I randomly decided to re-join SparkPeople today, and it was so worth it!
One of the first things I did was join “teams” focused on dealing with depression and anxiety, which I’m hoping might provide some additional information and social support. I also joined 7 other teams, set a plethora of goals, and proceeded to track everything I ate. And guess what – it’s telling me I need to eat more – calories and protein, to be exact.
Fox and I made an epic grocery shopping trip, during which we spent way too much money and – by conservative estimates – walked for at least an hour! Boom! That’s 1/3 of my exercise goal for the week! Booyah!
We came home with plethora of fresh fruits and veggies, yogurt, frozen veggies, and minimally-processed meat. I had a delicious apple (“Oh Spock! This is amazing! Why don’t I eat apples every day?”), and a little bit later, we cooked.
Namely, we made delicious tacos: ground beef, cheese, and bell peppers in spinach wraps. And Fox made a huge Caesar salad, which we enjoyed before the tacos. It was actually too much food – I doubt I’ll be hungry again in time to eat that last bit the tracker is saying I need. I loved every bite and felt really good eating it – in part because it was fresh and in part because I’d done half the work to make it. (When we cook, we cook as a team.)
I’d forgotten how much I love cooking. It’s so much fun, and so rewarding. 😀
Best of all, we have leftovers, so we get to enjoy our delicious cooking again!
And something about getting points for doing basic things I should do anyway (such as taking a few minutes for relaxation) makes them seem so much easier. “Yeah, sure, I can do that. It’ll only take a few minutes, and it will feel good.” That’s what I really like about SparkPeople – it’s not just about losing weight. You don’t have to make it about weight at all (though the weight-loss ads are kind of overwhelming). My goals are to get at least 8 hours of sleep a night and listen to music at least once per day and actually go tend to my garden each day and cook at least 3 times a week (and so on …).
And if it kicks my butt to exercise, all the better. If it inspires me to make healthier food choices, all the better. I’m feeling really good about this decision, really hopeful. Today felt wonderful – and it was just an ordinary day in which we ran some errands. Nothing special.
I know from experience that I’m high from starting something new. Over time – probably before long – my enthusiasm will wane. I wasn’t planning to get too involved in the community aspect of the site, but maybe I will. If I make friends, then they can encourage me to stick with it when I don’t want to be bothered, and I can do the same for them.
You’re welcome to visit my Sparkpage – and friend me, if you’re on SparkPeople. Let’s see where this rabbit hole goes!
a day with depression 