Giving Things Up on My Journey to A New Dawn - Thursday (Day 21)

Thursday brought the end to three full weeks, 21 days of grueling, emotional, but sometimes successful, work on my "lose weight, gain health" project. They say that for anything to become a habit, you need to do it continuously for 30 days. My plan is to keep slogging along every day even past the 30-day mark, until exercising and eating healthy foods becomes a part of my lifestyle and not just a "project." 

And sometimes you have to give up more than just bad food choices and on your journey to becoming healthy. So, another thing I have decided to give up is cigarettes. Yes, I see your shocked faces, I admit I am a smoker. Have been most of my life. I started when I was 14, and smoked until I was 20. Quit for ten years (there wasn't one day during that time I didn't want a cigarette), and then started again 16 years ago. 

I'm not going completely cold turkey, I'm weaning myself off with the help of my new little "Bud," an E-cigarette. Dear hubby was thoughtful enough to have a friend pick up one for each of us last week, and we have been gradually buying fewer cigarettes and using our "Bud" to get us through the tough times. And then we're join to drop Bud too, like the post-breakup "rebound" relationship he is. And we're doing it together--and that's a big WIN for BOTH of us!

I know, I know, I hear you saying, "not a good time, you're trying to do too much at once" or "the nicotine is just as bad, don't do the e-cigs either." Please, just bear with me. I really NEED to do it, and I'm doing it NOW. I just want to get the hard stuff all over at once. It's all part of the New Dawn that I want to create, a New Dawn who is closer to the old Dawn, the slender and healthy Dawn, the one without the constant cigarette in her hand. 

For my exercise, I laced up my Nikes, leashed the dog, and hoofed it down through the village about midmorning. We made it to the pier in just under 20 minutes. At the pier, we took a short break to take some pics of all the pretty boats. Then we booked it as fast as we could back through the village to the water tower, and finally circled back to the house. That added another 26 minutes. I think 46 minutes of walking at a good clip earned me another point in the win column! And it was gorgeous!

Then I came home and enjoyed this luscious treat. Here in Placencia they call them an "Ideal" but you might know them as a "Flavor Ice" or a "Freezie." Basically it's a homemade popsicle in a plastic tube instead of on a stick. Full of sugary deliciousness, right?

Only this one wasn't. Remember I mentioned my friend Sabrina gave me some great ideas? I don't do "recipes" per se, that's why my anti-cookbook is going to be called "Shit I Made Up," but here's how you do it. Simply cut up some watermelon, throw it in the blender (seeds and all!) and blend it real good. Strain out the gunk, which leaves a nice, plain watermelon juice, and then pour the juice into the bags, tie the tops, freeze, and WAL-LA! Your own, homemade, HEALTHY frozen treat! You can do this with any kind of fruit, she gave me a watermelon, orange, and sour-sop to try, but the possibilities are endless. 

I thought it would be boring and bland, but it was really, REALLY good. It tasted like it should be off-limits! Sabrina tells me you can buy the bags at any of the little stores here in the village, or use sandwich baggies. I'm going to the store and veggie stands today, and I see a homemade hibiscus juice Freezie in my future soon! Now I have another, much healthier choice for a treat when I feel like something sweet!

And that's it for the day. I know it's a lot, and I'm really trying to keep these posts short, but it's hard on the days I have so much I want to share! Of course, tomorrow's another day, and I will try again! See you then!