Eat Breakfast like a King

Day 33 - Room with a view.  There is nothing more soothing to my soul than trees bursting with rich green leaves.  The picture doesn't do justice to how the greenery inside and out somehow merge together.  This is my big living room window, with a smaller window on either side (not shown).  It is also the view from "my office", the corner of my living room that I claimed for that purpose.

I am moving slowly this morning.  I crashed last night not long after 7:30pm, after a bike ride in the park.  I didn't work out yesterday morning because I had a very busy work day and I knew I was going to ride my bike after dinner.  I noticed that because I wasn't active in the morning and sat all day, it was 10x harder to ride my bike, like I was wearing cement boots.  I hypothesize that it is important (at least for me) to get some movement in early in the day, regardless of what the rest of my day may hold.

I am still deciding this morning's workout.  Sometimes I have to take a few moments to check in with my body and my energy level to determine what will be most beneficial, especially if I am feeling slow and under water like now.  I still have physical symptoms of my anxiety to contend with, no matter how much I wish that I didn't.  Holding tension is one of the things I am trying to be mindful of, in real time throughout the day, so I can release it.  Yesterday, I did a body scan meditation with the Calm app on my phone.  A friend recommended the app to me a few months ago and I really enjoy it.  It is free, but you can pay to unlock more meditations.  Realizing how much tension I was holding in my shoulders and upper back and then releasing it bit by bit as much as I could was very therapeutic for me.

I weighed in this morning at 172.2, so the scale is still moving in the right direction.  Slowly.  Slow. Ly.  But I am now down 5.8 pounds and looking so forward to being in the 160s, so my goal won't feel so unattainable.  I have to say (I think) counting calories is helping.  I eat such a clean diet to begin with and I am mostly aware of (added) sugar in foods, healthy quantities of fat, protein and carbs, so adding in the calorie counting for another layer of awareness is enough for me.  I think!  So far it seems to be.

One thing I have noticed is the bigger the breakfast that I eat, the better I do for the entire day.  If I don't eat at least 400 calories for breakfast, then I am hungry before lunch and seem to chase my hunger all day with more tendency to want to snack.  But if I eat a really solid breakfast, with a variety of foods, then I am full until lunch.  And if I eat a big, healthy lunch as well, then I am not really very hungry for dinner.

What is the saying?  Eat breakfast like a King, Lunch like a Prince and Dinner like a Pauper.  I think there is something to that!  Truly I do.  And if you think about it, it would make logical sense.  Eat the most food at the start of your day and the least moving toward evening.

My mind is made up, a walk it is.  Maybe later I will add in some yoga?  Some days are harder than others.  Sometimes, I am so sick of cooking and dishes and thinking about grocery shopping.  But mostly the dishes.  Having to wash the skillet this morning to make my scrambled eggs was annoying.  Sadly, I couldn't even be irritated with one of my kids because I was the one who crashed last night and didn't hand wash.  All of this is a daily practice.  A commitment.  A way of choosing to live.  It is worth the effort and overcoming the challenges.  When I sat down at my table to eat my breakfast, which has become an almost sacred ritual for me, I felt nurtured and nourished and healthy.

I will end with this meme that I saw on facebook, from Toby Mac.  I think it sums things up pretty perfectly.

If you are following along with me and you feel like you want to quit, just pause.  Sometimes that is quite enough to bolster you along.  I know it is for me.

Until next time...  Be well!
~Tracy