Keeping my Promise

So, our (meaning this family) New Years' Resolution was to eat healthier and exercise more. Then, Spencer decided to get fat....so he could exercise and get thin again...whatever.

I have avidly embraced my new lifestyle...sort of. I exercise several days a week....I remembered a few weeks ago that we actually have a gym....literally right next to us....next to the Laundromat. Its hard to go because of Dom...but the days that Spencer is here and Dom naps...I usually head over there for an hour or so and do both cardio and strength. I'm sore all the time and it sucks....but I hope things will get better. I'm just grateful to have only one baby....I barely find the time now. When I can't leave (pretty much the rest of the week), I try to do the zumba or just dance game on Wii...and hope that's enough. But honestly, I probably only work out 3-4 days a week, I don't want people to think I'm a beast and then when they see me...be like "umm....you don't look like you exercise all the time". haha...I'm just being honest...I try the best with what I've been given. And sometimes, I think the bathroom needs a good cleaning instead of going 30min on the treadmill. Just yesterday, I deep cleaned the cloth diapers (by hand!) cause they were a bit dingy...instead of doing anything else....so I do what I can...
 

If I could starve myself...I would.  But for some reason, it's not as easy as it once was...I guess maybe cause I'm home more and old...who knows? So I decided to keep sweets to a minimum and start eating more veggies and fruits. By more...I mean like 6 servings a day...doesn't sound like much...and I'm sure everyone is thinking..."Oh I do that all the time"....OH BOY....it's hard!....6 servings...is a lot...is like 6 apples at least....maybe 7 depending on the size of them. I figured out (after watching this documentary on Netflix)...that I had to get serious about health...even though it would be nice to be skinny and thin...it would also be nice to not have heart disease....

I figured if I blend all those fruits and veggies (not just juicing but actually blending them, and eating the pulp as well- need that fiber too!) will probably help with all the health problems I've been having. Unlike the documentary, I'm still eating food, not just blended fruits. I still eat a light lunch and dinner.

First: chop

second: blend

third: drink...I know...it doesn't look nearly as good as a cookie
but it really doesn't taste bad

I have been doing this for over 4 weeks...every day now...and I've got to say...I'm on to something. While this has increased our weekly grocery trip's cost....it's well worth it. I no longer feel the headaches (and nausea) or the stomach pains I used to get pretty regularly. It makes sense....all the process foods we eat, cannot be good for us....and whether we want to acknowledge it or not...we're killing ourselves slowly. This documentary  stated that the body has always been able to take care of itself...for example...when we get a scrape...the body heals it naturally, we don't have to do anything...its US that get in the way (usually when we keep picking at it)....same analogy goes here. I understand that type I diabetics (along with some genetic disorders)  probably can't just exercise and eat healthy and just go back to normal but these weird autoimmune diseases that are suddenly popping up and my aches and pains...are probably US making the problem worse. I got to get out of the way, and let my body deal with it.
 

I'm not a big fan of medicine...which leads to a lot of arguments with my husband ( a nurse and devout pill popper). I'll usually hold out as long as I can, before I take a Tylenol....I hate taking pills just because we underestimate the side effects. I learned my lesson with birth control pills. All they did was give me gall stones (pregnancy and genetics probably did that too....but pills definitely accelerated it). And you always hear on the news about how some FDA approved drug is now linked to this disease or THAT disease. I'm not saying I will stop taking medication, but I will take it as little as possible. When I was pregnant, I avoided medicine like the plague , and when I came home from the hospital with a C section...I only took 1 pain killer per day....I was so afraid something would go into my milk supply and do something to the baby.

If somebody would have told me 10 years ago that I was going to turn into a hippie...I would have laughed and said no way. Well, look at me now...who would have thunk it???? minimal pills, minimal process foods, homemade detergent, homemade cleaning agents, cloth diapers.....I would have NEVER seen that coming. I seriously thought I was going to marry rich and not worry about ANYTHING the rest of my life....
 

 I have even gone as far as getting rid of regular hot dogs (for all of you that know me- I'm totally in love with Oscar Mayer hot dogs). Everyone keeps saying we (especially children) should not eat nitrates....this includes the juicy hot dogs and deli meat. But it was so hard for me to give up, how could I take it away from Dom, if I couldn't even do it??
I finally made the change....I bought some organic uncured hot dogs and uncured deli meats. I'll be honest, the deli meats are actually more delicious...and more pricey (probably 3 times as much). The hot dogs did not taste as good as I thought, and Dom just avoids them....I plan to make homemade corn dogs soon, see if he will eat them then. For now, only the parents are eating them. I felt bad for Dom so I bought him some whole grain corn dogs. I guess baby steps will do...

BUT I have noticed...that since I'm not really eating sweets but my blended fruits and veggies...baby is making better choices too. He'll pick grapes over chips.....or he'll pick apples over cheese sticks....and clementines over cookies.I think that's impressive. I did not expect him to change so quickly. I cannot expect my children to eat healthy or do anything....that I don't do myself. What kind of example would I be? Dominic actually surprised me yesterday by eating tuna and shrimp....whaaaaaaat?? Granted...the tuna had a bit of mayo...but still...I didn't think children liked that texture....shrimp? uggh....weird texture as well. Then again, Dom is WEIRD- only child I knew that loves broccoli since age 1.
 

I'm not saying it's for everyone...but I do want it to be on record...especially for Future Leslie (when you read back on this)...that I'm trying very hard...I'm going to be 30 soon...and we all know its pretty much downhill from there (genetics are vicious after 30)...so I have to get a head start, otherwise I might not be able to choose my outcome later on. So, while it would be awesome to lose another 10 lbs....I gotta work on my health first and take it one day at a time....