How To Save a Life

Well I’m about 3/4ths of my way through my first week of actually having somewhere to be at specific times. Before, I could work out whenever the mood struck me – but now that I actually have to be somewhere. I’ve noticed a little bit of a shift in how my body has been working lately, which is mainly in the sleep area. I am somehow falling away from my nocturnal instincts and find myself in bed on the early side. Aside from the fact that it’s the first week of the semester and a new job so my brain is overloaded, I was actually sleeping earlier before school started. And For the most part, that means about 10:30 PM each night. Part of me thinks that this is because of the added activity I’ve been doing, the other part of me says it’s because I somehow keep waking up before the roosters. It’s probably a combination of both.

So with the start of a busy schedule, I had to set a plan because if I did this whimsically, I’d end up exercising one day a week or not at all. Being fit takes a lot of planning and concentration. It also takes a lot of time.

I have to say it’s really weird to have time to sit around and stare at the floor for a couple minutes as in the past, I’ve usually timed my sleep to out the door for work schedule down to a T. I knew that it took me exactly 20 minutes to go from sleep to showered and dressed. (Alright, I was always running a few minutes late)

But anyway, I’ve decided that four days a week would suffice and due to my cut back on my caloric intake, I really can get away with exercising only 20 minutes each day. It would be better if I kicked it up to 30 minutes, and eventually I will get there, but for this month, I’ll stick with 20 during the week and 25 minutes on Saturday.

So I’ve picked Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday’s as the days I am “physically active” and the other days I just make sure to not sit for too long. Did you know writing was a form of physical activity?! Just think if I really got serious and wrote as much as I’d like… I might be physically fit….Not likely. Also, I think once the winter clears and the lakes warm up, I’ll use the alternate days as days for swimming. I’m looking forward to the summer and getting out side for some of this Now-no-longer-as-lazy-Jennie.

What also has been helping is that I have an app, it’s called LoseIt! And it helps me track my exercise and calorie count to which I find myself eating 1/3rd less calories that I am allotted, and it’s really showing on the scale. It also is a place where I’ve found a lot of cheerleaders that are helping me along this journey, I might have to take back my thoughts about support groups, because I am really digging the support I have been getting from other people on the app as well as my family. It’s very encouraging.

I’m just very impressed with myself this week, and I hope that it’s something that I maintain, but the fact that I’m seeing results on the scale really helps push me forward. But on the other hand, I’m trying very hard not to become extremely neurotic about things. I want to be able to blend my life and fitness without being the person that’s out to eat with friends and only eats lettuce and water. Health smart, but sometimes, you really just want that Culver’s Butterburger!

My struggle this week is a couple of days I find myself hungry but afraid to actually eat things. It’s not like I particularly want to eat chips and bad things all the time, but I feel like I’m not getting enough to fill myself, or I am, but because I’m more active, my body is burning off these smaller portions and going “Now what?!”

So, aside from water, what else can I eat/do to make the fuller feeling last longer?