in, and I've never gotten back "out there". So dh and I are started to walk in the evenings...until I build up my strength and get back into spinning, my real love! ;)

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  13. I agree with you completely about unplugging. I know I am still attached to my phone, but do find myself putting it down more and more often to pay attention to what's going on around me.

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  14. It sounds like you are doing amazing....way to go!!!! In the midst of all of my recent working out, I have come to the realization that running is just not for me. It hurts my back A LOT and that is just not good for anybody. Maybe when I get much closer to my goal weight I will try again, but for now, I am sticking with other forms of cardio. You are so disciplined with the Dr. Pepper. I have to be all or nothing...once I have one I am addicted all over again...lol. So I just do without...my last Diet Coke was March 1...pretty much all I drink is water, but it is still difficult to get it all in. I am trying to drink half of my weight in ounces...trust me - it is a lot! Stick with it lady, you are doing great!!!!!!

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  15. Something I still need to work on and getting better but really no excuse. I need to out other non-essential things at bottom of list and out my health first. Great post! Good for you!! And love that photo!

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