I thought it was time for a little update on the Happiness Project I embarked on almost a year ago now. I have had a bunch of emails lately asking me if I am still committed to what I set out to do.
I think I am happier overall.
(Not sure if it is my actions or Relora but that’s ok).
If I look back on the goals I had set and the actions I had placed to achieve them I have been doing very well.
It’s hard to know if I am happier really as I am also entering a new phase of my life with two kids in high school and another one “shopping” for high school at the moment. So I am undecided yet as to how exactly I feel about this stage of my life. It’s a hard time to assess overall happiness when there is so much change and transition going on for our family right now. It’s a bit out of my comfort zone thus far.
Undecided.
One of the main elements of my Happiness Project was nutrition and exercise and for the very first time in my life I feel I have made significant progress in both of these areas.
I have really changed the way I think and commit to exercise and I have really changed the way I eat without feeling an ounce of deprivation (which has always been my goal).
I stand on the scale once a month and today was the day and I happily discovered I have lost 3.5 lbs! That was a really nice incentive.
Basically for exercise I actually look forward to it most days of the week and have somehow managed to make it part of my regular life as opposed to my old mentality of “something I grudgingly fit in”. I don’t know if I will stay like this forever but for the moment it feels good to have this new attitude. Am I a hard core runner or cardio girl? Never! But I have integrated moderate exercise quite successfully into my schedule and I am proud and feeling stronger by the day.
Food? Big one. It’s always hard for me as I love food. Food is the cornerstone of our family, my marriage, our traditions with the kids, our cottage life etc.. No one in my family is encouraging me at all when it means I have to eat less or differently than them. They all feel it is a major downer and I agree. Food defines a lot of our family and we all love it. We love our homemade stuff, our treats, our parties and our dinners out and in.
I am not unhappy enough with my looks or body to want to change that a whole lot (and neither is my family I guess) although I would like to be slimmer like I was about 5 yrs. ago. Unfortunately (or fortunately for me I guess) I still really like the way overall I look and look in clothes so a red light has not gone off for me yet to make me give up too much(it really helps that two close friends own clothing boutiques and are phenomenal stylists and love dressing up my curvy body)!
However intuitive eating has become much more a way of life for me. I have integrated a whole lot more healthy things into my daily intake (protein, almonds, peanut butter on apples, hummus and veggies etc..) and taken out stuff that I don’t care much about ( 100 calories granola bar in afternoon, crackers as a snack before dinner etc..)
At lunch I always eat very healthy food but pretty much whatever I am in the mood for (except usually Fridays where rosé sauce at work calls my name) At dinner where I am always less hungry I take smaller portions and try and limit carbs to smaller portions .Or if I am alone, I just eat something small like a whole grain muffin or a bowl of cereal.
I just eat what I am in the mood for. Nothing more and nothing less. I rarely feel full or hungry now.
And weekends I am really listening to my body and my hunger signs and cravings and before I eat something too salty or sweet, I try to stuff a little banana candy in my mouth for 10 calories (kids you know what I am talking about right???) and this works miracles and I forget about the other treats.
All in all I am the happiest I have ever been in relation to both food and exercise and I think it can only get better and better. I have gone from making these changes for what used to be only weight reasons to health reasons. This paradigm in thinking has been powerful.
So today when I stepped on the scale it was a nice and welcome surprise to be lighter, but I did not need it to feel good.
Shocking. Did I just say that?
So my Happiness Project will continue but in a different form as of November 2012. When on my favorite place ever on the beautiful beaches of Turks and Caicos with Hubby this year, I am going to shift my individual happiness project towards one we share.
He and I will hopefully map out on this trip what are goals are for happiness for the next year as we enter this very cool but very scary newer phase of our family life together. It will be important that we stay united and strong and overall happy together, as a family and individually.
Nothing like an aqua sea, a bikini and a vodka martini in hand to get the work done.
And I expect my husband (after reading yesterdays’ post about babies that scared him obviously ) to be a little weary.Of what my happiness project proposals might include….but that’s ok.
As far as I am concerned nothing is off limits. Transparency and sharing has always being the cornerstone of our marriage and I intend of keep it that way no matter what internal wierd thoughts I am going through right now and how scary that may feel to both of us.
Chances are…..if I guess it accurately:
Our kids may be welcoming a new puppy into our home one day soon.
Or maybe not?
I am excited to see what we come up with. It’s always a pleasure to work on being happy. And most importantly allowing bizarre and crazy thoughts into the normal everyday mix.
To see where those thoughts take us in life.
And welcome what our next stage has in store for us.
