Week 1: Breakfast Makes a Comeback

Happy New Year! My day started with a sore throat and a trip to work at 3am. After work I was greeted with the reality that I have strep yet again. &#!&*! If I was looking to the universe for a sign that I needed to take better charge of my health, it was handed to me this afternoon. I have really, really, really allowed myself to indulge this holiday season. It's taken its toll. Several years ago I was successful in losing about 30 lbs on weight watchers and it is definitely my "get real" method of choice when it comes to my eating habits. I attempted to reapply myself to this weight watching in November. Yeah. I've had better ideas. Needless to say, the holidays went by with a great deal of sweets, candy, fried business, good cheese, and many, many more things in excess. When I allow myself to really go for it and eat (or drink) anything that my sweet little heart desires, I certainly suffer for it - on several levels. I had vowed that the end of my festive feasting would come today; it's been hard already. BUT, it's a new day, and a new year. And we're all about new habits replacing the old ones. So here's our new habit for the week. EAT BREAKFAST! Why you ask? Why is this the first new habit of the year??? Well, for starters, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It is also the most neglected. I tend to have a breakfast of coffee and milk everyday. I guess it could be worse, but it's time to give breakfast it's due. So, what exactly does this mean? Make breakfast a meal. Ideally, a good, hearty one is best, but you can start small. Today, mine was egg whites, a banana, some skim milk, and (of course) coffee. I could say that it took some effort, but really it just meant a trip to the hospital cafeteria at around 6:30. My suggestion, and what I plan to do at home, is to try hard to work breakfast into my meal planning. I'm gonna try to close the door on the box of cereal. Making breakfast a priority can reduce hunger later in the day and can get the day started on a healthy track if you've made healthy choices in the morning. It also gives you energy (and who doesn't need more of that?!). In addition to the new habit this week, I've got a few challenges for you. 1) Watch a documentary. It's just a good idea to learn something new. Netflix has a ton of good ones available, so that's a good place to start. 2) Go for a walk. I'll include exercise habits into this madness later, but for now - at least one time this week- go for at least a 10-15 minute walk. Get some fresh air. Do some window shopping. Be mindful. And get moving.