This series of posts follows my journey in search of health. I am obese, diabetic, and prone to depression. In the law of cycles, since July was a good month I should have anticipated that August would be full of health challenges. (see my July post here)
Since I work at a university, it does not matter what my kids are doing, the start of the school year and the prep that goes before it are a BIG deal! This led to some mental fatigue and extra tiredness. Which led to my not getting as many meals prepped as I would have liked. With all the extra busy-ness at work, it is also harder to jump up and get my steps in, so I am struggling with that this month.
Real Life Challenges
Our big family activity for the month was a trip to the Missouri State Fair. Ever tried to find low-carb food at the fair?? It is there in the form of turkey legs, shredded beef, or pulled pork, but they are not as prominent as the traditional concession foods.
All things considered, I did pretty well. I had a bite of Tiger-stripe ice cream, instead of a double scoop; a few bites of funnel cake, instead of half a plate. I feel that I still had a “fair experience” without totally ruining my health. Maybe by next year, those things won’t even sound good to me. And I got in over 11,000 steps that day!
The best part? Spending time hanging out with my family. My daughter got to help with the pig races, we walked through numerous barns, we got spiced nuts, fudge, honey, and jerky in the agriculture building, I watched the younger two go on the rides, and then we went and recovered from the heat by watching mule pulls in the air conditioned arena.
Successes
I did not do as well this month, but I consider it a successful month nonetheless. I did not let my slip-ups turn into defeat. Other times I tried to change my health, I would let one miss-step turn into a slide, and then totally giving up. I may not have lost ten pounds, but I did lose a couple. When I measured myself I had also lost 5 3/4″, mostly around my midsection, so that is really good news. Look for your victories!
I did not reach my 8,000 steps per day, but I am still consistently getting 4,000, which is better than a few months ago. Even slow progress is progress. I need to look at all that I am doing as a lifestyle change and not a quick fix. Having been obese for almost 20 years, I will not change my metabolism, eating habits, and exercise habits in a couple of months. (I wish there was a quick fix, but there just isn’t.)
For Next Month
My step goal for the month is to increase my steps by 1000 each week, so that I am doing 8,000 steps per day by the end of September. I will also go to two fitness classes per week. The university offers classes for free so this is a no-brainer (just have to make myself DO it). I am really good at telling myself every excuse in the book to avoid going.
I have started attending a women’s Bible study at church, which has been great for fellowship and growth. With the start of September, small groups will also be starting up. This increase in activities will make it even harder to get all my meals prepped, and to make sure there is something for me to eat when I get home. If I get home tired and hungry without any diabetes friendly option ready to go, I am more inclined to make poor food choices. So meal prep has got to be a top priority.
At the end of September, I have my doctor visit and will get my lab work done. Then I can see how the last few months have impacted my health.
So here are my goals in an easy to read format
- Increase steps by 1,000 each week to reach 8,000 steps per day by the end of September
- Go to 2 fitness classes per week
- Attend Bible study every week
- Attend small group
- Do meal prep each week
And hopefully my numbers will reflect the work I am putting in!
What are your health goals this month?