Waist or Waste?

I have been deliberating all week - what my next challenge will be - or better stated -what new change will I incorporate into my life?

I've done well so far - except the exercise part. I need major mojo there. Otherwise things are sailing smoothly. So yesterday (as I finally found some time to peruse some of my favorite blogs) I got my answer to next week's challenge. Thank you JC for your inspiration! I'll recap what she wrote that turned on the light bulb for me....

When we have the option to leave some food on our plate (that we're not really hungry full anymore) or eat it- we often choose the latter for fear we might be wasting it. She notes that we're wasting it either way. because if we're not hungry for it anymore - then it's not going to be used by our bodies anyway (!) it's just going to be stored as fat. (aka wasted). Good point.

She also notes that most of us have been brought up with the "clean your plate" mentality and we need to switch gears. From now on it must be don't clean your plate!

This makes all the sense in the world to me. I've watched skinny people eat. And they never clean their plates. Often I've looked wistfully at their castoffs and wanted to scream "You're not going to eat that!" They push the last remnants around almost as if what's left repulses them. And in truth...it probably does. They're full. They dont' need what's left - they don't want what's left! They aren't worried about wasting anything. Maybe they've realized too, that they're wasting it either way. Or maybe they are just so in tune with their bodies that they know when they're full and stop. Either way - I doubt they even think about it. It's second nature to them. Which is what my own personal challenges are all about. Incorporating habits into my life that stick and become a part of who I am. That become...second nature.

And so...for next week's challenge I am going to become a member of the "Don't clean your Plate Club." I realize at first this will be hard. But if I can get over that mentality about the starving kids in China (or where ever it was my parents always told me) then I can teach myself to toss out what I'm not truly hungry for and not feel guilty. I'd rather the trash man gets it than my hips.

I've also decided that since the exercise part is coming along slowly - I need to rewrite this challenge - lest in my all or nothing mode I give up. So for now that challenge has been revamped to incorporate movement whenever I can. This translates to:

• park farther way


• take the stairs


• lift weights during commercials or run in place

You get the drift. The important thing here is to stick with changes I can live with. Eventually I'll get the routine exercise thing going again. Maybe when I have a job again I can join the YMCA or take some evening exercise classes at our local schools.

Speaking of which - not sure I mentioned that the interview I had last Wednesday flopped. The one Monday is different. Say a prayer for me on this one.

Ciao and happy weekend!