Ownership

We all have to learn to own our actions.  I understand the struggles of my clients so much, sometimes I have to deal with my own personal struggles too. This became apparent together with regard to grief and loss. I am grieving the loss of my band. I am addressing that by taking care of myself and working on several projects in my life, career, home and personal right now.

Right now I'm struggling with compliance to my own eating plans, due to lack of planning.  Life changes occur, and we get off track.  The key really is to overcome the urge to eat your way through circumstances in your life.  Ownership.

Did you eat healthy today?  Me: So-so.

Breakfast: Chike Strawberry Burst; 2 cups of coffee with Sugar Free Pumpkin spice sweetener.

Lunch: 2 small Reeses' cups, 2 small Kit-Kats' and a kid's size CLIF brownie bar*;  Burger and medium fries with a Diet Coke at 4pm

*This was completely and totally emotionally eating from the sadness I was experiencing from visiting Children's Hospital ICU, I'm owning it here and now. 

Dinner: 2 cups of Kale with 2 T Lite Raspberry Vinaigrette with 2 T Dried Cranberries and 1/4 c. pistachios.

My strategy there was that I did well for breakfast, screwed up lunch, and recovered at dinner. If you're going to screw up during the day, don't let it be at breakfast.  What's the biggest way to get on the wrong track?  Missing breakfast, in my opinion! Coffee is essential, but I always make it a "no calorie" hit with SF creamer or Almond milk and Stevia ( > 50 calories from beverages in a day.) Often, I will have a protein shake or oatmeal or greek yogurt with frozen raspberries and a few nuts. These are staples.  

This is one of the measures I take to prevent myself from engaging in poor eating behaviors.  The one I have recently fallen short with though has been packing my lunch.  It's such a simple thing to do, but I have not bought what I need to pack my ideal lunch that "keeps me on track."  My number one "keeping on track" lunch is 3 oz. deli meat, 1 oz. cheese on a sandwich thin.  This with a piece of fruit will stave off hungry for 3-4 hours. I like to think about my meals as perfect meals. A good balance of protein, fiber and carbs, in that order. I've recently moved away from products with hydrogenated oils and avoid MSG in the whole foods I consume.

So, I'm working on and redefining my accountability measures for my diet and exercise program in my life.  I didn't talk much about exercise, but I'll tell you this, HIIT is the way to go.  I frequently will jog for a minute in place to get my heart rate up and keep blood flowing to feel good and energized during the day. I've downloaded a pedometer on my phone that's always running, and my goal is to continually make sure that I am walking at least 3 miles a day at a minimum. I meet or exceed that goal at least 3 times a week with addition to other workouts.  Could I use some improvement in this area?  Heck yeah. Always room for improvement.

Here's to each of us delving deep into our self reflections and insight into what prevents us from getting the results we want.  Real results come from ownership.  The hardest person to be honest with is yourself.