New Year, New Lifestyle

First post of the new year!!! Happy New Year, folks!

There's nothing like being motivated by the fresh start presented by the new year. I have to confess that I'm certainly one of those "New Year's Resolution" people. But I like to try making them as realistic and achievable as possible.

Caleb and I normally make a Top Ten list, including the classic eat better and exercise more plan, as well as a book list we want to get through in the coming year. Last year I can't remember how many books we wanted to read, but we managed to get through all the Harry Potter books, and nearly all of the Chronicles of Narnia books together, which I think is pretty good! This year, some books on our list include The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The Hobbit, finishing the Last Battle (last book in the Narnia series,) and the Hunger Games Trilogy, as well as some spiritual books (lives of the saints, books on Orthodoxy, etc).

This year, my personal list is much the same as last year's. I'm back on track to losing the baby weight I've gained with (now) two bouncing baby boys. Caleb and I are doing something a little dramatic for our diet this year. We've decided to base it on portion control - eating only one serving of whatever we're eating, and cutting out what I'll call "fluff foods." Fluff foods are the ones you eat mindlessly because they're there, and hey, you feel like munching on something. You're not really enjoying the fluff food, because it's normally not quality food that one might relish.

That said, the diet, or rather, lifestyle changes, we've decided to make are these:

* Don't eat past 8 PM
* Endeavor to drink as much water as possible (and for me, this means drinking quite a lot, as I'm nursing)
* Eat as much natural, whole, real food as possible - eggs, meat, dairy, whole grains, raw fruits and vegetables, etc.
* Eat said food in allotted serving sizes and therefore get used to eating less.
* Stop eating before we are full, and drink water before, during, and after eating so as to fill up sooner. This will help us to feel full when really, we've just filled ourselves up with water and just enough food that we need.
* Enjoy eating the food we prepare for ourselves. This is key - not to do anything else while eating (reading magazines, being on the computer, busying around the kitchen, etc.) The focus is the food and to enjoy it fully. Eat only when sitting down, so as to focus on the food and conversation around the table.
* Quality over quantity is the general idea. The better the food, the less you need of it. The better the food, the more you can savor it. The less you eat, the smaller your stomach, the more you lose.

In addition to this lifestyle change, I am planning to (rather than to entirely overwhelm myself with exercising and working out,) increase the action in my lifestyle. If I'm taking a walk out in the woods, tramping through sticks and leaves and up and down hills, I'm not going to be thinking about the workout I'll end up getting - I'm going to be preoccupied with the beauty of being outdoors and feeling the fresh air.

I am hoping to start swimming again soon, which I would LOVE, because there is no form of exercise I've ever craved as much as swimming. It is my favorite. And in order to strengthen my body again with as little strain on my joints as possible, swimming is the perfect way to achieve that. My goal is to eventually get back into running and maybe even attempt my first ever marathon (starting with a mini). That would be incredible... But for now, I'll keep it realistic and achievable.

Steady as she goes...

I have a tendency to load up my plate, so to speak, and try too much at once, resulting in a predictable crash and burn only weeks after setting lofty goals for myself, plowing on hard core. Hopefully that will not happen this time. I'm planning on trying to be as consistent as possible. That is my overall goal this year.
Consistency.

This will probably sound amusing, but my general goal is to... make goals for myself this year - monthly goals, weekly goals, daily goals. I don't think I'm a naturally goal-oriented person, so it only just occurred to me fairly recently that I would probably have a much more organized lifestyle if I made goals for myself. Novel, eh? I know, I know... I'm a genius.

Said goals will include personal, family, spiritual, organizational, and project-oriented goals. Haven't come up with any yet, but it won't take me long to think some up. I'll probably make a list. I'm good at lists. I like lists.

So, all in all, I'm very excited for this new year! I'm content right now. There is so much to be grateful for, and I'm on my way to discovering just how much.

Thank you, God, for this year, a fresh opportunity to begin anew.

Wishing you all a very happy and successful new year. Happy 2012!


Here's the Quote of the Day:

"For the wonderful qualities of faith are two: that it both accomplishes great things, and suffers great things; and regards the suffering as nothing."

~ St. John Chrysostom

New Year Resolutions - A New Spin on 2011

This is the first post of the new year, I believe! It's funny, the very second each new year hits, I automatically feel more motivated to work on things. Not that that is all bad, but what is it that makes people want to start off with a clean slate for a new year? Why can't we feel like this at the beginning of every month, or every week, or day? Thank goodness it at least happens to me at least once a year instead of once every ten years. 2011 is not an even number.

I am definitely one of those people who makes New Year Resolutions. And I do a fair job at endeavoring to keep them, but the effort in essence hasn't become a habit, so therefore, I falter right along with the February crowd. Every year.

Supposedly, it only takes twenty-one days to form a habit. Well... habits aren't necessarily lifestyles, are they? I think it takes a bit more than just twenty-one days to form a lifestyle.

And, in a nutshell, that is what I'm about this year in particular - I'm out to create a better lifestyle, made up of better habits. But I'm pretty sure it all starts with your attitude. If your attitude is in the right place, so will your motivation and determination, and consequently, you'll accomplish what you want.

For me, the biggest thing I want to start doing (for life) is living what I believe. I'm such a good talker... I'm so good in fact, that I'm hypocritical. I know exactly what I need to do, but while I'm preaching it, I'll be doing the opposite! So, starting now, I'm trying to do what I believe. It really does take courage.

I am including the classic lose weight/exercise more combo also. I still have baby weight to lose, and it's not going anywhere unless I make it! This stuff takes honesty too - brutal, unforgiving honesty. Still working on the exercise end, but the eating better is going alright so far. I bought a jump rope after I learned that you can burn up to about 500 calories if you jump rope for a straight hour. It was only $3, so I haven't really wasted any money by neglecting to use it yet. But I should start soon. I watched some YouTube videos of some crazy jump roping to psych me up.

In general, what I want is to learn how to be balanced and consistent and hard-working. Those three things will help me in my struggles right now; I'll become a much better woman as a result of diligently working on them. Along with pursuing a better spiritual life (I'll get into that next.) I think I tend to gravitate toward extremes, and when that happens, I'll go go go for one big burst and then crash like it never happened. So I want to be more consistent in how I'm doing things. I think the key with me is to make goals that are easily achievable and work from there.

On the spiritual end, I'm trying to keep my prayer rule. I want to be reading more Scripture, lives of the saints, and teachings of the Church Fathers, and I'm going to start meeting regularly with my priest to talk. I definitely need accountability and some direction from a priest.

So, I think I'm on the right track!

Some things I've realized make me feel best are:

* Doing something for Caleb every day
* Doing something for me every day: something I love or want to do
* Working around the house somehow every day
* Doing a good job taking care of Cillian every day
* Play piano a little every day
* Pray every day
* Eat right and do something active every day

There are many others, but those are the main ones that make me feel like I'm being a worthy wife and mother, and just a good human being.

So, all of that said - I hope you make it a point to start better lifestyles and not be so wrapped up in starting new habits! I think new and improved habits are good, but they only get you so far. If your attitude is willing, you can create any lifestyle you can dream of.

Happy New Year, folks! May it be a wonderful 2011 for all of you!

Here's the first Quote of the Day for the new year, from the 2011 Orthodox Daily Calendar:

"He who is not submissive in his talk will certainly not be so in what he does. To be unfaithful in the small things is to be unfaithful in the great, and this is very hard to bring under control."

~ St. John Climacus