Losing weight/getting in shape/eating better have always been a struggle for me. I have gone through many phases of trying various exercise programs/videos, diets, etc. in my lifetime. But, my physical fitness continued to fluctuate and over the years I have gained more weight and become less active. In particular, during the past couple years of graduate school (occupational therapy), I was always so busy with homework, work, and life that I let myself fall into a stagnant routine of spending long hours sitting for class, long hours sitting in a car commuting, eating dinner while sitting in front of the TV, and spending most weekends sitting some more to study. I have been meaning to get into better physical shape for a long time, especially since I am in the second half of my twenties and it only gets harder from here.
Recent major changes in my personal life and circumstances have forced me to re-evaluate my life and embrace change... since change has been my only option. I am now learning to focus more on taking care of myself... to really examine what it is I need and want, and to follow through with pursuing these things. The timing of this class, PM 562, and this Personal Project assigned by Dr. Ritt-Olson has served really as a catalyst, or "cue to action" for me. It has given me the drive, support, and accountability I needed to try and follow through with actually increasing my physical activity, improving my diet, and my overall physical health.... something I've struggled with off and on for years... and which I have failed at many times.
To a lesser degree, but nonetheless relevant, I work at an acute hospital (for my Occupational Therapy Doctoral Residency) treating patients with all types of chronic and acute illnesses, many of which would have been preventable with lifestyle modifications. As part of my work, I strive to educate patients on lifestyle changes, along with strategies to achieve them, that can help prevent further illness, worsening of their conditions, and readmission to the hospital. Therefore, to keep myself from being a hypocrite, I would like to try and follow through on incorporating healthy lifestyle changes in my own life as well.
My progress: This week has been tough. I was unable to exercise for two days in a row (Thursday and Friday) due to commitments to attend birthday dinners, etc. It was also a struggle to cut down my food at these events, and therefore, I ended up eating more than I should have for those days. I did manage to do one P90X video on Saturday, and two P90X videos on Sunday, which helped me make up for Monday... which are my longest days... full 8 hours working at the hospital, followed by a 3 hour night class... It's also stressful days and times like these when I turn to food for comfort... but with which I have had to practice the most self control. However, on the positive side, I have been eating at least a small breakfast in the mornings (with the help of my older sister), cutting my food in half at lunch time and only eating half, and taking the stairs more at work. A quick weigh-in yesterday showed 1*2.8 lbs... but a quick weigh in just an hour ago showed 1*4.0 lbs... so I have managed to lose anywhere between 0.4 to 1.6 lbs. My weight fluctuates throughout the day, depending on the time I weigh in, and what I have eaten that day. Therefore, I will try to pick a consistent time to weigh myself to really determine the actual change.
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