Sunday, March 21, 2010

Support Our Troops: A Few Good Girl Scout Cookies


I have got to say that I have radically changed my normal every day eating habits of late, eschewing white flower and refined sugar for whole wheat products and only natural sugars. I have eaten meat all of my life, and won't ever quit - but have incorporated more vegan meals into my repertoire. Its been great...I feel better, leaner and healthier!

Unfortunately, the last couple weeks my willpower has failed me. I am trying not to view what I am doing as a "diet" per se (since I hate counting calories and weighing myself compulsively), but merely a change in the way I eat. Typically not much willpower is required to eat good, healthy, clean foods. But then some really sweet little girl came to my door selling Girl Scout cookies and naturally I couldn't say no. I love what they do and what they stand for and am all about supporting them. Just a couple boxes, I said. I figured I would take them over to my weekly family dinner at my Grandpa's house and let everyone else eat them.

It had been a year since I had a Samoa, Tagalong, or Dosi-do. I wondered if they still tasted like I remembered them. The boxes sat staring at me from the counter and I figured, "What is the harm in one? Ok, two?" I think I drew the line at 4, which really wasn't bad. I did as I said and that night took the cookies to my Grandpa's and fortunately was free of them, after eating a few more to make sure I had no regrets.

Then a couple days later my husband comes home after running errands. The troops got to him too. He was at the store and bought another box or two. I even bought a couple boxes from my co-worker who's daughter is a Girl Scout. It would be several days before we went to Gramp's again. In a moment of weakness I opened a box. By the time Sunday dinner rolled around again there were 2 boxes left to bring over. Its a good thing we have a lot of people in and out of our house because I can safely convince myself that I was not the only one who ate them. (I hope).

I just had the last 3 Dosi-dos in the house. I happily enjoyed my little afternoon sweet treat with no regrets. I am going running tomorrow and am ready to start with a clean slate! Summer is coming, which means bathing suits...step away from the cookies! ;)

Sunday, March 7, 2010

My Health Essential: A Workout Buddy!

There may be some really self-motivated people out there who can always eat healthy and work out like fiends without the support and encouragement from any family or friends. I would tend to say most of us need someone to lean on...not in the way that we are making panic calls at 2 a.m. to keep us away from the ice cream in the freezer, but just a friend to check in with and keep us on the right path.

I am so lucky to have a girlfriend that lives about 10 minutes away that is that person for me. We get together about 3x per week for some type of fitness activity (running, hiking or walking). About once each winter we try to hit the slopes together and enjoy snow skiing, as we have for about 20 years. During our runs and hikes we always talk to each other about what has been going on, including what we've been eating and other exercises we have done outside of what we do together.

Does this sound boring to you? I guess I can see how it possibly would but for me, she is a lifesaver! Its fun to discuss skin care, recipes, yoga, weight gain/loss, green living and general health. As we start our 40's there are things we need to keep an eye on that we never have before. We are at the age where we are having mammograms (well I haven't had my first one yet, but I plan to soon)and having conversations about people we know with cervical and breast cancer, high cholesterol and high blood pressure. We also realize we are in the critical years for retirement savings. We motivate each other, but also keep each other informed on the latest health news.

I guess we are getting older and more responsible than ever now, so these topics are actually interesting to us. We appreciate each other and the fact that we are both fitness and health focused. Not calorie counting maniacs discussing the latest diet craze, but friends who try to get together to work out as often as possible and support each other in our healthful endeavors. We talk about plenty of other things too, my kids, her cats, politics, restaurants we love, wine and cocktails.

Having a network of some sort helps to keep you in check. It can even be a virtual network - a blog you follow, an online weight-watching program, etc. The key is to find support and motivation whatever way you can get it, in a way that gets you moving in the right direction.