Being a vegetarian is tough! I’ve never eaten meat a day in my life with the exception of the one time I threw up all over a Mexican restaurant’s floor because they served me the wrong dish and the time I tried chicken and cried for three days while having more stomach issues. That does not mean that getting the proper nutrition is easy.
During my adolescence, when mom made all the hard decisions, I never had to worry about eating right or paying attention to what I put in my body for two reasons; one being I played sports and two being the types of foods our fridge was stocked with. My mom never bought sugary products and always opted for fruit juice popsicles over the artificial ones. She was very careful about what she allowed in our house and always cooked with a lot of vegetables. We were always eating proper foods without even realizing it.
College enhanced my love of pizza as an easy thing to eat with friends without being the oddball that I am but also introduced me to all the artificial sugary products that I had never had before. You would think all the healthy eating my mom instilled in me would kick in and have me opt for the smoothie over the chocolate ice cream cone with sprinkles in the cafeteria or the oatmeal over the Trix cereal in the morning. Instead, it encouraged me to explore the different sugary – certainly no meat products – foods that I had never experienced. Boy did my body take a toll. From the end of high school to the end of college, I went from being a size 4 jeans to a size 10.
These days, I’m unhappily sporting a size 12 jeans and encouraging myself to crave broccoli on a more regular basis. After really examining what my body needs to boost it’s metabolism and encourage weight loss while keeping a balanced diet, I have made lists and plans to ensure that I am taking in the proper amounts of iron and other vitamins while maintaining about 60g of protein or more daily and a higher dose of fruits. But I know it doesn’t stop with what I eat.
Water is something I have been forcing myself to drink more of on a daily basis for a few weeks now (I have been forcing myself to drink a 1.5L bottle a day and have exceeded that goal on a few occasions. I have been taking my dogs on separate longer walks and even walking 2.6 miles to the grocery store and back when I only need a couple of things.
Calisthenics are something I believe in on a daily basis so I have also included daily sit ups, push ups, and planks. Next week we add squats. These are a challenge for me not because they are hard to do but because my aforementioned dogs think it’s playtime. When I block them out of the room they cry and scratch at the door incessantly. I’m hoping that more exposure to calisthenics will encourage them to calm down while I am doing my routine.
Having a daily routine has always been a terribly mundane idea to me however as I age I find that it is the most efficient way to have a good day. If you have a morning routine you are setting yourself up for success throughout the rest of the day. Working as a server and a filmmaker, my schedule is never the same so I have opted to create a routine that works for me on MOST days. I take the hurdles as they come and create alternative routines that get the job done.
I like to be up by 7 to walk the dogs and put some water on to boil. This is when I fill the dog’s water bowl, clean out my french press, and add some coffee grinds. With the coffee seeping, I like to take a few deep breaths and do a few stretches to loosen up. I take my coffee on our patio and reflect on the outdoors before feeding both dogs and putting on some sneakers. Here is where I walk them around the neighborhood long enough to break a sweat. Afterwards I fit in my calisthenics, eat some breakfast, and settle in to write.
With these lifestyle changes and monthly dinner charts and weekly routines planned out, I’m hoping that I can continue sticking to a happier and healthier lifestyle to lead to more confidence in my own abilities. Another great benefit is that I have been cooking at home more and I’ve truly been impressing myself (and my carnivorous boyfriend) with my recent vegetarian black bean soup and lacto-ovo Chinese fried rice.
Would you be interested in seeing my meal plans and charts? How about more recipes and food posts? I can create more of them if you are interested.
Personal Pondering of Mine 