I think I’m thoroughly afraid of the pain I’m going to be into tomorrow during my workout. After the lunges and squats I did yesterday - I could barely walk today. Here’s hoping my leg muscles feel better in the morning!

An Update

So my life has been utterly crazy. And I have been without internet for the past five days (as I’ve been out of town).

October is the worst month because of midterms, multiple papers, and several presentations due within a 2 - 3 week period.

However, I have been making awesome alterations to my lifestyle over the past 4 weeks. I have been slowly been making changes to my diet. Remember my goal of trying to eat breakfast every morning? I have really made great strides in that area. While I don’t always get breakfast in (or I do, but much later than I had wanted) on most days I do get breakfast in. For most of my life - as long as I can remember - I have not eaten breakfast. It was not a big deal to me. Often times, I would feel ill if I did eat it.

I was discussing with my roommate a few weeks ago about her breakfast habits - she cannot sleep on an empty stomach so sometimes she will get up at 5 or 5:30 in the morning to get breakfast and then come back to bed to sleep more. I cannot do that. At all. However, I have been attempting to change my sleeping habits (which is also important to my health). I’ve been trying to go to bed earlier and that is no easy task! I prefer to stay up later. But I also refuse to function on less than 8 hours of sleep. And if I want to get up somewhere between 6 - 8am, then something has to give.

So who knew that trying to eat breakfast everyday would actually alter so many different aspects of my daily life!

Also, it has changed my eating habits. I shamefully admit that I used to go whole days without eating (because I’m in class from 9-4pm) and then come home at about 4:30 or 5pm and be STARVING. And I would overeat. (A topic I will discuss a lot on here, I suspect.) And I then would be hungry again at about 9 or 10pm.

Terrible eating times, no?

So now I’ve managed to switch that all around (I still have my good days and bad days). I eat earlier in the morning. And I attempt to eat more throughout the day. And finally, taking a cue from my roommate, I try very hard not to eat after 7 or 8pm. A suggestion from my aunt was to drink lots of water in the morning. While I typically drink lots of water everyday - it’s usually in the afternoon. So I’ve been changing that as well, and I’ve noticed a difference in my appetite.

Another habit? I’ve been taking a multivitamin everyday now, too!

Tomorrow I start with my trainer - expect a recap later this week.

Health Month, the game

I was introduced to this game by a great blogger & writer and I had to jump on it. It’s only in beta right now, but I already think it’s going to be a hit. It takes goals, social media, and earning points and joins them together to make a fantastic game.

Health Month is about taking the SCIENCE of nutrition and behavior change and combining it with the SOCIAL GAMES of the recent social web to help people improve their health habits in a fun and sustainable way. We’re happy to leave behind the sketchy get-thin-quick schemes and boring fads that you can’t relate to (and half-suspect of being more harm than good anyway).

Before the game has even begun (it begins this Friday, October 1st and begins anew on the first of every month) I have already become somewhat addicted. I’ve been playing with my goals in order to get ones that are both doable & enjoyable. I decided to choose goals that were more DO’s than DONT’s because I want to create healthy habits. And I know it’s much more difficult for me to do something if it is restrictive in nature. Also I already know that if I’m telling myself I should do something that I will rebel, and it’ll be the last thing I want to do, where as if I can somehow trick myself into wanting to do it, results change dramatically, & I spend less time fighting against myself.

So here are my rules for the month of October:

1. Eat raw fruit every day
2. Allow fried food 2 times a week
3. Exercise for 30 minutes at least 3 times a week
4. Take a multivitamin every day
5. Go to the gym at least 3 days a week
6. Meditate at least 2 days a week (for 15 minutes)
7. List things you’re grateful for 1 days a week
8. Write 750 words in a private journal at least 2 days a week
9. Eat breakfast at least 5 days a week
10. Go on at least 1 friend dates a week
11. Read a non-academic book for at least half an hour 2 days a week

I have chosen these rules in the hopes that I might slowly begin to live a healthier life, and enjoy the process.

I really suggest going to the site and taking a look around - I can’t wait for it to start!

Also, here’s a link to my profile.

Healthy Living: Hello & Welcome

Let me introduce myself: I’m Melissa. And this is a new start (obviously) for me. What am I starting? I’m committing to starting a new journey on the road to healthy living. I’m going to attempt to be as transparent as possible here - because I want to be honest with myself and you (my reader). I’m going to use this space in two ways: firstly, as a check-in for myself (and others) to see my progress and secondly, a place to share information from all of new things I plan on learning.

This is specifically about healthy living. I like the idea of calling this a healthy living blog versus a weight loss blog or exercise blog because while they are two of my goals - I want this to be a place that encompasses all the aspects of, well, healthy living. It’s not just about losing weight, or learning how to exercise properly. I want to learn how to live my life more wholly and healthfully.

I plan on using this place as somewhere to share inspiration, goals, check-ins, and information. As time goes on, I might find more uses for this space as well. While I would like to be fluid, I also plan on having structure. I already have a list of things I plan to have schedule to post. Examples:

• Once a week I plan on posting a daily food diary for the past week. It will include what I ate, when I ate it, and possibly my thoughts and feelings along with it. I will use this as way to be accountable but also to find patterns or areas in which I could improve on. 
• Every Sunday I will post my weekly focus - a topic, habit, goal, or idea that I will focus on for the following week. And I will have updates throughout the week with how I’m coming along. I already have some areas of focus brainstormed: moderation, eating with others, a salad a day, mindful eating, eating breakfast, etc.
• Every Wednesday I will post my weekly topic in health -  a topic in health to study or focus on for that week and then share that information here. I’ll probably link to articles that I found helpful as well. It’s really for me to educate myself on things I don’t know much about. These topics will relate to both healthy eating and healthy exercising. Some topics already brainstormed: healthy fats v. unhealthy fats, protein, effective breathing techniques, sugar, planning meals, etc.

So those are things you can count on being posted. And you can expect posts on many other things.

Another exciting thing is I will be getting a personal trainer! And I will be sharing updates of my progress here. Exercise and weight loss are an important goals for me. And like I mentioned before, I am going to be as transparent as possible here. And that means letting it all hang out. The good, the bad, and the downright ugly. I will be sharing it all.

If you’re reading this, I look forward to your input and suggestions. I hope you join me on this scary (but important) ride!