So you guys, I have A Plan. You know how I love having A Plan. You know how the shorter days always grind me down, leaving me a gray and weary shadow of my perky springtime self? (A gray and weary shadow who is not IN THE LEAST overdramatic.) Today is the autumn equinox, and I am testing out a new idea for dealing with my seasonal blues.
NINE: Every day, eat five servings of veggies and four of fruit. If you've been reading my blog for a really really long time (like, since it was a different blog), you might remember The Vegetable Project -- my strategy for losing the baby weight after Pete's arrival in 2005. TVP was five servings of veggies + a gallon of water daily, with no sugar. I've tried variations of this again and again, but never with as much success as the first time. I think this permutation may be a little more sustainable. Giving up sugar entirely is not easy, and my children complain, and so my plan is to eat lots of plants and not sweat the rest. The goal is zip! vim! get-up-and-go! -- not weight loss. (Will I complain if weight loss is a side effect? I will not.)
EIGHT: When I am blue, I stay up late doing pointless things. I tell myself I need the quiet time. Then I am tired the next day and the world seems even gloomier, so I really need the quiet time, so I stay up late again doing pointless things. No more! I am getting into bed at 10:00 each night, allowing myself half an hour to read in bed and say compline. There may be circumstances that interfere with this plan, but they should only be unpredictable things, like sick kids or unexpected work deadlines. Unpredictable things ≠ googling that one person I met in 1989 who loved bloodhounds and aspired to be a poet and wait, how do you spell that last name again? and hey, who knew? isn't bloodhound breeding fascinating? EIGHT hours in bed every night.
SEVEN: I am going to run seven miles a week or do a comparable amount of a different exercise. I thought about setting a higher goal, but it's good to have modest expectations as the year winds down and the obligations ramp up. I can do seven miles in two chunks without causing myself distress, or I can do a few shorter runs if that's how the schedule shakes out in a particular week. I am not quite sure how to count today's 25-mile bike ride, which was going to be mellow and easy except that I forgot my arrhythmia meds and we rode back into a savage headwind. It was not mellow at all, but it was fun anyway.
Anybody want to join me? C'mon, it will be fun. I am skipping upstairs because my self-imposed bedtime approacheth.
Count me in!
Posted by: gina | September 23, 2012 at 09:38 AM
oh, I've been reading for a long long time, but I don't really remember the vegetable project. (I miss the former blog, though, the treatises on breastfeeding and home birthing and... above all, the birth stories :)
We've already implemented a similar thing in our diets -- eating TONS of veggies and fruit instead of mostly grains & beans (we're vegetarian, almost vegan, you know).
I TOTALLY hear you on the staying up late thing. :( :( I need to improve on that. The exercise is a bit harder for me given my crazy commuting schedule, but I have commited to one yoga class a week and will try to add at least one more. That makes me SOOOO happy!
Posted by: Lilian | September 23, 2012 at 10:03 AM
Jamie, you get all the points for admitting in public that you do the pointless internet searches. Such a time suck and source of shame for me!
Good luck with the nine. The fruit seems harder than the veggies for some reason -- so much sweet!
Posted by: Colette | September 24, 2012 at 09:50 AM
I'm joining you in some plan with some combination of numbers, relating to sleep, exercise, and eating vegs. But in the spirit of letting "the perfect be the enemy of the good" I'm still trying to figure out the details and which numbers to use! But 5 veggies and 7 hours in the bed (a big improvement) and some formula of mileage/days of riding my bicycle are in the mix, and maybe some goals for things like prayer/daily Mass. Time for me to shape up in a variety of ways! Thanks for the inspiration.
Posted by: nancyo | September 26, 2012 at 11:06 AM
Yay! I'll play too!
My husband has recently become an aspiring vegan...just vegetarian now. He's been inspired by a vegan distance-runner (Scott Jurek maybe...I refuse to Google it). Anyway - two of your three aspirations would be a good family-bonding-while-getting-healthy type-thing for us :)
My sleep issues are more gianormous-dragon-cross-stitch induced than computer. I can hardly watch movies anymore though because the instant I recognise someone I must look on IMDB to see what movie, TV show and Law and Order episode they (and everyone else in the cast) has ever been in.
Posted by: Angela | October 01, 2012 at 01:23 PM