AIM: The Organized (Or Not) Approach

This month, your AIM team takes on organization...or lack thereof.

I did my best with weight loss when I was organized.  From having a list when I went to the grocery store, to prepping as many of the fruit and vegetables as I could as soon as I got home, to having a meal plan, along with a list of favorite healthy meals (because I tend to forget things) - all of that made it so much simpler to eat right which in turn helped get the weight off. 

I find that when I'm organized in one area - say, I've got a handle on groceries/meal plans - it spills over into other areas as well.  My laundry is done, my bed gets made every day, I keep on top of the kitchen's mess (it doesn't take that long to clean up after dinner, yet there were times many years ago when I'd go to bed thinking "if I have to call 911 in the middle of the night, it's going to look like we're one of those slobs you see on COPS")...you get the picture.  The sense of urgency, of living like I'm flying by the seat of my pants, is not there.  I don't randomly grab just anything to eat because I'm hungry; rather, I've got enough options to keep me on a healthy path, or at least, a healthy path if that's the path I'm choosing to walk.

Being organized is also an important factor in my exercise routine, and I do that by making sure that I have clean clothes to wear for running, and keeping all of my gear in one area.  I put my my shoes, Garmin, Road ID, etc. back where they belong as soon as I get home as a favor to myself, because there's nothing worse than fumbling around at 5:30 am trying to find everything.  But it's not just the things that need to be organized, it's the schedule as well - I know which days I'm going to run, with whom, where and when...a quick text and boom, we're all on the same page.

I live by lists.  I usually have several going at once - things to do for today, stuff to buy next time I'm at the store, blog topics and schedule, running club things to do - this saves my sanity.  I can compartmentalize, get things done (and crossed off, which gives me great satisfaction...and yes, if I do something that isn't on the list I might write it down just to cross it off), and know that I'm not letting things slip through the cracks.  I like to feel in control of my days.

All that aside, and lest you think I'm a Stepford Wife/robot, there have been times in my life when stress has caused my organizational skills to malfunction.  Living in a state of discombobulation is not fun.  I couldn't focus enough to finish one simple task, which meant that I was constantly chasing after everything.  Back when the kids were younger and had a lot of extracurricular activities going on, I was lucky to be one step ahead of everything.  While I miss my kids, I don't miss the chaos of those years.  That said, I think I've developed better organizational skills over time (and as a result of going through all of that craziness), and I wonder if I'd be better at handling it now.  Time for a do-over?  Ha!  I think not.

AIM: Adventures in Maintenance is Lynn, Lori, Debby, Shelley, and Cammy, former weight-loss bloggers who now write about life in maintenance. We formed AIM to work together to turn up the volume on the issues facing people in weight maintenance. We publish a post on the same topic on the first Monday of each month. Let us know if there is a topic you'd like us to address - here's the link to our Ask Us (almost) Anything form - click here and ask away!