Log: Day 18
Here’s my night: try to go to bed early, restless until 10:35, wake at 12:21, sleep, then wake at 2:30 AM (potty), go back to bed and NOT fall asleep, look at the clock 3:17, look at the clock 3:41, fall back asleep … wake up some time later and think, “wow it’s really light out” … glance at clock … 6:51 AM. Now this may seem well and good except that my alarm should have gone off at 4:30 so that I can get ready to head to the pool by 5:30. Agh! So I missed my pool time today. Fitbit says 4 hrs 23 minutes of sleep, 18 times restless 49 minutes awake. Sheesh. On with my thoughts for today …
Standing in the grocery line yesterday, and glancing at magazine covers, it seemed like weight loss was on everyone’s minds. “Get those 5 lbs off before summer,” “Get YOUR bikini body ready,” “How I lost 50 lbs fast,” … you know the kind. And while a healthy weight is definitely my goal, when it comes to eating right and exercising, it’s not my sole focus. I don’t think the number on the scale is necessarily a reliable indicator of how healthy I am. Sadly, I was just reading that people who diet or exercise just to lose weight quit a lot sooner than people who make healthy changes for other reasons.
Another article said people losing weight for the sake of weight only, don’t lose weight in the long term. Another said that people fixated on pounds lost, often regained those pounds and more. One study said the most successful motivation for sticking to a healthy lifestyle was “feeling better about themselves” (for women). That seams reasonable.
So yes, that’s a great reason to exercise and eat right, but I’ve created my own list of the reasons that matter to me – the list of good things I’m hoping to bring back to my life:
- Happiness (pretty obvious, right?)
- Reduce Stress (yep, I worry all of the time – I come by that genetically)
- Help with Heart Health (I worry about that, too)
- Resist Temptation (kind of like “runner’s high” – no need for those snacks)
- Lower Risk of Disease (you know, the big scary ones)
- Add years to my life (yes, research says so)
- Better Bone Density (I read it, so it must be true)
- Save money (fat clothes are expensive)
- Self-esteem (pass a mirror and not avoid it, that would be a nice change)
- Sleep!! (it’s got to get better)
- Feel Smart Again (I read that cardio health helps brain cells)
- Managing Chronic Pain (boy do I hope this one works)
- Cure IBS (more on this below)
- Increase my Energy (hopefully happens)
- Be able to Chill Out (the tryptophan effect)
And now a little more on #13. Funny that’s where it ended up on the list. IBS. No doubt you’ve seen the ads – clever ways to talk about an embarrassing and painful subject. IBS is the Godzilla of stomachaches peaked by overwhelming pain, bloating, tenacious constipation, and other (embarrassing) body functions. My Mom and her sister used to talk every morning about their “daily constitutional” experiences. My own sister, who was responsible for the day-to-day monitoring of my Mom’s health, declared a moratorium on any discussion of the “p-word” (poop). Mom and Mary discussed amount, size, appearance, color, and any number of descriptors, and often invited us to participate in the analysis. (rolling my eyes)
To reassure you all … I’m not there. I promise not to discuss any aspect of my own intestinal experiences except to say that I am very much hoping a healthy life plan will also mean a healthy gut. My family can attest that this has been a life-long problem for me, not having anything to do with getting fat, but interfering with so many life events. Admittedly, I’ve spent too much time online today! I read a research study that found a direct link between the bacteria in a person’s gut and the chance of having IBS. As you know, this is also all over television (Jamie Lee Curtis and her yogurt, the shadowing probiotic lady in a body-sock). This study said taking a probiotic supplement helped the majority of sufferers in varying degrees. But they suggested that just looking to yogurt or gummies was not enough. I know, I know, you’re going to bring up those gosh-awful “k” words … starting with kale (and kimchi and kombucha). I think I’ll stick to my probiotic gummies with fiber. Maybe in the big picture, it will all make a difference. One can only hope, right?
On the menu …
Dinner today is fish (sigh, fish every other day). We do a fun, no-recipe mix of fake crabmeat (browned with mushrooms), then add chopped zucchini (yellow and green), and diced tomatoes. Cook until vegetables are soft and serve over rice. It’s really easy and very good. And, of course, always have a salad!