When I set upon my word for the year, I knew that becoming WHOLE was not going to be easy. In fact, I knew it would take me almost the entire year to get there, and that is okay. Every conscious decision I make is one step closer to where I want to be. So, just how am I doing on this journey and with the conscious decisions I make?
If I were to give myself a grade for my progress in February, I would give myself a C. I neither went above and beyond in any efforts, but I did not slack off either. I am not unhappy with my progress, but I am ready to start pushing myself a little more often.
On the mental front, I am happy to report that I am feeling 100 percent better. I am over the transition of anti-depressants, much to my family’s joy. I feel lighter, am sleeping better at night with less insomnia attacks, and I find myself enjoying the little things. Even better, I want to spend time with friends instead of hiding at home. This is a huge improvement, and I am so glad I talked to my doctor about my concerns.
In addition, I am almost one month into my statin regime and have been able to avoid the crazy dreams and severe muscle/joint pain that made me quit taking cholesterol-lowering medication last year. I have a check-up with my doctor later this month to see just how effective both medicines are. I had my blood drawn last week to test my cholesterol levels. It will be interesting to see just how low my cholesterol is now. There are some concerns about blood pressure and liver damage with the statins, so I need to start upping my exercise game.
Exercise was my poorest area of improvement in February, for which I have no good reason. I could cite the weather or my schedule but those are poor excuses. I will always be busy until the kids are out of the house, and I have a treadmill at home and a gym membership if I want to use other equipment. I just did not work out as much as I should have. Part of this is on purpose. I really want to lose some weight before I start up any type of gradual running program because I have a tendency to get nasty shin splints. My thinking is that a lighter body will make it easier to jog and lessen the chances of shin pain. Still, I could do something, and I was not as active as I should be.
However, all is not lost because in February, I really started logging my food each day on My Fitness Pal. This little app is how Jim lost fifty pounds and how another friend lost about as much. Doing this has been a great way for me to think about what I am eating. I find myself opting for healthier options when eating out or choosing kids’ meals instead of full portions. I plan out my meals for the day in the morning and find it is surprisingly easy to stick to that plan. I know that this is an important part of becoming healthy, and I find myself feeling rather smug when I choose an apple over a bag of chips.
February was a great bridge month for me as I was able to become more mentally whole and took the next step towards physical health. I did not take as large a step as I could have, but that gives me something to strive to achieve in March. I am in this for the long haul, so baby steps are still steps in the right direction.
How did you do last month?
