Changing the Routine...

I began the process of changing my pre-bedtime habits last night. I had developed a bad habit of sitting at my computer screen and eating dinner/snacks before bed. This really started because of all the time I spent in front of the computer while studying for the CPA exam. After the exam was over I would do the same thing...instead of watching e-learns I was watching hulu or surfing the web....this was not good for me. For some reason when I do this I just eat and eat with a never ending hunger. Now I would not say that I am fat or anything but its just not healthy. I am not properly fueling myself by doing this. In order to accomplish my goals, my hopes and dreams in the sports of my choosing..I will need to have everything on lock. My eating, my nutrition needs to be perfect...this will take a lot of time. However, last night was a good start. So here's last night in a nutshell.
My cousin Brian made some really tasty..and hot (he used lots of chili's)turkey chili. I did some stirring, but he was the master chef. It ended up being really hot for me (I'm a wuss when it comes to this) but it was no the unbearable hot of those crazy chicken wings or something..it ended up being a good hot. I really did like the chili, especially after I made an executive decision and added some cottage cheese to 1. cool it down and 2. provide a little dairy to counteract the heat. All in all it was tasty. I ate this with a salad and some carrots and when I was full I stopped! I stopped eating so that I would not overeat and feel worse later on. Usually my downfall comes after I leave my cousins house and return to my Apt. This is when I would settle into my computer to check mail, watch hulu, or just look at the news...and I would start snacking and just not be able to stop. SOOOO last night I changed this, I lived "every moment in practice". I moved some furniture around so that I would be able to read under a light in a nice reclining chair. I grabbed a book I've been meaning to read "The Portrait of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde..can't say I'm hooked yet, its not really my taste but I will give it a couple more nights of reading to see if I get interested..otherwise it will be time to finish reading my running book that I left in the car last night. I think the biggest thing about doing this is that reading takes your mind of things like food, plus I decided to incorporate a nice glass of red wine to quench the hunger and put me to sleep easily. Since I have the tolerance of a 5 year with alcohol this works...I rarely have had any alcohol since probably my jr year in college...I just grew out of that phase and realized I didn't need the stuff..as such I just don't drink anymore..I have had the occasional glass of red wine before I really want to incorporate that into my diet as a little bit of a treat. I don't need much..just a little "nib" as my grandpa would say. This will be a nice treat for me..plus it has many health benefits due to its antioxidant properties. In fact many nutritionists actually will refer to red wine and some dark chocolate as a good snack. I'm all about trying new things and I really do believe that this new habit I am trying to instill will change my nighttime habits...FOR THE BETTER..and just in case you were wondering, No I will not be consuming a bottle of wine and a bar of chocolate every night..so don't worry about me becoming some raging drunk lunatic that wanders around in search of a sugar fix.

On another note...since I am sitting here in Starbucks and this cool cup with the coolest straw in the world has been sitting in front of me...I decided to buy one and use it as a really cool water bottle since this thing is diesel and has a locking lid and everything. Check it out and if you like it head to your local 'Bucks and get em while their hot--> Also I picked up the latest holiday mug from Starbucks. Ever since I started drinking coffee about 4 years ago I get their holiday mug every year...it's kind of like the Hess Truck tradition that many people have....I never really use these mugs because I have so many others but its tradition and I love to see the collection grow. Ya know its the little things in life that make it worth living.

Training wise today was a fun day! During swim class I moved a lane to the left, which for all your non pool swimmers means that I have become a little faster in the water..or at least appeared it this morning. I was very excited about this. And tomorrow I am going to be able to go to the monday morning swim class. This is usually full but my coach invited me to come as there will be some people missing because of the holidays this week. Its going to be a good week! Three days of work (two of which will be all training, and the rest of the time will just be review work from the last 4 weeks). All that matters is that in a little over three days I will be on my way to Syracuse to relax with the family for the holidays. I will have time to think about great blog posts, time to watch movies with my two nephews ( 3 and 8) who I haven't seen in a long time, time to drink coffee in the morning and read my book, and time to meet up with my fellow teammate Mike for some triathlon training...SYRACUSE STYLE!

This is gonna be good! This is the beginning of a great holiday season...I can't wait! I am going to live in the moment as I make every moment a practice.

Namaste!