Healthier Choices: A Healthier Me

By: Levena Lindahl

            I will be the first to admit it, when I am in school everything else kind of takes the back burner.  (I have been known to have a one track mind!)  My house  wasn’t spotless, my to read list was falling off the shelf, and I am pretty sure my cats forgot who I was by the end of my Spring semester as I was hardly ever home.  So when I decided to take the summer off and not take classes, I decided to take some steps to be a healthier me.

            I have a weakness for pasta, and I love to feed people, so there is always food in my house.  While I am a vegetarian, I was still making some pretty unhealthy choices (I am looking at you, delicious Coke Icees!), or just straight out overeating because my focus was on other things and it was time for a change. 

          I walk a lot, and usually in the mornings or evenings when it is cooler.  It’s easy, and it gives me time to just think if I am trying to work out an idea for a story or if I am stuck on something.  I also listen to podcasts; they make the time and miles fly by!  One of my favorites is Welcome to Night Vale, which is kind of like community radio meets HP Lovecraft.  Others that I enjoy are Stuff You Missed in History Class (or any of the podcasts from the How Stuff works group; you guys are awesome!), Lore, The Pod Delusion, The Thrilling Adventure Hour, and the Memory Palace.  (Lots of history and weird things as I am sure you noticed!)

            The other major change I made was diet.  No more pasta at my house, we made the switch over to a lot more salads and lower carb options instead.  I made a cauliflower bake the other day that was seriously awesome.  I also love the fact that there are more vegetarian options in stores than ever before; I make an epic cheesy scrambled egg and veggie sausage scramble that we turn into breakfast burritos.  YUM!   I also gave up soda and made a real effort to drink more water instead of teas or juice.  Flavored additives like Mio or Propel powders helped me to make that transition a bunch easier. 

            While I know the changes I want to happen won’t happen overnight, I can see a difference in myself.  I can walk faster and farther, and I am not as tired all the time.  I just feel better about myself, and sometimes that is the most important thing.  Do things for yourself, be kind to yourself, and everything else seems to fall in place.  That’s what I have seen anyway.  (And in the words of Shia, JUST DO IT!)