Becoming All I Can

I am very aware that my health is not all it could be. I am also aware that I need to begin somewhere to fix it. The problems are abundant and I have had an abundance of advice on what to do to improve it. I am very aware that my diet is appalling and I have many terrible habits that have developed around food both the choices and the way I eat. My relationship with food is not healthy and so I am working through a process of trying to fix it. I am beginning the The Whole30®. This is an attempt to reset my habits and my food choices. 

When I read through the material I was surprised and thrilled that coffee can remain (though black and sugarless). In order to prepare for this I have created myself a Google Form (see below) that will allow me to plan one day. It is quite basic but it contains the key information that I will need.

This blog is one of the ways I am working through the programme. Sharing what I am doing with others and enlisting help. If you know me and you are reading this then you can help me:

• Help me make good 'whole' choices at meal times.
• Remind me to sit away from the computer, put down my book and turn off the TV at meal times.
• Ask me out for a social walk somewhere. If you do this make sure it's not obvious to me that you are trying to get me walking 'for my sake'. I tend to get annoyed when other people try to organise me! (Apologies in advance if I get snappy about this.)
• Remind me to enjoy every mouthful of my food!
• Don't offer me soft drinks, alcohol, chocolate, cakes, biscuits or chips! I find it really hard to say no.
• And last but not least, let me know if you notice a change in my skin condition or how healthy I am looking. Please don't comment on my weight. I find it really annoying getting a running commentary from everyone I see. Remember I am aiming for healthier!

Why am I doing this? I often want to be involved in activities like kayaking, hiking, swimming, snorkelling etc and always feel like there are reasons that I cannot. I want to be fit and healthy but feel uncomfortable doing the activities I need to improve fitness because I am concerned about how I look. I am also fed up with having to take antibiotics to clear up my face and am hoping that this process will clear up my skin and highlight if there are foods which are impacting on this problem.

Thanks in advance to all my friends and family who love me and will support me as I work through this process. I apology for anyone I may offend as I go through the learning process and deal with changes in lifestyle and how that might affect my moods in the process. I especially want to thank my husband, Carl, whose love and care are always comforting. I know he will be 100% supportive of this as he is with all of the hair-brained schemes I've come up with over the years!

Growth vs Fixed

Currently reading a book called Mindset by Carol Dweck. Just in reading the first few pages I realise how much my thinking has shifted over the years. There are so many things that impact on our beliefs and I realise that occasionally when I have to stop and think specifically about them it is often difficult to express them.

I realised that often our idea of what we think is not always correct and we need others to help us to see the things that produce barriers to growth and learning. I am looking forward to seeing how this book changes my thinking and hopefully shifts my own ideas about my approach to my own development and learning as well as how I approach the devleopment in others.