Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Road to becoming healthier.



So as summer is drawing to a close, I realized something; I haven't worked as hard on becoming healthy as I was planning to this summer. I've done more eating and sitting around and being lazy than working out and staying active. I guess it's easy to do when it's 100+ degrees outside and you're home alone all day; what's the point in tackling such hot, uncomfortable weather when I can sit comfortably on my computer or watch anime?

WRONG.

I need to change this!

I'm going to start slow though; when I try to take it all on at once, it never works out in my favor. But there was one point in the summer when I was losing weight for AKON that I lost, like, seven pounds, roughly five pounds in a week! And that was through exercising daily, eating and drinking right. I need to take on that mindset again but push it even further this time and keep it up, not just let it fail entirely.

Here's my plan!

1) Journal -- journal more, everyday, about what I eat and drink. Physically write it down. This way, I'm seeing on paper how much I consume instead of listening to my body say it tastes good so I keep eating it.

2) Drink more water -- this is key. At least eight glasses a day; I drink TONS of soda. So I need to compensate; less soda, more water.

3) Drink only light colored soda -- when I DO drink soda, I'm gong to try to make it Sprite or light colored soda only. Dark sodas are just awful for you. Those need to be a rare treat, or just not at all.

4) Soda with real sugars in it -- when I DO drink soda, even if it's a dark soda, I need to drink soda that has real sugars in it. Diet sodas are totally hypocritical; sure they don't have calories, but the fake sugars trick your body into thinking it's consuming real sugar when it's not. This also leads to you always feeling more hungry and consuming more food your body really doesn't need.

5) Exercise 3 times a week, for at least 30 minutes -- I'm going to try to bump this up to every day, but for now, due to schedules and conflicts, 3 times a week will have to do. From this I'll see when I can definitely work out if I can't eventually work out every day, or if working out every day is possibly after-all.

6) More fruit, less chips -- Basically find better ways to snack. How about some carrots instead of those Cheez-its? Why not some strawberries as a sweet treat than an ice cream sandwhich? A banana gives you more potassium for stronger muscles than snacking on chips will ever do. If I really want to treat myself, I need to do it in a healthy way -- low sugar/low fat ice cream, or even just a sweet tasty smoothie instead of a frappuchino or a milkshake.

7) Portion, portion, portion -- I need to watch my portions. When I go to restaurants, especially, it's hard to not eat all that food they give you; but that's not an excuse! I need to either save half of it for later, share it with someone, or tell them to not send out as much or something. And when I can choose my portions, I need to choose the right sized ones.

8) Accountability -- help me stay accountable! I'm very poor with my diet and exercise, and I think it's a comfort thing.. I go to food for comfort when I'm upset or stressed, because it's instantly there and always tastes good. I need to look out for my own body though, plus, I want to lose weight and look better too, for self-esteem and confidence issues I'm facing. Accountability is a soul thing that keeps me motivated and convicted, so, be annoying if you must! Haha.

That's all I can think of...and my goal weight loss is.. 20-30 pounds. Not necessarily by a certain time, just within a few months I want to lose that much and gain muscle tone instead. I want to feel good about myself, and literally feel BETTER in general.

Benefits of this road to becoming healthier:

- Higher self esteem and confidence
- More energy
- Routine sleep cycle again
- Less stress/a way to vent stress
- Strength building
- Focus and motivation
- A new goal to aim for
- Physically fit
- Live longer xD

Okay! Here goes nothin'! I'm gonna' do this! >:D








6 comments:

Cheryl said...

YAY! Meghan Im so proud of you! I know you can do anything you put your mind to, and I know you can definetly do this. I'll be cheering and rooting for you, holding you accountable! :D I want to work harder too! Lets do our best and feel good about our selves and happy in our own bodies and skin. ^_^ I love ya girl! You are beautiful inside and out dont forget that, and never give up. ^^

Meghan said...

Thanks girly! <3 I love you!

But yes! I want to really work hard this time. Not for cosplay, not for the world's view, but for the vision I have of myself that I want to see. I want to feel good and confident about myself entirely, instead of wavering back and forth. I'm excited to get started, journaling all I've eaten/drank today has already been an eye-opener @_@ Haha!

Mattie Elizabeth said...

Same here. Or it's like I'll do good all day until I get home from work and I'll just eat eat eat. Or I'll reward myself with food! BAD MATTIE! I'm not a dog.

But yes, I want to get into something. Karate, kickboxing, gymnastics, something active and group wise stuff. I hate exercising alone... XD

Meghan said...

Haha, group exercise is always best in my opinion. It helps with accountability and is always fun, cause you have others to talk to that are working for the same goal :)

It takes a lot of talking myself into working out by myself but for a while I got to the point where I was going to the gym at school regularly, even if it was just myself going. I need to get in that mindset again @.@

It's so easy to talk myself out of working out when it's just my voice I'm listening to... xD

Mattie Elizabeth said...

Oh and all the fruit you posted looks yummmeh.

I can totally talk myself out of a lot of stuff. And when it comes to me working out by myself (even if it's just me jogging outside on my road) I'm afraid that someone's looking at me and making fun of me. Again, it's my "inner voice" saying this to me. And then I'm like, why would someone want to stop and take time to watch me jog and make fun of me. And who the crap cares. haha.

I need to get into a better mindset. Like have posters everywhere that say "you can do it." Motivational posters.

Meghan said...

Aah, yeah, I get that inner voice thing a lot at the gym >< Like, I don't want to draw attention to myself or something but that's stupid cause there are other people at the gym all minding their business, all working out like I am you know?

Another reason why I find comfort in numbers with working out, hahaha.