I wrote this blog post as part of a movement by Weight Watchers to encourage people to remember that loving yourself starts with taking care of your health everyday. Though I was compensated for my time and commitment, all views, positive and negative, are my own.
I feel better than I have in MONTHS! I have energy, my moods are a bit easier to regulate and (dare I say it) I am not feeling as overwhelmed and anxious. With Weight Watchers Simple Start I made a lot of tiny changes in my life that led to a huge change in my mental and physical health.
This week I participated in a compensated campaign with Weight Watchers Simple Start program. It came with quite a few challenges I couldn’t control – namely, the weather and the cold/flu virus going around. It snowed. A LOT. Then I came down with a sinus infection that lasted a good 5 days straight.
I just wanted to crawl in bed and never get out.
So instead of following the Simple Start program exactly, I chose to change a few tiny things, a bunch of tiny things. And just like pennies in a jar, those tiny changes snowballed into me feeling healthier.
Here are the changes I made:
1. Park farther away
I am usually a parking-lot vulture. I drive around and around until that one spot near the front comes available and a turn on my blinker and swoop in. This week I parked in that spot way back there. It was cold, I wasn’t too thrilled. But it made me walk faster too and by the time I made it into the grocery store, my heart rate was up and I felt a little more alive.
2. Spend time cleaning and organizing a room in your home
I tackled the kids’ bedroom! Not only was it quite the aerobic workout, it felt amazing! I actually told my children to stay out until I took a picture. But surprisingly, they have yet to destroy it. Of course the threat to take away computer/electronic privileges if they failed to pick up their toys has certainly helped. I love walking into this room and being able to see the floor and the clean beds. What a mental lift!
3. Get a workout in
This was super challenging. I didn’t feel like working out. I battled that sinus infection, outside was freezing and gloomy. But I went to my favorite online fitness class site and spent 20 minutes working out. Feeling the burn, the race of my heart, it gave me a surge of energy that I knew I missed. And you can’t ignore those lovely endorphines!
4. Sleep for 8 hours
Way easier said than done. How am I supposed to care for my children, play with them, be present with them, take them to activities, plan meals, and then work on my blog? Well I usually stay up late. But Weight Watchers told me lack of sleep can cause overeating, so I forced myself to go to bed earlier.
Wow. I had no idea what rested felt like. And I really did make healthier food choices throughout the day when I wasn’t sleep deprived.
5. Reward yourself, take time for YOU
This is the part I looked forward to the most! After eating better this week, working out, cleaning, and sleeping better, I went shopping at Marshall’s. I bought a new dress and a new jacket and just let myself enjoy the pleasure of browsing racks of clothes and putting different outfits together in the dressing room. Me. Alone. My thoughts. The clarity and peace I felt was unmatchable.
And now, this morning, here in my bedroom, I started my day with a smile and have yet to need my coffee! This is going to be a fabulous week!
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