I Know Me

Over the past several days I have found myself repeatedly saying "I know me."

I know that as soon as I sit down in the evening I am going to fall asleep.

I know that if I eat one Swedish Fish and I am sitting near an open bag of Swedish Fish, I am going to have a difficult time controlling myself.

I know that if I tell my friend Amy that I will be at Zumba and she is going to be at Zumba then I'm going to show up at Zumba regardless of how tired I am.

I know that when I am feeling grouchy, my best move is to lock myself in my room for awhile because otherwise - watch out family!

It recently dawned on me the power in that statement.  I KNOW ME.  When I pause long enough to remember that, I am way more successful at making healthy and positive life choices.  When I don't, I am more likely to make poor choices.  I also don't pay attention to what is going on around me and think it is fair to say that I don't enjoy life as much.

Let me dive a little deeper to help explain that.

Zumba.  Here is what I know - I know that by 7PM I am exhausted.  I've been up since 5AM, I've spent the day literally locked in a room with my staff and 30 people with Dementia.  I've carpooled my kids around town, cooked dinner and done about 10 other random things.  By 7PM it sounds like the best idea in the world to put on my PJ's, sit on the couch and fall asleep. However, I also know that I feel healthier, less stressed and more energized when I include exercise into my day.  I know that I love to dance and that I love the Zumba class I attend.  And most of all I know that I love hanging out with my friend Amy whom I don't get to see as often as I'd like.  So, I KNOW that if I make plans to meet Amy at Zumba than I am going to show up at Zumba.  SUCCESS!

Let's look at one more:

Swedish Fish.  Here is what I know - I know that I LOVE Swedish Fish and can easily eat an entire bag by myself.  I know that because I've done it before.  I also know that I am a mindless eater.  If there are snacks in front of me I'm going to eat and eat and eat without giving a second thought to how much I am eating.  I know that if I eat one I'm going to crave more and that I have trouble controlling myself when there is an open bag within reach; therefore, I am thinking of nothing else but how much I want another fish.  I know that my days at work are very busy and my best strategy to eating lunch is to pack lots of healthy snacks that I can grab throughout the day - apple slices, carrot sticks, string cheese, pretzels.  Yesterday at work I walked into a meeting to find piles of candy, including bags of Swedish Fish, in the middle of the table - a great strategy to boost the mood in a late Friday afternoon meeting.  However, for me, I knew that I had not done a good job packing my lunch that day and therefore had not eaten and would not be able to eat until after the meeting.  I knew that if I sat near the Swedish Fish it would all be over.  My mind would be focused solely on those fish and I would most likely end up eating a lot of Swedish Fish.  So, I made the conscious choice to sit at that far end of the table in the seat farthest away from the pile of candy.  SUCCESS!  I sat through the meeting focused on the subject at hand and didn't madly consume the entire pile of candy.

That sounds so complicated, but the thought process takes only a few seconds.  What has stuck out at me over these past few days is that the process is taking less and less time.  I used to wrestle with these thoughts and struggle to make the healthy choice.  Now, I am still aware that I am making the choice, but it is much easier and feels more natural.  Trust me, there have been many times that I have either made a poor choice without giving it any thought or still made a poor choice after thinking about what I was doing, but I forgive myself and try again the next day.

Do you know you?  Do you know what triggers a poor choice or what areas of your life you need to really think about what you are doing before you do it?  It will feel difficult and unnatural at first to make yourself pause before you act, but overtime habits and cravings can change.  I'm proof of that!

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Do you have a Lenita?

Yesterday as I walking from my office to the copier, I passed our Activities Coordinator who was handing out plates of crisp nachos with a side yummy cheese sauce to our participants (I work in an Adult Day Center for people with dementia.). 

She held a plate out to me. "Hey Lisa, do you want one?"

I shifted the papers I was carrying and extended my hand, "Sure!"

"LISA?"

A stern yet playful voice came from behind me.  I spun around and there stood my co-worker Lenita.  I hadn't noticed that she was in the room. 

"What do you think your doing?"  Her stern yet playful voice asked.

