Kick-Start September
The beginning of a new month is always an inspiring time to me. It's like a mini New Year. Of course, like most New Year's resolutions, my monthly quests tend to fall by the wayside halfway through. If you can't tell, I'm a bit of a procrastinator. But this year has really shown me that I need to take my overall health and wellness more seriously. I have begun transitioning to cruelty-free cosmetics and skincare. A few months ago I learned my cholesterol was elevated a bit. That was a very sobering moment. In order to take control of my body and mind's strength and resilience, I am going to improve my diet, cooking skills, daily activity levels, focus on building new habits and work on breaking old ones. I want to get to that mythical place where you see, and more importantly, feel results.
I hardly ever near that 10,000 step benchmark each day. In the past I have tried many, many times to start and maintain a fitness routine. I have failed. Each week I probably average a forty-five minute walk and a few days of light stretching. My job consists of sitting at a computer most days. My hobbies consist of much of the same. I don't enjoy or practice any physical hobbies regularly. I am extremely fond of food and dining, and this includes junk food and even worse, especially processed sugars. I am not obscenely un-healthy, by most standards. I don't even like red meat or alcohol very much, and I don't get up in the middle of the night to eat cheese by the block. But I am by no means healthy, and I want to focus now on becoming healthier. I feel bloated almost all the time. I have no endurance, pitiful flexibility and muscle tone, am often sluggish and tired, haven't slept well in years, and manage life with depression. I can use an improvement in many areas that all tie into one another. Health = wealth.
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A wonderful thing happened today, soon after I'd resolved most of these ideas in my head. A free FitBit Flex came my way, just missing a battery! I couldn't believe it, it felt like such serendipity. I have been wanting some such thing to keep more accurate track of my daily activity levels, but haven't been able to justify the $50-$100 price tag of even the most basic models. So thank you universe for sending me a little jump-start to boost my excitement and commitment to moving more. And so now I'm armed, with a basketful of fresh foods in the kitchen, sneakers, and a small list of clean-eating resources: