My Simple Plan

If you have tried to lose some pounds as many times as I have, you also have a "weight lost" past to look back on.  And sometimes, I like to look back there and remember some of the good things from that past.  Like, I remember how great I felt when I walked EVERY day--rain or shine.  And I remember how good it felt to be working toward a goal and actually making it happen.  And I remember how great it felt to be living my life--being active, fit!  And I remember I loved the feeling of knowing who I was and what was important to me!

I can also look at my current life and recognize a few behaviors that are just NOT working for me--some behaviors I need to let go in the efforts to learn some new ones.

So based on my past and present--and in an effort to keep things simple--I have a SHORT list of behaviors that I know can and will help me make a few changes in my life.  I'm not planning on being perfect with these--or even obsessing about these.  I just want to recognize the basics--for me--and see how being a little more intentional with these areas can help.  These are the new patterns that I want to embrace:

1. Track what I eat -- that means write it down in order to ensure that I'm eating the healthy stuff while balancing the treats (One goal is to shed some pounds after all.  I am using Weight Watchers to do this, and I will discuss this more in the future I am sure).

2. Move my body -- get the activity in--every day!  Now I know that for me this involves some alone activity like going to the gym or taking a walk.  But it also involves family things, like playing outside together, biking, or taking the long way to the park.

3. Get Enough Sleep -- This is huge one for me.  I often stay up late, late, because I love the alone time in my house when the kids are finally asleep!  The problem is that I stay up way too late watching TV, and then I'm way tired the next day--which makes it hard to follow through on the tracking my food and moving my body!  So my plan is to use my evening time for something more quality (less TV and more something else).  My plan is to get to bed by 10 or 10:30 PM.  I truly believe that this will help me be successful in changing my life!

4. Check In with Myself -- When I have had success losing the pounds in the past, I have routinely kept a daily journal!  Lately, this is something that I've had a hard time getting in, but I also know what it can help me make the changes I want.  I've used a paper journal at my bedside and I've used this lil old blog.  I'm going to try to use both more often--on a regular basis.

5. Check my Calendar Daily -- For me, trying to lose weight also involves trying to live a more directed life.  As a SAHM, it can be easy to just let things fall where they may.  I feel like I have gotten lazy.  And though I maintain our family's calendar so we get to where we need to go, I want to DIRECT my calendar so that we are participating in the activities that are important to us.

So that's my simple plan.  Now, for my complicated, detailed mind, there are tons more aspects to the process.  But in all honesty and simplicity, these five things are IT!  That's it!  Now if only doing them consistently would be as simple. . .