Thursday, February 12, 2009

Living Healthier

I have this tendency to do well in one part of my life, but neglect everything else. For instance, if we're really where we'd like to be with homeschooling, the house is a disaster because I've let it go. If I'm doing super well at my own classes, I'm slacking on what BW and I are trying to do with homeschooling. If the house is clean and classes are great, I'm not taking care of my health and my body. You get the picture. I can't seem to multitask.

Lately my health has been something I've worried a lot about.* I was really doing well with my weight and my eating a few years ago, but I let it slide and went back to my old ways. I've been wanting to start eating healthier and exercising, but I seem to be lacking the drive to actually do it. My exercise plan is nothing but a pipe dream.**

I keep telling myself I'm going to work at it, but I never really do anything to get started. I know what to eat, I know what's good for me. My plan is to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables, more whole grains. But the fact of the matter is, that is the sum of my nutritional plan. And for me, it's just not enough.

I need something to answer to. I need to journal my foods, count calories, plan my meals. But I just don't want to work that hard at it, so I've been trying to find a shortcut. And it's just not happening, friends.

With that in mind, I decided to find something I could do, something free, something that would help me be more accountable. I decided to look for an online plan. And I found one that looks like it might work. It's called Live Strong, and there are a bunch of different handy online features.

I decided I'd sign up and give it a try. I filled out the little questionnaire about how many calories I should eat, and then I looked at a few different links in the side bar. One was a fitness tracker. I decided to be optimistic, and put in some exercise that I'd do on a regular basis.

As I scrolled through the options, a few caught my eye. There was 19th century dance, accordion playing and airplane repair. Hmmm. Thorough, I thought to myself.

I scrolled down to attending class (192 cal/hour). Hey! I already do that! Awesome.

Next, I happened upon beauty salon - receiving hairstyle or manicure (107 cal/hour). These are my kinda people, I think to myself.

I decided at that point to get a little more serious, so I scrolled down to walking. I was happy to see there were all sorts of choices. Walking socially, walking to class, walking at work, walking uphill. And then I saw it. And I knew this was the website for me.

Walking - to and from outhouse (to is faster)*** (266 cal/hour)


*By worrying, I mean stressing out about it and then eating too much fresh bread to make myself feel better. And then feeling guilty for eating too much fresh bread, and soothing that pain with dark chocolate.

**Which is code for: If you think I'm exercising, you must be high.

***Hell, yeah, it is.

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