Morning/happy early afternoon, friends! Catching up from the weekend?

• Sitting Pretty – importance of prettying up sometimes
• A Bit Late to the Game – movie nights to catch up with popular movies
• Get Me Out Of Here – getting out of the house and sharing some uncertainty
• New Weekly Series – FFF Features
• Self-Love Reflection of the Week – Gifts of the Body

As you may recall from last night’s post, Peter returned to work today. That means I am spending time figuring out and settling into doing things completely on my own during the day. With that in mind, I wanted to get back into regular habits with my new regular routine. I find it much easier to pick up those regular habits in one go because otherwise the more time I let pass, the harder it becomes for me. Kind of like after a vacation, getting back into a regular schedule as soon as possible?

I am not saying I have been on a vacation by any means. I went into labor and then delivered a baby two weeks ago! Duh to that not being a vacation. However, with Peter at home for the past couple weeks and me in that post-baby recovery stage, it was easy to get lazy about certain things. I have felt kind of antsy to start up “normal life” and “normal me” again. Part of that includes getting started with some of my own personal goals.

Over the weekend, we finally did a full grocery shopping trip and I stocked up on many of my favorite healthy eating staples.

I plan on picking up light workouts again starting today. I have felt ready for workouts for over a week and my body feels adequately rested and prepared. I want to go ahead and get cracking on that routine along with everything else as well. I feel ready. And excited!

Today is not the start of some diet or fitness plan. It’s the continuation of what I love to do – eat healthily and be active because it makes me feel good. In the past I would have approached today with a “last supper” type of attitude. It would mean the beginning of restriction and having to be “100% ON” and “perfect”. I wouldn’t have eaten balanced meals yesterday and over the course of the weekend.

I had some treats this weekend…but it wasn’t with the mentality that I had to cram in as many as possible. They aren’t going anywhere.

I simply look at today as a need to continue focusing my priorities on caring for myself in addition to my family. It would be too easy to put myself and my health on the backburner, so I want to pick up the positive momentum from day one of my new normal. I will be working on getting back in shape and losing the baby weight…but in a healthy, balanced, non-restrictive way. There’s no pressure. I’m simply doing what makes me happy and my best self. Time to get started…or I guess I should say…time to keep on keeping on.

Question of the Day – What tips do you have for keeping and getting into healthier habits?

This is a compensated review by BlogHer and Jimmy Dean, however the opinions and feelings expressed here are my own.

2011. A new year. Normally I do not buy into the “resolution craze”, but 2011 will certainly include changes and growth for me. A new baby will fill my year, as well as working towards getting back into my “best-shape” self, where I feel physically strong and emotionally well. In order to do that, I will have to commit myself to taking the necessary steps to care for myself.

I will need workouts. Not only will workouts improve my endurance and strength (and the look of my backside – just saying), but they will also give me a mental break and time to de-stress. That’s pretty important for this momma.

I will need to provide for my personal needs. For me, that includes many things. Prayer and quiet reflection, because you don’t want to know me without them. Activities and hobbies I feel passionate about, like this blog, because they provide an outlet. A focus on sleep and rest, because its an important part of health. Hey, that goal will help the prayer too. I know I’ll be praying for sleep with a new baby!

I will need quality eating habits. I did my best while pregnant, but a pregnant body wants what a pregnant body wants. Those hormones are crazy. Even I don’t want to step in my own way of getting whatever it is I may crave.

Spending a good chunk of the year watching my typical nutritious noshing slip little by little, I know I need to refocus my healthy eating practices the most. How? The KISS method – Keep It Simple Stupid. Yes, it would be stupid of me to make things more difficult than necessary and place rules and restrictions on myself. I only want to have to defeat binge eating once, ya know.

- “The balanced diet”. I want to be sure I eat adequate protein, enough quality carbohydrates, and plenty of healthy fats. Getting enough of each will surely leave me satisfied and help provide for my body’s needs – from breastfeeding to workouts.

Carbohydrates provide a top notch energy source; fiber aids digestion and helps keep blood sugar levels stable, etc.

Healthy fats help the brain’s functioning, the production of cell membranes, the heart’s health, the absorption of nutrients, and much more.

Protein is vital to help build and repair tissues, bones, muscles, cartilage, etc. through the essential amino acids found in protein sources. It also is another viable source of energy for our bodies. Visit http://jimmydean.com/proteinbenefits/ to learn more about the benefits of protein at breakfast.

I don’t feel the need to meticulously track these components like in the past, thank goodness. How boring! I simply plan to include a form of each, in a reasonable portion, at most meals.

- Whole foods. The best place to find those essential macronutrients of carbs, fats, and proteins is within the natural foods of the earth. I want to focus on incorporating such foods, in as wide a variety as possible, into my regular eating again.

- Don’t fret food choices. As much as I want to focus on choosing whole foods, I also won’t stress myself over needing to turn to easier options at times. Let’s face it. Some days it will be tough. Sometimes I may need to reach in the freezer for something like a Jimmy Dean D-Light breakfast sandwich in the morning, when I’m rushing around to get out the door with two kids. It won’t be a go-to daily meal choice, but I do think its important for me to realize options like that are okay too. Plus, they clock in with under 300 calories and a good balance of protein (15-23 grams), carbohydrates (around 30 grams), and fat (around 7 grams).  When paired quickly with some fruit or a green monster (spinach/banana/milk smoothie), I still focus on getting in those wholesome foods as well. Visit the official site for more info on the Jimmy Dean D-Lights.

It’s most important for me to still get in a balanced breakfast, rather than end up starving and reaching for tons of cookies and chocolate in the afternoon. Some, okay. Just not tons. We all know life is no fun without a little chocolate.

It’s the overall balance of things and doing what works for me and my lifestyle that matters most. In all ways, doing what suits my best interests and making choices I can live with happily and healthfully on the whole will bring me to my best-self again. A better you comes in knowing yourself and being confident in the decisions you make that keep you feeling good on all levels. So, cheers! To a year of improvement…and only you can determine what will get you there.

What decisions do you plan to make for a better you in 2011? Or how important is a good breakfast to you in a balanced diet? Comment below for a chance to win a $100 Visa Gift Card!

Giveaway Entry Rules: No duplicate comments.  You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
d) Read the official rules for alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older.  Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.  You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected. Giveaway dates are 12/28/2010 – 1/30/2011. Visit the exclusive offers section for more chances to win!