whole person health : physical

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physical health

Continuing with my series on getting back to a state of whole-person health, I want to talk today about a huge chunk of that, which is physical. I’m going to start out by outlining my goals, and then discuss how I plan to address them. In the future I hope to give shorter updates of my progress.

Personally, my goals are:

1. To fit back into my pre-baby clothes and hopefully get back to my ideal weight (I’m about 10-15 pounds over right now).

2. To be in shape and feel strong. I would also love to see some muscle definition of which I currently have none.

3. To feel proud of the food that I’m putting in my body. I want it to be real and balanced but I don’t want to feel restricted.

4. To maintain healthy overall habits.

These goals are pretty broad, but I’ve broken the action steps down into three main categories.

Exercise

I know that weight loss doesn’t come primarily from exercise, but it’s the only way that I’m going to feel in shape and strong, plus it has lots of other benefits.

Running – this is what I’m doing now. For the past 8-9 weeks I’ve been doing the Couch to 5k program and it’s been great. I run about three times a week and I’m signed up for a 5k this weekend. Running works for me because it’s basically free and I can do it right out my front door, and it really feels like a good workout. Running is also going to be tough to keep up with during the summer when it’s 90-100 degrees at 5pm, which is my only time slot to run.
Gym – I am really excited about this option. A free one is opening up at work next month so I’ll be able to add in elliptical, spin, and weights.
Yoga – Sometimes I do this at home on my off days. I really need to do more of it though.
Taking the stairs – A few times a day at work I have to go up two floors (which is four flights of stairs) so I walk it instead of taking the elevator. It doesn’t sound like much but it’s actually not that easy!

Food

This is the area that I probably need the most help in. It’s what is really going to help me lose the weight I want to, and it also seems to be the hardest!

Cut back on sweets and sugar in general – I was addicted to sweets, especially chocolate. I was having multiple desserts a day. A few weeks ago I instituted a two desserts per week policy, and although I haven’t kept to it completely, I have drastically cut back. Eventually I want to get to a point where I am not taking in much sugar at all.
Calorie counting. I don’t mean for the rest of my life, but this is what works for me to actually lose weight. I just want to lose those last few pounds, and then go into maintenance mode.
Learn to cook healthier recipes with more whole foods. It’s hard when you have a picky husband and toddler to deal with, but I’m determined to try.
Smoothies! I’m very excited about incorporating these into our diet once I get a blender.
Meatless. I want to eat less meat overall for financial, health, and environmental reasons.
Water intake. I’m soooo bad about this. I’d love to do at least half my weight in ounces per day.

General Health Maintenance

Flossing – my old nemesis. It’s so annoying to me and I can’t seem to stick with the habit!
Vitamins. I don’t think everyone needs a multivitamin, but since I’m breastfeeding and it’s possible for me to get pregnant again eventually, a prenatal is probably a good idea.
Regular doctor’s visits and screenings. Although I do have a primary care physician, right now I just do yearly exams with my OB. I am good about going to the dentist every six months, and recently added a dermatologist into the mix. I do need to remember to do my monthly breast exam.
Use all natural products. I’ve been working on this transition for years and I am pretty much there, although I’m still searching for my favorite brands. I also want to start making my own cleaning products at home, and use my essential oils more.

Okay, so that’s a lot of stuff to tackle! I feel good about it though. Right now I’m just working on 1-3 items at a time instead of doing a huge overhaul, but that may need to change soon if I want to make some real progress.

Can you think of anything I’m missing? Where do you stand with your physical health? What would you say your goals are?

Comments

10 responses to “whole person health : physical”

May 20, 2014

Nora

The hubs and I have been working out for the last eight weeks, too and it makes such a difference in my mental state when I am able to work out physically on a regular basis. my goals are to feel fit and toned (not necessarily look/be “skinny), to have more endurance, and to continue to maintain my blood pressure (high BP runs in the family and with all my working out I’m usually a little under the 120/80, which I’m glad for!). I, too, have been trying to cut back on sweets and starting June 1st, I’m going with 2 desserts per week, too (thanks to you). we have family photos on July 11th and I want to do my best to trim up just a bit for those. My hubs is terribly picky and I’m allergic to a lot of the healthful foods (like, epi-pen allergic) so that makes it challenging for me to do all fruits and veggies like I would like! I do the best I can given my constraints, though =)

Good luck with your 5k this weekend and hooray for a free gym opening up at your office!

Reply
1. May 20, 2014
  
  kapachino
  
  My husband is really picky too! He’s a beef and potatoes guy so it makes it hard to cook healthy dinners that will get eaten.
  
  You are one of my workout inspirations! Great job keeping up with it!
  
  Reply
May 20, 2014

Lauren W

I have really fallen off the couch to 5k :(
I thought it would be easier w/o work but it’s been harder! Apparently I need structure in my day.
So jealous of your gym! Can you bring a buddy? ;)

Reply
1. May 20, 2014
  
  kapachino
  
  I’m the same way, I feel like I get more done now that I’m working than when I was on maternity leave!
  
  I’ve really fallen off the restricted sweets though. Yesterday I tracked my calories just to see and I ate almost twice the recommended amount. Yikes. I’m cutting back again today!
  
  Reply
May 20, 2014

Krista

These sound like great goals. I agree that tracking what I eat, even if I don’t count calories, helps me make better choices!

One thing you could consider taking off your list is self breast exams. Unless you have a strong family history (multiple relatives with breast or ovarian cancer or family diagnosed before menopause), most research suggests that it does not improve clinical outcomes and can actually cause more stress and unnecessary interventions. Generally they say if you do them and you feel happy with that then ok, but if not don’t worry about it.

Too bad we can’t say the same for flossing (I hate it too).

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May 20, 2014

Melissa

This is good stuff! I’m so ready to have my body back after this 2nd baby & get into shape.

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May 21, 2014

Jill

I love this series you’re doing! Being a new-ish mama to an eight month old baby threw me for a loop and I’m just now feeling ready to get some structure back to my days (working out, putting effort into dinner, making time for God).
You’re an inspiration (doing all this with two kids – kudos!) and I look forward to your future posts about your progress in all these areas. Thanks. :)

Reply
May 21, 2014

rachieannie

Do you use a flosser or regular dental floss? I find it MUCH easier to floss with the tool instead of cutting the circulation off in my fingers with the thread.

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May 28, 2014

Sarah

There is a lot here, but they are all really good goals and I know you can do it! Just pick one from each category to focus on at first. On the healthy cooking/eating thing — summer is a great time to start because there are so many wonderful fruits and veggies to choose from. Get a grill basket and make grilled veggies every time you grill something for dinner. A good seasoning blend can make such a difference, too — we love Penzey’s Northwoods seasoning on grilled veggies.

Reply
1. May 28, 2014
  
  kapachino
  
  Problem is, we don’t grill. I’ve never done it before and I guess my husband only has a few times a loooong time ago. We do have a small charcoal grill but it’s not convenient for week nights. This is sounding sad, isn’t it? Because I love grilled stuff!
  
  Reply