Go Green Get Fit Challenge-Week 2
I’m one of 30 bloggers participating in the 12-week Go Green, Get Fit Challenge as part of the EcoMom Alliance Sustain YourSelf™ Program presented by PlanetShoes.com. Every Saturday I’ll be posting about progress toward my goals and other aspects of the challenge. Due to traveling though, I was unable to post last week.
As I mentioned in my first week’s Challenge update, I was heading for two weeks away and just as I predicted, sticking with the food plan and exercising has been a huge challenge.
Foodwise, I knew I’d stray from the narrow guidelines of The Smarter Science of Slim, because I refuse to ask our hosts to buy or make something especially for me. One night, the family I was staying with had pizza so for the first time since January, I ate non-fruit/veggie carbs and cheese. On the plus side, I chose to eat only one piece of pizza instead of half a dozen, which has been my habit, along with salad (which also contained some no-no’s when it comes to the SANE plan I’m following), but it didn’t feel like any big deal.
I used to get absolutely furious at myself when I went off-plan, but something really has changed within me. I’m kinder to myself which somehow makes eating SANE-ly most of the time feel less like prison and more like a choice.
As long as we eat in restaurants when on vacation or not, it’s not hard to choose SANE-ly and I take my own snacks along whenever we’re out walking or touring. And the walking part is how I’ve been getting exercise though not at the intensity I need. But I’m not stressing about any of it.
Unfortunately, once we got home, we had guests immediately and what did they want to do? Go on a food tour! So I sampled a half dozen no-no’s, but again, at least I was walking from place to place (and the tastings were worth it!).
I know that when people eat in ways that supply the nutrients their bodies needs, if they go off in another direction, it can affect how they’re feeling. They might feel bloated or tired, for example. None of that happens to me. As I mentioned in my first post, no matter how much or what I eat or how much or little I exercise, I feel exactly the same. Kind of a bummer, but just the way it is.
But even when I carry my SANE goodies with me, it doesn’t always work out. I took a bag to our annual July 4th event—oranges, nuts and protein bars. When I wanted a snack though, the bag had disappeared. I couldn’t believe anyone would take it, and neither could my sister-in-law, who was hosting the event. She suggested the thief was most likely the neighborhood raccoon. Probably the healthiest feast he’d eaten in a long time!
Just like going green, eating right and exercising is a work in process. Every day I’m doing my best to stick as closely as I can to the program, but when I fail, I don’t worry about it. I can’t tell you what a relief it is not to stress, to recognize that maybe this week I’ll maintain or even regress a bit. But thankfully, there’s another day, another week ahead in which to do better.
So as of yesterday, I’m back on the wagon, ready to continue down the road.
Lynn Colwell and Corey Colwell-Lipson are mother and daughter and authors of Celebrate Green! Creating Eco-Savvy Holidays, Celebrations and Traditions for the Whole Family, and founders of Green Halloween®.
