Some of you may know that I struggle with all kinds of obsessive eating and dieting issues. So, for the past 8 months, I have been consciously avoiding any kind of dieting or formal exercise routines. I have been struggling with accepting myself and legalizing food. I have gained weight, but I knew that would be a part of relaxing all my restrictions and making some peace with eating. Recently, I am feeling more in control and ready to work on slowly eating healthier and exercising more. At my worst, I am not sedentary and I eat fairly well, but I miss the level of fitness I had before, and I know that I feel better when I eat well. So, while still swearing off dieting (forever), I'm working on my habits again. I am being very watchful, though, about letting myself fall into a dieting mindset. My goals are health and an enjoyable fitness level. I still have thoughts about how skinny I should be, but I am fighting them.
That's the background. The good news is that I am enjoying eating more primally. I have been cooking at home more, eating meat and fat, fresh veggies and fruits, raw dairy, and I forgot how good it tastes and how healthy it makes me feel. I am rediscovering the pleasure of Saturday mornings spent with Livy at the Farmers' Market and the weekly milk pickup on Thursdays. I've also been trying to be more active, but in a natural way. I've been walking more, especially since I have been taking the train to school every day. I've been hiking, on a high ropes course, did some sprints (a very few - lots of work to do there!). Today, I tried a new way to work some play into my exercise.
Livy and I went to the park and played a game where one of us chooses an activity, then the other chooses. We did pushups, a rock wall, the monkey bars, the slide, ran races in the grass, dips on the picnic table, climbed a rope spiderweb, did some stretches, and I carried up a ladder on my back. It was fun! She out-exercised me for sure (she went across and back on the monkey bars three times in a row fast, and I never made it all the way across), but she is so encouraging, never condescending about it. We had a great time together, and it was a very fun and primal workout. I definitely plan to repeat it often, and it can be endlessly various, since we create it all as we go along.
