This will be a quick update. My refocused efforts during church camp paid off. I pre-planned all of my meals, ran between 2 and 3 miles each morning and I lost over 4 LBS while there. Granted, I was 'RE-losing weight I had already lost, but I'm still very proud of not letting circumstances like traveling and a family reunion completely derail my efforts.
I'm now in another challenging time. I'm "home" for a week visiting my parents. I typically eat a lot of unhealthy food, don't exercise and gain a lot of weight while visiting them. However a year ago when I visited I changed that unhealthy pattern. It felt great to combine my visit with feeling healthy. My experience of managing being home in a healthy manner plus my success in managing church camp last week gave me the confidence to manage this trip in a healthy manner. I went to the grocery store the day after arriving and loaded up with healthy food and most importantly made the CHOICE to eat healthy and exercise. I have been here 3 days and I have exercised every day. Plus, I'm helping my Dad refinish the back deck which I am hoping is burning some extra calories.
Another important aspect of being healthy while I'm here is making sure I'm getting enough sleep. I have slept at least 7 hours each night. I feel so much better! Amazing what consistent sleep can do!
Once I get home, I will get back to regular blogging but for now this is my summary on what I have figured out about living a healthy lifestyle, especially while trying to lose weight:
*I'm in control, circumstances don't control me (or what I eat)
*I always have a choice to be healthy
*pre-planning is critical to my success
*sleep is critical to being healthy
*being focussed on God puts everything in perspective
*don't obsess over less than healthy choices, just make the next choice a healthy one
