Little steps to improve my eating habits

Pandemic pounds anyone? I certainly have some and don’t want them. So I’m making an effort to make small changes in what I eat both to lose weight and to be healthier overall. I’m trying to actually track the changes listed below as part of achieving my wellness goals. I always get bored with tracking and stop so we will see how that goes this time.

Small changes that are my focus (but no weight loss yet).

More Vitamin C: So far I’ve had good success increasing eating citrus, sweet red pepper, broccoli or strawberries to almost every day. My Mom was diligent about making sure we had orange juice or grapefruit every morning. Me not so much.

5 a day: I was already pretty good at the two fruit and 3 or more veggie servings a day, but now even better as I am consciously thinking about it.

Healthy snacks or none: This is a tough one in the afternoon but I think I am making progress. Late afternoon is when I crave carbs which are ok in moderation but easy to overdo. Taking a walk some days around that time is helping so I think that needs to be my focus.

Reduce added sugar: The main sources for me adding sugar were maple syrup on waffles and honey in tea. I've done ok so far at this but not great.

Less alcohol: Pretty good but room for improvement. Hubby had initially joined me on this but is back to a moderate level of beer drinking so there is always something around. Not buying my favorite of  Chardonnay though which helps with reduced temptation and access.

Creating my "Right for Me Right Now" exercise program

Throughout my adult life I have started and stuck with for a time many exercise programs. There were several gyms for weight machine workouts, Pilates, yoga and swimming plus physical therapy and walking. I had trainers to help set up everything but the walking and that made figuring out the starting point and when to increase each exercise very easy which helped me stick with the program.

I'd do that again but I still don't want to go to a gym or Pilates studio until the pandemic isn't causing vaccinated people to be hospitalized in ICU or die. So, it is DIY time and dredging up memories of how the trainers created my programs. Then I will go up a step when these become easy or not effective.

I think I have landed on the right mix for me for the rest of March which is the first month I am seriously sticking with this. It has taken some trial and error the first week which showed me my current limits or starting point that sill enable progress but won't discourage me. 

Here is where I have landed for exercise. I'm trying for 3 Pilates and 3 stretching sessions per week. After each I will do a few shoulder PT exercises. Taking walks will be 2 or more times a week depending on weather, schedule and how I feel.

All of these are readily accessible for me and are at the right level for right now but this is a big increase over what I had been doing since my second foot surgery! 

• Standing Pilates for Seniors | 25 Minutes of Exercise to Improve Strength, Mobility and Confidence by The Girl with the Pilates Mat who is in England. I'm paying her via PayPal using her Buy Me a Coffee link and buying one coffee per session. Paying for a trainer is motivating if I pay in advance. Trying to treat it like my Atlanta Pilates Studio arrangement.
• My old DVD for 35 minutes of stretching (Gaiam a.m. & p. m stretch) which is also available online for payment I believe. For a while in Atlanta I did this almost every day. This won't change as I change my overall program.
• An old PT exercise to try to finally get back my full range of internal rotation for my right shoulder. This is how much you can raise your had up your back from your waist. Long ago I had frozen shoulders (one at a time) and with the second one I stopped the exercises once everything but this was back to normal. We still had the equipment which fits over a door so I'm seeing if I can improve it now after all these years. It may be too late but we'll see. The picture explaining it is below.
• Taking walks and tracking distance and speed using my phone.

I'm also tracking my weight and measurements to see what happens.

Wellness Goals Update - Month 1

WELLNESS ALSO MEANS BEING KIND TO YOURSELF

AND

ADAPTING AS LIFE HAPPENS

It became clear in February with our old dog's death that I should have included being kind to myself as a goal and also realized that I couldn't start so much exercise at once.

Well I was kind to myself as I grieved and my body told me I could only increase my exercise so much over a short period of time so those happened naturally. Still, I feel ok about what I did overall towards my goals in February.

Check out how my friend Leslie at Once Upon a Time and Happily Ever After is doing with her own wellness journey. She inspires me to push harder on exercise for sure!

Regain my Pilates and long walks body 

B+    Start Pilates again

I had a February goal of doing 8 online Pilates sessions with The Girl with a Pilates Mat and sent her a donation for 8. I did 6 and am happy with that. Already my ability to balance on one foot has increased . I enjoyed the Pilates classes and am going to focus doing more of them in March.

D     Take one or two Challenge Walks each week. Work on distance, speed and climbing (hills/stairs).

I managed to take 8 walks but no Challenge ones. 

I did go to the mall to try to do stairs and learned that during the pandemic they took out the stairs and put in escalators lol. Still looking for stairs in a public place where it won't be noticed if I go up and down a lot lol.

 B+    Cut way back on alcohol. 

Happy with this. A bonus is that Hubby also decided to do it. 

Have more mental stimulation and share it with others

A     Take full advantage of the local artists' studio and all their exhibits and events. 

We went to the current exhibit and joined the art center. I have also reserved our free member tickets for a concert in the gallery in mid-March.

 B+    Spend time making art again.

Drew one picture and made a recipe binder using a copy of one of my prior paintings.

B     Read what I really enjoy 

Reading a mystery series set in Regency England with side trips to Brussels, Vienna and Paris.

Sent a lot of books I didn't like back to the library without reading much of them. Yeah for libraries!

F     Figure out how to increase the types of friendship connections I crave. 

No heart for this in February. One of the new club members seems like a possibility though.

