time to thrive.

time for change... time to thrive. i'm sick of just surviving, i can do better than that. my health has been declining for years. the past year put me under a lot of pressure and stress, which just added to the dis-ease. well, i'm finally sick of it; that is, sick enough to take action.

i'm especially sick of being 'overweight'. i've had problems with my thyroid since i was very young, which doesn't help. i have lost weight in the past, it fluctuates sometimes very quickly. i've always had food sensitivities as well, which i have been ignoring somewhat. partly because i'm broke and eat what is available, and partly because i lost interest in maintaining my health.

i'm a big fan of Brendan Brazier, athlete, nutrition consultant and creator of award-winning plant based nutrition products. he also created a program called thrive forward. his straight-forward lessons stress the importance of adding good things to your diet and lifestyle as opposed to subtracting the 'bad' things right away and expecting the good habits to stick. eventually once you add enough goodness you leave less room for unhealthy habits. i like his approach to good health and fitness, and will likely reference his lessons often as i apply them into my own lifestyle.

anyhoo, this is my online journal that i have created to keep track of my progress, and publicize my efforts. this will help [i hope] to keep me motivated and on track.

goals:

-lose weight
-gain stamina
-improve sleep
-heal
-feel better.

one thing i have now that i have never had before: confidence. i have always wanted to be healthier, but i never believed that i could do it. i never believed that i could overcome my unfortunate genetic flaws [thanks mom] and be healthy. out of my list of five goals, the last is most important.

i already have a jumpstart on the challenge.. i have pretty well quit smoking which is a big deal for me. when i worked the graveyard shift i picked up the habit for the second time. i was smoking almost a pack a day. over the course of 2012 i cut back to half a pack, and in the past few weeks i'm down to only a cigarette or two a day. i didn't go out for two smoke breaks today, and gave away the rest of my pack. tomorrow is a new day.