I paused for a moment looking Lenita directly in her eyes.  I turned my head and looked at the plate piled high with delicious crunchy chips and ooey gooey cheese sauce dripping from them.  Slowly, I turned back to Lenita - head tilted, looking at me through her long batting eye lashes and face glowing with one of her encouraging smiles.

Without turning back around I said, "You know what?  I'm going to have to pass, but thanks for the offer!"  Before the words were fully out of my mouth, I threw my arms around Lenita's neck in a hug of gratitude.

You see, Lenita plays an important role in my work day.  She holds me accountable on my healthy living journey, specifically on my work day snacking.  I never specifically asked her to play that role.  We just connected on that topic as both of us strive to make healthy choices and she naturally became my Miss Accountability. 

I'm lucky because she works in our Physical Therapy gym which just happens to be between my Day Center and the Employee Lounge.  So if there is cake in the break room, I have to walk past Lenita to get a piece.  There have been times when I'm headed for the vending machine and Lenita doesn't even see me walking by, but I see her!  Just seeing her is enough to make me turn around and head back to my office and my lunch bag filled with healthy snack options.   

Lenita is playfully stern and honest.  She is never mean or downgrading.  She is encouraging and uplifting.  When I get passed her and she catches me eating a piece cake, she doesn't make me feel bad because there are times that she'll go for the cake, too!  Instead she talks about how we'll do better next time.  And we always do!  I so appreciate the important role that Lenita plays in my life.  She keeps me moving in the right direction. 

Do you have a Lenita?  If not, take a moment to think of the people in your workplace.  Is there someone who shares your interest in making healthy choices?  Is there someone in the lunch room who is munching on fresh veggies and fruit rather than chips and pizza?  Lenita and I never specifically talked about her holding me accountable, but you may need to ask someone to help hold you accountable. 

Another way to find your Lenita is to be a Lenita for someone else.  It is often easy to spot those who are trying to being healthy and struggling a little bit.  For a week they are packing healthy lunches and then the next are back to hitting the drive-thru every day.  They talk about their walks after work and then don't mention exercise at all.  You know who I am talking about!  Comment on their good choices.  Ask them to go for a walk with you over lunch or after work.  You will find yourself being lifted up by your actions of lifting them up.  Pretty soon, they will return the favor.



 

After I walked away from those chips yesterday, I returned to my office and grabbed an orange from my lunch bag.  I took my time peeling it and popping each juicy sweet piece into my mouth.  It tasted SO good and I felt SO good about the choice I had made to eat it . . . thanks to Lenita!
 

Just Move the Darn Bag!

Sometimes I make things WAY to complicated.  There has to be a plan or a theme or a prize or a chart . . .

There are times when obvious simple solutions are right in front of me and I totally miss them. 

One behavior of mine that I have always struggled to change is my grazing of chips and pretzels.  I often munch when I get home, while I prepare dinner and then throughout the evening.  A couple of chips here.  A pretzel there.  Munch.  Munch.  Munch.

The kitchen is a main thoroughfare in our house.  We need to walk through it to get to the computer, the basement and the dining table.  I'm constantly walking through there.  It's a constant path for the whole family.  I've always kept the bags of chips and pretzels on the counter under the microwave.  Nearly every time I walk through there, I grab a handful of chips or pretzels. 



"It's no big deal,"  I told myself.  "It's only a couple." 

But a couple times seven equals a lot of chips! 

I began to notice that I was not the only one sticking my hands in the bag of chips.  Throughout the evening I would hear the rustling of the bag or I would find the bag sitting on the counter wide open.   Other members of the family were picking up on my bad habit.

How was I going to change this? 

The answer was so easy and obvious!  I simply moved the bag.  For the past two weeks the bag of chips has been in an undisclosed location in our kitchen.

Guess what?  No one appears to have noticed!  No one has asked.  No one has looked around.  They've just accepted the fact that we have no chips.

Guess what else?  I haven't munched either!  There must be truth to the old saying - Out of Sight, Out of Mind.

What an easy solution - I simply moved the darn bag!  

Such a Simple Task - Why Don't I Do It More Often???

Three words. 

