I've been at this attempt to exercise and be healthier for 11 weeks now. I've lost over ten pounds, changed around the foods we've had in the house, and driven everyone a little crazy. I think it's gotten to where you can see a difference in the way I look, my jeans I bought 6 months ago are definitely looser on me. The exercise has become easier too. Instead of avoiding them, and the workouts being a chore, I now want to go work out and do more and for longer as well. I worked out 6 days last week, of course I gained a pound too, we'll say it must be muscle. What I decided with all of this though is that I have chosen the hard way of things. You have to plan and take the time to workout, that's part of it. What is really the hard part (and it turns out to be the expensive part too) is the eating. It's not so much the missing out on fatty foods or sweets or things like that, it's more the inconveniences. It is easier to buy prepared foods or go out to eat. I have chosen to try and eat and cook for me and my family organically as much as possible. Now I am not militant about this or a zealot about it, I'm not willing to make those kinds of sacrifices or put my ideas on anyone else (sometimes I wish I could). I also don't think anyone needs to make accommodations for me if I come to their house. I also like to eat out at restaurants, and not too many are organic, so I have to overlook that when we go out. For the summer we will have fresh produce from a CSA, but for now without it means shopping mostly at Whole Foods or Whole Paychecks as I recently heard it referred to. It's no wonder that obesity is rampant in poorer communities, it's expensive to try and eat healthy. It's a lot easier and cheaper to hit McD's. That brings up another difficult aspect of this, my kids. On the whole my kids usually eat pretty healthy, but they are constantly bombarded with advertising to do otherwise. Fast food and their toys are the worst. The boys have not been happy about their reduction in happy meals. I'm not so mean that they can't ever have them, but I've also made it clear that it will be rare. I also still let them have the kids cereals (Lucky Charms and the such), we all grew up on them, so it's hard to deny them those. But I'll also cook them eggs or pancakes anytime they want instead. I don't want to deprive them of anything or make something more desirable by forbidding it. It still is hard to make them understand what is and isn't healthy and why it is important to try and be healthy. In the long run I think we'll all be better off for my efforts, and I think it will get easier as I do it more, and as society shifts its views as well. As for me, I still have a ways to go in my healthy efforts and exercise as I work towards looking like Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. I can have my pipe dreams still can't I? I also have to survive vacation next week too, not sure what's going to happen with the diet and exercise there.
