Time to Change

For most of us, January is a time to change our habits. I'm no exception. January instills a new sense of enthusiasm in me--I feel inspired, like I have a clean slate and a starting point to tweak my habits. First up for me: it's time to change time.

For years now, I've had a habit of keeping all of my clocks on different times--anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes fast--to keep me off balance and, supposedly, help me be on time. My only accurate time comes from my cell phone, which is how I make sure that I'm really on time/not too late.

My morning commute typically requires me to leave my house about 40 minutes early--so, if I'm out the door by 7:20, maybe 7:25, I can make it to work by 8am (factoring in the drive, parking, walking from the parking deck to work, etc.).

This morning, my alarms went off starting at about 6am (who knows what time that really means since I refuse to look at my cell phone that early)--my CD player in the bathroom played club-ish music to get me moving; my alarm clock in my bedroom screeched its typical buzz; and my cell phone's three alarms went off with my dance-inspiring ring.

Yet, after I snoozed and turned off all my alarms, when I finally jerked fully awake and looked at my cell phone, I realized it was 7:12. Let's do the math there--I had 8 to 13 minutes to go from pajamas, rumpled hair, smeared leftover makeup to work clothes, tidy hair and a fresh face of makeup. I managed to be here just 10 minutes late, but it helped me realize something.

I don't bother looking at my clocks, because I know they're not right. And that is just foolish. It's time for me to be on time. Accurate time. All clocks on the same time. My haphazard time-keeping system isn't working, and really--isn't having clocks that aren't accurate just some form of denial or delusion? No more. Tonight--the clocks change. I'll keep you posted on my success.

The second thing I'm changing will seem like any other New Year's resolution--to change my diet. But I'm not talking about going on a diet. I'm talking about completely rethinking my approach to food. A few years ago, I read a book called You Are What You Eat by Gillian McKeith. I remember loving it at the time, but somewhere along the way I lost track of the book.

A few weeks ago, I felt the urge to revisit McKeith's writings. Essentially, the book talks about what the title suggests--if you eat processed, fatty, sugary foods, you'll look and feel like it. If you eat natural, vibrant (think living food, like plants), wholesome foods, you'll look and feel like it.

I've been toying with just how much I want to subscribe to her plan. I mean, is it really realistic to swear off processed foods? But I had a revelation in the grocery store last night when I started reading nutritional labels to see how much sugar foods I commonly eat contain.

It was an eye-opener, let me tell you. A UNC nutritionist recommends limiting yourself to 40 grams of added sugar a day--a typical yogurt will have at least 20g of sugar--half the day's allowance! Sugar is everywhere in processed foods. And I'm kind of mad about it. No wonder the US has such a problem with obesity! Sugar is everywhere--everywhere!

So, with that in mind, I've committed to really trying to cut out most processed foods. A few things, I'll keep--like my light, multigrain English muffins (I've checked the nutritional values--they're okay). But otherwise, it's time to change.

What will this look like for me? Well, cutting out desserts; swapping salad dressings out and balsamic vinegar in; choosing brown rice over white rice; changing from instant, sugary oatmeal packets to rolled or steel-cut oats sweetened with pure maple syrup; avoiding white bread and pasta; adding grains like bulgur and quinoa to my diet.

I already dropped coffee and soda from my diet on Nov. 1 (green tea and white tea I will not lose--they have actual benefits), and I've greatly decreased my intake of cheese (an addiction, as you can see in my last blog posting!) and increased my intake of vegetables.

I know not everyone will understand or appreciate these changes, and I know it will be difficult when I go out for meals. That's why my goal is to make healthy decisions most the time--but keep a balance where it's not a big deal, or I don't feel guilty, if I have a cookie or white bread or a glass of wine.

And, I'm still trying to negotiate how far I'm going to take this. Will I buy a juicer? How many/what supplements/vitamins will I add to my diet? I won't decide that today, but today I have decided to be very conscious about what I'm eating and what that food will do for--or to--me.

Update as of 2/24/09: I've really been focusing on eating whole grains and lots of fruits and veggies (I've discovered kale and beets, yum!). I still eat sweets (more than I should), but I'm trying to be more selective and make better choices. I drink wine only when I'm out to dinner or having dinner at a friend's house, and I've cut waaaay back on cheese, a former staple of mine. I haven't started juicing just because it's so expensive to maintain, but hopefully someday I'll be able to.

The clock thing has helped--it does stress me out less to know what time it actually is, and I get up three days a week now by 5:30 a.m. to workout at the UNC gym before work. (Tuesday and Thursday nights I'm taking a weight training course through UNC, which I'm loving!)