Ten in 10: Starting Something Great

I still can’t believe that it is 2010 already.  It seems like it was just yesterday that we were getting ready to celebrate the year 2000, doesn’t it? It’s amazing how much has happened in the past ten years, and even more amazing how fast it has gone.

Today starts the Ten in 10 Challenge that I mentioned a few weeks ago. I’m excited for the challenge because I think it will provide a great support network for everyone involved to achieve healthy goals and make 2010 a great year! For me, the challenge is all about healthy habits.  I’m not going on a crazy 10 week diet or cutting all sweets and treats.  Instead, I am hoping to develop good habits that will last beyond the 10 weeks, improving on things I have already been doing.

It’s not about resolutions…

In the past, I have made plenty of New Years resolutions…  The problem was, I would always set unrealistic, lofty goals, setting myself up for failure.  Did I honestly think I would never eat a single cookie during the entire year?  Or that I would really make it to the gym ever single day? Not only were my resolutions unrealistic, I think I was setting the wrong goals.

When it comes to living healthy, I don’t think that trying to completely avoid all that is “unhealthy” is really the answer.  In fact, for me, I think it just makes things worse.  I’m pretty sure that I ate more cookies in the years that I attempted to stop eating cookies entirely than I did in other years. Things that are forbidden always seem so much more appealing, don’t they?

This past year, I read Naturally Thin: Unleash Your SkinnyGirl and Free Yourself from a Lifetime of Dieting by Bethenny Frankel, and everything started to make sense.  I’ve read a lot of “diet” and “weight loss” books, but Bethenny’s book is *very* different.  In fact, I wouldn’t really call it a “diet” book at all… It’s more of an “anti-diet” book.  The book is all about balance and moderation.

My favorite phrase from the book is “You can have it all, just not at once.”  I think about that phrase all the time… If I have a muffin for breakfast, I know I shouldn’t have a cookie later in the afternoon.  But, if I have yogurt or eggs for breakfast, I can afford to have something sweet later in the day. It’s a simple balancing act… One that I can keep track of in my head.

It’s about healthy habits and goals…

So, as a part of the Ten in 10 Challenge, I am setting some healthy goals because there are still plenty of areas that I need to work on.  I won’t be keeping a list of every food that goes into my mouth or counting calories and grams of fat.  Instead, I will be continuing what I have been doing for a while now… I will be trying to improve my healthy habits and start having a healthy relationship with food, exercise, and life in general.

While I am not a big fan of resolutions, I think it’s healthy to have realistic goals to work towards. So, here are a few of mine:

• Healthy Relationship with Food – I have been known to eat sweets like they are going out of style.  I know I shouldn’t, but there are times where I don’t balance my diet like I should. So, one of my goals is to eat sweets in moderation, enjoying small portions of things I really want to eat (not large portions of mediocre desserts simply because they’re there).
• Regular Workouts – My relationship with fitness is often much like my relationship with food. I will work out a lot for a few weeks, and then I start to slack off and skip workouts. Lately, I have been working out regularly, incorporating both cardio and strength training into my routine.  I have been feeling great, and I really think that it helps me stay on track, even when I indulge a bit, so my goal is to keep it up and continue to work towards improving my fitness level.
• Positive Outlook – Part of having a healthy relationship with food and a successful fitness regimen is being realistic and not dwelling on mistakes. I have a habit of dwelling on my weight and getting really frustrated with myself. It’s something that I have been working on and will continue to work on. My goal is to focus on the positives and live in the moment. Life is too short to worry about what went wrong… Instead, I will use it as an opportunity to reevaluate my goals and try to do better moving forward!

So, what’s next?

My rant on healthy living is over for the moment…  And don’t worry, I won’t be writing about fitness and healthy foods every day.  I will be writing status updates each Saturday, taking some time to reflect on what worked (and what didn’t) during the week.

During the week, it will be business as usual here at My Kitchen Addiction.  Because I blog about what I’m cooking and eating, there will be plenty of healthy recipes and tips… Balanced with a few treats here and there, of course!