A post from my sister Jessica:
I really struggle with healthy living. I sometimes come to the end of the day and realize I have not had any vegetables. I go weeks without exercise. I knew I had been steadily gaining weight over the past several months, but didn’t know how bad it was until I stepped on my in-laws’ scale and discovered I weighed as much as I did when I gave birth to my last baby. Two years ago, I was on a weight loss journey and was down to a single digit size for the first time in my life. Now I could easily be confused for the world’s largest beach ball. It has been very difficult not to be completely depressed about this. And I do not feel inspired by the efforts of my sweet, wonderful sisters who eat raw milk and fresh eggs and grass-fed beef, etc. Reading about all they do makes me feel overwhelmed. Even reading Heather’s post from the other day about just making one change made me feel overwhelmed. And when I am overwhelmed, I focus on the negative. And I don’t know about you, but when I focus on the negative I get stuck. I do not get moving; I just stagnate.
So I did a little mental exercise yesterday and began to list all the things that I do that are right where food and health are concerned. Granted, the list is not long, but it’s something. Knowing that I am already doing some right things will hopefully inspire me to do more right things. Because I really don’t like looking like a beach ball or having hip pain or getting winded going up one flight of stairs or the idea of dying at age 50.
So here is my list:
1) When I consume a beverage, 99% of the time it is water. I love water and hardly ever want to drink anything else.
2) I eat whole grain bread. (Now is not the time to lecture me on how I have to be careful about all the hidden ingredients lurking in my whole grain bread, by the way.)
3) We make several foods and meals from scratch – biscuits, pancakes, guacamole, orange chicken (using oranges off the tree in our backyard, thank you very much), etc.
4) We rarely let our kids have dessert and soda is even rarer.
5) At least once a week, I dance with my kids.
6) I’ve started taking the stairs in my parking garage.
7) I force myself to eat things I don’t like because I know they are good for me – tomatoes, broccoli, bananas, berries.
8) I genuinely like spinach.
And that’s pretty much it. Not a long list. But it’s a start. So I say, take some time today to congratulate yourself on all that you are doing well. It’ll make you feel better. And I think feeling better can go a long way to helping you be better.-Jessica
4 Comments
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Heathermommy
Congratulations!!! You are awesome. It is easy to just focus on all the things we aren’t doing. That’s human nature.
Just so you know I don’t drink raw milk. I never have. Now I can’t even legally get it in Iowa. I did however just purchase my 1st half-gallon of vat-pasteurized and non-homogenized milk. It cost 4 bucks!!!
Also I have been inhaling a 4 lb bag of m&ms my neighbor brought over. And they aren’t even peanut ones, so what’s my problem??
But seriously you don’t like berries or bananas???
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Jessica,
You are the one! My two oldest girls hate berries and bananas. They must have inherited your genes!
I think that you do a lot of good things.
I know from personal experience that you are saying is true. I need to count up all the things I am doing right to feel motivated to keep doing more things right. When I dwell on everything that is wrong-I get totally discouraged.
This is not true just about food and health but every aspect if my life.
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Rachel
Great post. It reminds me of that old song that Pres. Monson often quotes. “You gotta accentuate the positive, Eliminate the negative.” Maybe as we focus on what we are doing right, it will be easier to eliminate the things we do wrong. You rock, Jess.
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HK
I used to think that I could eat whatever I wanted as long as I was active enough to sustain it. Now I just eat whatever I want. hmmm.
Solidarity, sister.
