Do you have a defining moment that made you kick your health and fitness into high gear? Maybe you had a health scare or you saw someone else go through a health scare. Maybe you just looked in the mirror one day and didn’t like what you saw. For me it’s been things and events that have happened over a number of years.
My first defining moment was becoming pregnant with my first child.
As a woman, I think that’s when most of us take the best care of ourselves…when we know there is another human being, who we love unconditionally the minute we know they exist, depending on us to take care of them. How can you not take care of yourself when something so important and precious is developing inside of you?
I was fortunate to have this moment happen to me twice and now have two perfect little boys I’m proud to call my sons.
That in itself is a defining moment, isn’t it…being a mom? I have two boys who trust that what I feed them is good for them and will help them grow. It is my responsibility to keep my kids safe and do whatever I can to make their futures bright.
So I do good for them, for their health. But how many moms tell their kids to ease up on the junk food but then turn their backs and sneak yet another piece of chocolate? It’s not just me, is it? (Please say it isn’t so.) Or how many moms scrutinize the nutritional information on a box of cereal before buying it for their kids, but then eat breakfast on the go herself which may consist of a high sugar granola bar or something much worse than any of those cereals? Or worse yet, skip breakfast all together?
I’ve been that mom, for 8 years now. Sure, I’ve gotten better. Having breast cancer was another huge defining moment for me and really made me look at what I was eating. And I’m definitely exercising more. But I still slip. I still have moments where I give in to temptation “just this one timeâ€â€¦like 3 or 4 times a day.
But I’m working on this. One of my New Year’s resolutions was to take my workout up a notch. That is all fine and dandy but I’ve realized what’s holding me back from this body
is more than just my efforts at the gym, it’s my diet. Okay, maybe there’s a heck of a lot more holding me back from that body than just food, but I can maybe try to get HALF way to this body by working on the food part. The first step to success is admitting my faults. So here goes it…
Confessions of the mind, body, and soul
Forgive me mind, body and soul for I have done you wrong. Today I admit to the following:
Instead of a “scant handful†of almonds for a snack, as suggested in numerous eating healthy books, I had about FIVE “scant handfuls†of almonds.
While preparing dinner tonight I ate about 5 of those buttery Ritz crackers (okay, maybe it was 10).
For dinner, I ate the skin from my chicken. Hey, at least it was baked and not fried…but then I ate the skin from my kid’s piece of chicken too, since I didn’t let him eat it because it is bad for him.
I only drank 4 glasses of water today. Even though this is 2 more glasses than I drank yesterday, my goal is to drink the recommended 8, which I don’t believe I have EVER done in my life, seriously.
Lastly, I raised my voice at my 5 year old this morning not once, but twice, which I know raised my stress level, which in turn raised my blood pressure. That one is going to be a tough one to fix.
But, I promise to try harder tomorrow. I’m sure you’ll be hearing from me again (especially for the yelling bit). That is all. Amen.
