I haven’t blogged in over a month! It’s “scandalous “! Actually it is literally a scandal…. I’ve developed a little Scandal addiction on Netflix.  Anytime I’m on my iPad, I’m watching Scandal and not blogging! I’ve been pretty committed to Olivia Pope and Fitz- blowing through 4 seasons in record time. I’ve noticed that about my personality- when I like something I commit. I commit hard. Sometimes I commit to something not so healthy- like this summer after my mom died I was pretty committed to my couch, red wine and Dairymilk chocolate bars but right now (other than Scandal) I’m really committed to my Fitbit.

 

 
I am purposely using the word “commit” instead of addicted or obsessed. I think committed has a more positive connotation. The word committed implies that you have to put effort or work into the act whereas being addicted or obsessed implies a lack of personal control- you can’t help yourself. I am committed to my Fitbit right now. 

Fitbit is an activity tracker in case you’ve never heard of one. My Fitbit tracks my steps, heart rate, and sleep. You can also be “friends” with other Fitbit wearers. I’ve accumulated quite a few Fitbit friends and every week Fitbit sends you a leaderboard. There was this one guy who was always on the top of my leaderboard. One day, not sure why,but I decided I wanted to beat him- I wanted to get more steps than him! I didn’t tell him but I just started to ramp up my steps. I changed a few habits- I started getting out of bed earlier to take my dog for a walk, I started going to the gym more, I started walking during my daughter’s guitar lesson instead of sitting in the waiting room… These small lifestyle changes started to grow my daily step average. My steps started to climb from 10,000/day to 12,000, 15,000. I religiously checked the leaderboard- I watched the gap between me and the top spot shink each day.  Then my Fitbit “leaderboard king” started to notice. One night, he mentioned my increase in steps to my husband! I was so excited. It turns out I was motivating him as much as he was motivating me! 

  

  
So I don’t know if this guy is super human or what but even on a week where I was averaging 18,000 steps a day- he still beat me!!! It was after this leaderboard loss that I committed to 20,000 steps a day. 

  

  
Now 20,000 steps do not come easy to me! Most mornings I wake up and think “there is no way that I can do 20,000 today. I’m too tired. My legs are too sore. The weather sucks…” But then, I push back my warm duvet and hop out of bed and take my dog for a walk. 

It takes effort and planning but it is totally achievable! I’ve committed to this step goal and I find it gives me something positive to focus on while I slowly lose the weight I gained this summer. I am not totally crazy- I have realized that weekends are too busy for me to achieve this lofty goal. I am a “mom taxi” and housekeeper on the weekends so the 20,000 steps are out of reach- but I’m okay with that! Okay so I’m not totally sure if 20,000 steps is a super realistic goal as we approach the busy time of Christmas but I’m going to keep trying. I also promise not to beat myself up if I miss my goal.

To free up some time so I can be walking my dog and chasing my 20k step goal, I’ve turned to my crockpot to help me make dinner. I have found a few great recipes! I love my crockpot. It’s a great timesaver but sometimes the food doesn’t always taste the greatest.  Here is the BEST crockpot recipe I’ve tied in a long while! It’s Slow Cooker Thai Chicken with Peanut Sauce. Yum!!!! It’s similar to Pad Thai but it doesn’t have the vegetables or the tofu. 

   

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts 

1 cup canned coconut milk

3/4 cup chunky natural peanut butter

4 cloves garlic, minced

3 tablespoons honey

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons lime juice

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (more or less, to taste)

1/3 cup chopped peanuts, for garnish

Fresh cilantro, chopped, for garnish

Rice, rice noodles, or lettuce leaves, for serving

You can find the instructions here. My kids LOVE this recipe. I have made it a couple times and I have served it with Thai rice noodles and basmati rice. Both were great but my family definitely preferred the noodles. 

I have found that this Fitbit goal has really helped me with dealing with my weight gain. It gives me a tangible daily goal that is attainable. Instead of thinking about all the weight I need to lose, I focus on 20,000 steps- just keep walking.

 By the way, I think this Fitbit goal might just kill poor Boyd. He is with me for most of my daily steps. He physically looks great! He has lost some weight and boy does he look great! But the poor guy is so tire do! And hungry! He is hungry ALL THE TIME! 

   
 Choose happy 😃