It always amazes me how easy it is to make bad habits a part of your life, but how difficult it is sometimes to make healthy choices a habit.
I used to run at least once every weekend. I used to do strength training of some sort every time I went to the gym. I used to brush my teeth every night when I got Shoo ready for bed, which meant I stopped eating around 7:30pm most nights. I used to eat every couple of hours because that keeps me from getting so hungry that I make poor food choices.
This weekend I realized just how far I’ve slipped over the last few months. I got out of the *habit* of weekend exercise when I couldn’t run. As our weekends have gotten busier, I’ve gotten out of the *habit* of eating small, frequent meals, instead of handfuls of this and that. As I ate a Kit Kat at 11pm, it occurred to me I’m out of the habit of eating a small sweet at Shoo’s bedtime and then brushing my teeth. I won’t even tell you how little water I actually drank this weekend.
As we roll into holiday season, it’s time for me to start rebuilding my healthy habits. If I don’t have that foundation of healthy choices, I’m going to come out of this season even heavier than I am now.
So, my baby steps back towards health for this week are: 1) stop eating when I put Shoo to bed and 2) get a run in next weekend. Next week I’ll try to add more to this.
What healthy habits have you let slide lately?
I quit even pretending to do any kind of strength training while preparing for Marine Corps Marathon. And then I took a week off from all activity after the marathon and at the same time gorged myself on Halloween candy. I was planning to get up this morning and do a DVD, but it didn't happen. I always have a lot of trouble getting into the habit of getting up early to work out. I have less of a problem getting up to run, but it is super hard in the winter.I agree that with the holidays coming I really need a bit of healthy inertia to help me maintain.
yeah, nothing like letting your water drinking habit slide the week before your marathon……..On Saturday by the end of the day my hands and face were swollen and i realized how very VERY dehydrated I had become over the course of the day. Whoops! Fortunately, fixing a H2O imbalance isn't THAT difficult… fixing the habit that lead to it, is.So today I am focused on my H2O bottle as my old new BFF.
I fully relate to this. I finished a Marathon in March and quickly fell into bad habits without training to keep me in check. Before I knew it, I'd gained back 25 pounds. Now I'm struggling with getting back down.
i think we can all relate to this! last week i needed to recover post-MCM, but i let a lot of my good habits slide in the process. like being sure i am really well hydrated and also i ate so much candy and junk it was disgusting! today i need to get back with the program! thanks for the motivation :o)
Oh boy I hear ya! Since I have nothing to train for right now I've gotten lazy! I am trying to get myself back up again.
Once you get back into the groove of these things, it will be easier for you! I like that you are trying to stay on track during the stressful holiday season.
Its so easy to fall into these habits!! starting back up one or two steps at a time sounds like a very good plan!
I always struggle with remembering to brush my teeth and floss. Gingivitis will be the death of me!
I can def relate to this post. I have let way too many of my healthy choices slip away lately. For this week I'm focusing on drinking 64oz of water daily and sticking to my meal plan/not eating out. Baby steps …
I to can relate to this post. Right after my first marathon last oct. I fell back into bad habits. It has taken me all winter and into spring to get my good habits going again. Last marathon I just didnt want to workout as much so didnt. After this marathon in oct. made myself get right back out there and continue my workout the next day. No days off for right now, because I know what can happen to me mentaly. Way to get back into healthy habits before the holidays come.
It's always good to take stock every so often and assess. My eating habits started off really good this year and somewhere along the way they got off track. So the last month I've been trying to rein it all back in again. Not really sure why it's harder to do what's healthiest though.
eating crappy….drinking less water……
I am definitely drinking less water and allowing myself to eat "badly" way too often.
I'm doing the same thing. I'm on day 2 of no cokes and I'm also trying to cut back on all the dang Halloween candy I've been eating! We have over 4 bags of chocolate at our house! ah!
Every time I finish a marathon, I slip right back into awful eating habits. This time was no exception. The irony is, it feels like a reward – yet my body feels TERRIBLE when I indulge in the awful foods.I'll just keep practicing I guess!