I haven't had a night out with girlfriends in a really long time. I'm not a drinker and I'm not one for spending money on things that don't last (If I buy furniture, I have it forever, if I have a meal at a restaurant, it's gone within a twenty minute period). But I have to admit, I had a really good time. We only thought we'd be out for an hour or two but to my surprise I lasted a whole four hours! Impressive for an old lady like me.
I like being able to chat about life with my work buddies without having that whole work thing get in the way. The three girls I went out with all have kids; I love hearing their stories about raising their children. The funny thing is, I can compare most of their kid stories to a story with my pup. Is that sad? I think it's hilarious. If one of them talks about how their daughter takes out underwear to put it on their head, I start picturing how Luna finds my underwear and gets stuck in it while rolling around with it on the floor. I guess I really do take comfort in the fact that I have her as my furbaby in lieu of my own child.
As I had my second drink and a shared plate of nachos, we were talking about how hard it is to stay motivated when it comes to losing weight, maintaining weight, or getting toned. It's a constant struggle. Then one of my friends told me that I was her husband's motivation for eating healthy—it was like a punch to the head. He's been on the P90X for awhile now and looks fabulous! I on the other hand have lost all of my motivation, but I am back up to 3 workouts a week. It doesn't do anything other than help me maintain the weight that I'm at now (which isn't where I want to be) so I know I need to step it back up to 5 workouts a week, but I'm always feeling so run down. I hate the winter, I hate the way it makes me feel.
I've been mulling over the idea of going vegan for a little while now; not that I have anything against people who eat meat or animal bi-products, I just started realizing how much dairy products I consume, and with my stomach problems, I'm thinking that it might not be the best idea to keep doing to myself. I'm not a red meat eater (just never acquired a taste for it really), but I do like chicken and I eat way way too much cheese. Cheese is probably the worst thing for my stomach problems that exists. I need to walk away from it. I think the only way to do it is by going cold turkey—hey I gave it up for Lent once (and felt fabulous!), I'm sure I can do it again; it's just a huge adjustment.
I read an article recently about centenarians (people who live to the age of 100) in Live Right magazine (It's free in our local ShopRite). It says that in order to live to a ripe old age you need to decrease calorie intake, walk at least a mile a day, and keep up social interactions (also no tobacco use). These are things I can do and should be able to do in order to live a healthy long life.
I had a great night with friends and had a huge realization, all in one night. If I'm someone's motivation for eating right, then why can't I be my own motivation and stick with it? The answer is, there is no reason for me to not stick with it. I'm going to try the vegan route for awhile (while keeping my protein levels up, don't worry!) and I'm going to see how it makes my body feel; if I can increase my energy levels and get myself motivated to get back up to a 5 day workout schedule, I'll keep it going. I need a change. I've said that before and it's never stuck, hopefully I can really help myself stay on track this time.
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