A healthy start with hope for a healthy end...literally and figuratively

Well, here I go again. I am at the beginning of my last quarter of nursing school, and like all other quarters I am trying find a way to be healthy, fit, and do what I need to do this quarter. I always tend to overdo it and fail miserably with being healthy and fit. This time I am trying to learn from my past experiences and find that balance I have been looking for. Part of why I failed so hard last quarter was because I was working out 1.5-2 hours 5-6 days a week plus doing our 3 mile walk every day. When you add the time I spent doing that with shopping, cooking, organizing, and packing meals I was not putting enough time to school work. Essentially, I was spending and average 4-5 hours a day just exercising and dealing with food.

Here’s the plan for now. It’s a twofold process. First, I am going to make the healthiest food choices I can. I will allow myself to have some fun on occasion, but for the most part I am looking for nutrient rich food. The food doesn’t have to be fat free or low fat, I just want it to be healthy. Second, I am also going to start jogging. My goal is to jog 3-4 times a week for no more than 30 minutes. My hope is to increase my distance in this time period, but limit myself to the amount of time I workout. I am actually starting with 20 minutes and then moving to 30 minutes as soon as I can go the 20 minutes without stopping. Let’s face it, I am not fit and I feel the need to ease into the jogging a little. Alan and I hope to fit in a long and difficult hike in once a week as the weather and time permits.

With that said, I did do my first day of jogging today. I did better than I thought I would. I think I might even be up to 30 minutes next week. Hopefully today wasn’t just beginners luck! I also spent the weekend shopping and preparing food for the week. I didn’t get it all made, but got enough made that I am doing well. Today is day two for eating well. Alan and I are working hard to support each other and keep each other on the right track. He hasn’t had a diet soda in a month, and really I think that is super awesome!

In the end, I just hope to find a healthy balance in my life. I need to really kick my health into gear, but I need to get through school first. I only have 3 months left.  If I can just find a place where I am taking better care of myself and not letting my grades slip in the process I will be happy.