A Change Would Do You Good

Circa 1996, Sheryl Crow was really on to something!  And no, I’m not talking about President Obama’s vision for America.  I’m talking about change, people.  Resolutions.  You know, the one you make every January 1^st- “I’m going to get in shape and lose 10 pounds!”  The diet that “starts on Monday” after you eat an entire small pizza in one sitting.  All of the exercise equipment you purchase and leave scattered around your living room, in your closets, underneath your bed, only to collect dust bunnies.  The reason that new memberships at my gym spike over 100% in January and attendance tapers off by Spring Break.  Most people, including myself, have made such a resolution.  I do it almost every year to no avail.  I don’t like working out.  I like junk food.  I love ranch dressing.  I also don’t like hearing “No” or “You can’t have…”.  However, this year, I made a commitment.  To myself and to my body.  I was going to get my groove back like Stella.

If you know me, you know I have a small build.  I’m short – at 5’1”, I weighed in at 137.5 pounds at my first weigh in in mid- January.  That may not sound like a lot to some people, or to some people that may sound surprising.  It’s about 15 pounds over where I’d like to be – average weight for my height is between 105-130 pounds.  It’s the most I have ever weighed.  In college, I never gained the dreaded Freshman Fifteen.  I don’t even think I gained the Freshman Five.  The biggest spike I saw in my weight was over the last two years.  I’m 28 years old, and a part of me really does believe that as you get older your metabolism slows.  Another part of me knows that I’ve made excuses over the last two years that I’m still hanging onto (saddlebags).  And at my sister’s suggestion to join a healthy lifestyle group led by a friend who is a registered dietician, I jumped at the chance to learn about healthy eating. 

Sure, my sharp incline in weight gain can be attributed to anti-anxiety medications and constant shifts in hormones from switching birth controls.  That’s my excuse, at least.  What’s yours?  In a country where 60 million adults and 9 million children are obese, everyone has one.  You don’t have time to work out?  At one point I was working two jobs – catering sales by day and waitress by night.  There are only 24 hours in a day, and some days I was working 18 hours.  Guess what - you have to make time, and you have to do it for you.  No one else will do it for you.  Maybe you are so busy you don’t have time to eat right, you have to grab and go, and cooking for only one person is hard.  Yes, it is.  Did I mention I work in catering?!  I’m surrounded by food all of the time.  The last thing I want to do after a 12 hour day is go work out or cook an elaborate meal.  The key to all of this is PLANNING.  Plan your workouts at the beginning of the week.  Write them in your schedule.  If your goal is to work out 3 times a week, write 5 or 6 workouts in to your schedule.  That way, even when you “miss” a few due to long nights at the office or a headache, you don’t have to feel bad because you are actually still meeting your goal.  Plan your meals the night before – stock up on solid “back up” meals that are easy and fast.  Lean Cuisines, frozen veggies, whole wheat pasta, whole wheat pizza dough, whole wheat English muffins – things you can eat in a pinch.  (Don’t even get me started on the whole wheat. J)   You get bored working out or hate the gym?  Jillian Michaels’ “30 Day Shred” DVD is an intense 20 minute workout using the 3-2-1 method (3 minutes of Strength training, 2 minutes of cardio, and one minute of abs) for 3 circuits.  I do it in the mornings, so that if I blow off my evening gym sesh at least I did something to burn calories and start my day off right.  Eating healthy is expensive and time consuming?  Yes, it can be.  It takes longer to navigate the stores when you are reading labels and making the best decisions for yourself.  The bills can seem to add up from buying fresh produce and stocking your pantry with “eating right” essentials.  But guess what?  It’s an investment, in yourself and in your health.  With the risks associated with being obese or overweight (heart disease, cancers, diabetes, hypertension, stroke) you decide what’s “cheaper”.  Maybe it’s easier for you to start a fad diet or pop a pill to lose your weight – that’s great, but what are you going to do, drink two shakes and eat one meal a day for the rest of your life?  You have got to make the commitment to changing your overall lifestyle so that you teach yourself how to stay healthy for good. 

Trust me, I say all of these things because I was that person making all of these excuses, and I still find myself doing it from time to time.  The key is finding what works best for you.  I have lost seven pounds just from simply eating according to the good old food pyramid and limiting added fats like dressings, fried food, and sweets.  Don’t get me wrong, I’ve eaten a few Samoas since Girl Scout cookie season arrived.  But I’m willing to do the work in my workouts and forgoe the glass of wine that night to have ONE cookie, maybe two.  Learn how to say NO to yourself!  You will feel so much better when you do.  Then you know that “treat” is a reward for all of your hard work.  And think about how far you could go if you forgo the treat?!  It’s an addictive cycle as you start to feel better about yourself.  You start to appreciate food, not turn to it in times of emotional distress.  You look forward to your snacks and meals.  The most important thing in making this change is that you teach yourself how to eat for nutrition.  How to balance out proteins and carbs, how to work in those pesky fruits and veggies.  How to read labels and beware of sugar and the different kinds of fats.  Ideally, you should be eating every 3 hours.  If you are hungry when you wake up in the morning, your metabolism is in full gear.  Drink two glasses of water with each meal, as well as one each time you brush your teeth – an easy way to get your recommended eight glasses a day.  All of these tips from me, a beginner.  I’m just starting out!  I’ve got five more pounds to go to my original goal and then who knows, maybe five more after that.  I’m happy to be building a lifestyle that I can stick with for the rest of my life.  Now, who’s with me?