New me

Things around here have been up and down as usual, and I've decided to make some changes, starting tomorrow. Well, I have been setting up for things today, but tomorrow is my official start day. Not because I'm always putting things off (although I do tend to procrastinate), but because I want an official, clean start.

But first ... a few pics of my little ones.

This is Tadpole at the park today, I LOVE this picture. It completely captures Tadpole's happy, outgoing, fearless personality. She was crawling back and forth through this tunnel, and my sister caught this pose in which she looks just happy to be alive:



And this is Turtle, sleeping on our outside swing. This picture is a bit older, partly because my husband came up with some hi-tech scheme for keeping our pictures on a shared drive and then he left for a business trip to Europe (his "European Tour") and now the stupid thing is not working. But anyway, cute sleeping baby picture. This showcases one of Turtle's typical funny behaviors - he often crosses his feet just like that.


So anyway, onto more serious things. I have been really unhealthy lately. Eating terrible, barely exercising. I feel down about myself, and unhappy with how out of shape I am. I've also been unhappy because I actually LIKE running and biking and swimming (and rock climbing) and I never get to do those things anymore.

So I am going to try to make myself accountable, somehow. I have gone running a few times in the last couple weeks, running the loop backwards to switch it up and make it more interesting (which surprisingly helped). It's only 1.8 miles, but I'm hoping to add another mini-loop soon. I go right after the babies go to bed and before we eat dinner. I also just set up an indoor bike trainer on our patio, and will start riding tomorrow night. And I have hand weights and a resistance band. I also have a gym membership that I'm starting to wonder if I'll ever use.

My goal is to do 30 minutes of cardio per day, at least 5 times a week, plus weights at least 3 times a week.

I also want to eat healthier, so I want to journal what I'm eating to keep track. Starting tomorrow, I'm going to see what I can do for the next 5 days. It's not always easy, as I constantly have family from Italy and they want to cook, and I can't exactly dictate exactly what to make (i.e. last night I asked my cousin-in-law to make potatoes, which I was imagining boiled or roasted - she fried them). But I'm going to cut out the coffee drinks, the desserts, the extra sugar, the butter, the fat. I'm going to try really hard, when it is within my power (and recognize that when it's not within my power, it's ok).

And then, when I get this under control, I know I need to do some work mentally and emotionally. I'm sincerely hoping that these steps will help in that direction as well, as I will hopefully feel happier and better about myself.

Wish me luck!