FitBit 30 -- Day 3

It'd be so easy to lie about this challenge.  To simply not document tastes or snacks or to lie about portion sizes.

That makes this 30 day challenge as good an exercise in self-honesty as in self-discipline.

Here are today's results, after a day of work, errands, chores, and making cookies and puppy chow:

Calories out: 2647 

Calories in: 1508

Surplus/Deficit: -1139

In regards to what I talked about yesterday, adding 2 healthy behaviors a day:  success!  I meditated twice today, which I can't recommend highly enough.  I use an app called Calm, or its corresponding website, calm.com.  They have both free and pay services, as well as both independent and guided meditations.  I also invested some good time in prayer and Bible study, which was a wonderful bit of my evening.

Isn't it nice how positive behaviors result in positive feedback loops?

FitBit 30 -- Day 2

In a lot of ways, waiting 9 years after undergrad for medical school feels like I wasted an entire decade of my life.  There are a lot of things I won't get to do/enjoy during my 30s -- the prime of my life -- because I am doing med school and residency.

But thank God I didn't do it all back when I graduated from undergrad at 20.  I could have been a doctor at 24 -- a mere child.  I was way too young, both numerically and emotionally, to be a good physician, but I'd have been great at what medical schools like:  memorizing shit and doing nothing else but medicine.  And maybe I'd have ended up a surgeon.

I started a vascular surgery rotation today and had 7k steps by 8am.  It's going to be a pretty cake rotation, but I can see a) what's attractive and fun about surgery b) what great physicians the surgeons are c) how they change going from PGY1 to PGY 5, and not in a good way, and d) how much you really have to devote your life to it.

There's no way I'd want to now.  I am enjoying a much healthier work-life balance now than would ever allow me to be a surgeon.  Plus, I still want to have kids.

But yeah, got close to having my steps in yesterday.  Didn't hit it, because I came home and crashed for a few hours.

Calories out:  2432

Calories in:  1350

Deficit/Surplus:  -1082

Mondays are date night for us, whenever possible.  It's hard to have date on Monday nights because we're often so exhausted from getting back to the work week, but they're important to make a priority.  We knew we'd be exhausted tonight and had decided on going out to a movie.  We hadn't seen one in the theatre in ages so headed out to finally see Star Wars: Rogue One, which ended up being an amazing show.  Unfortunately for us the theatre had the volume up so loudly that it almost physically hurt to listen to it.

Anyhow, there's a point to my story:  I love popcorn.  I have an affair with it that is unhealthy probably both emotionally and physically.  I even have little enamel popcorn earrings.  My other love in life is Slurpeees/Icees/Slushies.

Which makes movie theaters dangerous places to be.

I managed to make it through the whole movie with nothing except a couple mints and a lindor truffle I snuck in via my coat pocket (it was disappointing -- I should have checked the  flavor first), which I of course tracked, and no popcorn.  NO popcorn.  Or a slushee.

I'll take the little wins with the big ones.

Adding Daily Healthy Activities: For Tomorrow

As I've said previously, I have a million ideas of what makes one "healthy" and since it's impossible to add them all at once and probable that adding one at a time will take to long to be effective, I've decided that my daily goal will be to do two "healthy things" a day minimum, in addition to my FitBit goal.

These might include meditation, stretching, running, Bible study, journaling, etc.

For example, tomorrow I'm going to try to meditate 2-3 times and do a Bible study. :)

Note:  I'm going to be backdating these entries so they show up for 11:59 of the night they apply to.

FitBit 30 -- Day 1

Obviously today is day 2, but hey, I can't post about a day's caloric expenditures until after midnight, so . . .

For the first day of 2017, I . . .

• slept in.
• missed church.
• made the hubby breakfast in bed.
• lazed about.
• went on a long walk in a really cool park.
• bought groceries.
• made dinner.
• lost 2 games of Rummikube and a Nerf gun war.
• went to bed super early because I had to be at work by 6am.

Calories out:  2414

Calories in: 1254

Deficit/surplus:  -1160

So I ended up under my calorie goal, but not by much!

I also managed to hit my steps and water goals.  w00t.

Part of me feels like these more passive challenges are a cop-out, like I should be kneeling at the altar of health by adding new habits and sacrificing time and blood and money.  But realistically, doesn't it make more sense to just make sure the things I have to do anyhow (like eat, sleep, breathe) aren't working against me in the long run?

So the park I found was a fluke that showed up on my Google Maps during a run on a different trail.  It took me a few times of trial and error to find it, but a few months ago, I did!  It's this crazy wooded area, absolutely chock full of fallen trees.  The weird thing is, it's one of the most grown-over areas I've ever hiked, but it's also developed in some spots, like trees being shaped or grinded down for mountain biking (?) and the such.

Paul on a downed tree that's been turned into a ramp!

And just when the place couldn't seem more grown-over, you get to a beautiful dammed up stream that creates a lovely waterfall, with a building from a local university in the background.

Not a bad way to start the new year.