Re-committing to Healthy!

Last fall I finally got fed up with my post-baby body and my lack of commitment to changing it.  I continued to feel down about how I looked but also continued to make less than healthy choices with my eating.  So, I committed to making better choices.  I gave up soda.  I learned how to stop myself from going into the pantry for a couple of goldfish, or a dried mango, or having two cookies with the kids after lunch.  I made "friends" with more vegetables and started adding spinach and kale into my smoothies.  It was also the first time ever that I had eaten eggs but limited the amount of yolks (I would make a scramble with 1 whole egg and three additional egg whites)...

I also committed to changing my workout routine.  I did more cross-training and less straight running.  The running that I did do, I tried to do high intensity intervals - focusing less on distance and more on effective fat burning.

and ... it worked!  I got back down to my pre-baby weight (pre-baby as in pre-Karen!).  I was back into clothes that I hadn't been in for several years.  I still did not have quite the same shape (my middle still has quite a bit of stubborn "stuff" hanging on) but I was finally feeling comfortable in my own skin!


As the weight came off and I was feeling better, my mind switch more into a maintenance mode.  Over the holidays, I began allowing more "exceptions" to healthy choices.  With each passing week, many of these "exceptions" became more of my normal... again.  In many ways it was really fine because my workouts were still taking care of the extras.

Then... injury.  Almost nine weeks ago I injured my leg.  I still don't know what was/is wrong.  But I've barely worked out since.  Several visits to the chiropractor, a couple of visits to an orthopedic specialist, and an MRI later... we still don't know.  It is finally starting to feel a little more normal.  My orthopedic specialist asked me to give it another four-six weeks before really attempting to run or workout on it.  *sigh* I've got two more weeks to go to hit the four week mark.  I'm hoping it's 100% by then, but we'll see.

Which brings me back to my eating.  Without my workouts, I am all of sudden noticing clothes not fitting like they were.  My self-image has gone in the tank - and along with it, my over-all sense of peace and well-being.  It brings back into focus the healthy eating choices.  And helps me realize that I need to continue to work at making those choices my normal.  Because along with the workouts, I felt better when I ate better.  I felt better when my will-power had been strengthened and I didn't even realize that I was turning down a treat.

So I sit here telling you that I am recommitting to healthy.  I want to feel better about myself 100% of the time, not just when my workouts are happening.  Because the reality is that injuries happen, life happens that take you away from workouts for a day or several days... but food choices are there every day.  Each positive choice I make there is a positive step for my day and a better example for my kids.