In celebration of the first day of spring, I approached my family today about a topic that’s been on the top of all of our minds for quite some time now.  Like many people, my husband, stepson Brandon, and I have tossed around the ideas of eating better and being more active but have not quite found the mojo or the drive to get going. Even my stepdaughter Mariah has been requesting a gym membership and showing an interest in physical activity.   Now that Spring is here, I thought what better day to start, then now?  After all, spring brings back the feeling of a fresh start and a new beginning. And I speak from past experience when I say, I know I can’t do it on my own.  I rely on those around me to motivate me, influence me, and inspire me.  Most importantly, I want to be a good role model for my children, especially for Brandon who has developed so many habits similar to my own.  I don’t want to just preach anymore, but actually show him how it’s done.  So hopefully, this will be a turning point for our family, one in which we can all get healthier (and ultimately, happier) together.  Here are some of the steps we plan to take together:

• Keeping a food journal – in the past I have kept a food journal and I really believe it was the key to my past weight loss.  Food journals help us to keep track of not only what we eat, but how much, and for many people just cutting back on portion sizes can make a significant difference.  Brandon & I have both agreed to start keeping a daily food journal.
• Healthier eating – this one has gotten easier since my family has cut back immensely on eating out (and it’s been a lot easier on the wallet, too!) Another thing we have started doing is meal planning each week- it helps avoid the last minute, weeknight rush (and tendency to grab unhealthy take-out) and ensures we are eating well-rounded meals and a variety of healthy foods (as opposed to pasta every night!)
• Cut back on sweets – my entire family loves junk food and sweets, but Brandon and I particularly.  Whether it’s cereal, chocolate, snacks, or candy there is definitely room for improvement.  Another thing I will try to get better at is the amount of diet pop I drink.  There are endless studies that show the negative effects of drinking diet soda, but some habits are just so hard to break!  More water, less diet soda for this girl!
• Exercise – I used to exercise all the time but over the last year have become a complete couch potato.  I have a way to go before I can get back to where I was but I plan on starting out with going for daily walks (and Brad has agreed to come with me, which means a lot considering I know how much he dislikes it).  Brandon plays outside a lot, plays hockey, and has decided to taken on going for a daily walk/run.  Brad plans on using the treadmill in the basement and setting up a home gym.  Finally, I plan to renew my gym membership and start doing more yoga.  No matter what it is, our plan is to find some kind of way to get active on a daily basis!