Gimme a break!

Remember being in school as a kiddo, what was the best part?  For me, it was recess.  A time which allowed me to do what I wanted.  This usually involved talking to my friends and playing.   It was the best part of the day because I was able to decide what I wanted to do.  

Fast forward to being a working stiff, recess looks more like a lunch break.  The only time of the day, for some, when you are in charge of your activities and not the boss.  Is it any wonder when we have some free time we do not want to 'eat right' and 'exercise'...we like breaks!  For most of us, it's completely natural.  But if you're anything like my savvy hubby,  breaks only happen when he goes to sleep.  We're terribly opposite in this regard.  I like free time.

So when we get our free time - what do we do?  If we're not used to being savvy foodies or if the word 'exercise' is seldom uttered, guess what...it's going to suck changing our patterns.  If free time is spent doing nothing, eating without caution or just veggin' on the couch lets shake things up, shall we?  

How long will it take, you may be asking.  Most experts believe it takes roughly thirty days to break a habit and adapt a new one.  THIRTY DAYS...doesn't that sound ridiculous?  My attention span barely lasts thirty minutes.  How in the world am I supposed to give myself a month to get rid of my old ways?  Calm down and keep reading ;)

I have the answer, but it's going to cost 'ya.  You can make your checks out to 'savvy foodies' and mail them to, KIDDING!!!  The cost is perseverance!  That's it!  You will have to wrestle with your ego and challenge your body and mind.

Here are a few tips:

- Knowing me, knowing you.  Hi, I'm Amy.  Well nice to meet you, Amy, I'm Amy.  Sounds corny, right? Well I've had 33 years to get to know myself and guess what...I'm still learning my patterns.  What I do know is I'm a morning person.  I work out in the morning and at night I crash and burn. So if I don't go to the gym in the morning, it won't happen.  Working out at night is NOT an option.  Perhaps, you're a night owl and working out after work pumps you up.  Getting to know when you are able to best perform is half the battle. 

- Add before you subtract.  Being a savvy foodie takes effort.  It also takes simple arithmetic.  Before I take something out of my diet, I must put a healthy and satisfactory substitution in so I won't feel deprived.  Deprivation is the key to failure.  Don't let it happen.

- Make your body happy.  If you love to dance, go to classes that allow you to shake what your mamma gave you.  If you consider a workout to be complete only if you sweat your brains out, try a boot camp class.  Maybe you like to compete, find a running group to motivate and inspire you.  If you like going for a dip in the pool, don't judge water aerobics until you shake it under water.  Try different forms of exercise to see what your body responds to.  

This is my favorite -  

- Get comfy.  I live in yoga pants.  They are the most ridiculously comfortable pants in the world.  I also swear by LuLu Lemon.  The prices are nuts, but I live in their clothes. Once I'm in my work out gear, I'm more apt to exercise.  I also swear by my Brooks sneaks, so anytime I've got them on I never sit down.

- Eliminate pressure.  For goodness sake, it's a marathon not a sprint.  Accept there will be days when, quite frankly, you won't feel like going for a jog/walk/bike ride, whatever.  You're only human.  Just make sure you get back on your horse.  

- Read Savvy Foodies.  Keep reading for ideas, tips and tricks.

- Watch the pounds fly.  Best part of switching things up, you are on your way to health!  Best part, period.  Once you've committed to changing your old unhealthy ways, positive things will happen.  It's not going to happen over night, I can promise you.  But once it becomes habit, it's going to be so rewarding.

These are just a few tips that I have found helpful.  It has taken me a year of dedication in order to get to a spot where I'm pleased with my results.  It's not always easy, but it's only my health.  No big deal, again I kid.  If you don't have your health, what do you have?  So next time you have some free time, what will you do?