Routines Work

I've heard that it takes two weeks to really get into a routine, to break bad habits, to become accustomed to doing new things. Two weeks seems like a really long time, doesn't it? I mean, that's half a month. 14 days. 336 hours. Oh. Well, when you put it into hours, it really doesn't seem that long.

Anyway. People say that the first two weeks are always the hardest. You're not used to the new things, you want to fall back into your comfort zone and just check out that menu and order takeout, especially because you left the apartment at 7:30AM and didn't get back till 7PM, and you had TWO appointments to get the shoulder checked out (post-op no. 3 and physical therapy) and it's kind of sore and tired and achey, and it's LOST night and you still have to shower and it's raining and nasty, and lunch still isn't made for tomorrow (maybe Subway wouldn't be a bad idea...), and you have to pack a bag because you're going to see the lady the next day in Jersey, and a whole slew of other things that makes you not want to make dinner.

Not that I ran into any of those issues last night. Nosiree.

But if one DID run into all those, and was still just on day five of a new lifestyle, it would be ok if one just did takeout, right?

NO! As much as I didn't want to cook ANYTHING, I ended up throwing together a pretty nice meal for myself. As soon as I got home, and mentally ran through everything I needed to do and whether I just wanted to skip (or order in) dinner, I decided to just do it. I didn't even change out of my work clothes. I boiled a cup of whole-wheat pasta. Cooked a thin piece of chicken fillet. Stir-fried some brocolli and carrots. The end-product? An excellent recreation of something my mom used to make for me and my brother when we were kids. Total time? Twenty minutes.

I took another ten minutes to put together my lunch for the next day after I ate and cleaned up after myself. I'm beginning to actually enjoy the routine of getting everything ready for the next day. I feel like I'm actually taking care of myself. I made my 'normal' sandwich - two slices of whole wheat bread, two slices of American cheese, three slices of deli turkey, baby greens, peppers, tomatoes, onions, and a bunch of alfalfa sprouts. It's pretty much a salad on bread. And it's made of AWESOME.

I feel...healthy. I feel lighter. I'm sleeping well at night, I wake up rested and ready to go in the morning, I don't get tired during the day, and I'm happy when I get home. Is this how you feel when you eat correctly? Man, why didn't anyone ever tell me this?

Coming tomorrow: How I handled the Happy Hour I'm going to tonight.

Ashley: 4, Hunger Monster: 0.