Ugh. Resolutions.

I hate resolutions.  It's the same every year.  People decide to make huge changes to themselves and their lives starting on January 1.  Here's a question: Why can't we decide to make changes in, say, July? Or starting January 11, instead?  During the post holiday letdown, I don't feel like overhauling my entire way of life or the contents of my kitchen.  I feel like napping.

Does anyone else need a nap right now?  No, just me? 

I decided last November to make some changes in my life that will make me healthier.  I did not decide to make these changes starting on January 1st.  I started after the Thanksgiving leftovers were gone, and took a break for Christmas.  (Come on, like I could have said no to EVERY cookie offered to me over Christmas.) Here's the kicker: I still made better choices when I was taking a break.  At my in-laws' holiday party, I ate the party food in smaller quantities, stuck with the veggies & hummus instead of chips and various dips, and didn't pay much attention to the desert table until the end of the night when I looked over and thought, "Holy crap!  Where did that stuff come from!? That looks GOOD!"  Then I ate a small something, and was done.  

This is an attempt to be healthy, and maybe even get fit.  I've decided to eat healthier, but not to cut out everything that I enjoy.  I can have pasta still.  Only, it's whole wheat pasta and it's eaten very infrequently.  I'm eating smaller portion sizes, and if my brain tells me that something is delicious and I need to eat a second helping, I tell it to SHUT IT!  It's not like I can't make that yummy dish again sometime, or have leftovers for lunch. 

I started working out.  It's like Working Out for Dummies, but it's a start. I try to work out everyday, but that doesn't happen all the time.  Some days I need coffee right away.  No one wants to go do crunches or jumping jacks with a belly full of coffee.  I'm doing a slow build up type of work out.  What I'm doing now is getting moving, getting my heart rate up, and building up endurance.  My workouts are getting longer, but are still short.  I expect in the next 2 months to be working out for 30-45 minutes a day, having started in November at just 5 minutes a day. 

So, resolutions this year?  Nope.  I don't do resolutions.  I made a choice a few months ago to be healthier.  Now that the holidays are over, and I'm nearly out of the holiday letdown mode, it's back to business.  I know that by making small changes, I'm going to end up with a lifestyle change that sticks.  I'm excited to see how everything looks this time next year. 

Oh, and I lost 7 lbs already.