Saturday, March 24, 2012

Old Habits Die Hard.

This week on Bloggers for Health, we were asked to recognize our bad  habits, and what steps we are taking to make changes.


Since I have been more conscious of my fitness and what I've been eating, I am more attuned to the bad habits I have. Here are a few I noticed this week: I have an insane sweet tooth, salt is also a problem, I drink far too many iced soy lattes, I don't drink nearly enough water, and I need to eat more vegetables. Seeing as I have had to count points for everything I put into my mouth, I am noticing patterns and becoming more aware of what I eat. 


It also didn't help that my "lady friend" came to visit in the middle of the week, so I definitely did some emotional eating. When I weighed in this morning, I am the same weight as last week. I was a bit bummed, but then I realized that I used all of my extra points this week, PLUS my activity points. I also went out to run three times this week, plus went out for two walks on the days I didn't run. After I post this, I am going to hop on my mom's exercise bike for at least fifteen minutes, and flip through the latest issue of NYLON. My weight not budging could be attributed to a few things - eating so much food this week (I didn't go over any allotted points, though), retaining water due to all of the salt I ate, or muscle gain. 


Now, what exactly have I decided to do about these bad habits? I decided to break them down, by each issue, in case you have the same problems as I do.


1. Sweet Tooth: Allow myself one small "junk food" treat per day. If I decide to go and get frozen yogurt, the only toppings I am adding are fruit. I usually don't ever put toppings on, but this week, I went a bit crazy and was sugar happy. Once in awhile is alright, but its not good to do regularly. I am going to try and cut down my sugar in all aspects of food I eat. I am going to incorporate more fruit, but I am not going to overdo that, either.


2. Salt: I had corned beef, PopChips, popcorn, cheese, canned soup and lots of other salt laden goodies this week. I'm just going to have to read labels more closely, and use other spices for flavor. We also got takeout a couple times this week, which didn't help, either. On Sunday, I plan on preparing some healthy goodies for the upcoming week, so I have healthy snacks/meals on hand.


3. Iced Soy Lattes: I don't add additional sugar to my coffee beverages, so this one will be a cinch to resolve - switch to iced coffee with soy, or drink unsweetened iced tea. I also have a bad habit of drinking Sugar Free Red Bull, which I am putting a stop to. Once the remaining cans in my fridge are gone (I bought a case back in January), I'm not buying anymore.


4. Water: I have a very strange relationship regarding drinking water - the less water I drink, the less appealing it is to me. The more I drink, the more I want it. I have been picking up two 33.8 oz water bottles at night, and have to drink them the next day. I know, water bottles aren't the best thing to buy, but I have owned numerous reusable water bottles in the past. The either get misplaced, they sit in my car for days, and they overall just creep me out. If buying bottles of water will keep me hydrated, then so be it.


5. Vegetables: I love veggies, but sometimes I'm too lazy to prepare them. This week, I noshed on  grape tomatoes, baby carrots, brussels sprouts, grilled vegetables, and salads. Not horrible, but I could incorporate more colorful and varied items into my regime. When I run to the store, I am going to grab an assortment of vegetables - especially ones that I can toss into my purse and eat on the go. 


Now that I have a plan of attack for this week, I am going to make a note and stick it to my front door, with those  five problems jotted on it. It'll be a small reminder for me to develop healthier habits. What are some habits that you'd like to 

4 comments:

  1. When I saw the name of your blog on Callie's site, I got so excited! I'm from Long Island, too (Huntington).

    You should be proud of how well your blog is doing. Good posts and more than 50 followers in just a few months. Nice work.

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    1. Awesome! Huntington is a great town. I haven't been in ages, but I used to frequent the Cinema Arts Centre often.

      Thank you, I am very happy with how the blog is doing. Hopefully, someone in the world of print media will see my work, and approach me about freelancing. A girl can dream, right?

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  2. I've found that celery with peanut butter or a good salsa is a cheap snack that is good for you. It contains so much fiber and so few calories!

    Good luck with your goals!

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    1. Thanks! Believe it or not, peanut butter is super high in Weight Watchers points, so I have been steering clear of it for now. I have two types of salsa, which I will dive into tomorrow.

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