The blogging idea came in the wake of the Julie & Julia movie that was based on one woman's blog as she made every recipe in a Julia Child's recipe book. Then a friend of mine started a blog about her dieting. It was then that I thought, "I could do that!"
I was making some defining decisions about my lifestyle habits and was feeling intensely isolated. I figured that blogging about my experiences would ease my lonliness and give purpose to otherwise unnoticable and seemingly insignificant decisions day to day. It has. Friends have read and commented on my writings and just knowing that I may have an audience has made it so much more easier to do the right thing and stay on track. A few core people have cheered me on the whole way--even though the new year is long past and most people's interest in self discipline has waned.
I've gone back over my blogs and here is an update on some of the earlier topics:
Juice It Baby & Juice Anyone? & Beverage Babble-My fabulous kitchen-counter friendly juicer has recently been bannished to a cupboard and my juicing is currently 1-2x a week. I never "manned up" to all vegetable juice and my current favorite is Lemonaide sweetened with apples or pears. Freshly made juice is my substitute for pop and is more of a treat than a daily nutritional food. Still love my morning cocoa!
Nana, I Love You!-Haven't been to Nana's for months now. Been baking my own treats but I've been craving a Yuckie and Cherry Turnover so I may be visiting there soon.
Rubber Tippie-Still keeping my gums healthy. Looks like this habit has become second nature!
The Big C-Still caffeine free!
One Good Day & On a Roll-I have to confess that I have not succeeded at consistantly getting up early enough to have my quiet time. God kept His part of the bargain and has helped me find another way to get my exercise in, but instead of using my early morning exercise time for quiet time--I've been sleeping in. I want to work on this.
Water, Water, Water & Water System Wars-We're really happy with our water system but we need to get it tested to see how effective it is and if it needs a filter change. I'm embarrased to say that I still drink about half of the amount of water I should every day even with abstaining from coffee & pop. I'll be working on this.
Garden Giddy-My garden is growing steadily and despite my care to not overplant, the ground is barely visible with all the green leaves and vines intertwining together. I planted red & greeen peppers, plum tomatoes, brussel sprouts, green beans, peas, cucumbers, and strawberries. So far I have harvested 6 cucumbers but the peppers and tomatoes will be ready very soon. These are likely the most expensive vegetables ever if you count materials and labor, but they taste the best!
Supplemental Surprise & Supplemental Satisfaction-We are still taking our vitamins. The phytonutrient is a bit tricky because it has to be consumed on an empty stomach, minimum 20 minutes before eating. This has not been feasible with us waking later and needing to dive right into breakfast. The multi and the fish oil work well because they can be eaten with food.
Week of the Journal-I'm still journalling. At first I was filling out every single nutrient and that was crazy. Now I just track calories, water, and exercise for the most part. I have an arrangement with a girlfriend to scan & email my journal to her and it makes a big difference to know someone is actually going to look at it.
Agave Love & I Like, I Don't Like-My family has successfully transitioned to Agave Syrup and I've found it to be much less expensive at the US Costco. They sell two bottles for the price of one at the Superstore. Such a deal!
Raw Energy-I am still making recipes out of this cookbook. It is my fav. Of course I make the almond milk but it has all these great cookie and square recipes that I always end up making into "balls". I have a small scoop and no matter what the recipe, I find it easier to scoop it into balls instead of pressing into a pan and trying to cut into squares. I have a freezer full of every kind of nut/cocoa/date/fruit ball you can imagine! The latest is a carob, almond butter, dried cranberry combination that tasted hideous at first. A real recipe failure that cost a fortune to make. I didn't throw it away though and I'm glad because after trying a couple frozen ones after dinner tonight, I found the taste kind of grows on you. Weird, but true!
Hungry at Work & Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail-I stocked my office fridge with some Kashi bars, a package of sourdough crisp bread and some natural peanut butter. I found that I would reach for the bars but the crisp bread & peanut butter went untouched for weeks. Just as I was beginning to doubt the wisdom of keeping those foods around, I got really hungry (non-sufficient lunch) and was really glad to reach for the crispbread & peanut butter. When you're truely hungry, you will eat what's available--glad it was something nutritious!
Didn't see an update on your favorite blog topic? Let me know and I'll be happy to 'fess up!
Melissa, you are so wonderful and I know you are an inspiration to so many people who have thoughts about bettering their lives, but lack the motivation. I love you and I continue to be super proud of you and I'm still hoping some of your self discipline will magically rub off on your little sister!
ReplyDelete