Giving it up

Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. I always agonize over what to give up. In years past, I’ve given up things like soda, and committed to sticking to a regular workout routine. But since I’ve already done both of those things since the start of the year and am on my way to creating better habits, I’m sort of on the spot to come up with something.

It occurred to me that I’m getting back to some of the habits I had when I was most successful with weight loss. So, it makes sense to dive right back into all the other habits I haven’t quite worked into my routines yet. Normally, I believe in taking baby steps. Making too many drastic changes at once doesn’t usually end well for me.

So, for the next 40 days, rather than giving up just one thing, I’m trying to focus on making better choices throughout life in general. I used to eat dessert only on Sundays. That was a good habit. Over time, I would grab a sweet treat while I was out running errands, or keep a box of “diet-y” snack foods in my stash. I’ve never been one to sit down and plow through a bag of cookies, but I do have an evil sweet tooth which never seems to be satisfied. And I know I need to get it under control. There will be a couple exceptions. Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day and I planned dessert for my family, which I’ll enjoy. Also, my daughter’s birthday is in March, so I’ll have birthday cake that day. Otherwise, dessert only on Sundays.

I also want to get back to my good habit of prepping fresh veggies and fruits on the weekends, so there’s always something healthy to grab. It only takes about an hour. I also boil some eggs so I can have a quick protein snack at my fingertips, and depending on the weather, I might brew a pitcher of iced green tea. I’m looking forward to having these things ready for me.

I’ll continue to focus on staying active, getting in 5 days of cardio every week, and reaching 10,000 steps on my pedometer each day. The big thing for me is recognizing that I am changing my mindset back to what it used to be a few years ago. This has been difficult for me to admit. I know I was in such a good place and then, for reasons I still haven’t quite figured out, I started letting things slide. It would’ve been a lot easier if I had only changed one habit. That’s a simple fix, rather than the major overhaul I’m facing. But, I’m not beating myself up over it. More than ever, I am realizing that mistakes happen, I have the power to change, and I’m going to succeed.