For The Love Of Oats

Well gang… I started my RTH yesterday!  As I mentioned in my previous post, the next few weeks are all about Simple Steps.

My game plan for this phase is to identify an area I can improve upon or implement one new step each day as in a domino effect.  My goal was to post a new tip each day but since I wasn’t able to post yesterday I’m sharing with you both yesterday and today’s tips…

Monday’s Simple Step #1:  Well rounded breakfast

For most of us, eating a well-rounded breakfast is one of the very basic concepts of weight loss / healthy living.  However, somehow along the way, I seemed to forget how important this was.  My morning routine went from eating my bowl of oatmeal at home then it evolved to eating my oatmeal when I got to work… somewhere along the way, that routine then eventually went out the window and I would just grab whatever I could, like a granola bar or a piece of toast w/ pb, eating it quickly while walking out the door or en route to work around 6am… The result of my “small, on the go breakfast” was that by 8am I felt sluggish, tired, and famished… Although I wasn’t eating donuts and my choices were healthy, they were not healthy enough since they were not well rounded.  I guess I’m sad to say that somewhere along the way, I lost the true importance of eating breakfast.  I know this is a horrifying concept given my love for oatmeal and I’m not really sure how it happened… Somehow I didn’t make time for breakfast… I didn’t make time for ME… Therefore, my goal going forward is to have a breakfast that incorporates a minimum of 3 great food groups:  whole grains (ex:  whole grain toast, whole grain cold cereal, homemade granola, oats, bulgur), fruit (ex:  frozen fruit, bananas, apples, berries), and lean protein (ex:  peanut butter, sliced almonds, crushed walnuts, eggs, whey protein, low fat dairy).  If I can get some dairy and veggies in also, that would be a plus!  I’m happy to say that the last two mornings I have eating delicious bowls of oatmeal topped with fruit and nuts and I plan to do so going forward.  I have noticed a difference just even the last two days in that I felt more energized and my day was off to a better start… For those mornings that I know I’ll be rushed, I will resort to eating a bowl of oatmeal at work first thing as I’m going through emails or keeping an emergency breakfast cookie in the fridge!

Tuesday’s Simple Step #2:  Stop, Take a Deep Breath, Think

One of my biggest known problems for as long as I can remember (probably since high school!) is that I am a classic Type A personality.  I worry and stress about absolutely everything from the very small tasks (“Did I remember everything at the grocery store?”) to very large ones (“How am I going to solve problem xyz at work?”)… No matter how hard I’ve tried, I’ve always struggled with reducing my stress level.  If you remember, I tackled this very topic last year around the same time!  I can’t guarantee that I’ll eliminate all stress from my life, nor can I commit to not stressing out, but I am committing to make a conscious effort to stop stressing as much and trying to find ways and outlets for reducing stress.  One of the things that I implemented today was in moments of stress to take the “Stop, Drop, and Roll” approach, except obviously, I had to tweak it a little bit to be realistic   That being said, I came up with a little mantra for myself when I feel a “Flight or Fight” moment coming on:  Stop, Deep Breath, and Think… I used it a few times today and it really put things in perspective for me.  It didn’t complete eliminate the stress I was facing obviously, but it helped me to clear my mind, refocus, and move forward…

These areas are aspects of my life that I will continue to work on so I’m sure my strategies will evolve as time goes on, but it’s a start…. and that’s what this new “Return To Health” is all about for me…