Organization for Good Health

 

It's no secret from those who know me well (or even from those who know me a little bit) that I thrive on organization.  I have ongoing to do lists at home and work at all times, as well as huge Excel spreadsheets to track tasks for major things like setting up my private practice and moving to Los Angeles.  This isn't something that works well for everyone, but it works well for me.

And for me, this organization has been the key to staying loyal to being paleo.  I used to go to the grocery store and buy 5 onions, a chocolate bar, some chicken, and toothpaste.  I'd spend $100 and then get home, put everything away, and immediately open the fridge and think "I have nothing to eat."  It's because I wasn't being strategic, you see.

So now, I use the spreadsheet you see above.  It tells me what I'm eating when, and grey connotes a major cooking project.  This spreadsheet actually isn't even the norm, really, because it has a lot of leftover (L/O) meals.  That's because last week I overcooked and wound up with a ton of yummy leftover food in my refrigerator.  But regardless, the spreadsheet helps me plan.

Basically, every Friday night I figure out what I'm going to eat for the week.  I take into account other life obligations, as you see in that last column, in order to figure out what will realistically fit into my schedule.  Then I use the chart to create a list of groceries that I'll need.  I list everything, even if I think I already have it, and then I take it downstairs to the kitchen and cross off items already there.  Then when I go to the grocery store, I know exactly what I need.  Sometimes I buy a few extra things.  For example, this week my local store had grass-fed sirloin steak, which they don't always carry, so I picked up some.  Plus when I went to buy the cod for Thursday's dinner, I thought it might be nice to make salmon next week, so I grabbed a filet of that.  But usually I'm pretty loyal to the list.  This saves me money (though I still spend an obscene amount on groceries), it saves me a return trip to the grocery store when I realize I need something I don't have, and it saves me the annoyance of purchasing a duplicate item I already have at home.

Don't get me wrong - this is tedious and extremely time-consuming.  And it's definitely not for everyone.  But it's kept me on track so far, so until it stops serving its purpose, I'll keep doing it.

And then there's exercise.  I list exercise on the chart, as you can see, but here's the schedule I generally try to stick to:

Monday - Water aerobics

Tuesday - Barbell-based weight lifting routine #1

Wednesday - Jogging & water aerobics

Thursday - Barbell-based weight lifting routine #2

Friday - Step aerobics OR Zumba OR Water Aerobics (depending on when I get to the gym)

Saturday - Barbell-based weight lifting routine #3

Sunday - Zumba

I try to do something every day.  Granted, this routine is quite subject to change.  When I move to LA, the classes I've been taking won't be the same as the ones offered at whatever new gym I sign up for.  Also, this routine is a huge time suck, and once I'm reestablishing myself in a new city, I may not be as willing to devote so much time and might choose to pare it back to just the 3-day strength training routine.  But for now, this is what I aspire to do.

Some people do really well just doing what they feel like doing and eating whatever healthy thing they're craving, but I know that if I do that, what I feel like doing is probably watching television, and what I'm craving is probably chocolate ice cream.  So for me, this system is absolutely a key (if not THE key) to my success.