A Better Bag of Groceries

Monte Meyer: Minute by Minute…

Wednesday, February 27, 2013 at 07:00 AM

My personal trek towards health can be summarized in one word: time.  There are times when I get on a great roll, my diet is healthy and mindful, my exercise regimen is regular and meaningful–I’m in the zone.   It’s like I’m on autopilot. I eat a great breakfast, hit the gym and burn 500-800 calories, go home, have a quick snack like a protein drink, head off to work, eat a very sensible lunch of around 550 calories, drink my water, go home to a perfectly balanced dinner (heavier on the protein, light on the carbs), then finish the night off with fruit or some other great snack.  I log my calories on Livestrong.com, then wrap up the day thanking God for the strength he has given me to extend this time in the zone. 

When I’m in the zone, life can go on like this for weeks at a time.  The only way to describe this time is glorious. I’m dropping weight, my wife is commenting on my biceps or chest muscles, I’m mindful of my body, mindful of what I put into it, knowing that I am in control.   I’m locked in the zone – it’s the time of my life!  Time seems to fly, and I’m on a roll.  I can move mountains; mountains of excess fat off my body, landscaping it into the body I want.

 Time…

I’ve lost that special time on occasion.  In fact, I’m in the process of getting it back as I write: that feeling of being in the zone, that time of my life when every minute, every hour, every day, every week is a healthy, mindful success.  But all of us know how easy it is to slip into the other zone – of failure, or hopelessness.  We’ve all been there.  We fight and claw our way back into the zone, but for awhile, time in the zone seems to resemble this classic from the Doobie Brothers  (Minute by Minute).

Have you ever felt this way?  Have you ever lost your momentum?  Have you had days where you started out great, but then blew it big and couldn’t seem to recover? Have you ever felt that it’s an effort to eat healthy even for one day?  Then you know about the challenge of time. when you go minute to minute, hour to hour.  

It has been said that it takes six weeks to form a habit.  I am convinced that habits start to form as we move forward minute by minute.  If you are struggling – join me in the time challenge.  Eat and live heathy for one hour – listen to your body – make it from one minute to the next. Celebrate the victory and extend it.  Go for an hour, go for four, go for a day, maybe even a week, just keep on increasing the TIME.  Forgive yourself for your slip ups; don’t let them rob you of your momentum and time in the zone.  Celebrate your victories no matter how small. You are changing your life one minute at a time! 

OK, enough motivation.  Let’s eat healthy.  My new bride Nadine and I had this dinner for Valentines Day in 2011.  Simple, delicious, NuVal-icious and even Lent-y (if you are into that):

Cilantro Lime Shrimp.

 Roasted Asparagus.   Instead of sour cream as a topping, try some non-fat Greek Yogurt as a NuVal Trade up! 

Quinoa. You need to add this to your diet.  It’s good in so many ways.  Sometimes I sneak in some low sodium Chicken broth to add a little flavor to it.    

I hope you are having a great week, full of victories and the time of your life! 

 Let’s do this – minute by minute!

 Monte

 P.S. For my next entry, I am going to write about forgiveness and letting go of our failures in seeking a healthy lifestyle. 

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