Inkablinka

It could be ironic that I’m following the post about my favorite cookie dough with some thoughts on healthy living, or perhaps it’s more of a “cause and effect” situation! Regardless, I hope you don’t mind that I share some things that have been on my mind lately.

A year after delivering my sixth baby, I was holding on to an extra 50 pounds. I didn’t feel good, and had finally come to the point that I was ready to make some changes. I bought the Zumba DVD’s, started shredding with Jillian Michaels, and upped my speed walking routine. I started counting calories with the Lose it app, and lost most of my extra weight in about 5 months.

The last few months I have had a few pounds gradually creep back up on me – and I have come to realize that it is going to require an ongoing diligence to keep my weight in a healthy range. So today, the cookie dough has been polished off by the kids, the Halloween candy has been put in the no-temptation zone, and I am recommitting to making healthier choices.

I have had some interesting pins fly across my Pinterest feed lately, and have tried a few ideas. This morning I did the world’s fastest workout. I’m going to have to work on perfecting those squat thrusts, but that was an awesome 4-minute workout! I even felt energized enough afterwards to work on picking up our overwhelmingly cluttered craft/office space.

This is actually the AFTER photo. I still have a ways to go in here!

I tried this TV workout the day before. It feels great to do something, and to open the door for doing a little something more the next day.

click on photo to learn more about apple cider vinegar

The strangest thing I’ve tried this week, is the apple cider vinegar health drink. Let me tell you, it is nasty. I hold my breath and get it down as fast as possible, then chase it with a couple more glasses of water. If nothing else, it is helping me to get more fluids than ever before! There is also a psychological benefit of the drink for me; three times a day I am reminded of the choice I’ve made to eat and move better. I am less inclined to casually pop a sugary treat since I’m making this bitter-tasting effort towards better health.

I am back to counting calories with Lose it. It is a little annoying to have to track every bite, but it’s the only way I can shake off calorie denial, and really act responsibly with what I am eating. I love, love, love my sweets – but know it is a balancing act. Counting calories helps me see with greater clarity what a treat is really worth to me, and how I can fit that treat in to a healthier lifestyle. Once I stop counting, I stop caring, and things get out of control.

What are some things that help you to make healthy lifestyle choices?

Halloween – I love it and dread it. The candy – awesome and terrible. The costumes – adorable and overwhelming. My babies wore a different costume to every event we went to. It was amusing to see what the mood of the day was. All our costumes were fairly simple to throw together – with the exception of the owl, which was almost completely cut out and sewn together by my oldest daughter. We were inspired by the birds of Pinterest – and found it came together much more quickly than we had imagined! Hope your Halloween was a treat as well.