 

Wellness goals derailed already and being kind to myself

 Certainly wellness includes emotional health but our emotional coping strategies are often in conflict with our physical wellness needs. Anyone else eat the wrong things or too much when stressed? Well I do and my weight gain this past week shows it. "Movement" in the wrong direction!

On the other hand I know I have to be kind to myself when in a stressful situation. Early last week was dealing with the rapid decline of our dog and then her death and the sadness afterwards. Carbs in too large a quantity called my name. 

I decided to take advantage of our very warm weather and took walk first thing in the morning starting the day after my dog died. It is a good stress reliever. Friday, although I was feeling even sadder, I took my morning walk and ran into someone I like who I hadn’t seen in a long time. We chatted for quite a while and other people stopped to talk too. I got to pet a few dogs. 

Also on Friday Hubby and I went to a small art gallery here and saw some interesting and amazing art which was very enjoyable. We were the only ones in the gallery. While there I picked up the form to join the organization which I have been meaning to do for a long time. Then we walked down to Mr. Frosty for swirl cones.

Saturday we drove quite a way to Hubby’s elderly aunt’s assisted living facility and had lunch outside so we could visit safely. We hadn’t seen her in quite a while and she is a gem so that was lovely too.

The other uplifting thing that happened was that we were able to donate our dog’s prescription food and doggie diapers to the animal shelter and some other supplies to a cousin on a limited budget. Too soon to even contemplate whether or not we want to get another dog, but the easily replaceable or illness specific items can go to new homes where they can be used and appreciated.

So this past week was a fail for physical wellness, but the focus on emotional well being paid off in less stress. I hope everyone is also being kind to themselves whether they are having a great week or a difficult one.

Wellness Sunday: Moving forward for health & happiness

MOVEMENT

Forward with a look back to find wellness destinations

I'm joining my friend Leslie who blogs at Once Upon a Time and Happily Ever After to set and move forward on some priority Wellness Goals for the rest of the year. 

I asked for help finding a word for the year that fit and was meaningful. A great suggestion was "movement" and I am trying that out with these goals and with the image above which was taken years ago right before we took a hot air balloon ride in Aspen. The sensation of joyful movement I experienced on that ride is the type of emotional wellness I would like to recreate.

After my January insights about how my personality based habits were impacting my ability to move forward, I spent some time trying to think about it differently.

Then I spent some time listing what I liked about my wellness in the past in terms of physical, mental and emotional well being. The second step was brainstorming how I could regain some of those things in my current circumstances. So here goes!

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First up was that I liked having a Pilates body that was also shaped by walking hills and stairs a lot. The outdoor walks were in an interesting, beautiful area where there were things to see and/or destinations like a great coffee shop. It also truly was a case of walking uphill both ways due to the terrain, lots of stairs in our home and lots of very physical yard work. I let all that go after moving 5 years ago to a single story home with no yard in a flat area with no nearby interesting destinations, but this is not the first time I have had to remake my physical health and exercise habits. 

I broke it down with allowance for still recovering a bit from foot surgery, living in an uninspiring walking area (boredom reigns), and being both out of shape and heavier than I want to be. 

1. Start Pilates again. 

I can't work with a trainer at a studio (thanks COVID) but there are great resources online. I found a 25 minute standing beginner workout that is perfect for right now at The Girl with a Pilates Mat. I looked it up and two to three times a week is a good starting point. I'll send her a donation at the beginning of each month to pay for my classes.

2. Take one or two Challenge Walks each week. Work on distance, speed and climbing (hills/stairs).

I will walk where there are hills or stairs or balance challenges and drive to a starting point if needed. I brainstormed some ideas and came up with mall walking (stairs), a walk to the closest Starbucks or deli, a walk to a nearby park, and walking the very uneven Ventura pier. I'm going to see what may work for me. Then I'll look into any trails or other walking routes that may be nearby once I am more fit.

3. Cut way back on alcohol. 

I didn't drink at all for at least 2 years after coming back from a previous health crisis and then only very occasionally for several years after than. Like many, during the pandemic I have gotten in the habit of a drink before dinner basically every day. I don't need the calories and my liver and sleep patterns would certainly benefit from less imbibing. Starting with February being a very limited alcohol month.

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Secondly, I really liked having more mental stimulation and sharing it with people with whom I could be fully myself. This one is much harder for me to visualize and operationalize.

We used to go to a world class art museum, lots of small live theater, outdoor art shows or walks. We went out to eat regularly with Thai food being one of our favorites. I was a member of a very interesting book club that also had parties and took weekend trips together. I took lots of art classes. I had a close friend with whom I could talk about anything. 

Then we moved to a very suburban area where I had no connections and just as I was finding some of these things the pandemic hit. I do have some nice local friends who I enjoy and who are great emotional support, but not that feel free to bare your soul type of best friend one. 

I am determined though that staying healthy and getting stimulation can't be mutually exclusive despite the challenges of COVID.

1. Take full advantage of the local artists' studio and all their exhibits and events. 

Look into becoming a member and perhaps volunteering in some way. Find any other art exhibits in the area.

2. Find a way to spend time making art again.

Try drawing a series of pictures with a theme. Perhaps try a class with one of the artists from the art studios. I know there is a figure drawing workshop, glass art and I'm sure many others.

3. Read what I really enjoy and write reviews of it. 

Period or other location mysteries anyone? Victorian, WWI or WWII. Paris, London, etc. Go to the small local bookstore and see what they have. 

4. Figuring out how to increase the types of friendship connections I crave. 

Who might I have met or meet who could be a kindred spirit? How can I get together with people to deepen connections during this endless pandemic?