Getting Healthy

     You know it's time to do something about your weight when your almost-four-year-old niece climbs up beside you on the couch, smooshes your gut like she's fluffing a pillow, then cuddles up to you! Actually, I've known I needed to lose weight for a long time. It's not like I'm blind or anything, but I felt fine, so I ignored the fact that I was getting...well, fluffy.

     Recently, however, I've been feeling sluggish and a bit achy, it's harder to get out of low chairs and sofas, and I'm running out of breath with very little physical exertion. First things first. I almost always have a soda pop in my hand. Big problem, number one. So instead of starting my day with a soda, I had water. With breakfast I had a mug of hot, green tea with a little honey and lemon in it. I'm drinking water the rest of the day except for lunch and dinner, I will allow myself one soda pop, eventually dropping them altogether. My next big problem is that I hardly move anymore. I used to be very active. I never "exercised" but I was constantly moving. I'd walk or ride my bike, I'd go to the park and shoot hoops, or go to a club and dance. I've gotta get moving. I'm getting up and moving for five minutes sometime during every hour that i'm sitting at my desk, just to get me started moving again. Big problem number three is not that I'm overeating, it's that I'm eating junk! I will never stick to a "diet", I know myself too well, but I can change my eating habits. I'm going to have one meatless meal a day, cut out the processed foods and eat real food, natural and organic when I can, and follow the healthy eating guidelines.