Day 9 One Week Down, One Mile Completed

Day 9: I missed celebrating my first full week of my journey to get healthier one day at a time here, but it didn't go unnoticed, at least by me. Seven days AND I made it a full mile on my 4-mile walking video. Yeah me!

Yes, maybe getting excited over a mere 7 day stretch -- correction, today makes it an 8-day stretch -- is a little over the top. I didn't buy champagne or bake a cake, but did give myself kudos for sticking with my plan.

Patting yourself on the back for accomplishments big and small is a healthy thing to do. You're acknowledging meeting a goal, even if it was just getting the darned ironing done today, and you're acknowledging that your own opinion is important to you -- as it should be.

It's great when the people important to us notice our efforts, but it is even more vital that your own opinion counts to you. There are lots of small things that are probably important to you that no one else would know. When you've jumped those hurdles, an inner feeling of victory isn't selfish or self-serving.

Here's some information you might find interesting:

Fiftysomething Diet: 5 Powerful Weight-Loss Boosters

Are any of these things in your menu now? Are you thinking about adding any of them, and if so, which ones?

Until the next time, C'mon spring!

Day 7 On the Way to Establishing Habits

Day 7: I don't know if anyone else sees a change in me, but I do when I look in the mirror. No, I'm not talking about weight loss. There is nothing to see there quite yet.

What I see when I look in the mirror is a woman with some fire in her eyes and a smile that seems wider than it has in quite some time. When I walk, I feel like I have more pep in my step. I don't know that any of these things are true or if it's just that my perception is changing. Either way is just fine by me. First and foremost, I have to like the person that I am, from the inside to the outside.

At this point, I am not weighing myself or taking body measurements. I know that sounds a little goofy, but while weight loss is certainly an aim of my changing habits, the real goal is to become a healthier me.

I'll know from the fit of my clothes, to the distance I can walk without becoming winded, by the increased overall energy I have for life that I am making headway toward becoming healthier.

I don't want to obsess over numbers, unless we're talking about numbers like blood sugar, cholesterol and blood pressure. These are numbers that help to measure my healthiness.

Might I change my mind sometime in the future and begin to court the scales and measuring tape? I might, but for now I am keeping my focus on the bigger picture.

Have you found that weighing yourself or taking your measurements are motivating factors in weight loss? In becoming healthier? I'd like to learn what has worked for you.

Until next time, take care, please.