Since moving to Florida I have kept up with my running and fitness, but I also put on a few pounds. (Darn that Southern food!) I generally don't talk about weight -- as I don't care what mine is, as long as I can still run as fast and as far as I did last year. Seriously. And I don't plan to make this a "weight issues" post, either.
All I will say is that I picked up a few bad habits when I left Southern California. (24 pounds of candy anyone?) A couple of extra pounds on my frame? Not a problem. Higher cholesterol? Now we might have a problem...
My bad habits were by no means egregious enough to require an intervention. They were just sort of quiet little changes that weren't the healthiest choices I could have made. In other words: I could have gone on with these little bad habits for years. (Butter on that biscuit? Don't mind if I do!)
I follow the blog GOOD, and have for quite some time. (It's full of relevant current events material to cover in my class!) The good people at GOOD have a tradition: each month they pick a life-improvement goal and post a 30-day challenge consisting of daily tasks to meet that goal. When I saw October's 30-day Challenge: Get Healthy, I thought:
"Oh, that's nice. I'm healthy already, but maybe it will give me something to blog about."
But here's the thing...somewhere along the way, glancing at the daily challenges in my Google Reader, something must have struck a nerve.
Over the past month, I've found myself dropping some of my new bad habits (cheese grits and bacon for weekend breakfast, fried green tomatoes as a "vegetable") and bringing back some of my healthy older habits (oatmeal and scrambled eggs for breakfast, two servings of non-fried veggies at dinner every night).
Over the past month, I've found myself dropping some of my new bad habits (cheese grits and bacon for weekend breakfast, fried green tomatoes as a "vegetable") and bringing back some of my healthy older habits (oatmeal and scrambled eggs for breakfast, two servings of non-fried veggies at dinner every night).
I haven't actually done any of the specific challenges on the day "assigned" but I am fairly certain that seeing a little "get healthy" reminder in my inbox each morning was just the inspiration I needed to kick those bad habits to the curb.
Don't get me wrong: I am not breaking up with bacon or butter. We just need a little more time apart.
Image courtesy of GOOD Challenge
Everything in moderation, right? I'm with you on the southern food. I know plenty of Northerners who are fatties, but there's something about Southern cooking that just sticks to your bones. If you feel good - keep it up!
ReplyDeleteYep. I need that. Especially as we move into the holiday season. :)
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