Cut up fruit.

Such a simple task.  It literally takes seconds to cut up an apple.  Not much longer to rinse off a handful of cherries and put them in a baggie.  Minutes to slice a watermelon or cantaloupe. 

So why don't I do it more often? 

When I am packing my lunch in the morning, I'm always in a rush.  So I end up grabbing my pre-packaged cheese crackers and my low-fat yogurt.  (Today I actually grabbed the entire pound-size bag of pretzels and stuck it in my purse!)  Meanwhile, the fruit I bought with good intentions sits and rots on my counter or in my fridge.

Tonight I put my good intentions into action.  I washed the delicious looking bright-red cherries I bought and put them in several small baggies.  I sliced the watermelon I bought and prepared a container for me to put in my lunch leaving the rest for my family to inhale tomorrow.  I set out a washed Pink Lady Apple along with the apple slicer and a baggie so the apple is ready to be cut at the last minute tomorrow morning.

It's a tip I hear all the time - prep your food ahead of time so that you can grab the healthier snacks just as easily as the pre-packaged ones.  It makes perfect sense and it is so easy!  I hope that my action steps tonight lead to successful snacking tomorrow which will lead to future nights of fruit prepping!

Happy Snacking!

Battle Plan for My Workday Snack Attacks

I admit it . . . I'm a stress eater.  When my stress levels go up, my willpower goes down.  The past month at work has been high stress.  It took me a few weeks to recognize it, but my willpower was plummeting.  The new habits that I had developed over the past several years seemed to just disappear.  Looking at my desk one day, I counted four food wrappers.  FOUR!  Wow!  That was the moment that I realized I needed to get my act together.  I was in a fierce battle with the Snack Attack Monster and I needed a plan. 
   
Re-Commit to Living Healthy
On my drive home that night, I turned the radio off and spent some time thinking.  I needed to admit to myself that I was slipping into some old habits.  I love snacking.  I love pretzels and chips and gummy candies.  So when someone leaves a box filled with small bags of Doritos in our Employee Lounge, of course I am going to grab one.   When I step into my co-workers office and she offers me a handful of gummy worms, of course I'm going to say yes.  When I'm sitting at my desk at the end of the day and my stomach is gurgling, of course I'm going to go the vending machine.  Really?  No!  I'm going to walk past the breakroom, graciously decline the offer and come to work prepared with healthy snacks.  Why?  Because I want to feel good, have energy, live long and not put back on the weight I've lost.  

That evening I got out two index cards and wrote down the scripture and quote that started me on my journey of healthy living:

Let us not grow weary in doing good,

for at the proper time we will reap a harvest

if we do not give up.  Galatians 6:9  

 

No one can go back and start a new beginning,

but anyone can start today and make a new ending.

Maria Robinson

The next day I posted them by my computer as a visual reminder of my commitment to live healthy.

   
Re-Charge Breakfast
The time between when my alarm goes off and when I need to be pulling out of the driveway always goes so fast!  I found that I was often grabbing a granola bar or the dreaded Pop Tart as I ran out the door to satisfy my morning hunger.  Neither are very filling.  So by 9AM my stomach is rumbling and I'm wanting something to eat. 

I had always wanted to try making smoothies for breakfast.  My hesitation came from seeing recipes that call for protein powder and not knowing exactly what that involves.  Talking with my friend Dana - a dietitian - eased my fear of the unknown.  She said that for my purposes there were plenty of ways to naturally add protein to the smoothies through bananas, yogurt, peanut butter and even pureed pumpkin!  (Note from my friend Dana after reading this blog entry - "Neither bananas nor pumpkin are high in protein but they def add bulk, fiber and other nutrients that will keep you satisfied until you need a mid-morning snack."  I want to make sure I'm sharing correct information.)

Well-educated and very enthusiastic, I dug our blender out of the basement, bought a variety of ingredients and been have been whipping up healthy, tasty and filling breakfast smoothies all week,  YUMMY!  I have to admit that I have been surprised that they truly are filling.  My stomach did not rumble in the morning all week! 

