Sunday, October 18, 2009

the leaves are turning.

..and it's not because it's autumn.

I am undergoing a change, and a much needed one, at that. I feel as though I am transitioning into a new stage in my life. Moving to a new city left me in a bit of a stupor, a feeling-sorry-for-myself phase that lasted a staggering two and a half months. I guess two and a half months isn't staggering in the long run.. but for me, and the attitude I used to have - a go get 'em, try new things, meet new people sort of girl - it was shocking.

It's really hard to meet new people without the built-in social life that university provides. I shouldn't complain though - I've had plenty of opportunities to meet people at work, and I shied away from them, and I'm still unsure why. Perhaps it is just easier to keep to myself, it's less work than painting on a smile and opening up to someone new.

The lack of a social life is probably the hardest part of this "being an adult" thing. I can handle the bank meetings, the phone calls to credit card companies, the apartment and car hunting, and I'm getting the hang of this budgeting thing. But my interactions with people are now limited to one on one meetings; the days of packed lecture rooms and parties are gone (for now, at least!). It's bizarre.

I feel that this post is really negative, and I didn't mean for it to be that way. The tide is turning, and this weekend was a very productive, colorful weekend that involved two free yoga classes (they're all over this city!! My body and my wallet loves it!), shopping at the Farmer's Market, renting a movie, visiting the library, coffee at Starbucks, talking on the phone, and lots of time in the kitchen. I successfully made a pumpkin and squash soup, which took two hours, and I didn't even start it until 9pm on Saturday night (the perks of living alone.. and having no social life! ha!). I had to bake the pumpkin and squash first.. mmm it smelled so good! And then Sunday, I made hummus and then a roasted garlic and edamame (soy bean) dip. I'm adding "food processor" to my Christmas list.. my blender, while superb at smoothies, didn't so much appreciate the sticky chickpeas.

Here are some ways in which I'm implementing this change:
- I've started a food journal, in which I also record my exercise (or lack thereof!) for the day, amount of sleep at night, and feelings after eating (so far, there are a lot of "Oops, I shouldn't have eaten that much...")
- I did up a meal plan for this week and bought all my groceries in advance
- I'm setting a goal for myself to get some form of exercise 5 out of 7 days of the week (and it will be recorded!)

That last goal is particularly embarrassing to admit, because it's not like fitness is a new idea in my life.. but these last few months have been lazy and I've been feeling gross because of it. I know I love the endorphin rush from a good workout, and bonus! My appetite increases! As long as I keep making healthy choices (and watching portion control; probably one of my biggest issues), I should be able to incorporate these changes into my lifestyle.

Final note:

One Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bar contain 440 calories and 24 grams of fat.
One serving of Scotsburn's French Vanilla Frozen yogurt (half a cup) contains 110 calories and 0 grams of fat.

How is this possible??

Looks like I'm going to be replacing my chocolate cravings with frozen yogurt from now on!

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