Get Your Affairs in Order

So the other day I was learning about green smoothies and how they apparently make you invincible. I took a health quiz on one of the websites, and I failed! Not a C, not a D, a big fat F! This is what it said:

"Get your affairs in order. Or, make major changes immediately to begin reducing your enormous disease risk."

If only I had gotten a few more points, because this what a D looked like:

" Your risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, autoimmune diseases, and overweight is very high, and you are likely suffering from a variety of symptoms and chronic conditions. Please consider a dramatic change in lifestyle such as the GreenSmoothieGirl.com 12 Steps to Whole Foods right away!"

Much better!

And I consider myself a fairly healthy person. Of course, I do think it was a tad bit exaggerated, and may have had to to with the fact that because I was so unhealthy, it was crucial that I start their green drink diet before I spontaneously drop dead...and for only $170 for a limited time!

Still, it got me thinking. Honestly, I'm always thinking about my diet and how it should change. Part of it is the OCD in me, I know, but another part is the Gestational Diabetes that forces me to eat healthier every pregnancy, and the impending doom of permanent diabetes later in life. I need to make some changes. Just to clarify, skinny does not equal healthy.

I stumbled upon this the other day. If you feel like blowing some time you can go peruse the site, but here's the Reader's Digest version: this guy is a personal trainer, and he is doing what he calls fit-to fat-to fit. Basically he has spent the last several months totally trashing his body; eating poorly and not exercising. The before and after pictures are amazing. He has gained somewhere around 70 lbs. in the past five months. His goal is to turn around after he hits six months and spend the next six months getting his body back. It's quite interesting, really. And disgusting. But I like the premise and I really admire the guy. Especially since he's not just trying to prove a point, but he wants to teach individuals how to take care of their bodies.

I'm rambling. My point: I have decided to make some changes in my own life. Will you join me? I am going to try to improve one aspect of my eating habits each week. I'm not talking about resorting to a birdseed diet that is totally unsustainable, but rather a healthier outlook that doesn't ostracize you from the rest of society or break the bank. It will be a good opportunity to explore what healthy looks like.

This week my challenge is to drink at least 8 glasses of water every day. Here is an article on adequate fluid intake. Easy, right?? You don't have to cut out any comfort foods or add any vegetables to your diet that you've never heard of. Just drink more water.

I've been filling a 64 oz juice bottle with water every morning and trying to at least drain that before I go to bed. That's approximately 8 cups, though if you are exercising (which you should be), pregnant, or nursing, you should drink more.

Leave a comment if you're willing to do this with me. I would also love to hear how everyone else is staying healthy--suggestions, tips and tricks, complaints, you name it.

P.S. Stock up on spinach for next week's challenge--you're going to need it!

SBB