Healthy* habits I plan to keep in August

1. Exercising 7 days a week. I LOVE IT. Annabel and I are so happy when I make sure we get an hour of walking in, and I adore seeing myself get stronger doing strength workouts. I have muscle definition in my thighs (front and sides!), and I can see muscles in my arms for the first time in a looooong time. I love it.

2. Avoiding added sugar for the most part. I FEEL SO GOOD YOU GUUUUUYS. YES I still put Fairlife chocolate milk in my coffee. YES I eat mini Cliff bars and mini Larabars, which both have a bit of sugar. YES I am eating dark chocolate after dinner, but otherwise? No sweets for me, and the longer I go without them, the less I want to eat them. Minnie and I made banana chocolate chip bread, and I didn't even think about eating stray chocolate chips from the counter or tasting the bread as it cooled. It wasn't that I wanted those things but didn't want to eat them, I just... wasn't interested. 

3. Balancing meals and snacks:  During the banana bread making, I was also full from the rosemary ham (Trader Joe's), brie, mustard, and arugula sandwich (with 2 plums!) I had for lunch and the string cheese, pecans, and apple I ate for an afternoon snack. I am making sure to have protein and fiber at every meal and snack, and I am not walking away from any meals and snacks feeling hungry or unsatisfied. If I feel hungry, I eat more food. It's great.

4. Eating an anti inflammatory diet. I eat most of these things (except avocado because I am allergic) every day, and I feel SO GOOD. I am sleeping well (THANK GOODNESS). (Most days-- I had a crappy night recently and am going to talk about it with my OB next week). My mood is great. I don't experience energy spikes and crashes. My wedding rings fit again, and I can wear them every day. I also think the red skin around my mouth and nose has gone away, but that might be my tan.

5. Wearing my dorky vest and ankle weights. I feel very strong and capable. Also dorky. Did I mention that?

5. Making sure my exercise clothes are at least semi-presentable. I feel better when I look better, so I will make sure to buy a few pairs of not-ugly joggers and sweats as the weather gets cooler. I used to work out in rags and then if I had to go somewhere before I got a chance to exercise, I would skip the work out or I'd get up crazy early to fit it all in, and, it turns out, I just needed better clothes. Now I can run an errand, take a kid somewhere, etc before OR after exercise-- game changer. I felt VERY validated when I heard Kendra Adachi talk about the magic of starting her day in a sports bra on The Lazy Genius podcast because I stumbled upon this hack on my own, and it has really been genius.

6. Thinking about macros: For me, this is a totally emotion-free lens through which to view food. I want to eat around 100 grams of protein a day and around 30 grams of fiber and have about a 40/30/30 split for protein, carbs, and fat. I also want to keep sodium under 2000 mg. It is fun to plan meals (for everyone!) with these guidelines in mind. Last night, for example, the kids and I had steamed broccoli and snap peas, roasted sweet potatoes (with olive oil), and chicken breasts, and they also had french bread and butter. It was easy, quick, and delicious. For dessert they had ice cream and wafer cookies, and I put almond butter on half an HU salty dark chocolate bar (it is common for us to have dessert every night and for people to choose their own from a variety of sweet options). 

7. Prepping meals: A bigger goal of mine is to do a better job of batch prepping meal components a few times a week. I have done this to an extent lately (making enough sweet potatoes for a few days; cooking a bunch of beans and quinoa at once), but I could be more strategic about it, and I would LOVE to remember to make steel cut oats ahead of time. It would also help me to have a bunch of protein options ready to go. I do this with chicken, lentils, and black beans pretty well-- but what else do I want to eat? Chick peas? Cottage cheese? Turkey? What do you eat for protein that's not red meat? (I am eating fish a few times a week, but, for me, that's not a make ahead food). Minnie and I went to TJs the other day, and I remembered all of their pre-cubed starchy veggies and fresh veggie noodle options-- I will be back for these!

(She gave me one of her stickers)

8. Swallowing those supps. I am taking fish oil and fiber and apple cider vinegar gummies and B6 in the morning and magnesium at night, plus melatonin as needed. I also eat my trusty Costco super greens sometimes (caffeine in them, so if I don't remember them before 10, I skip them).

*Healthy: Was my use of this word disingenuous in this post and in previous posts? Should I have said diet or weight loss instead? I don't think so, actually. I want to be healthier AND ALSO I want to lose weight. I have lost 15 pounds and I would really like to lose 15 more. And weight loss CAN be healthy-- and you can lose weight in a way that is good for your body, happens WHILE you are building muscle, and is also good for your mental health. Weight loss and good mental health are not diametrically opposed, and if I am planning the number of times I might indulge on sweets in an especially celebratory month? I actually think that's OK, you guys. If I skip the bread and butter at dinner because I would rather eat other things that deliver carbs and fat in a way that better supports my cholesterol and sugar management, my macros, and my weight loss goal? That's OK, too. Being mindful about what I consume is not automatically disordered. Yes, I like the way I look better when I am thinner (thanks, diet culture-- none of us grew up in a vacuum), but I also really really like the way I feel when I am stronger and on a more even keel thanks to more regular exercise and a really nutritious diet. So. For me right now in the way that I am doing it, weight loss is part of my healthy habits.