No plan survives the first encounter with my memory…er, I mean, “the enemy.” So, the enemy is my memory. Remember how last post my goals were to drink more water, eat 5 fruits and veggies a day, and move more? I think my intended healthy habits lasted about a day and a half. I actually did go to the grocery store and buy some fruits and veggies, but I neglected to prep them so that they were easy to eat at a moment’s notice. There were a few nights I consciously planned to broil some veggies and I did remember to eat the occasional banana or apple on the spur of the moment, but on the long term, I did not meet the expectations.
On the subject of memory, let’s just say that, while I have been remembering to check the top oven before putting anything in it (and am quite proud to say I haven’t burned any desserts lately), I DID find a tray of banana bread muffins in the bottom oven that I had made about a month ago and apparently forgot about because they were so hard, they could have broken a window. I’m beginning to get concerned.
Someone also happened to remind me that I ingest an excessive amount of caffeine daily, which I kind of knew, but that’s always been my “normal.” So, I am trying to remember to fill at least half of my soda cups with Diet Coke that is caffeine free. I honestly can’t taste the difference between leaded and unleaded – I just genuinely like the taste of Diet Coke – so it’s more a matter of training myself to select the “Caffeine Free” version half the time until I can ween myself off of the fully leaded stuff.
It also dawned on me that I have tried to “eat this, not that” over the years…coconut oil instead of extra virgin olive oil, sweet potatoes instead of russet potatoes, almond milk instead of cow milk, jasmine rice instead of white rice, ground turkey instead of ground beef…my family hasn’t liked any of the substitutions except the rice.
What I truly need to do – in addition to having healthier eating habits – is relax my brain. I admit that I have not been taking regular daily walks. I haven’t made time before going to work and at the end of the day, I do not feel like going out in the heat for a walk (it’s still in the 90s when I’m ready for bed) and or trek to the gym. It is a worthless excuse, but there you go. Anyway, once I did go for a walk after not having one for several days, I realized that I really missed them. I live in a suburb, but I still get to see quails, hummingbirds, and several other birds I can’t name, along with the occasional roadrunner, and even a sporadic cottontail.
On the upside, I have been doing my 100 pushups (and 100 ab exercises) when I go to the gym which, granted, isn’t every day but at least a few times a week. I’m still pretty far from my goal, but at least I’m not completely embarrassed to wear sleeveless shirts right now, so that’s a win, right?
What are your favorite healthy habits? How do you keep your mind sharp? I’d love to hear from you!
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