♪ Ch-ch-ch-changes ♫

I had intended to post about some goals I have for this New Year, but I get easily distracted, so it never happened.  Oh, and I don't really have any goals, other than sticking to the eating plan!  BUT, I have made a few changes and am planning to make a few more.

I have been doing the Sisterhood's "Fab Ab" work-out every day.  I can't do REAL push-ups though ~ my lower back just won't allow it.  I have to do the girlie ones.  For the same reason, I struggle a little with the plank, but somehow that seems more do-able.  At least for now.  We'll see as the time continues to increase!

I don't work out at all, but I was looking forward to resuming my daily, 2-mile walks now in the New Year.  I had resolved to make sure it happened EVERY weekday unless I had to leave the house early, but with Mack (my almost-11-year old daughter) being so sick last week and not returning to school until Thursday and then Friday being a bitterly cold and windy snow day, I think I've only walked twice so far this year!

And now I've accepted a part-time that will have me out of the house for a minimum of 6 hours almost every day from now until the end of Canada's tax season (April 30), so I'm not sure how that plan will work now!  I could go after work and before the girls get home, but four years of experience has shown if I don't go right first-thing in the morning when they leave on the schoolbus, I'm quite unlikely to go at all.  So I will need to work on figuring out a "new normal" here, too, I guess.

Another thing I've started doing is buying pre-made fruit and veggie platters from the grocery store, as well as 100% fruit juice or fruit/veggie juice.  (such as V-Fusion)  I HATE that I'm too lazy to get my fruits and vegetables otherwise, but I just am.  I always buy a cart-full of great-looking produce, but probably half of it ends up in the compost because we just didn't get around to eating it.  Either we forgot about it, or we opted to eat something else. 

Click to visit Canada's Food Guide

As tough as it is to part with the extra money that I now pay for the convenience of having all the prep work done for me ~ or drinking my produce ~ I still probably end up saving a bit in the long run because it ALL gets consumed.

AND, the real benefit, of course, is that we have all been eating WAY more fruits and veggies each day as a result.  I won't tell you how far short we fell of the food guide's recommendations, but suffice it to say, we're considerably closer now!

I have also just started taking 3 Tbsp of raw, organic apple cider vinegar throughout the day.  Now, for those of you who know me in real life, you KNOW I'm totally NOT the organic/clean-eating/whole-foods/crunchy-granola-type AT ALL, but having read about its many benefits so often and in so many different places in recent months ~ both online and off ~ I decided it was something worth trying.  I went with a brand that seemed to be one of the most widely recommended and got a bottle of Bragg's from Well.ca.

But man, that stuff is NASTY!

I don't care what drink mix recipe you've found on Pinterest or anywhere else online, you CANNOT convince me you've found a way to make it taste GOOD!  I've tried a few different things already to no avail.  It's just horrible.  But I understand it may be something of an acquired taste ~ like hard liquor ~ so I figure if people can drink THAT vile stuff after a while without puking or even grimacing, I should be able to do that with ACV eventually, too.  (which also burns quite considerably all the way down!)  I tried taking a straight-up 1 oz. shot, followed promptly by a large fruit juice chaser, but the acidity burned my throat. Like, for REAL. I could still feel the raw-ness two days later! So I've resorted to gulping down the tablespoon diluted with half a cup of water, which tastes every bit as horrible, but at least it doesn't LITERALLY burn! I can still get it down in one big gulp and after a swig or two of juice or water, the taste and fumes are gone.

If the ACV proves to be noticeably beneficial, I MAY switch to the more expensive alternative once the bottle's empty and purchase capsules instead!!

So there you have it ~ just a few little changes.  But HABITS are changing.  Slowly but surely!