I have compiled a list of fitness and dietary goals for myself for 2013. Some are firmer than others, but I thought you might be interested in what will be driving my fitness life in the year ahead.
- Eat less processed foods. I really like pastas, breads, chips, nut butters, jars of organic sauces, but they are all processed, so during 2013 I am going to try to remove more of them from my diet. Instead of nut butters, how about whole nuts? Instead of brown rice pasta, why not just brown rice? Do I really need a jar of sauce, if I can slice up some tomatoes, olives, onions, garlic, and make a delicious sauce myself? Instead of chips, how about … no chips? (Why are chips so good?) Processed foods are convenient, for sure, but I want to reduce my unnatural sources of concentrated calories. Please note that I am reducing, not removing. I will still enjoy a good sandwich, a great pasta dish, or some almond butter on a pumpkin pie waffle. And some chips. Just not so often.
- Skew my diet more toward alkaline. To stay alive, we need to maintain a neutral pH inside our bodies. We have systems in place that handle that for us, but it’s nice not to make them work too hard, and also nice to give them the raw materials they need to get the job done, so they don’t have to deplete minerals that might be put to better use. In general, we consume too many acidifying foods. Grains, meats, coffee & black tea (even decaf), and sweeteners — all those things acidify our bodies. I want to try to be more balanced by consuming more vegetables — especially greens; and fruits — especially citrus (acidic outside the body, but alkalizing within); and herbal & green teas.
- Do more yoga. Yoga is good for me, I’m pretty sure about that. Plus, bonus, I really enjoy it. My current issue is not that I don’t get enough yoga — I do — but I want more. The problem is that I often want to be doing something more vigorous. Ideally, I’d do a vigorous workout and yoga on the same day. Hmmmmm….
- Do heavy aerobics 3 times a week. This obviously goes hand in hand with the previous yoga goal. I enjoy heavy aerobics, but when I am not in a program of some sort, I often only do such a workout once or twice a week. I need more. Why? To keep the blood circulating, quickly, make sure it’s getting everywhere it needs to be, and to get the heart and lungs working overtime, so they can be prepared for when that might be necessary, like to fight off death or something.
- Do a chest & back routine each week. I have a couple of chest & back workouts that I really like, but they take 90 minutes, including warmup and cool down, to do them right, so I’ve been ignoring them lately. But I need to get back into the habit. A strong back is important, and a strong chest helps ensure that tshirts don’t rest on my belly, even if my gut grows a bit as I age. Hey, it’s a thing. Once my tshirts stopped resting on my belly a year ago, I was pretty sure I didn’t want to slip backward. Okay, and chest/back balance is important, strengthwise.
- Sleep more. I need to get to bed earlier. We’ll see how this works out. Overall, I am pretty pleased with my current sleep pattern, but sometimes I really do need a few more hours. I’d like to reduce the number of those times.
- Drink less alcohol. I don’t drink to excess more than a few times a year, but I still would prefer not to drink as much as I do. For one thing, I think it’s just a waste of money. For another thing, I don’t see a lot of health benefits. A glass of red wine, a dark beer, a bit of rum from time to time is cool. But not too often. Again, I am not that firm on this, because I don’t believe the way I drink is detrimental to my health. But I could do with spending less money.
That’s where I am headed this year. How about you?