Investing in my Self

I decided a month (or so) ago that I needed to grow up. Meaning, I needed to stop living like a couch potato and eating like a kid! See, I'm lucky. I have inhumanley fast metabolism, and I've never needed to watch what I eat, or exercise (and I'm actually underweight). I know, I'm one of THOSE people who everybody hates. But just because I'm thin, doesn't mean I'm healthy. Or in shape. And since I want to live a very very long time, I figured I should get off my butt. Last year I had my cholesterol levels checked, and although my numbers were all in the normal range, my total number was slightly high. Not a LOT, but obviously something needs to change.

So I went on a sugar detox. I did a similar thing for 2ish months last year, but I figured another go at it would help curb cravings. I was one of those people who HAD to have "junk" on a daily basis. Well, it worked! I successfully ditched the sugar (except natural sugars from fruits, and tiny amounts present in things like milk. What I noticed was a shift in the way I was thinking about food. From "what tastes the best" (usually things loaded with empty calories and not so good things) to "what does my body need". I'm the pickiest eater alive, but I've been eating vegetables, fruits and whole grains. Healthy fats. I only eat cheese once a week, max. I use a food scale (seriously, this is the best invention ever!) to measure my portions. And I track every single thing I put in my mouth on thedailyplate.com. Which is also awesome. And free!

I've even gotten into the green monster smoothie craze. Those things are seriously delicious and SUPER filling. And with 2 cups of packed spinach (which you can't taste a BIT), and fruit, it's seriously good for me.

I've had a mini snickers bar in my pantry for 6 weeks. And I have no desire to eat it. Even though I know it would taste good, I know it wouldn't make me FEEL good. I've seriously had a mind shift here… because I'm not willing to eat what's not good for me… on a regular basis. Obviously if I'm at a wedding I'm going to have a small slice of cake, etc. I intend to eat pretty normally when I go to restaurants (because we seriously go like… never.)

But it's not all about the diet. I needed to get moving! I was a complete couch potato. Pathetic, but true. So I got a 10 dollar pedometer, which has become my personal trainer. I MUST hit at least 10k steps a day. Which is completely impossible unless I exercise for an hour a day (for me, this translates to 30 minutes on the elliptical every morning, and a casual walk in the evenings). On weekends I go for more intense hikes in the canyons and yoga. The numbers are seriously motivating for me. I've started yoga again (free on the weekends!), and ballet classes (free for now… until my groupon runs out). I've turned a new leaf.

I have a doctors appointment next week, so I'm excited to see my numbers, and work from there to become healthy. I've already noticed a huge difference in the way I feel. Energetic, happy. I'm rarely ever tired anymore. I never feel like crap after eating. I crave things like apples and kale chips (surprisingly delicious!), instead of ice cream and cookies. Even though I didn't do this to lose weight, I've lost about 3 pounds and I'm becoming more and more toned. Always a good thing!

So in personal finance news, I need to buy a new pair of sneakers (mine are shot… I've had them for 6 years!) and figure out how to continue to pay for ballet class once a week. In that vein, I've been taking on some freelance work and selling stuff on ebay to help offset the costs. I feel like my health is finally a priority, and I'm happy.