health nut

In my continuous quest for self-improvement, I've been working on my health. I remember when I was a vegetarian, my dad always used to ask me if I felt better eating no meat. I didn't really understand what he was talking about, but now that I'm older (and my body is maybe less resilient than it used to be), I definitely notice a difference.

That's perhaps the most surprising thing -- living well FEELS good. Exercise releases endorphins, those happy chemicals. Here are the things I've been doing that have resulted in good feelings, and also some tips as to how I've kept it going.

* QUIT SMOKING CIGARETTES! For real. It's been over a year and a half since I sucked down one of those little monsters, and I haven't had even a smidgen of a desire for once since I quit. I know it's hard; I smoked for almost ten years. I used a method of a combination Zyban/Wellbutrin prescription plus reading Allen Carr's The Easy Way to Stop Smoking, which I highly recommend. Quitting lowered my cholesterol. Quitting got rid of that awful morning hacking cough to get the residual muck and phlegm out of my lungs, and it made it easier to breathe. Hence easier to work out, and work out effectively. Not to mention the money I've saved not buying cigarettes.

* Drink enough water. I drink right around 100 ounces a day, because I work out and I live at a high elevation. They have water calculators where you can figure out how much you need. I have a 32oz water bottle I carry everywhere with me. It's probably my favorite possession. At first you have to pee a lot, but keeping yourself hydrated is important -- sometimes you reach for food not because you're hungry, but because you're thirsty. Once you become accustomed to how it feels to be fully hydrated all the time, you really notice when you start to become dehydrated. And you can feel the difference between hunger and thirst. And if you want clearer skin and weight loss without a lot of effort, drinking more water is an easy and obvious solution.

* Quit drinking coffee. This one was tough for me; I love coffee, and I drank a lot of it every day. I had to catch the stomach flu to be able to quit; my stomach was far too upset to drink any coffee, and I was so miserable I didn't even notice the effects of caffeine withdrawal, which I know are brutal. But once I started getting better, I decided not to start a daily habit of coffee-drinking again. Instead, I drink tea -- black tea in the morning for breakfast, green or herbal tea in the afternoon and a peppermint/chamomile, caffeine-free tea in the evening. I still drink coffee every once in a while, like less than once a week. But with the lattes I was drinking, that meant a significant number of additional calories, plus I didn't really enjoy the jittery caffeinated feeling. The tea I drink in the morning has just enough to be a pep-up, and my desire for a cup of something hot and comforting a few times a day is satisfied.

* Follow a sensible diet. Don't eat out every day, preferably even every week. And fast food is included in eating out. I use mostly a South Beach Diet-style of nutrition; I eat whole grains instead of refined (pasta, bread, etc.); I try to have a big salad for one of my meals each day; the cheese I eat is exclusively low-fat or fat-free; the meats I eat are lean (mostly fish and poultry). It's not as hard as it sounds. Last night, I had burgers and grilled corn for dinner, except the burgers were turkey burgers, the buns were whole wheat (no enriched flour), the cheese was low-fat, I used mustard instead of mayonnaise and the butter flavoring for the corn came from an olive-oil based spread instead of actual butter or even margarine. And it still was delicious. I eat turkey bacon and turkey sausage for breakfast sometimes, whole-grain waffles ... you get the idea. It's still yummy, and it's much better for me. D and I sit down and make a grocery list together about once a week, talking about and figuring out what we want, and once at the store, we buy only what's on the list. Saves time and money.

* Exercise regularly. I do a combination of dance, yoga and pilates. I have quite a DVD collection that I've accumulated over years; so the difference is, I just use them. I rotate my workouts throughout the week. Every day I exercise, I give myself a sparkly star on my calendar and I note which workout I did; that way, I can look over the past few days and see what areas I need to focus on. After I collect a certain number of stars, I'm allowed a workout-related reward -- like a couple of new DVDs, a new pair of sneakers, some new clothes, whatever.

* Meditate. I meditate for about ten minutes every morning before I leave for work. It keeps me focused throughout my day and it's also easier to control my emotions; I'm calmer.

*Quit biting nails. It's better for my nails and my teeth. And now I have pretty nails. The trick is to get the nails long enough to where you can start taking care of them. Once they start looking truly lovely, it's a lot more difficult to bite. I also carry a file around with me everywhere I go in case I get a snag or rough spot that needs to be smoothed out. Don't use teeth for that.

