Breaking old habits

I know this may seem like a strange thing to write about after reading my last post but I'm going to share it anyway!

Anyone who works at improving themselves by eating healthy and exercising regularly has moments of weakness, and some days are harder than others. For the last 11 weeks I participated in a "Fitness Challenge" sponsored by the Health and Wellness Center on base along with several of my coworkers (none of which ordered a giant schnitzel in the previous post below).

Our team competed against other offices on base and earned points by exercising and eating fruits and vegetables. We also had to write down fitness goals that we worked towards. I found the accountablity to be extremely helpful and encouraging.

My fitness goals included:

1. Eat a minimum of 4 pieces of fruit each day.
2. Drink at least 1 liter of water each day.
3. Exercise 5 days a week alternating between water aerobics on Monday and Thursday and jogging at the track Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday
4. Drop a size in pants by the end of the challenge

I am pleased to say that I have accomplished my goals (even the last one!) and I feel great. I sleep better at night, I wake up easier in the morning and I crave fruit- even over chocolate! I certainly had my moments of weakness, but for the most part I stuck to the plan.

One of my teammates sent the comics below, I thought they were so funny- and so true. We can justify anything if we want it bad enough, even if we will regret it later.

Super Size This.

A few Saturdays ago my co-workers from Airman & Family Readiness set out on a team/morale building road trip with our spouses and families in tow to dine at the (in)famous Waldgeist Restaurant known for its distubingly generous portions. Click here for more photos, but I must give you fair warning, you may just lose your appetite:
http://www.restaurant-waldgeist.com/ia-fotoalbum.php





I sat next to my boss (and one of my favorite people) Susan, and directly across from her son Ian. He convinced his parents to let him order the gross (large) schnitzel. This is the before shot...and the after shot, you couldn't even tell he ate any of it!











Germans love their beer, but this is ridiculous! The smallest beer is a 2 liter glass of it. These guys were having a great time, they had to stand up to take a sip from the giant glass. I am not a big fan of German cuisine, in fact it took me over a year to even try schnitzel and even longer to eat a bratwurst, so this was a big step for me!

Don and I did not gorge ourselves either, we shared a klein (small) schnitzel and still had leftovers. Don did, however order a 2 liter heiferweisen which came in a boot.


Probst!