As I return to work, I am forced to make the most of my time and energy.  To do that, I need to change some things in my life-namely my 1/3 pkg per day cookie habit.  In an effort to live a healthier lifestyle, I have decided to start a food/exercise journal. I am writing this post to make myself accountable for this committment to my health.

Here is my committment:
I shall be responsible for the choices I make. (no excuses)
I shall be accountible for the choices I make. (no lying or omissions)
I shall celebrate my successes with non-food-related rewards. (no eating a whole pkg of peanut butter cups cuz I worked out for an hour)

Each day, I will chronicle the food I eat and what physical activity I perform.  At the end of the week, I will decide on what reward I am entitled to. If I was really bad, I may reinforce this with increased activity the next week.  I am not really very good at enforcing dietary restrictions such as 'only eat 15 gr of sugar' or '20 gr of carbs' or, worse, 'NO carbs or sugar'.  Yikes!  If you want to see me cranky, restrictions like that are the fast track to that end. Not to mention, those restrictions will force me to quit this resolution post-haste.  At this point, I am only trying to eat less candy/junk.  As I improve, I may restrict certain things, but for now, I am interested in eating balanced meals, better snacks and adding physical activity to my daily routine.  I am not interested in weight loss or muscle tone necessarily although it will probably be a natural consequence.  I hope this will help increase my energy, manage stress and sleep better.  My motivation is not completely selfish either as this will be good for the baby and set a good example for my two year old as well.   I may not be successful every day, but I will take it one day, one meal, at a time and will be honest with my readers and myself.  If any of you would like to join me on this journey, I welcome the company. 

Here's to health!