Wellness Diary: 05/05/18

Just love this colorful photo of fresh foods from DesignLoveFest's article on staying inspired to cook.

     It's official: I'm one month into my fitness journey. I hope you are closer to reaching your wellness goals than I am because I have not done as swimmingly as I had hoped to.

If I've learned one thing this month, it's that major lifestyle and diet changes are not easy. It's not a simple matter of deciding not to be unhealthy and saying no to your cravings at each meal time; it's avoiding that unhealthy habit dozens of times each day until you finally, begrudgingly, give in and order a cheeseburger. Afterwards, I'm left with a slight shame and a half-hearted promise to eat broccoli the next day.

Old habits die hard...

Since my first Wellness Diary post, I skipped the take out exactly zero times. Yes, I found it difficult to take even that first step and resist for an entire day. I am an absolute slave to my cravings. That being said, there is a silver lining: I ate significantly better than last month, as I made a genuine effort to switch to healthier menu options over a burger and fries - happily, I chowed down on lots of chicken veggie wraps (that may or may not have had bacon). Soon, I found I much prefer them!

'Did I at least stick with my exercise plan?' you ask. Oh dear naive reader, do you know me at all? It turns out I really don't like sweating. And with so many content deadlines this month (honest!), exercise kind of took a back seat. Here again is another bright spot. I walked more this month, opting to take the stairs and the bus. A very small improvement, I am the first to admit, but we all start somewhere. For these tiny steps I'm proud of myself, but still know I'm capable of better.

So why is lifestyle change so difficult?

My fit friend Sam quit chocolate cold turkey. Once, he would gorge himself on it, but astonishingly stopped one day from sheer willpower. 'How?', I demand to know. He shrugs and replies "It isn't that hard; I just decided to".

For some of us, though, deciding isn't enough. We need bold strategy.

Leo of Zen Habits believes the problem is that we tend to get in our own way when making changes due to discomfort, which does ring true to me in a sense. Food & Nutrition Mag feels the problem is a bit deeper, more to do with addiction to takeaway and finite willpower. Whatever my particular hangup is, though, I won't be giving up. This month, I will eat even less takeaway, practice my fitness routine, and maybe even get creative in the kitchen.

Some quick tips for eating better:

1. Plan meals in advance, and grocery shop a week ahead. This way, you'll never be left wondering what's for dinner, which is an opportunity to order in some takeout.

2. Don't grocery shop when hungry. You'll be much less likely to pick out unhealthy snacks.

3. Bring lunch with you to work. Think of the money you'll save!

4. Start simply. No need to cut out absolutely everything you enjoy. You're much more likely to keep up your good habits long-term if you make small changes gradually. Just start with switching from white to whole-wheat bread, for example.

Relevant links:

A List To Stay Inspired To Cook

A Post-Workout Smoothie Recipe

Ab Workout With Megan Roup
Crispy Chicken Recipe (a great alternative to takeaway!)
Finding Courage In Stillness With Yoga

How is your fitness journey coming? Did you fall short of your goals this month?