The only possible downside to the smoothies is that they do take a little longer to prepare than simply grabbing a granola bar.  However, I'm a great multi-tasker (I did almost put the chopped garlic in the blender instead of the crockpot yesterday, but I caught myself just in time!) and my husband hasn't minded cleaning up my mess - especially since I've been leaving him his very own smoothie!

Re-New My Relationship with Water
Over the past couple of weeks I realized that I have gotten away from drinking water at work.  The cup that I had always carried around the Center with me sat dry and empty on the corner of my desk.  This week I made a conscious effort to fill it up every morning on my way to our daily meeting and then carry it with me throughout the day.  One of my favorite features of the Adult Day Center where I work is the door ice and water dispensers on the fridge.  I do like ice cold water - it fills me up and wakes me up!

My battle plan is in place.  It was that simple.  I'm RE-COMMITTED, RE-CHARGED and RE-NEWED!  Workday Snack Attacks don't stand a chance against this girl. 

Turning an M&Ms OOPS! into an M&Ms YUM!

I caved.  I had been strong for SO long, but yesterday I caved.  Walking into the drug store to pick-up a gallon of milk after work yesterday, I was attacked by the pinks and reds of the Valentine's Day candy display.  Then there was the big yellow SALE sign hanging right below my favorites - M&Ms.  As I was reaching for the bag and placing it in my basket my mind was racing - "Put those back Lisa."  "What are you doing Lisa?"  "Lisa, you know how you are when stuff like this is in the house."  What can I say other than I was tired and hungry and stressed?

I didn't even make it out of the parking lot before I ripped open the bag and filled my mouth with a handful of the crunchy candies that slowly melt into smooth goodness. 

Arriving at home, I tucked the store bag containing my secret stash behind the paper towels on my kitchen counter.  As I cooked dinner while endlessly nagging my kids to practice their instruments, finish their homework and put the clothes away that had sat in laundry baskets in the middle of the family room for the past two days, I could escape the chaos by popping a few seconds of amazing in my mouth.

STOP!!!  WHAT WAS I DOING?!?!  I tied the store bag in a triple knot and stuffed it on the top shelf with my canned goods.

This morning as I was preparing our lunches, that hidden bag of M&Ms was burning a hole in my conscious.  I wanted some really bad.  But I had eaten too many already.  But I couldn't just leave them there.  One of the kids would find them and they would definitely eat the rest of the bag.  Wait, my kids wouldn't be rummaging through the canned goods shelf looking for an after school snack.  Or would they? 

Then I remembered a former elderly client - Miss B (not her real name or initial) who's weight had ballooned to over 400 pounds.  Miss B was confined to a wheelchair at that point due to her weight.  Her daughter was needing to do more and more of her care because she simply couldn't do it.  Humiliated by that, Miss B was determined to lose weight.  One of her greatest joys in life was jelly beans.  She would consume them by the pound!  Miss B's son continued to buy her the big bags of jelly beans; however, what Miss B changed was how she ate her treat.  When he brought her a new bag of beans, Miss B would divide them into baggies of ten beans. Everyday she allowed herself one bag.  Some days she would throw all ten in her mouth at one time.  Other days she would savor each jellybean individually making the treat last all day long.  Overtime, Miss B lost nearly 100 pounds.  She did a lot more than stop eating jellybeans by the pound, but what a great example of self-control and not depriving yourself of something you love.

For me, the problem wasn't that I had bought the bag of M&Ms.  After all, there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with enjoying a chocolate treat!  The problem was that I lacked the self-control to not eat the entire pound bag in under 12 hours. 

So I got out my box of snack baggies and my 1/8 cup measuring cup.  I divided the remaining M&Ms into the snack bags.  I added pretzel snaps, raisins and mini-marshmallows to several of the bags making a fun snack mix.  Two of the bags I left plain. 

When I got to work, I sat the baggie next to my computer.  Throughout the day I popped one or two M&Ms in my mouth.  Sometimes biting into the crunch.  Other times letting them melt on my tongue.  With every enjoyable moment, I thought of Miss B, her jelly beans and how her example helped me turn my OOPS moment into a victorious YUM moment!