Wednesday, February 27, 2013

I Don't Believe in Lent but I do Believe in Swimsuit Season

And that is why I entered a challenge with two of my dear friends to give up treats for awhile. Awhile meaning that space of time between St. George and our birthdays.

As if coming home from a trip and the February cold weren't hard enough.

And that got me thinking about being more healthy and how I'm simply not very healthy in some respects. So I also decided to give up a delicacy that is very dear to my heart during the same time period.

Yep. I'm off the Diet Coke.

Here is the thing though. I have not been very excellent at these little goals we took upon ourselves.

For one thing I made dates an automatic exception to the no treats rule because I refuse to be one of those Provo girls. You know the one that turns her nose up at dessert and weighs herself three times a day and is usually blonde.

For another thing, nearly anything can be classified as a date these days. So when I met mom for lunch to cry and lament over some awkward and devastating things she called it a lunch date and we split the chocolate lava cake. And when Natalie and I had a catch up date where I did much of the same (I may have been a bit of a downer lately) I called it a roommate date and ate the cookie.

So now, just over a week into our "no treats" and my "no diet coke" policy I've already cracked.

However, for the first time in a long, long time I'm not beating myself up over this minuscule detail.  Instead I've been noticing the things I'm doing right instead. The turned down free diet coke the bagel man was offering (He did give me a free bagel though... PS I love him), the 60 plus ounces of water I'm drinking every day, the various homemade baked goods I've passed by.

Usually when I don't do exactly what I say I will I feel like a quitter. But this time, it's not the same. Instead of being disappointed I'm proud of the improvements I've made in both areas. I'm eating less treats, and drinking less Diet Coke. I'm eating more broccoli and drinking more water.

And it's amazing how focusing on the small improvements has made a difference. I'm deeply flawed, but slowly improving, and this last week has taught me to be ok with that reality.

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"You're only human. You live one and life is wonderful so eat the damn red velvet cupcake."
-Emma Stone




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