Saturday, May 13, 2006

A few changes in my lifestyle....

I have two rows left on the booga bag which I should finish this morning, and then it's just the i-cord and felting! Hopefully I'll be felting tonight!

I don't know that I want to take the cookie monster scarf to the knitting group this afternoon and somehow I don't think I should be trying to start my first attempt at socks there. So I think I'll be starting a small scarf (easy to knit) project as a future gift for a friend of mine (that's in a lovely green yarn which not only will look wonderful against her red hair, but is green for Project Spectrum!) My friend loves bright turquoises and apple greens, so I hope she'll love this as well. Plus, I've been dying to try out this yarn- Suri Dream from Knitpicks- it's so incredibly soft!

I've started to keep a current project (the knit-a-long shawl)out in the car when I'm riding along with G. I normally am skittish when riding around after being in several car accidents, but the knitting relaxes me- which both he and I appreciate!

Onto lifestyle changes:
One of the things I noticed last semester was that with two accelerated classes and working full time, trying to fit in my knitting and other forms of relaxation and entertainment... my exercise was non-existant and my nutrition was pushed aside for convenience. The lack of exercise was due to a badly sprained ankle which I didn't mind so much because it provided me with a bit more knitting time :) But the poor eating because I was constantly pressed for time with my homework load took its toll- I was sluggish and generally didn't feel at my best. Not sleeping enough and not being able to exercise didn't help.

Since I'm planning on keeping this pace for the next 14 months, I need to find a better way to eat and workout, to keep myself at my best to handle this type of workload.

So this morning, I've sorted through my pantry and cleaned it out. Luckily, today is our day when the post office picks up food donations for local charities so I can feel good about the "bad for me" food I'm giving away.

Next week, I'm going to either return to South Beach Diet because I truly love how it makes me feel- energetic and 'clean'. The only problem is that it is time consuming for menu planning and food prep. My other option is a 30 day detox program I am in the midst of researching. It will probably be the SBD, because I am familiar with the foods and have some favorite recipes, but mostly because I prefer lifestyle changes than 30 days of restiction. I think I want to incorporate some of the ideas from the detox into the foods I choose from SBD (cutting out salt, less red meat).

Needless to say, candies or sweets are out. I'm not crazy about sugar free ones and the overwhelming sweetness of that much sugar once I've adjusted to not having it in my daily life is just too much for me. And while my ankle is still tender, I've been going for walks at night and should have the exercise room set up during my week off from school.

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