Letting the Cat Out of the Bag

Hehe.. NO! This isn't another post about my most adorable animals. Whew!

It's time for me to let the cat out of the bag. (No! I'm not pregnant. Whew!) In early November, my company hosted a health fair. You know.. the ones where they check your cholesterol, weight, various measurements, and insulin levels. Needless to say, I was not pleased with my weight nor measurements. But, that's not what concerned me the most. My cholesterol was 244. That's 44 higher than it should be. After much contimplation over what this number meant in relation to my weight and age, I decided that it's time to make a change. This is not an "I'm going to diet and exercise until I am a size 6" change. I truly want to become a healthier person.

I researched cholesterol information to better understand what I should do. I then sat down and formulated some structured goals. Hesitation filled me as I began to make a committment to a different way of thinking. I didn't want to expose these goals only to fail later down the road and have to endure the mild disappointment of those who were rooting for me. But, this time, it's different. My goals are simple yet slightly challenging. They inspire me to see myself to a resolution. Lifelong resolution! I have posted them below. My ultimate goal is to reduce and maintain my cholesterol level. I even hired a personal trainer to help me jumpstart my "get moving" plan. The first thing that I told her was that I am not doing this to lose weight or gain a smaller waist (I don't mind if I do), but it's not my goal.

I share these with you really to hold myself accountable. I am not asking anyone to watch every morsel that I put in my mouth or every cigarette that I puff. I am making slow and steady changes. So right now, it's not about the food. It's about getting myself moving. It's about building a stronger, healthier body. It's about achieving my goals - one step at a time.

Goals:
Nov 10th - Begin exercise program with a personal trainer. My personal trainer will assist me every Monday and Wednesday for 5 weeks. I will work out for at least 30 mins per day at least 4 days per week. Currently, I am focused on aerobic excercise. Any exercises that puts my body in motion. I commit to walking the dogs for one mile on the days that I do not work out. I did promise my trainer that I would begin eating breakfast everyday on this date as well. We agreed that I didn't have to focus on what it was but that I HAVE to get in the habit of eating breakfast.

Dec 1st - Begin stop smoking program. I need to do some soul searching as to which method will be most effective for my success. By Nov. 22nd, I will know this method and incorporate it into my goals.

Jan 1st - Remove sodas and sugar drinks from my diet. This includes my daily Starbucks.

Jan 23rd - Go to Doctor to have my numbers checked again. Re-evaluate exercise goals and determine what new techniques should be incorporated into my program.

Feb 1st - Begin to incorporate healthier food choices into my diet. I will commit to changing 3 things in my diet for the month of February going forward. I will report and document the decided changes prior to this date.

March 1st - Add 3 more diet changes. I will report and document the decided changes prior to this date.

April 17th - Go to Doctor to have my numbers checked again. Sustain diet and exercise changes.

Right now, my biggest challenge is the cigarettes. I did quit on 12/1 but have since bought and smoked cigarettes. I have committed to continuing to quit until I don't buy them ever again! No matter how many times I have to go through stopping and starting. Eventually, I have to grow tired of them.