* Get enough sleep. Seriously, I need about eight hours a night. If I don't get that, I'm cranky. If I get more, I'm cranky. Figure out what you need and then make sure you get it.

* Weigh daily. I use a scale that also calculates body fat percentage, and when I'm done weighing I write my weight and body fat percentage on my calendar. It's really motivating when I'm feeling blah about myself or my body to look at the calendar and see how much I've improved over the past week or month. I write the numbers tiny; probably no one but me would know what they are, but I don't really care if they do. It's for me and improving MYself, not for anybody else. And like the stars, it's a way to track where I've been and where I'm going.

* Clean house. It burns calories; it provides you with a calming, restful, peaceful environment instead of a chaotic one; it gives you the space to work out you didn't think you had. Because I do most of my workouts at home, I've designated the study as my workout room. I have all my DVDs in there, my weights, my yoga mat, my exercise ball. There's a mini DVD player I use to play the workouts. It took some time to get there, but because the desk is pretty neat and the floor is clear, I have the room to do the dancing and everything else in my DVDs without having to stay in one place the entire time. Plus, if your kitchen and dishes are clean, you're more likely and better able to make dinner yourself instead of going outside the house. Cleaning house is an improvement project in and of itself for me; I'm not the most organized person, and it took a long time before I figured out how to get it clean and keep it that way. Flylady.net was an invaluable resource for me.

* Take care! Take bubble baths. Lay clothes out the night before, with jewelry, which gives time to find a super-cute outfit that's coordinated and clean, and keeps mornings calmer. Just the little things that make you feel special and loved. I use my nice china on a daily basis. I burn the special candles. Why save it if you're not going to enjoy it?

And here are some of the wonderful benefits I've been reaping:

* I really enjoy breathing. That sounds weird, but when you do yoga and don't smoke, breath becomes a treat.

* I have more money because I don't eat out nearly as often and I don't smoke cigarettes.

* As stated above, my skin is clearer and softer.

* I've lost weight -- to date, almost 15 pounds.

* I can feel and see my muscles starting to really tone and define under my skin, which is awesome. I think I'm starting to get the body I've really always wanted. And it feels good!

* My posture has gotten much better (the yoga and pilates), which means that at the end of the day, I'm not as sore or tired, or as tight in the shoulders.

* Stretching regularly detoxifies me.

* I feel fuller after fewer calories. Combination of the types of food I'm eating and the water I'm drinking.

* My fingernails are, seriously, beautiful. They look awesome because I take care of them regularly, filing them to the same length, plus they're strong and not all discolored because of my diet. They make my hands look really pretty.

* I'm calmer throughout my day. I don't experience emotions like anger or sadness very intensely. Conversely, I can feel intensely happy just by being alive and breathing deeply.

* I have more gratitude and appreciation for life.

* I can have friends over whenever because my house isn't embarrassingly messy.

* I have time and focus to concentrate on more areas of my life where I want to improve.

* I have the energy to do what needs to be done with my day and not feel tired or sluggish throughout. I feel great.

* I have the satisfaction of having these goals that I've accomplished and seeing how far I've come since I started seriously working on myself.

* Basically, I feel better -- great -- in every aspect of my life: body, mind, spirit.

I have to note that these are all serious lifestyle changes that took a long, long time to implement. Part of my problem up until now getting really serious about living well was my tendency to crash and burn. I had all of these things I wanted to change about myself -- as you can see above. I started drinking an appropriate amount of water about three years ago. I quit smoking nineteen months ago. I've been working on my diet and finding recipes and meals that both D and I can eat for a while now. And the house has taken a long time to come together as well.

The only way I could have gotten this far and enjoyed the process this much is by just taking things one step at a time. There's no way I could have made all these changes at once and been successful. I've picked one aspect or problem to focus on and I've tracked my progress, day by day, on my calendar. I've given myself rewards for keeping the habit going once I got to a certain number of days following the habit. And the nice thing about going slowly is that you really notice the life and body changes that follow your behavior changes.

And now, I can start making broader goals for myself because I feel like I've got the basics under control. I am by no means done. I have problems and issues in my life that need changing, but they need the kind of time and attention I was unable to give them until now, because my body or my brain or my motivation or whatever was not in the right place. Now it's all falling into place, and I can pursue higher goals. Go me!