This is post is not about art, not really… it is about making changes to look and feel better, thus getting my creativity back…

Two weeks ago, I had had enough.  I was tired of being tired.  I was sick of being sick.  And I was sick and tired of being sick and tired…

I decided it was time for a change… a reboot… I was inspired by Wil Wheaton’s recent reboot and decided to make some changes to look and feel better by my 45th birthday, which is about 5 months away.  This is the mid-month check in… because what I need is accountability to find my way back to myself.

1. Look and feel better by my 45th birthday.
   • Get better sleep
   • Eat leafy greens daily
   • Cut back on sweets
   • Eat smaller meals
2. Drink more water.
3. Exercise 6 days a week (alternating yoga and walk/jogs).

So… in case you didn’t know… I used to write a food blog… a vegan food blog.  We have been vegetarians since the Summer of 1998, and we switched to veganism in early 2008.  We used to eat much better back when I posted to that blog.  But life got away from us, and even though we are still vegan, it is very… VERY easy to become a junkatarian… eating a lot of take out and processed foods.  So the last two weeks we have rediscovered what we already knew… produce tastes great!

When I was a kid I LOVED watermelon… I mean I could probably have eaten one all by myself… but since that wasn’t allowed, I would eat the pink remains off of my siblings and parents rinds wondering why they didn’t eat every part of the watermelon that they could.  My parents unknowingly discouraged my love of fruit by telling me to eat less and giving the other adults ‘knowing looks’.  They had this belief that eating too much fruit would result in too much time spent in the bathroom, wink wink.  So overtime, I stopped eating as much fruit.

Transition to the last two weeks… can I just say that watermelon for breakfast is divine!  Especially after a jog.  By the way, that white bowl has been perfect for keeping my portion-size under control, .

How about ice cream for breakfast?  Banana ice cream (frozen bananas, soy milk, PB2 (powdered peanut butter), cocoa powder).  Oh yea! I have that for second breakfast!  Sometimes I have a nectarine for a pre-workout snack.

For lunch I have a great salad.  We’ve had a salad every day and it has not been the same salad yet.  We swap out the protein (baked tofu, hummus, soy curls) and the sauce (bbq, general tso, peanut sauce, vegan honey mustard, balsamic vinaigrette, etc.) and it comes out different every time.   Then usually something cooked and veggie heavy for dinner, like curry stirfry, or burritos.

And possibly, if I’m still hungry, raw apple pie for dessert.  And I have lost weight (3 lbs in two weeks) and I’ve lost a few inches overall (in my waist, abdomen, chest, and arms).  I feel great!  I feel strong.

The best part is, all this fruit is really helping to curb my sweet tooth.  I haven’t had any cookies, cake, candy, or even my lazy dessert of chocolate chips straight out of the bag the entire time.  And I haven’t missed them, except for one day when we were binge watching TV (an apparent sweet tooth trigger), so instead I had a few more cups of tea.  And this makes me feel great about  myself and my choices.

So yea, I’m going strong… I jog/walk three times a week (every other day), do yoga from a DVD three times a week (every other day), and have a rest day.  I recently started up (again) Zombies Run (5k training) app on my phone this past Tuesday, it was fun… there is a part where they are telling you that there is a zombie right behind you, run!  It’s the previous runner number 5, she’s right behind you!  And right at that moment *there really was* a woman running behind me, it gave me a start, she probably thought I was crazy, but it made me smile… for the record I let her pass me, because I had reached my jogging ability limit right at that moment and had slowed down to a walk.  Heehee… so fun.

I keep track of my food with the My Fitness Pal app on my phone… I mostly use it to make sure that I am getting all my vitamins and minerals… I take special note of iron and calcium.  But I do take note of the calories I’m consuming as well.  I track my exercise (jogs, dog walks, grocery store walks, and yoga) with Map My Run app on my phone which syncs with My Fitness Pal.  Weekly, I weigh myself and take measurements, which I can also keep track of in My Fitness Pal.

I can see the changes in the numbers.  But more importantly I can feel the changes in my body.  I feel good in my skin.

Until next time…
~nic