Day 2 - 1st Resolution Report

Well, so far so good... I haven't cheated yet - although I know it's still early days.

It is Day 2 of my new years resolution - or as I like to call it - my "promise to myself"... and I made the most of it:

• I washed all the dishes and pans etc., by hand (instead of using the dishwasher - hey every calorie burned counts right?! ) and cleaned the kitchen.
• I deep cleaned the bathroom - tiles and all.
• Watched some New Year detox tips on TV .
• I joined WeightWatchers online so I could keep track of my food allowance.
• I went power walking - running some errands at the same time.
• I ate healthily - without feeling I was missing out on anything - after all I can eat anything as long as it's within my "points" allowance for the day.
• I drank 5 glasses of water and some green tea, & coffee - so it didn't quite meet my required 8 glass minimum, but it's better than I was doing! And I resisted soda/fizzy drinks and juice.

So time for bed... also thank you to everyone who sent me messages about this.  It won't be long before we have our own social group for this kind of thing :-)

Here are some fun quotes I found about weight loss...

"The trouble with eating Italian food is that five or six days later, you’re hungry again"
- George Miller

"You have to stay in shape. My grandmother, she started walking five miles a day when she was 60. She's 97 today and we don't know where the hell she is."
- Ellen Degeneres

"If you wish to grow thinner, diminish your dinner."
- Henry Sambrooke Leigh

"The rest of the world lives to eat, while I eat to live."
- Socrates

"Your body is the baggage you must carry through life. The more excess the baggage, the shorter the trip."
- Arnold H. Glasgow

"Don't dig your grave with your own knife and fork."
~English Proverb

"Inside some of us is a thin person struggling to get out, but they can usually be sedated with a few pieces of chocolate cake."
~Author Unknown

"People are so worried about what they eat between Christmas and the New Year, but they really should be worried about what they eat between the New Year and Christmas. "
~Author Unknown

"I'm allergic to food.  Every time I eat it breaks out into fat."
~Jennifer Greene Duncan

"To lengthen your life, shorten your meals."
~Proverb

New Year New Start 2012

Well to begin with I'd like to wish everyone a Happy New Year!

I'm sure I'm not the only one who makes a promise with the best of intentions, to quit something or to have some sort of self improvement as a new year resolution.  Well this year is no different... I have made myself a promise that I am going increase my fitness levels, lose body fat and tone up.  I know it isn't exactly an unusual concept, and something that I'm sure other people around the globe have declared to do too.

I'm sure it's not just me that has received a cynical look from close friends or family members when I have made a declaration to do something different, so this year, I am not going to go through that humiliation.  Instead, I am going to use this blog as a "Dear Diary" so to speak.  It means I can communicate things, without being judged, or having to listen to people not take me seriously.  It also means I can make notes of things that motivate me, and share stories from those days that are harder than others.  And, it also means I have to stay true to myself and stick to the plan.  Hopefully, anyone reading this blog who can relate, will join me on this mission.

So today is 1st January 2012.  For me this means:

• No more junk food, except on allowed cheat days, and only if it's an urge I can't resist.   
• I have to make my primary beverage water, and warm green tea. Though I will still allow myself to have a medium glass of fruit juice for breakfast (although that will cost me around 100 calories)!  
• I will endeavor to use the George Foreman grill for cooking meat, 
• I will use my juicer at least once a week - to make a "high nutrition" shake, 
• I will try to avoid microwave meals as much as possible, and reduce my use of the microwave altogether (yes Microwaves are not that healthy for you)... 
• And probably the most important thing is making sure I get at least 30mins of exercise every day, and at least 1.5hours of cardio or strength training every other day.
• Keeping a weekly progress report including a weigh-in.
• Keeping record of any days I couldn't stick to the plan - or ate badly.
• Getting rid of any excuses.

I do have a gym membership, but I know it's going to be busy throughout January with all the new people who, like me, have made a new years resolution to lose weight/get fit, so for the time being, I am going to start off with:

• Power Walking in my neighborhood
• Zumba Dancing/Training on my Wii
• "Playing" Wii Sports, Just Dance 3, and the Michael Jackson Experience
• Intense house work - heavy duty cleaning etc
• Getting up to change the TV channel, instead of just using the remote
• Doing something active whilst watching TV or a movie
• Using hand weights and exercise ball.

Then by mid February, the gym should be almost back to normal (yes most of those new members will have given up already), so I will start using it again, especially for the strength training, as I can do most cardio outside of the gym.

If any of you are reading this and are planning to do something similar, then I'd love to set up a little social group where we can share ideas and tips, and help keep each other motivated.  By the end of the year I want to feel like a different person... so my one question to you is... ARE YOU IN?