Twitterized Thoughts

*As I was typing up a post, I saw a link to Amber’s post about her controversial opinions put into Twitter‘s parameters of 140 characters per tweet. Thanks for the idea, Amber!*

Weekend: A time to play, to relax, to run errands, to connect. Weekends are times to wine & dine with friends and family! In short, to enjoy.

This weekend was one of those! I ran some errands, cleaned the house, got ready for Mikey to come home and enjoyed a girls’ night in with some of the girls from work. This leads me to my second tweet:

Moderation: You can’t out-train a bad diet. If using moderation, be strategic & don’t use it as an excuse to move less or eat more.

At our girls’ night on Saturday, I knew that I would have a glass of wine with everyone. So, knowing that I do believe in moderation, I planned to have that wine without feeling guilty about it and have that be that. I tried to eat a little better during the week, kept drinking my water, prepping for for some treats on Saturday. And while I enjoyed my 1 glass of wine, I noticed some old habits came back…Which leads to my next tweet:

Habits: Practice what you want to become habit. Ask yourself if it’s worth it, stick with it & be aware of where your habits are going

So, here’s the thing, guys. I noticed a pattern for the first time this weekend. I was pretty “good” last weekend, and even the weekend before in Boston since coming off the Holiday Hustle, but I noticed this weekend with my girls’ night and Mikey coming home that even though I “planned” for some indulgences, my old habits came back and I took it too far. If one person reached for a brownie, I would have a little nibble of one. If Mikey got a few more gummies during the movie we watched, I’d eat a couple more too. Although I kept up with workouts and water over the weekend, I consciously let myself go with the habits I started during my 24 day challenge. I caught myself, albeit at the end of the weekend when I sat down to process things, and realized I need to be mindful and aware of the habits that are forming or un-forming in my life.

I’m actually excited to get “back on track” (I prefer that phrase to “back on the wagon” because I don’t think I fell off, I just said yes to many things!) this week and be more mindful and intentional about the habits that are sticking or not sticking and why.

Exercise: Move more every day. That’s it! We make it more complicated but do what you will do & stay consistent.

Here’s what I mean by that: there are a million and one different workout programs, workout preferences, new fads and interesting equipment you could dive into. But the best thing you can do for exercise? The thing you WILL do! If you’re a walker, walk. Work on getting that heart rate up and getting warm enough to take your outer layer off. If you’re a lifter, lift! Are you seeing strength gains? If you love cardio, do some cardio (just make sure you’re balancing it out with other forms of movement!). Just do what you will do and do it consistently.

Eating/Dieting: Eat real food. Probably less than you eat now. Listen to your body & be wary of cutting nutrients out.

For this explanation, let me just say this: eat real food everyday (think: less from a package, you all know that) and listen to your body. There are days my body is craving carbs, and without going nuts, I have some! I try to make them more complex and not just eat white bread, but it doesn’t affect or alter my body the next day generally. Why? Because there’s a reason I’m craving them – just like the days when I’m not as hungry. I am learning to listen to my body and not eat the same amounts simply because that’s what I normally do, but listen to my cues. The body is pretty adept at giving you signals if you learn to listen and trust it. But cutting out “all carbs” or “no meat” or “all meat” is not the way for me (except sugar and alcohol – no ill effects from cutting those out! But you already know I don’t – see “Moderation” above). 😉

Got a tweet for me? I’d love to hear it! I’ll leave you guys with an article or two that I loved reading this weekend:

• Another one from Jill about FOMO when it comes to food. I have dealt with FOMO socially (read the article to understand this “Fear Of Missing Out” idea) but never thought about it as it relates to food…Interesting!

• A good read from Bonnie over at PFITblog about why weight loss gets harder the thinner you become.

• What you eat isn’t the only thing we consume – we also consume with our minds. What is your brain consuming? A mindful (get it?!) post by MizFit that got me thinking…

• Some wise words about what to do IF you indulged this weekend & how you should be feeling about it from Neghar on her FB page (I LOVE this!).

• An article by The Betty Rocker about ABS! Assuming the reader knows that abs are made in the kitchen (see “Moderation” above, again), this article gives you 3 additional things you can do to train your core to maximize your core!

And a little snapshot of when it wasn’t snowing – the day after, sidewalks (mainly) cleared, being careful of ice patches and enjoying some gorgeous Calgary sunshine on a warm day off (Remembrance Day)!

Leave me a tweet! From your weekend, your thoughts on the above topic or something totally random. Only 140 characters! 😉 Live well & be well!

Bonnie