Healthy Intentions for a New Chapter

The move as a whole has been going very well and I finally feel like I am settling into my new home!  My cat has adjusted very well to the new house.  I figured it would be many sleepless nights with her as she tends to freak out at night in a new place.  She only flipped out from about 2:30am-10am on her second day here.  Everything is good now though.  She's begging for her morning pumpkin (yes, we eat pumpkin in July in my house), has claimed a spot in the middle of the kitchen floor, and has found the bird feeder I put out for her.

Sorry for the crappy photo quality - I have been using my cell phone, which is horrible. 
I think it's time to break out the good camera.

Tomorrow, I will embark on a new chapter in my life - my new job!  I'm getting very excited and nervous, but above all, I keep getting the nagging feeling that I won't have the time or energy to stay healthy as this job will be pretty demanding.  I am only 15 pounds from a "normal" weight and about 20-25 lbs from my goal weight (depends on how I feel when I get there).  The last thing I want to do is reverse that!

Since my schedule has been based on semesters for most of the past 10 years, I have found patterns in my health.  Specifically, if I don't start a semester out with exercise, healthy foods, and a good mindset, I will backslide significantly and, for me, getting back on track is so hard.  Not good.  My new job is a 12 month, full time job in which I will occasionally teach but will not be doing so this fall.  So, I know I need to apply this principle going into the next 6-7 months.

I've been prepping a bit for this.  I have an exercise area set up in my (new!) basement that includes multitudes of workout videos, hand weights, a tv/vcr/dvd, and an elliptical that finally doesn't squeak obnoxiously.  I am also working on finding a couple of great walking/running routes around my new city.  So far, so good.

I hope to get my butt out of bed at least three mornings a week for a minimum of a 30 minute workout before work and then workout two-three evenings a week (+ weekends).  I'm not saying they are going to be the hardest workouts ever, but I really want to keep the habit up during the work week!  I am just starting to come out of a fibro flareup that I believe was caused by a lack of formal exercise when I was moving, too much caffeine, stress, and lack of sleep.  Deadly combo for fibro!  No bueno.

I also have am prepping food for this week.  I plan to buy lunch at work tomorrow simply because I don't know what's going to be up for the day and I won't have access to my office right away.  I do not want to be the dork carrying around a lunch box all day (even if it is cute).  I am going to make tomato-dill soup today for lunch and leftovers and another dish that will reheat well for supper.  I also have three servings of oatmeal that I made yesterday morning that are chilling out in the fridge, waiting for breakfast for the week.  The other two days will likely be eggs or yogurt+granola.



Alrighty, time for a long walk before it gets too hot out, a little (emphasis on little) cleaning, cooking, ironing, and prepping for tomorrow.  Wish me luck! :)