This one hit home this week: Make One Small Change. The article itself was ironically filled with several changes that could be made, and as I started to dive into I felt a little overwhelmed: I need to eat better! Exercise more! Drink more water! Get serious about dieting!
I mean, I KNOW I need to do all those things, and eventually I will get there again. But I can't do all of them at once yet. So I pulled back, and read the article again. And this time I stopped after reading the headline.
Make One Small Change.
I can do that.
So this week, instead of eating take-out for lunch and for dinner, when I got home every night this week, I made myself one of these salads. For the week, I bought two bags of lettuce, a bag of shredded carrots, two red peppers, a container of fresh strawberries (they are perfect in salads right now since they're a little early in the season still), and a package of salad-fixin's from Whole Foods: dried cranberries, blue cheese crumbles, glazed walnuts, and sesame sticks. Sure could have done without the toppings, but it was a hell of a lot better than the half of pizza I would have eaten otherwise.
This week I may try some different salad toppings. Or not -- strawberries and blue cheese over spinach and baby lettuce is pretty damned delicious this time of year.
Make One Small Change. Anything you would like to try?
I think the only way to make life changes is to do one little change at a time. I think one change at most per week and it seems to work. I need to do the same change you have - bring my lunch to work. Healthy and better for the wallet!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the reminder. Last week I was all "Have to do ALL the yardwork! Today! Have to clean the entire house! Today! Have to do all my invoices! Today! Have to get next work project done! Today!" The whole thing was utterly paralyzing. But one small step is better--better than doing none, better than worrying about how I'm not efficient enough or single-minded enough to get everything done. Again, thanks.
ReplyDeleteMy recent small change was to try a different oil. I made a salad dressing (red cabbage slaw with dried cherries) with walnut oil as the oil in the dressing. I had never tried walnut oil but thought it was delicious: La Tourangelle walnut oil. A small but delightful change.
ReplyDeleteYour salad looked wonderful!
That salad looks amazing! I think this is the best approach to life - it's too overwhelming to try to change everything at once.
ReplyDeleteThat salad has my name written all over it! I agree that taking things in small bits really can make a difference. Good going with the pizza swap!
ReplyDeleteMy one small change today: Focus on doing MF today and not when I'll be able to transition. To try to enjoy the moment and not wish for the end of the journey.
ReplyDeleteOh boy--I just had dinner and now I see what I wish I would have had.
ReplyDeleteYum on the salad. My one small change is trying to get back to drinking lots of water. I have a very difficult time with that in the winter for some reason but now I have no excuse. Plus 64 oz. of water is good in so many ways and I'm sure it will lead to other changes!
ReplyDeletei don't like 50% of that stuff... but that salad looks great! i suddenly have a craving for salad now. thanks :)
ReplyDeleteThis does seem simpler, one thing, one small thing at the time....
ReplyDeleteWell, for the first time I am thinking about dieting OR controlling my food intake while on business trips. For me it means not having 4 course meals for dinner & room service.
Today I had fruit (FRUIT??!!!) for breakfast: kiwis and pineapples. Followed by 3 cups of hot chocolate.
I think eating dinner at home is a good change. I guess it means getting to the grocery store with a plan at some point. That's hard...
ReplyDeleteHi Kristen, I just found your site via Helen's blogroll. I'm so glad I have found you, love the fashion, the flowers and the kitties. I've bookmarked and will be back. Have a great weekend.
ReplyDeleteThat salad looks divine. I also like mandarin oranges (with fresh fennell), and blueberries with walnuts in my salads. I always do goat cheese in them, too. Yummm....
ReplyDeleteI'm about to make a big change...I'm going to stand up to a work-place bully. It's been hugely stressful dealing with her every day...I've been trying to "kill her with kindness" but she continues being a total snark: rude, unhelpful, and ignores my questions. NO MORE.