By Laurie Marshall
Remember when I said that my husband was on board with the “high fructose corn syrup is the Devil” concept? Yeah… well… somehow he seems to have lost his way. I came home the other day to find a case of Kellogg’s Rice Krispies Treats on the counter. Sometimes exaggeration is a tool utilized by creative writers to enhance the humor of a story… or to emphasize a point.
I’m not exaggerating.
A CASE OF RICE KRISPIE TREATS!!!! Eight boxes. Each box containing 16 full-sized, individually wrapped treats. 128 Treats of the Devil on my counter, reminding me that I am not able to control other people’s choices. Luckily, I am not terribly susceptible to sugary treats. If Hubster brought home six cases of sausage kolaches from Rick’s Bakery, it would have been a black day for sure. As it was, I just grumbled under my breath and talked about him behind his back with my co-workers… because, while I am trying to get healthier, Hubster is not making any real changes in his lifestyle or diet. I worry about him, but he doesn’t worry about himself.
But I have been making progress, and that’s all I can really control, right? I made it through week two of my Summer Fit program without passing out, folding myself into a fetal position and weeping, or faking a serious injury to a major muscle group. In fact, I’m feeling pretty good about how I’m doing. I have never been terribly athletic (president of the drama club… ‘nuf said) so the fact that I can run on the treadmill for 20-30 minutes at a 15 minute mile pace right off the bat makes me want to wink at myself whenever I pass the floor-to-ceiling mirrors in the gym. So I do.
This week was a little more challenging. It was harder to run, the machines mistreated me a little more, and I just didn’t feel as good at the end of my workouts. I think I didn’t get enough sleep the nights before my workouts. My body was letting me know that 5-6 hours of sleep is not quite enough. My adorable trainer, Melissa, had me increase my repetitions this week, and she gave me a head’s up that next week we are increasing the weight. Definitely need to get to bed on time from now on
On those days when I work out first thing in the morning, I find it is much easier to make good food choices the rest of the day. I don’t want to sabotage the good start to the day, so I am more likely to choose something light for lunch and skip opportunities to eat sweets. I think it works for me to get up early to work out, rather than doing it at night, so that’s something I’m going to continue to do after the program has ended. I also find it easier to get up if I have someone to be accountable to, so I’ll be looking for a workout partner. Give it some thought, people! I’ll bring juice!
What are some of your tips for keeping yourself on track with your health and fitness routines? Partners? Time-of-day? Food diaries? I know you know something I don’t know. Let me hear it!
Look for Laurie’s fitness tips and updates on her personal health-focused journey every other Friday on nwaMotherlode in Mom Blogs. Send questions or input to her at mamas@nwaMotherlode.com. Or click on the comment button below and share your thoughts right now! To see previous installments of Getting Healthy for Good, click HERE.
