Here we go...

I know, I know, it's a total cliché to start the new year off by re-committing to healthier living. And yet, that's exactly what I'm doing (well, trying to do). Again. Geez. You'd think something would have stuck by now, but...no, never mind, you wouldn't think that. Anyway, I'm attempting a couple different methods this time around that just might work. You know, because they play off my insecurities and well-developed sense of guilt! Yay.

So this time (since everything else has failed thanks to my spectacular lack of willpower and amazing ability to sabotage good things in my life), I'm trying to build in a little accountability. I have a calendar hanging in my living room, visible on the way into the kitchen. This is where I document my workout accomplishments and encourage some healthy guilt. And since one calendar can be willfully ignored if you're determined enough, I've duplicated it online and posted it right here at the top of this blog! So now I have fewer excuses, which actually does help me somehow (except for last week, which was...yeah. I'm giving myself a pass there). I'm also trying to get Jay to kick my ass into gear when I'm being whiny and self-pitying. So far, this has been unsuccessful, but that's just because he's too nice (and/or tunes me out when I'm being that annoying).

The second major thing I'm doing, starting this week, is devising a mealplan for each week. This is supposed to help me make better food choices, which is important because I don't want to negate all the sweating and cursing and calorie-burning goodness from the first part of my plan. I got this nifty program called MacGourmet that allows me to import all my recipes (and they are legion; it's taking a while), create mealplans, and populate shopping lists. I'll do all my required shopping on the weekend, and voila! Fewer excuses to eat out and consume instant crap. So far this week, we've made spaghetti squash with pumpkin seed pesto and a cranberry bean-kale soup. Healthy AND tasty!

So that's the plan. Not much to it, really, but I don't want to introduce too many drastic changes into my life all at once. Honestly, I find it difficult enough to get up every day and go to work, so this is about all I can handle at the moment. I'm shooting for 3-4 days a week of moderate exercise at first (i.e. elliptical, some ab work, some weights). I'll revise my expectations as I go along. And I'm going to try to get in more dark, leafy greens, lean proteins, and whole grains every week. Sensible, no?

I think my problem in the past has been over-ambition -- trying to overhaul all of my bad habits at the same time, or going full-tilt at the gym when I hadn't worked out in months. I was setting myself up to fail. This time, I'm going to cut myself a little more slack (but not too much!) and do the sensible thing by going slowly. And if I do this right, I'm confident that in a few months, I'll feel (and look) so much better. Then it won't seem like such a chore! I hope.

Encouragement would be extremely welcome, by the way. :)