Thursday, December 6, 2012

Things I need to be healthy

No recipes or "food porn" today! Today, I'm taking stock of things I've worked on this year, and maybe what I'd like to work on with the rest of 2012.

After almost a year of working on my improving my health, and my peace of mind, I see a few very basic things that I need to be happy with myself and the world around me:

1. Enough sleep. I wrestle with this because sleep seems like a waste of time. I'm starting to accept sleep now as important. My friends who read this will laugh because I'm very vocal about how much I love napping. Why I make a distinction between napping and nighttime sleep, I don't really know. But I used to feel guilty if I slept in or went to bed early. I get it now. If I sleep in, I needed it. I know that if I try to function on too little sleep, I can't think as clearly, and I work much slower and less efficiently.

2. A diet that is heavy on plants, but that also contains some animal protein and some fat. I was a strict vegan for two months, and I did feel good. After two months, I added a little bit of fish back in because I really, really like fish and I missed it. However, after awhile, I realized I was compromising in ways that were not good for me. One thing my husband and I enjoy is going out to eat. We focused on restaurants that had at least some vegan options, but I found myself ordering a fish fry (something almost every restaurant has) solely because it was fish, not because it was necessarily good for me or what I wanted. When we go out to eat now, I feel better choosing a lean chicken dish than I did when I picked fried fish a lot.

3. That said... not TOO much animal protein. When I string together a few days when I eat meat more than once a day, I tend to feel "thick" and sluggish.

4. Healthy social contact and friendship. 2010 and to some extent 2011 were hard years. I had to focus on a lot of family issues, and it was a struggle. I had the love and support of good friends, without which, I would have struggled much more. Now that things are less hectic, I have been trying to spend more quality time with friends. Hanging out in quiet places where we can hear each other talk, getting to know their fantastic kids, working out together... I need that interaction and friendship to feel like I'm part of a happy, optimistic world.

5 Exercise. In August, I discovered I love weightlifting. Who knew??? Now, I have to workout 3 times a week or I feel sluggish and foggy-headed. Lifting something really heavy over and over again is the best stress relief for me.

6. I need to do something creative. I'm not the best artist, or the best musician, but the part of my brain that is in charge of that kind of stuff gets very happy when I write a new song, or do something creative.

7. Goals, but only when they make sense. I need to set goals that are reasonable, but only when the goals happen organically. I started out with a goal of where I wanted to be with my weight, and as time went by, I realized that goal was unrealistic. My usual pattern was to give up and figure, no point in trying if that goal isn't going to happen. This year was different though. I accepted that, and figured out that while my head was busy worrying about losing pounds, my body was busy getting happy about lifting pounds. Now, my short term goal is related to an amount of weight I want to squat by January. (oh ok, since you asked... I want my working weight to be 135)

I have used a LOT of words with this blog. I'm not sure what came over me! Maybe that need to create. If you read this, I truly thank you. And I would love to hear your thoughts about what makes you feel happy and healthy. Please feel free to comment below.

Thank you!

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