Update: Week Two

Just a quick check in. Exercise appears to be a very magic ingredient to my lifestyle change. On Monday, I went to the local mall and walked six laps (3 miles) in one hour. I was pretty impressed with myself considering how inactive I've been for so long and how heavy I am that I was able to do it. Last night, I slept better than I have in months! I didn't even wake up to use the bathroom!

Also, exercise like requires drinking lots of water. And I can't chug down coffee after working out, so that took care of that problem too. I also found a not so unhealthy smoothie (soy based with no added sugar, made with whole fruits) that I can splurge on that makes me feel like I've had something sweet and special. I get the small. I haven't figured out the calories, and while I figure it to be about 200 calories, I use it in place of a mid-morning snack and eat a very light lunch afterward.

My goal is to make it to the mall everyday this week and walk for an hour, approx. 3 miles. I am going before hours which greatly reduces the temptations of fatty, sugary foods or spending on stuff that I don't need. Our local mall opens its doors at 7am to allow people like myself to come and walk in a climate controlled environment. I was genuinely surprised to see that there were about 40 other people in the mall at the same time as me before hours today to walk.

Here's to reaching my goals this week and getting a day closer to the full-on diet alteration and lifestyle change. I schedule a complete physical to make sure I'm okay to go ahead, and I plan to carry this through.

If I can do it, you can too!