2008--A Healthy You Year!

So this it. Another new year. 2008 is waiting in the wings to take center stage in less than 2 hours. As I look back over 2007, I see lots of things I want to be different. I see lots of weight gained, poor food choices, declining health--physical and mental.

For the coming year, I'm not making resolutions but I do hope to make some lifestyle changes that will help me have a healthier and happier life. I'll be turning 40 this year and I want to be a YOUNG 40, if you know what I mean. So I hope to chronicle my changes and their impact throughout the year. This blog is to document my journey as well as provide accountability.

Here's to a great 2008

Update

Well, not off to the best start but not totally blown either. I had a couple of sodas but not many. I did snack maybe 2 nights and I skipped breakfast 2 or 3 days. So, it's a start. We'll see how it continues.

I did have two multigrain waffles this morning with a little margarine and it totally filled me up. I normally am hungry well before lunch but today, noon rolled around and I was like, "oh, is it lunch time?" So think not only do we need to eat something for breakfast, it needs to be the "right" something.

Baby Steps

Yep, Baby Steps. That’s the way I’ll do it. I know from experience that if I try to make too many changes or too drastic a change, then it won’t stick. So baby steps it is. And here are my first steps:

1. No late night snacking. Meaning nothing to eat after 8pm. Our bodies burn calories in our sleep. If we eat close to bedtime, our bodies will burn these readily available calories instead of the stored fat. When I was doing WW, I would not lose any weight in the weeks that I was snacking at night.

2. No soda. I don’t drink that much anyway but I have been noticing a recent increase in soda consumption.

3. Eat breakfast. This is very important for weight management. Breakfast helps to kickstart our metabolism in the mornings and it also keeps us from getting too hungry and over doing lunch. It also helps avoid those mid afternoon slumps and cravings. I admit I’m not a breakfast person so this is going to be one of the harder ones for me.

That should do it to start. Next steps will involve exercise but for now, we’ll stick with this.

Health Matters

I named this blog Health Matters because..........well, it does! I've been on the up and down weight management roller coaster and I know it's hard. I've been thin. I've been heavy. I've lost lots of weight. I've gained it back plus more. I know that weight management and body shape can only be achieved through a healthy lifestyle with good food choices and exercise.

But knowing these things doesn't make it any easier to accomplish them. I eat horribly and exercise....well.......that's just a four-letter word not said in THIS house!!! I'm speeding up on 40 and judging by the way I feel now, I'll be an invalid well before I retire. I have no energy. My knees and back ache and I look like a butterball turkey!

I don't want to be worn out (or roasted for that matter) when I retire. So I need start making changes now. Follow along with me. Help me be accountable. And maybe we'll both learn some things along the way.