Day 3 Re-Assessing Methods

No exercise today. Combination of a cold and migraine headache prevented much activity at all. Will see what tomorrow brings; hopefully can be productive in some manner.

Did get in three servings of vegetables today. Thank goodness for tomato sauces with and without pieces of tomato in them!

                                              (Photo by Photon_de, CC-BY-2.0 via Flickr)

Did you know that more of the lycopene, an antioxidant present in tomatoes and other foods has a greater amount available in cooked tomatoes than in raw tomatoes? Lycopene has been proven to be effective in animals and lab studies to be an anti-cancer agent as well as promote improved heart health, but studies in humans have yet to prove these same results. I'm guessing that since it is an antioxidant, at the least the substance won't harm me and may provide a health benefit in a nutritionally-balanced diet.

I am also re-thinking the walking video I am using. It is intended for people who have used Leslie Sansone's beginner walking videos, that have then built up to this level. I'm going to table this 4-mile walking video for now and start instead with a beginner video. That's where my level of activity and fitness fit for now. In time to come, I look forward to graduating to the 4-mile video.

Do you give yourself days off from workouts? Do you find that sticking to a daily routine is better until you get the habit established? I'm interested in learning what's worked for others, and what hasn't.

First Day -- I've Gotta Start Somewhere

I admit it. I've morphed into a laptop potato -- the technological equivalent of a couch potato. I've never been the athletic type, but was more than moderately physically active when working as a nurse in long-term care.

For at least a couple of years, once a day I would vow to myself, "Tomorrow I'm going to change." Today was finally that "tomorrow" for me. Have you found your "tomorrow" yet, or is it still something rolling around in the idea category? If you find yourself saying "yes" to the latter, you have lots of company. Before today, I was one of those people.

I could set myself a number of goals, but for right now I am limiting myself to getting at least 15 minutes of exercise each day and including at least 5 servings of fruit and vegetables in my daily diet.

These are pretty modest goals, but even small changes are a starting point. I don't want to set myself up to fail before I get to square one.

So, today I reached my exercise goal, but just barely. I'm beginning with Leslie Sansone's "Fast & Firm! 4 Really Big Miles." It sounds pretty ambitious for a laptop potato, but this isn't my first go-around with getting healthier. I've learned to take any exercise regimen and break it down to smaller or shorter intervals, increasing along the way.

Today, I made it through the warm-up period on the video. Please don't laugh! I then finished my 15 minutes of exercise by walking in place, just at a slower pace than the video would have done. Okay, it sounds ludicrous, but it's a beginning.

And I had 5 servings of vegetables throughout the day. No fruits seemed appealing. I hope that changes.

Until tomorrow, I wish you better health.