Finding My Way Off The Couch -- Again

How to become a couch potato....

I wouldn't say growing up I was the most active person in the world, but in my twenties I became what you would call a 'runner'. I loved the alone time, being outside, the time for reflection all of which accompanied going for a run. Then, my eating followed suit; I wanted to eat well to power myself for better runs. Well....that all changed about a year ago. They say that gaining weight back is a direct result of being in love; seems true. So, I'm going to tell you how to go from being active to a couch potato in one easy step?! Then, I'm going to tell you how to reverse it again in a billion non-easy steps.

Here's the game plan

1. Eat out only once a week: My fiance and I love going out to eat. We're both really busy so it's a good way to get delicious food, not have to cook or do dishes, and have a date night all rolled into one. But, I decided that if I was going to be successful in getting my health back in check, that I had to get my family on board. I guess that is the best place to start. I told my fiance "We need to eat more meals at home and less eating out!" Which is great because I love cooking and trying new recipes so it's a double win! I told my cat of my plan and she was way on board. Look how supportive she was, she even wanted to eat a salad with me right away this week!

2. Simply be active 3 days a week: I went from running 6 miles a day one day a week and around 3 miles a day the other days of the week, to becoming pretty much a couch potato. So this month, along with less eating out, I've challenged myself to just get moving three days a week. So, on Monday I went for a brisk two-mile walk and yesterday I went for a one-mile run. I got in under 12-minutes which wasn't great but way better than nothing. Once I get in the habit of just becoming active again in a couple of weeks, I can step it up and start increasing the distance and speed of my runs again! I'm not trying to be the most fit person in the world, I'm just trying to keep my health in check. It's good to get exercise. It relieves stress, makes me happy and makes me feel awesome for having accomplished something challenging. As you can see, I was reunited with some of my dear friends: say hello to running shoe 1 and running shoe 2. Missed you guys!

3. Make healthier choices: The third aspect to our getting healthier goal is not to restrict ourselves but to find some healthier alternatives. Like, I love fish sticks and thought they sounded delicious, but instead of picking some frozen sticks up from the grocery store, I cut two fillets of tilapia into slices and make fish sticks right at home. I Googled some recipes and found this one from the Prairie Homestead which my final product is pictured here with some sweet potato fries.
In making healthy choices we also decided to keep soda out of the house. We both love it and it's too tempting to have a 12-pack right there in the fridge. I had stopped drinking pop altogether a couple of years ago but then started drinking it every once in awhile, before I knew it I was right back where I was in the first place. Not good for you, trust me. The few minutes of sugary goodness isn't worth it!

So, what do you think?

Do you have any fitness goals? Any fitness routines? What holes do you see in my plan, anyways? Share your thoughts with me by leaving a comment below, chatting with me in 150 characters or less on Twitter, or go like my Facebook page and we can discuss there as well!

Lacey

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