Here We Go!

It's January!

The first month of the whole year.

And here I go again.  I am going to attempt once again to get this weight of mine under control.

It's not about the scale, necessarily.  It's about my health, my blood pressure, my cholesterol, and my abdominal fat.  But I cannot tell a lie, it would be incredible to be under 200 pounds since I'm only 5 feet five inches tall.

One immediate challenge I'm facing is my back. I had a horrible bout with acute low back pain right before Thanksgiving. Painkillers, steroids, and physical therapy followed. This whole bout has been so disruptive because prior to the back injury, I was doing pretty good exercise-wise.

But such is life, potholes and detours at every turn. But I shall not be deterred.

So recovering back notwithstanding, here I go again.

It's been said that New Year's resolutions are short lived. Statistics say that that most people make these resolutions with great enthusiasm, but fall off the wagon shortly thereafter.

I hope to defy these statistics and stay on track.

Here are my goals for now:

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PHYSICAL:

     Get in at least 60 minutes per day of activity 6 days a week. At least 3 to 4 of those workouts will be high intensity interval training.

    Continue my back strengthening/core and pelvic stability regimen with prescribed exercises on a daily basis.

     Make an effort to decrease the amount of time that I am in a seated position throughout the day.





DIETARY:

     My diet will consist of lean proteins, fresh fruits and vegetables and bean salads.

     No more eating in front of the television (or at least very minimally)!!!  This is a bad habit I established from childhood. (More on this in later posts)

     I will practice mindful, as opposed to mindless, eating.

     I will eat slowly, not desperately, putting my fork down between bites and chewing thoroughly.

     I will practice portion control.  No heaping piles of food on my plate, but small, measured portions.


How about you?  What changes are you making for 2014 to improve your health? What are your goals? Let's encourage one another!