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Thursday, August 20, 2009

2 Weeks in One!

That's right, we have weeks 10 AND 11 all rolled into one here today! Fun, Fun, Fun! Almost Done!

Well, almost done with this BETTERU Program, that's all. Nothing else is almost done. Habits are still being learned, changed for the better. We are a work in progress, and there is always more to do. Now ... for the results...

Planning Menus and Food Journaling ... all that writing things down seems to be a problem, for some strange reason. I pick up a notebook and paper and write down everything on my mind, and I avoid the food issue. This one is going to be a constant thorn in my side. I know it will work wonders for the whole family in so many ways: budgeting, not wasting food, eating healthier meals and snacks, not eating too much (me!) as I write everything down. And especially while the gym is closed, I particularly need to watch my intake more carefully (that's my weigh-in, so no reminders from the scale for a couple weeks!). So this goal has not yet been reached. Still working on it.

Week 10: the focus is on family history and family health. Well, as I've said before, not much in the way of family history and heart disease. Got the genes on my side, so I better just work with them. As for my family, well, they're pretty active, but the guys sure do love their snacks! Meals, not so much. One of my goals was to get them all to sit down to a heart-healthy meal. My cooking is pretty heart healthy most of the time anyway, so the sitting down part is no problem. It's the getting them to eat it part that's a chore ... a work in progress.

Goal number 2, get the family active together, with one new activity per week. Well, we've all been "working out", both at home and the gym. The boys have been paying attention to their muscles, and they like to see improvement in their physique. They do sit-ups and push-ups nearly every morning, with us parents coaching them on, and joining in to show how it's done. (ok, I'm still working on my push-up form!). Activity is a family habit ... hope it stays that way.

Week 11 (that's right, 2 for the price of 1!): All about cigarette smoking. We are a non-smoking family. Even the extended family are non-smokers. I have no smoking friends. Restaurants are smoke-free here. My family lives a smoke-free lifestyle. My kids even equate smokers with criminals (and yes, I correct them and say it's a bad habit, not a bad person!).

But that's not to say that this week does not apply. No, no, no, no, no! A smoker's biggest obstacle in achieving the smoke-free lifestyle is the lapse, often caused by "high risk situations" (for me that could be just a schedule change, jeez!). Anyway, that is what I must be alert for: the lapse, the sitting back and letting old habits just sneak their way back in to my life. It's all about the cookies for me, and while they don't harm those around me, never heard of second-hand cookie breath, I must still be vigilant and not let the cookies take over.

So, the goals for this week: Watch out for the cookies! Just keep writing things down and pay attention to what goes in ... and work off the extra beer I had at the Journey concert the other night. And pay attention to the schedule change: no gym does not mean no workout! Neither does rain or travelling ... just do it. Actually that's an easier one to keep, because I know how I feel if I don't move ... stiff and achy. I work my muscles, and reward them with a soak in the pool (oh no, the pool is closing for the summer soon! another obstacle!). Well, there's always the tub, I guess, in a pinch. I think I need to look for a healthclub with a pool close by, or it's going to be a long winter.


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