I’ve been trying to write separate posts for my accountability newsletter, Up a Notch, and my blog, but admittedly, this month has a fair bit of overlap. But… cookies.
I may have a thing for cookies.
In university, I managed to gain the nickname “Cookie”. I was the one who always picked up a cookie or two (more often, three or four) when they were available in the dining hall. I was the one who wrapped extra cookies up in napkins and smuggled them out so I could snack on them in class or while working on an assignment. I was the one who always had a package of cookies hiding somewhere in her room, because you never knew when you might need one. And I was the one who, when Secret Santa time came around, received Cookie Crunch and some Mrs. Fields as my gift.
Actually, I received Cookie Crunch as a Christmas gift two years in a row. From totally different people.
I may have a thing for cookies.
And yet, I haven’t had a single cookie for the past month.
One of my goals this year is to improve my eating habits. The reality is that my current habits are so terrible that if I eat, like, one fruit a week, that would be an improvement. But one of my most ingrained eating habits is closely related to my cookie addiction: If it’s snack time, it’s cookie time.
And so I cut cookies from my diet for the month of March.
If I’m being 100% honest (and I am), cutting cookies from my diet was HARD. But to a large degree, it wasn’t hard because I really craved cookies. It was largely hard because when eating a cookie wasn’t an option, I didn’t know what to eat. And this was why I started the experiment in the first place- to force myself to find another option.
Why am I telling you this story? Two reasons.
- Often, our goals and resolutions require us to add something to our lives- more time writing, more vegetables in our diet, more miles on the treadmill, whatever it may be. But adding something typically means cutting back on something else. For me, adding a healthy snack or two to my diet necessitates me to cut out an unhealthy snack or two. This can definitely be applied in other areas of my life too.
- So many of the habits we have in our life are so ingrained, we don’t even think about them when we act them out, and we don’t even know what a different option might look like. As ridiculous as it sounds, snacking on cookies is this habit for me- I basically eat one whenever I walk in the door. Social media can be this habit for me. So can Netflix binging.
Cutting things from your life can be hard. Changing a habit can be hard. Take it from a cookie addict who hasn’t had a cookie in 34 days. But when hard things lead to things that you want, to accomplishing your goals, it can be so, so worth it.
P.S. If you have any good healthy snack ideas, I’m all ears. Feed them to me!
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Other goal updates:
- Writing is hard, and I haven’t been dedicating nearly enough time to it. In particular, I haven’t been doing nearly enough finishing, so that’s what I’m hoping April will be all about. And I’m majorly cutting back on Netflix to help myself get there.
- Learning opportunities are piling up, and I neeeed to make progress!
- I spent a fair bit of time in March working on a personal project that I was pretty excited about. It’s on hold right now for reasons outside my control, but I’m still excited, regardless of the outcome!
- I also ‘launched’ a personal project, and had my first (and second) Google Hangout with an awesome group of fellow new student affairs professionals.
- I’ve been going to the gym pretty consistently so far this year, which is positive. Unfortunately, consistently has meant a couple time a month, which is… not so good. But I’m running a 5K at the end of the month, so the pressure is on!
- I donated blood for the first time in years (and so should you!)
