Lazy bones

So I have been a total lazy bones lately. I have been working hard at finding another job, since I found out that my current job will be ending in December. I found a job last week, but I am having trouble getting started with my exercise regimen again.

Why? I don't know. Maybe it is the weather, maybe it is because a day ends in y. I have to get moving again. I just have to find a reason.

Just when I think I am getting better

I have had a flare up lately. I either have a cold, or I ate something that did not agree with me. I have had to start using nasal lavage (I call it going to the ocean) because it seems to help.
So even though I have been eating a lot of bacon and eggs lately, my cholesterol has gone down from last year. I am heartened especially because I had steak the night before the test. (not a great way to prep for the test I grant you).
The best thing I think I can do is try to get as many veggies as possible, stay away from the stuff I need to and eat healthy. If I can do that and exercise, I may just beat this high cholesterol thing.

Update on goals

Earlier this year, I started that I would like to have more fun and get healthy... How am I doing?
My goals were to
But, I also want to have fun. I have a lot of plans this year:

• running a half and maybe a full marathon, I am going to get serious about this
• travel, two trips Italy and Niagara Falls
• start kayaking, I have been out on the water twice- may need new boat
•  living well (aka lose a little weight). nothing to see here... lets move on
•  volunteer, yes!!! I am volunteering most Mondays and also joined a committee
• give back to my community doing pretty well here
• continue to be a good mom and wife. I think I am doing well here
• walking or using the elliptical every day I am doing well on most days I need more 

Well, it looks like I have done well in some areas and need to improve in others. 

I need to find a race so that I can get more serious about this goal. I think I will shoot for a goal of running a half marathon and next year have the goal of running a marathon.

Fun

When we talk about our health, do we equate fun and enjoyment in the mix? This year, I have let loose a bit more and decided to travel.
First, I went to Italy for my birthday and last weekend I went to Niagra Falls. Both experiences left me with joy. Niagra Falls was more exciting for me though. While we were up there, we crossed the border into Canada. This allowed me to finally have a good exchange rate. :)

I think that there has to be a bit of fun factored into life to have good health. Fun and Joy should be things that one tries to attain.

What do you think constitutes good health?

Low carb and loving it

So approximately two weeks ago I decided to go low carb.  Since I have a gluten sensitivity anyway, I need to stay away from gluten. It makes sense that I should go low carb.  Since I was going low carb, I had to decide how many carbs I was going to eat.
There are differences:
0-20 keto
20-50 low carb
50-100 liberal low carb

When I started the journey, I was liberal low carb. 50-100 carbs a day or more. I did this for a few days, but then I realized that I did not see any change. So I decided that I would actually go low carb and try to keep my carbs between 20-50 a day. I saw a great change! For the first week, I was really tired and had headaches, but I have been tired all of the time anyway. Now, I feel great. I am not as tired all of the time and I am eating more salads and vegetables than ever. The headaches went away and I am drinking more water than ever.

So... What have I learned?
*Apples and Kiwi's have 11 carbs each!! What!! I eat these sparingly.
*Gluten Free bread is better when you make it yourself.

Have I mentioned that I feel better than ever. Fruits have become a dessert and I believe that I enjoy them more now than ever before. Now that I am consuming more vegetables,  I am making sure that we eat different kinds.

Finally! Progress

I am starting to make progress now. I walked at least three or four days this week and I plan to go out tomorrow for four miles. I have been eating better and I think I am starting to see progress.

Super Bowl and other couch potato activities

Today is the Super Bowl in the United States. People try to make it a national holiday but it is just a regular day. People eat more than they should and sit on the couch for hours. I am doing the same. Today has been a day of no adulting. I threw the cat out of the room to try and sleep in, but it did not happen. Instead, I listened to him complain as I tried to sleep. I meant to work out this weekend, but it did not happen. I do not know why I could not seem to get up off of the couch. I am going to work on it this up coming week because I am not going to get where I want to be by sitting on my butt.
My goals for the week are:

• Walk at least three times with jogging interspersed
• eat at least three or four veggies every day real goal is five to seven
• stay away from trigger foods (Tomatoes, MSG, Cheese) to see if this helps with inflammation
• write down everything I eat

The year of Health or the Year of Fun

I know that this blog is called the Year of Health and I am truly trying to get healthy. But, I also want to have fun. I have a lot of plans this year, running a half and maybe a full marathon, travel, start kayaking, and living well (aka lose a little weight). I also want to volunteer, give back to my community, and continue to be a good mom and wife. Those are a lot of goals. It can seem overwhelming if you think about it in one chunk, but I am going to try to break them up into bite size chunks, such as:

• walking or using the elliptical every day
• book a trip (done)
• buy an inflatable kayak (done)
• volunteer can also coincide with being a good mom (volunteering to be a guard mom)

I hope this works. Wish me luck