First of all, let me state that the Mindful Mondays series is officially over. I realized a couple days ago that I don’t discuss mindfulness on Mondays anymore — I’m meditating upon a subject that resonates with me. So from now on, I will be writing Monday Meditations.
Last week I pulled out the tape measure to see if nearly four weeks of working a labor-intensive job had any positive results for my weight loss endeavors. Sadly, it hasn’t. I may not be home sitting on my backside, I may be sore most days from physically exerting myself, but I’m not seeing any results whatsoever. I found that to be rather depressing considering I hoped my arduous efforts would have given me an advantage. And thus my mind began to turn over all the possibilities — is it the quality of my food or perhaps an underlying health problem? Being that I’m uninsured and basically unable to pursue the health problems, I’m evaluating my diet. What am I eating? Do I notice any negative consequences after consuming certain foods? Could I be intolerant of a particular type of food? Is it really just excess stress causing cortisol to keep my weight in homeostasis? I will be exploring these questions during the coming months in order to mindfully care for my overall health and well-being.
Mindfully speaking, I know we’re entering a time of year in which weight loss efforts are impeded by seasonal baked goods and holidays devoted to eating — you might think it’s all about commercialism, but I anticipate the holidays for the large spreads that I’ve become accustomed to. That being said, it seems silly to wait, but I’ve decided that February and March I will give up gluten to see how my body reacts. Then I will have Easter to evaluate how my body tolerates gluten-containing products. In the interim, I can mentally prepare myself to give up bread, pasta, and baked goods.
I have also decided that I’ve been involved at my job long enough to begin an exercise plan at home again. My body has mostly adjusted to my job. I can add a new activity each week until I feel I’ve gotten back into the exercise routines I started earlier this year. I’m going to add yoga back first because it’s low impact and reduces stress. To be totally honest, I’m really feeling inspired by Jasmine’s quest for total health. I want to feel energized. I want to feel calm and peaceful. Starting with diet and exercise just makes so much sense to me.
