Being Accountable: Writing Down Your Goals

Many people find that writing down their goals, dreams, plans, etc. help them accomplish those things and follow through.  I'm one of those people and you probably are too, in your own way.

For example, tracking my food via Calorie Count keeps me accountable for what I eat.  I see how good or bad something is for me and I see where I make good choices and where I can improve my selections.

Food is not the only place I need to be accountable, though.  I want to share my goals, for all the world to see, so that they're in writing and public and I'm accountable for achieving those.  Plus, by writing them down, I'm admitting that they're possible and something I can work and am working toward.

My Goal to Live a Healthier Lifestyle: Being Food Conscious

 I'll readily admit that I have never, ever been conscious of what I was putting in my mouth.  I didn't care how much I ate or what I ate.  If I wanted it, I ate it.  I was always blessed with a relatively high metabolism and small to medium build.  Before I became pregnant with my son, the highest weight I had ever been was 138 lbs.

After having my bundle of joy, I cinched the weight easily with being actively employed and breastfeeding for a year.  One year after giving birth, I weighed less than pre-pregnancy.

I don't know what happened.  It was a combination of job shuffling, bad eating habits, quitting smoking, and other bad habits.  However, I eventually jumped up to over 150 lbs.  Yes, I know this is not fat, and I'm not saying I was.

I was unhappy with my body, my habits, and my health, though.  I believed this had to be the beginning of a downward spiral for me, because women like me grew up to be 40 year-olds who are overweight and bury their problems in food.

I wasn't disciplined.  I exercised occasionally and only casually.  I ate candy bars galore (my weakness is chocolate) and stuffed my face with whatever else I deemed delicious for the day.

3 Week Before & After

It's been about three weeks since I started trying to live a little healthier.  Only in the past week and half have I really stepped up and really pushed myself to exercise daily and count my calories.  The results aren't drastic (not yet, anyway), but I'm still proud and ready to share.

Healthy Eats: Flourless Pancakes & Three Ingredient Waffles

My sweet tooth is probably one of my biggest weaknesses.  I love chocolate, baked treats, and anything packed full of sugar and sweetness. So, while trying to be a little more food (and calorie) conscious, I've been getting a little creative finding healthy and low-calorie ways to feed my sweet tooth and get other nutrients.  Thus came the Flourless Pancakes and Healthy Waffles.
 If you didn't know already, you should know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day!  I think it's one of the most common skipped meals, too, and it's very important that we have a good, healthy breakfast to be on the fast track to health success!

Well, my breakfast goal is to be full until lunch (between 11:00 and 11:30), be under 250 calories, and be nutrition packed!  This is so hard to do!  However, thanks to Blogilates, I discovered this simple pancake recipe!

My Goal to Live a Healthier Lifestyle: Kicking the Smoking Habit

Time and time again I have told myself that I could do better.  I've always been a bit of a perfectionist, but I procrastinate and get easily sidetracked, so it's not unusual for me to lose sight of my goals...whatever they may be.  Well, health is something I've always attacked passively.  It's never been a priority of mine, unfortunately.

I started smoking before I was even in high school and was smoking a pack a day by the time I had my son in May 2010 (what would have been the end of my senior year).  It wasn't until late January of 2012 that I kicked the habit, after smoking for about seven years.  Seven years!  I can't believe, in my young life, that I smoked for seven years!