Healthy Living...Blah-Blah-Blah

Getting older really sucks. You have a lot less "wiggle room" where matters of healthy living are concerned. The days of living off of Dr. Pepper (and not the diet variety), Hot Tamales, Taco Bell, Camel cigarettes, and various adult beverages have long since passed.

I turned that leaf over many years ago. Believe it or not, The Mr. was a big influence on my healthy transformation. I joke that at one time he was living on dirt sandwiches. I think we met in the middle. I cleaned up my less-than-healthy ways and he ate a brownie.

I haven't always had a harmonious relationship with food. We have had a tumultuous partnership over the years. Food was something that I could control. I found comfort in that control. If I am honest, I still do.

I discovered The South Beach Diet about a year before I became pregnant with The Girl. It afforded me control in a healthier way. I could diet without making my mom's blood pressure rise.

It's really not a diet at all. It's a way of life. It often gets lumped into the "low carb" genre when in fact it's more of a low GI diet. I love it. It works for me. It's easy to follow, you can still shop at a regular grocery store, the whole family can enjoy it, and it works. After giving birth to The Girl I had about 40 extra pounds to lose. I started South Beach two weeks postpartum and was back down to my fighting weight three months later. That made me a true believer.

I went back on The Beach last week. My pants were fitting a wee bit tighter than I like and I had to take action.

I think the stress of the new school year, lack of sleep, and the need to boost my serotonin levels with carbs in the form of chocolate and bread had caught up with me.

I mentioned that getting older sucks, right?


Before The Offspring entered my life I was a work out fiend. I was kickboxing a week before giving birth to The Boy! Those days have also passed.

I want to work out. Really. I enjoy going for a run and clearing my head. I need it for my state of mind.

But after working all day and coming home to face schoolwork, housework, dinner....fatigue takes over my body. Motivation is squelched.

This will be the hard part. I have to find a way to exercise on a regular basis. A few runs, some squats and lunges, lifting some weights. I will look better and feel better. And it will be worth it.

The last piece of the puzzle: water. Probably the most important piece of the puzzle.

I am not a water fan. I make myself drink the daily quota.

Since school started, I have not been disciplined about making myself drink that quota. And it is taking its toll.

I've seen a difference in my skin and hair, my lips have been chapped, and I have been sluggish. All related to dehydration.

So this water bottle is my new best friend. We go everywhere together. And I know that after chugging two of these bad boys I have had my 64 ounces.

And that will help my jeans fit better and give me energy to go for that run.

Healthy living. Blah, blah, blah.

But a girl's got to do what a girl's got to do. Especially if that girl is in her mid-thirties.