Health Update

Time to check in! 

Being Active
On my goals to be more active, I have definitely done very well.  Other than the horrible weather, which has kept me indoors a few more times than I would have liked, I have still managed to up the ante on my activity level.

Things I have done in the past few weeks:
-I've made an effort to walk a great deal more (I probably get in about an average of a half-mile or so more a day than I had before.)
-I've taken the stairs whenever possible (though I was disappointed to learn that I cannot take the stairs up to the second floor where my office is--I actually have to take the elevator.  Lame.)
-I actually broke into a run on my way to the grocery store the other day, for about a quarter mile.  Just for the hell of it.  It was strangely really fun!
-I ran up the three flights of steps to get to the train every afternoon (instead of taking the escalator)
-When I go to the grocery store, I always grab a basket instead of a cart (more doable since I haven't had the Toddler with me.)  Like I said, it's the little things that I'm hoping will count.
-I've carried home the groceries from work like four time in the past two weeks.  Each time, that's over a mile of walking with two heavy grocery bags.
-I've been picking up the Toddler more and more, and getting down on the floor to roll around and play with him.  I don't turn him down as often when he wants to be pushed in his wagon (trust me, it's a workout).

All of these thing have definitely added up.  I can feel it.  They may seem really small, but then I have a day like today where I dragged about 20 pounds worth of groceries over a mile in two feet of snow with a temp of less than 10 degrees, and I am freaking exhausted.  And it's all by doing things I would normally do (like grocery shopping), but just doing them the "hard" way.  It's kind of nice because I don't bitch as much to myself when things get hard--instead I just shrug and say, "Well, at least it's more active."  I figure if I keep just pushing a little bit each day, I will eventually be doing more serious activities.  Like, I want to eventually get in shape enough to bike to and from work everyday, but that will take some stamina building to get there.

Nutrition
I've been eating pretty well.  I wish I could get in more vegetables right now, but seeing as I'm also trying to eat relatively seasonally too, the veggies are less than prevalent in February in Chicago.  Other than that, I've had way less sugar and alcohol and caffeine than normal, and I've been feeling great.  And, if I do say so myself, John and I have been freaking awesome about cooking all of our meals at home.  The most processed I've had recently has been canned organic soup and organic crackers.  Poverty certainly has it's pluses.

Tuning In
I was thrilled to learn that my favorite Integrated Medicine doctor has another book about general women's health.  I checked it out of the library and have been reading it and trying to pay a lot more attention to my body.  There's some fascinating info on how women's bodies are different at different times of their cycles, and how to pay attention to those changes and make the most of them.  Like, apparently women have bursts of energy starting with when their period starts until when they ovulate, and then they become very introspective and tend to get more fatigued or moody or need more sleep until their period begins again.  I'll be interested to follow my body's patterns and see if this holds true. 

I still have a long way to go to train myself to tune in fully, but at least I know I won't be one of those girls on I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant, or whatever that show is. 

Needs Improvement
I really need to be better about drinking enough water.  It's tough when it gets so cold and the air turns so dry--I feel like I'm perpetually thirsty in the winter.

And there are the vegetables.

Am I Healthy?
So far so good!  I've had a lot of energy this week, have been sleeping well, and have no glaring issues.  All my "measurements" seem to be in good order.  [Note: I would weigh in and get my true BMI, but I have a really dumb reason why I can't.  See, I weigh myself in on my Wii Fit, but I can't access my Wii right now.  We went to a friends house a few weeks ago to watch da Bears, and I took the remote to my tv as a toy for the Toddler for while we were there (otherwise he would want to play with all the other button-filled remotes).  Great trick, unless you then forgot it there.  And, then that friend goes out of town.  And then that friend gets snowed out of town.  ::Sigh::  Anyway, we'll be going back to his place for the Super Bowl, so I will be able to get the remote then, and then come home and weigh in to get my BMI.]  Until I can get my BMI, my pants are feeling looser, and my body is taking a healthier-looking shape, so I don't really feel a huge need to weigh in.

And, I have also not gotten sick yet this winter (knock on wood, cross fingers, twirl around and spit over left shoulder)!  I had a little weird bout of nausea yesterday morning, but I think it was just something I ate because it didn't come to anything.  (And NO, I'm not pregnant.)