Sick

Ugh. I got a throat bug and it has set me back for more than a week now. I haven't been able to run and it is really frustrating. I've been eating instead!! Ugh ugh ugh.

Hopefully it is on the mend now. I am going to try to go for a run again in the morning.

Small changes

I am focussing on 3 small changes at the moment:
- 5+ fruit and vege per day
- 30 min exercise per day (6 times per week)
- <45 mins on computer per night

I want to get these nailed before I start focussing on some other goals.

Only 130 days until child-free-island-holiday!!!!

Running to music

Wow - I got an early Christmas present (just couldn't wait!) of an MP3 player, and it has made a HUGE difference to my running. I loaded up some up beat songs that I love, and I have pretty much been getting out there every 2nd day and running (slowly and with a couple of walk breaks) for around 30 mins at a time. It is fantastic!!!!

Have just got back from being away on a course for a few days. It is nice to be home, but I find tonight I have settled back into my old habits munch-wise.... hmmn.

I'm glad I'm not on a diet

The title of this post is true. I'm glad that I'm not counting points, and weighing and feeling guilty.... I eat the foods I like, and I avoid "diet" foods (low fat/no taste/eat more foods). I enjoy exercising for the feeling it gives me, not because it means that I can eat more or weigh less.

But... there is a but, I don't really feel like I have been following the intuitive eating guidelines.

I am a major grazer, and I eat beyond full, and for emotional reasons.

This post gave me food for thought today.. particularly this bit "...carefully listen to your internal cues. If you're not sure whether you're really hungry, you probably aren't. Stop eating when you feel like you’ve had enough to go for a while without eating again. Eating past that point regularly will make you less hungry for subsequent meals, and again, if you’re not proficient in listening to your hunger cues, you may end up overeating. "

My focus for the next 7 days will be eating at defined times - not to restrict me, but just to guide my body into feeling and satisfying that hunger.

They are basic principles, I know what to do... now I just need to become conscious about it, and get off autopilot-excuse-maker.

Eureka!

I've got it!

Well.... I still have a long way to go, but I am getting there. Today was a progress day, after several days of bingeing on sweet stuff and feeling stuffed full.

I took a small piece of leftover brownie with me to work today along with my lunch. I told myself I would have it in the afternoon when I wanted that sugar. I took some fruit and nuts to snack on, but made sure that I was hungry when I snacked.

I installed a little timer program that I have set to count down for 5 minutes on my work computer. When I feel the urge for the snackbox, I hit the timer, promising myself that if I still want it when the timer stops, then I can have it. I did this several times today (lots and lots actually!) but I never actually wanted it at the end of the time. Sometimes I had some nuts or a piece of fruit instead, but mostly I had a drink of water, or just carried on working!

I also am trying to get some spirituality and prayer back into my life. I think that has helped.

For work I am going on a Scrum course soon. Scrum is a project management process for developing software in small "bits" and focussing on the most important things first. I had another Eureka moment this morning and thought that I should apply this approach to the stuff in my life that I want to improve on (healthy eating, exercise, relationships). I'm going to write a list of the things I want to do, prioritise them, and focus on just those that are at the top of the list for a 30 day "sprint".

On a completely different tangent, I have also signed up for Nanowrimo (thanks to Jenn!). I've never written anything in my life, but I'm going to give it a go... Only problem is that it will require even *more* time on the computer! :-)