Making Changes

Jared and I are sick of feeling like crap, and in my case, being overweight. We're constantly tired, even when we go to bed on time and we generally feel run down and sick to our stomachs. Since moving here, I've gained ten pounds. Ten pounds. In 4.5 months. I avoid looking at myself in mirrors and I only have a few items of clothing that actually fit. My self-esteem has hit an all time low and one particular thought runs through my mind more than any other: "I am so fat." Jared has a high energy job, and also requires him to be out on an unairconditioned dock in the heat of the day. His performance at work suffers when he has no energy. We've hit our wall and are tired of living an unhealthy lifestyle. We have decided to make a few changes in the way we do things around here.

1. No more soda - This is HUGE for us. If you know us well at all, you know our intense love of Dr. Pepper. We have been buying it by the case load ever since we moved here, and I truthfully don't want to know how much money per month has been spent on it. We never used to buy it, but our addiction has gotten out of control. The few times we've tried to go off of it, we've only been able to go a half a day. So we're both cold turkeying it, and I'm heading out to get some Excedrin to help us get through the bad days. Even though the drink really is nectar from the gods, it can't be good for us if we are having such a hard time letting it go.

2. Adding more fruits/veggies - I will take the blame for the lack of healthy foods in our diets. I'm the shopper and so I pick what we eat, and I typically don't buy things that I don't like. And I really don't like vegetables. So I'm going to man up and learn how to cook them, and I'm going to buy fresh stuff that I can prepare and throw in lunches. If you were to look in our fridge at any given moment, it would be heavy on deli meat and cheese, with fruits and veggies practically non-existent.

3. Active lifestyle - Jared really doesn't have any problems with this. With the size of the warehouse he manages, I think he walks about five miles a day. Me, on the other hand, not so much. So this goal applies to me mostly. I live a sedentary life, and my main (and only, really) hobby doesn't require much movement except to flip pages. I've started walking in the morning, but I'm going to add in some weight lifting from p90x and a few aerobics tapes to my routine every week. Plus, I want to spend less time on the couch reading and more time "managing my house". It's only really clean about one day a week and the rest it's just a mess. I don't feel like I have an excuse either, because I have plenty of time to keep it clean. Also, we're going to get out more. A lot of museums here have free times during the week, and there are parks and several other places we could go that cost very little money. I've wanted to experience Memphis while we're here, and I figure this is as good a place to start as any.

4. Treats once a week - Jared and I are very fond of our baked goods. We love Ding Dongs and Twinkies, especially. Well, no more! I'm going to bake a treat every Sunday, and that will be our goodie for the week. This gives me an opportunity to try new recipes and actually do something I enjoy (if there are Ding Dongs in the pantry, then why bake?), and it will last as short or as long as it takes us to eat it.

5. Support eachother - I'm not sure if it's this way in every marriage, but we have a hard time saying no to eachother. Truthfully, it's gotten us in trouble a few times. Whether it's a new gadget we want, or giving in to going out for fast food, if one of us wants it, we usually get it. I'm grateful that this is a journey we're going on together. For once, we're both wanting to make changes and I'm hoping that this time they'll actually stick. I need to lose weight and Jared needs to have energy in order to perform well in his job, and have some left over for us when he gets home. We want to be healthy and happy, and we want to live it and teach our children the importance of it.

Wish us luck!