Strive for Progress

     The last two days have been interesting.  My water intake is definitely improved by quite a bit.  I have consistently consumed at least 80oz of water every day since Tuesday.  That's definitely a step in the right direction!  I also found it easier to get back into the workout groove after my rest day on Wednesday.  There were still a few thoughts about skipping Thursday's workout.  It was good to see that there weren't as many, and it wasn't as difficult to get back to it.
     The area that was a bit more challenging yesterday and today was my nutrition.  I am not able to go to the grocery store until tomorrow, so we've been playing the game of trying to piece together meals with not a lot of ingredients to choose from.  It's always interesting to see what your creativity comes up with, but I have found that times like these are when bad habits are more likely to creep in.  The good news is that even when I did grab something quick, I made healthier choices about what I got. 
     An example of this was we had Jimmy John's delivered for lunch yesterday.  Typically I would get one of the sub sandwiches.  Yesterday, I decided that I would get the sub that I normally would want in their lettuce wrap ("unwich") form, have them go light on the condiments, and use the Ezekiel bread we had here at home.  I also refrained from getting any extras like chips or a coke.  It was proof that I could still grab a bite to eat, and not go completely off the rails from a nutrition perspective.

 

     The other difficulty I had with less options in house was not meeting my calorie goal for the day.  The calorie amount would have been decent if I was looking to lose weight.  Since my goal is to build muscle, it wasn't ideal.  No worries though, I'll be getting back on track tomorrow.
     I feel like the biggest win for me out of all this is the fact that I didn't beat myself up over it.  Things happen.  My accountability buddy pointed out that sometimes we have to do the best with the options we have at that time.  I did, and I feel awesome about that.  Those are the little steps that make this possible.  It is about a lifestyle, not a quick fix diet.  We are going to run into situations where we need to made a decision in a pinch, and that's okay. 

 

     What I've been reminded of in the last few days is to set myself up to have nutritious options at home.  Additionally, I was able to make the healthiest decision possible when the options at home had run out.  Life is full of curveballs, and it's about what you do with them.  As they say in my DDP Yoga DVD series, "only you control the way you react, how you adapt, how you breathe, and how you take action."

All the best,
OkieGal 

A Revelation About Stress

     What a day!  I was just not feeling it at all today.  Chickpea woke up several times last night, which is not normal for him.  I think he's having a growth spurt or something because he also wanted to eat a lot today.  He was tired, I was tired, and it was just a more challenging day than normal.  I woke up with a headache, but it seemed to subside after I got breakfast.  We went to church, and after we got home it was just one mess after another.  I will spare any details and just say that we ended up with impromptu bath time this afternoon and a load of laundry to be done. 
     Overall I was feeling a bit grumpy and tired.  Just felt stressed.  In the midst of all this I did become aware of several things about myself.  First of all, I am proud to say that while the DDP Yoga schedule allowed for an optional rest day, I opted to do a workout.  I knew I'd feel better after doing it.  I just finished, and can say that I'm glad I did it!  I feel more relaxed and will have a much easier time getting to sleep, assuming Chickpea lets me stay that way! 
     The other thing I learned is that when I get stressed, I start thinking about all those comfort foods that tempt me.  This gets even worse when I am feeling very hungry.  It starts a spiral to where it impacts my decision making, state of mind, etc.  I have a tendency to be hypoglycemic, meaning that when they made the candy bar commercials about "you're not yourself when you're hungry," they were describing me!  Add these symptoms to stress, and you have a perfect storm leading me to less than optimal food choices.  Luckily by this point hubby had come home from work, and was able to make me a quick protein shake to help get me out of the "hangry" situation. 

 

     The revelation about how stress impacts my food choices is a great one.  Now that I'm aware of it, I can give myself healthy alternatives to those comfort foods.  For example, I usually find some sort of potato sounds awesome when I'm in this state of mind.  That's not necessarily a bad thing.  I love sweet potatoes too, and that could be a great alternative.  It would give the comfort food vibe, without killing my nutrition goals.  Another option is to choose to allow myself a treat.  In today's situation, I didn't want to burn my treat for the week on the first day.  That's the beauty of it, I gain so much by becoming aware of my thought processes.  I can begin to think through what is really going on, recognize it for what it is, and then make a choice based on what I know my goals are and the information in front of me. 
     In the past, I would have more easily said "screw it," and ended up diverting off my path.  Then that diversion would give way to more, and then I'm nowhere near the path I really want to be on.  Now I see the situation for what it is, own that situation, and then make a decision.  Today I chose to stay on the path.  That's a huge win for me!

All the best,
OkieGal