Fit Friday

Like I said on Monday, I'm going to start making a weekly commitment to talk about getting healthy. Honestly, I can't quite tell you what this is going to look like. Some weeks it could be a recipe, some weeks it could be an inspiring image. Some weeks it could just be a disappointing report about how I ate big macs for dinner every night that week. I don't know! I'm full of surprises!

Today, I'm just going to go over some history. Warning: Some of the following are flat out excuses I have, and even continue to use to avoid accountability in my health and lifestyle choices.

Lets start around the fact that I struggle with food to begin with. I'm not going to say "eating disorder" because first off I think that's become a catch all phrase for anyone with unhealthy eating habits, and secondly because I'm not currently struggling with it. However I do think that anyone with either an eating disorder or a long history of unhealthy eating habits knows how easy it is to slump back into it with out even realizing.

Anyways suffice it to say I used to control my weight by controlling my eating. Or rather, not eating. When I did eat it was crap, because I was so picky, and on top of all that nonsense I have some food allergies that make gaining weight rather difficult. So "healhty" has never really been a Mama type thing.

Early in my pregnancy with S I made two very important decisions regarding not only my health, but the health of my family. I quit smoking, and I started eating differently. Since quitting smoking I obviously feel better, can do more, and save a lot of money. The pros are undeniable even before you quit. Changing what I ate though, that was scary.

I started small, I started shopping pretty much solely at a local grocery story that offers plenty of preservative-free groceries. The store brand products are all actually preservative, artificial flavoring and artificial food coloring free. Instantly I felt a difference- partly because I happen to have an allergy to a common preservative, so water weight dropped off, migraines almost disappeared, and my energy was significantly boosted. Plus there was all the added perks of just knowing I was eating better, the pride of knowing I was doing something better for myself and my family.

One good decision paves the road for more. I became more conscious of what I had been doing to my body through what I was ingesting, so I started to change. I started looking into alternative solutions for issues I'd usually medicate through, like anxiety (chamomile) and allergies (raw honey) and anemia (iron rich foods). I started going to our local farmers market, where I bought more seasonal and local fruits and veggies. I cut out a lot of processed foods, and packaged meals. I started experimenting with making our own food from start to finish.

Now I'm not saying this is how everyone should live, and if you don't you're destined to be miserable or live a less worth while, whole life. Today I still participate in a lot of less than stellar eating habits. But I'm moving in the right direction, even though I drink a soda a day still, I drink a lot more water. And even though it comes in a can, I'm supplementing my diet with more protein.

The very best thing about these choices is I get to share them with my children. There are few things I love more than strolling the farmers market with K as all the vendors give her samples. It's not just the local, clean food either. It's the fact that I am able to walk with her without getting exhausted or taking a smoke break, or feeling winded or drained by the time we get home again. I have the energy to back my enthusiasm for life again!

So there's the background information. Now here's the rough plan. I'm breast feeding right now, and leading a pretty active lifestyle with the girls, so I've set my Myfitnesspal plan to 1900 calories a day. In about 5 more weeks I have my post partum check up where I should be cleared for more strenuous exercising than our average walks. Basic plan is to eat well until that check up, and walk 3 times a week, no big deal. As the clearance date gets closer our home will hopefully be closer to a regular schedule again, and I'll be able to plan (and have time to complete) better toning workouts as well, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it :)

Linking up with Erica @ Mi Todo where she does a weekly installments of her own Fit Fridays, which kept me enthused my whole pregnancy about getting back into shape.