maintain a lifestyle of exercise and healthy eating choices

Well, this is going well; as mentioned in another Goal I just checked off as “I’ve done this” I’ve become a vegetarian. Woo! I’m feeling fantastic with this on all sorts of levels, but physical well-being-wise and ethically.

I do however need to step up the exercise. I was doing really well for a while but then I went to Los Angeles and since I came back my activity level hasn’t been as high. I’m still moving around more than I was before I decided to be conscious of this goal, and I haven’t gained any weight (haven’t lost any either but I’ve been maintaining since my last weight loss which is something at least) but there’s much to be improved on. I need to start stepping working out back up to five times a week and for longer periods of time.

Also need to be more viligant in my calorie counting. I’m eating healthily, but I need to be certain I’m consuming less. Definitely a work in progress. I think it’s a good work to always have in progress, because that’s certainly an indication of being mindful.

I’ve decided that exercise must happen five times a week. It can be any combination of:

- working out at the gym
- walking
- yoga

I’ve also decided that I must focus my diet onto more fruits and vegetables and I need to fluctuate my calorie intake on and off ever few weeks between 1300 calories and 1800 calories so I lose weight, rebuild my metabolism, lose weight, rebuild my metabolism, etc. I know this stuff works, I teach it at work, I see it in practice. It can work for me too, if I just stop being such a pessimistic fatalist. I have too many goals and aspirations riding on being a healthy person to not do it.

are what I need to achieve this goal. I’ve discovered after taking some time to analyze this goal and my lack-of-achievement with it that one of two things happens:

1) When I’m eating right I often slack on exercise
2) When I’m exercising regularly, I often slack of eating properly.

The no-brainer to this is that I need to do both at the same time, for an extended period of time. I need to just do it, no more excuses or slacking off!

I’ve not been as good about following my plans for yoga so I finally decided to put my foot down on my lack of focus and enrolled myself in a yoga class for ten weeks, the first of which I had today.

It’s amazing how much it’s like “riding a bike” in that for as out of practice as I am I remembered a lot more than I thought I would. I’m really looking forward to it, and it’s going to be helpful in motivating me into practicing regularly. I’m one of those people that finds things like a class will force me into not being lazy, plus there’s the added fact that now that I’m paying for it with hard earned money. There’s nothing like that incentive to make some people kick things into gear and apply themselves.

Now that I’m working at a gym, I get to exercise regularly on exercise machines – a huge step up from just the treadmill or doing yoga. I just did a weight analysis yesterday so now I can set some goals and start working on it! 3 times a week toward this goal.

I did my weekly weigh-in today – I hit my target and lost 3 pounds! Aiming for another 3 by next Sunday as well. Amazing what exercising and simply watching what you eat and being certain you have a balanced diet can do.

Admittedly I ate more the last couple of days than I meant to but even in light of that I’ve not gone over the daily recommended total so that’s a definite plus, and I haven’t been eating nothing but junk.

I’m looking forward to another successful week!

Today is day four of the diet – I haven’t fallen off the boat, so to speak! I did Yoga on Sunday, went walking for 2 1/2 hours on Monday, and went walking for 3 1/2 hours yesterday (and discovered parks in my city I’ve never been to before). Walking on Tuesdays is going to become a regular part of my schedule.

I’m still spot-on with my diet plan, and I’ve been drinking a lot of water (have been aiming for 8 or more glasses each day) so that when I do my weekly weigh-in on Sunday it won’t be due to dehydration.

I can do this!

After falling off the diet bus two days ago I decided to make today my “Official! Start of the Diet” and the previous days I’m considering my practice trial, since I learned a lot from them.

I did a weight-in this morning and I kept on target for my eating for the day. I exercised and I mapped out my eating and exercise plan for this entire week. Things are looking good. :)

Well… I fell off the bus today at dinner, metaphorically speaking, in regards to the diet. I did however learn a valuable lesson from it; I need to not let stress get me down. Negative thinking will lead to failure. I won’t let that happen!

I’m getting right back up and resuming with the diet again tomorrow instead of letting this one mistake keep me off the diet track like has happened so many times before in the past.

Another day on target. I’ve been keeping record of what I eat and the calories and now I’ve started pre-planning what I’m going to have so I don’t make the mistake of going upstairs with no idea what I’m going to cook. That’s a bad trap because I’m prone to make whatever sounds good without thinking about the calories or fatty foods involved in it.