No Substitution for a Good Resolution

Here it is, the first blog post of the new year. I apologize for the three and a half week layoff, which I spent enjoying the holiday season with my family and friends.

Now, I'm back in the saddle, back in the Windy City where there is barely any snow on the ground (a far cry from Worcester!) and it's a bit warmer than Massachusetts was in the last couple weeks... for now at least.

What kind of New Year's post would this be if I didn't share my Resolutions with you. For the most part, resolutions are useless commitments that last two weeks because we often set the bar way too high, i.e. losing all the cookie weight we gained over the last two months. Why are resolutions always about physical self improvement, like getting in shape or losing weight? Last year, I abandoned the traditional resolutions of physical improvement and resolved to aim for some real, life improvement. Last year, my friends toasted to me and hoped I'd get away from Cambridge College and land in Chicago. That was my goal, too, and here I am. It took eight months, but I did it. We often forget there are 12 months in a year and surrender our goals when nothing happens after Valentine's Day, if we even make it that far. We tire ourselves out from sprinting out of the gate instead of warming up first. At that point, we stuff our faces with juju hearts and Russell Stover chocolates because we haven't achieved the model body we wanted and for us single gals, the "no one will ever love me" depression.

This year, I have once again resolved to improve my life as a whole. While I haven't committed to losing weight by starving myself, I have decided to eat healthier in order to protect my well being and long term health. As a grad student, time and money to eat right has never been the easiest or most logical option. Even when I wasn't in grad school, I'd live off the "healthy" microwave dinners or makeshift meals for a number of reasons: 1. It's very hard to cook for one person, 2. I was too lazy to go to the grocery store or plan my meals ahead of time like my magazines always say to do, 3. After a full day of work and then the gym, cooking was the last thing on my mind, 4. It's sooo easy to open a box, press four buttons on the microwave and munch on a snack for three minutes as a gourmet meal heats up.

This was my justified thinking and way of life until this Christmas. As one of her gifts, I got my mom the "Eat This, Not That" Supermarket Survival Guide. My mom and I always try to exchange diet tips and healthy food tips that we may pick up, so I figured this would be a great tool for her while navigating the grocery store. A lover of the original "Eat This, Not That" guide, I thought this new book would be the ultimate tip-trading for my mom. I am ashamed to admit it, but I totally read the book the day it came before I wrapped it up. I was so surprised and disgusted at some of the things I found out and about foods I thought were healthy! There really are no words to explain this book, other than appalling and must-read. Food companies are great at making you believe something is healthy when it isn't. It was the best $11 I ever spent, and I think I will be ordering a copy for myself as well.

Here are a couple of examples: There is more fat than protein in chicken these days because of the way chickens are fed and cared for. And Ken's spray dressing is a "chemist's list of ingredients." Oh, and most Healthy Choice meals are the enemy because of all the added sugar. That was the big motivator for me.

Because of this book, I resolve to ween myself off convenience meals and to eat only one frozen meal a week, as sometimes you just need a cooking break. I am going to TRY to do all of my own homemade cooking, no matter how painful or annoying it might be. I know it will be healthier for my body in the long run. After being sick for all of November 2009, and the money I spent on medical bills, I realize my health is--and always should be--a #1 priority. This is one resolution I can't afford to break or give up on.

This book influenced my 2010 New Year's resolution. I hope this blog post has influenced yours as well and you will get this book in the best interest of your health, I promise you won't be disappointed. Just ask my mom, who might not be eating reduced-fat peanut butter ever again.