It’s the little things, right?
One autumn a friend closed her café and gave me a restaurant-sized bag of Big Train Chai to thank me for my help. That winter I had a delicious, steaming, comforting cup of chai every night. Without changing any other eating habits, I gained eight pounds in two or three months. One little thing.
I’m done with diets.* It’s easy to believe I can take off twenty – thirty pounds if I focus hard on a plan—pick one, any one— and execute it. But I know that as soon as I go “off” the ‘plan’ that weight huffs and puffs, red-faced and straining, and catches up with me.
So I’m looking for little changes that over the long haul will add up to loss. This summer my daily drink is Mint Lime Water. I clip some mint and put that at the bottom of my 32 oz. cup. I squeeze a half a lime into it. (Or, pull a snack bag with the juice of one lime out of the freezer.) I add one package of Truvia. (I know, I know, it’s not healthy, but I’m going to finish my supply before I give it up.) Fill the cup with ice and then water. Suddenly, it’s easier to drink my water. And I’ve taken a leave of absence from caffeine.
Curt’s cousin encouraged me to try a sprig of rosemary in my water. I like it!
What is your little thing? I’d seriously like to glean some other ideas that friends/readers have found helpful.
Do you have a fun substitution or a new twist on something? Does anyone out there use a standing desk? My friend at work does squats while she blow-dries her hair. I’d love to do that, but I’m not willing to give up reading a book and I don’t think I could manage both!
I’ll wait for your comments. Thanks!
* Until the next new one seduces me.
A Living Pencil 
Hmmmm. I can’t come up with anything. But now I want to make one little change. How about I let you know what it is and if it made me feel niftier?
That’d be great!
I just started making a simple agua fresca with one small peeled cucumber, half a lime, two pieces of ice, and a small piece of mint. So refreshing and healthy! It’s been my dessert for the past few evenings 🙂
I woke up thinking about your agua fresca and wondering if you peeled the cucumber, because those peels can be bitter. I’m going to add cucumber to my other drink. Thanks, Juliet!