It’s been a little over a month since Little C joined us. It has been an amazing month getting to know him, watching him grow, and adjusting to life with 4 of us. In some ways it feels like there have always been 4 of us and in other ways we still can’t believe we are parents at all – much less of two boys!
Becoming parents has definitely changed our lives. The focus is obviously no longer on us. We now have two little guys who completely depend on us for everything. One of the things I think about a lot is how we are going to teach them to be healthy and how we need to be examples for them. I have always struggled to eat right and stay active. In high school I played a lot of sports and ate pretty well. It was fairly easy to maintain a healthy weight and be active.
Getting married, going to college, having kids, and everything else over the past 9 years has been really tough in terms of staying healthy. I have a hard time making good choices even though I know how to eat right. When I do poorly, I have a hard timing jumping back on the wagon. Instead I tend to just get more upset which leads to more poor food choices. I would like to change that.
Between pregnancies, I joined Stroller Strides and have been really active. I started running and ran several 5ks. The end of the pregnancy and the 6 weeks I’m supposed to rest are just about over and I need to start right back up. I think my biggest problems are in my head. I talk my self out of succeeding long before I even start. My hope is that by sharing my struggles I will feel more accountable for my choices.
Goal number one is to keep a food journal. Just the act of having to write it down will probably help me make better choices.
Do you struggle with making smart choices or having motivation? What tips or tricks work for you? I’d love to hear any ideas!
One Tech Mom 
November 25th, 2012 at 7:24 pm
My ‘smart’ choices have to do with what keeps me feeling good. When I eat poorly, I feel poorly. When I feel poorly, I’m not able to give my best to my family and I get stuck in the cycle of depression… I have learned to watch out for the signs of foods that don’t make me feel good. Before our family chose veganism, we were all feeling pretty awful for one reason or another. We still have normal ‘off’ days and being vegan doesn’t necessarily mean you eat healthy, however it has made us very aware of what foods help us and what foods don’t. As you keep track of what you are eating, try to see if you notice a difference with how each food makes you feel – negatives and positives. It was much easier for me to give up the bad and eat the good when I knew how it would affect me afterwards. Also, I’ve learned to not focus so much on the weight aspect as the health aspect. I’ve been a fairly average size for a long time, but I can tell you that didn’t mean anything when it came to my health – my insides looked like crap even though I looked okay on the outside. 🙂 Hope this helps a little…
November 25th, 2012 at 8:17 pm
Thanks! I do need to focus on the health part more. I am definitely stuck in a cycle and focusing on the number on the scale doesn’t help. Even just today I’ve noticed a difference in how I feel. I know how foods affect me in general but sadly choose to ignore that sometimes. I think I’ll try focusing on how it makes me feel and see if that helps with my motivation.