Adsense

Sunday, June 26, 2011

The eternal quest to be healthy and fit

Today at the grocery, I noticed that the dad in front of me bought like 8 boxes of Capri-Sun juice cartons for his son, whom he had in tow in the checkout line.  Most of the time what I put on the conveyor belt is fairly healthy although it didn't really look like it today since  I did have 4 containers of ice cream/popsicle/sherbet in the mix in preparation for N's tonsillectomy tomorrow.

I certainly don't deny the kids goodies but I do have certain rules about what I will and won't purchase for our home and how often.

I don't buy sugary cereals like Cookie Crisp and Fruity Pebbles and Fruit Loops.
I don't buy Toaster Strudels or Pop-Tarts or anything that pretends to be a breakfast food but is really dessert.
I don't buy yogurt that comes out of a tube and is neon-colored.
I don't buy Oreos except once a year when we take a trip (be it a small overnighter or a week-long stint at Disney).
I occasionally buy juice boxes but they must be 100% juice.
I don't buy Kool-Aid type drinks except once a year when we take a trip.
(The once a year thing also generally applies to Doritos.)
I only buy organic skim milk.
I don't buy soft drinks.  
I never buy things like Little Debbie snack cakes or Twinkies or Ding-Dongs or anything like that.

My reasons for doing these things are not so that we will be thin, although this is a great side effect of not purchasing junk food.  It is because I think my kids have plenty of opportunities to each sugary treats and junk (when we are out or they are at their grandparents' homes) so I don't feel like I need to have it in my house.  D already has high triglycerides, so we don't need to make that situation any worse.  Plus, having dealt with gestational diabetes when I was pregnant with N, I would prefer that no one in my family have to deal with monitoring their blood sugar and all the headaches that go with it.

In recent months, I have stopped making sweetened tea.  I had eliminated sugar a long time ago, switching to Splenda, but I decided that I was going to forego all sweeteners in our tea (which we tend to drink a lot of).  I stopped putting sweetener in my coffee, although I cannot give up my peppermint mocha creamer.  Life is for living, after all.

I have also cut our consumption of red meat by about 95%.  I used to make a lot of meals using beef, but I have been seeking out more vegetarian fare or favoring recipes that use chicken or turkey.

Still, even with my attempts to buy relatively healthy-ish food, my body simply ain't what it used to be when I was younger and prior to having carried and delivered 3 babies.  I will be 38 in a couple months, and daggonit if I'm not already feeling my metabolism slow down.

My antidepressant also plays a role in how my body looks because prior to meds, when I worried (which was quite often), I wouldn't eat.  And not eating is a very good way to lose weight.  Since I don't worry excessively or even that often now, I find that I continue to eat normally (except for that week of the month before Aunt Flo when I must eat chocolate every 2 hours or I will cut off someone's head with a butter knife.)

In April 2010, I began taking a fitness class 1 day a week with a personal trainer and some friends, and I really enjoy it.  I can tell that I am way more fit than I used to be.  When I first began, I could barely do a plank for 30 seconds.  Now I can just hang out in that position, even having the boys climb on me and sit (or fall off as M often does).  My arms and legs are more shapely.  When I see a friend that I haven't seen in a while, I often hear, "You look great!  What are you doing?"

If only my abdominal pooch would disappear.  I'm afraid there is only so much that crunches can do for a thrice stretched out and twice c-sectioned abdomen.

I had said that by the time I turned 40, I wanted to have "six-pack abs," but I am uncertain whether this is 1. do-able and/or 2. worthy of doing.  I want to eat healthy and be fit but I don't want to deny myself and be miserable just to have a tighter mid-section.

The truth is that right now, with 3 young children, it is simply impossible for me to devote, in a consistent fashion, the time to exercise.  I think I am doing pretty well to make it to an exercise class once a week and lift weights/walk on the treadmill at home a couple other times a week.

On my deathbed, when my life flashes before my eyes on my way outta here, I doubt that a toned butt is going to be one of the things I am so, so glad I managed to have.  

No comments: