04 Jan, 2010
My name is Andrea, and I love my guts
Posted by andrea tomkins in: Challenge me, challenge you
It’s a new year, and I’ve decided to approach this whole resolution thing a little differently. So much of what I’m reading in the blogosphere is rooted in self-loathing: “I hate my body and I need to lose 20 lbs!” but I am coming at this from a different angle. LOVE. I am going to spend two weeks reintroducing some healthy habits that I know work for me. (Two weeks! YES, that’s it. Two weeks. BABY STEPS PEOPLE.)
I have decided to focus on my guts because I love them, and if ya ain’t got good guts, you ain’t got much.
And here they are (eek!), well, at least the exterior shot:
(WARNING WARNING, this is dangerously close to being WTMI (Way Too Much Information):
Here’s what you’re looking at:
- a mere shadow of the abs I used to have last summer
- a wrinkled 37-year old belly button that was pierced (twice) and sadly stretched out of shape while I was pregnant
- my father’s old leather belt. When I was misbehaving he’d silently lay it out on the kitchen table for me to ponder. That was my cue to smarten up. But that is besides the point …
I have been embracing my guts for a few days now, but here’s the lowdown (in case you want to embrace your guts as well). It is a two-fold thing.
Primarily, I make sure I am getting enough fibre every day. It may not be exciting (and I know there are better things I can be doing, like cutting out red meat and sugar) but this is something (a) I know I can do and (b) I know will make me feel great. And when I feel great, the rest of the stuff (like going to the gym and finding the energy to grocery shop and make healthy dinners) is easier to manage.
I am taking the lazy gal’s way to a happy colon by eating a serving of Kellogg’s All-Bran Bran Buds every morning. (FYI, Kellogg’s is not involved in this post in any way. Bran Buds are a product I truly love. And I bet some of you might too.)
** Make sure you buy the BRAN BUDS, not the flakes or the stuff that looks like rabbit food or a no-name knockoff. The Bran Buds are GOOD. They’re crunchy and a tiny bit sweet and fill me up. You can stuff them into meatloaf and sprinkle them on salads but I prefer to eat them for breakfast; 1/3 cup in the bottom or my cereal bowl with another cereal sprinkled on top. Sometimes I top the bowl with berries; always with soy milk. Healthy tastes good this way! (It does, really.)
A boost in fibre may be a good fix if you’re feeling bloated and sluggish (either mentally or DOWN THERE). A word of warning, a sudden influx of fibre may cause serious gastrointestinal instability (THAT’S PUTTING IT POLITELY, ISN’T IT?) but I think if you stick to the one serving of cereal and drink water and you’ll be fine.
Secondarily, I am doing daily planks and crunches again. I used to do 50 crunches every night before bed. Our bout with swine flu (as well as the entire month of December) threw me for a loop and I never quite got my mojo back. Crunches are back on the roster.
Tertiarily (is that even a word?), I am taking my vitamin D again as well as drinking a mug of green tea every day.
TWO WEEKS.
If I can stay focused on this for two weeks I will probably be able to keep it going for longer… but first I have to get through the two weeks.
If you’d like to do this with me I’d welcome the company. Think of all the fun metaphors we can come up with for, well, you know. POOP!
