Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Dam the Wagon!

"I've fallen off the wagon."

Ever heard this phrase? Ever use this phrase? Don't you sometimes want to push the wagon off cliff (after you have fallen out of course!) so that you CAN'T fall off anymore?

Well I am here to suggest that you STOP (thus the dam) and don't get on the wagon in the first place. Here is what I mean by that: usually when we say we are going to lose weight and change ourselves, we are only really thinking short-term. We go on a hard core strict diet that we simply cannot follow for very long and wind up on our backs. In the dirt. With chocolate all over our face.

If we really want to change, it can't be temporary. Often change is a slow process that makes us feel like ripping our hair out because it is taking so dang long. We want results NOW! We want to lose that extra 20 pounds yesterday, and in that process we can be pretty darn mean and harsh to our bodies.

This is what I want to emphasize right now: BE NICE to yourself! Go at your own pace. Make small changes. Push yourself but don't expect yourself to do everything all at once and expect your body (but probably mostly your mind!) to be able to handle it overnight. I am a pretty high strung person, and I will tell you that I have this strong urge to change everything. Go big or go home. All in! But I have also seen myself fall flat on my face too many times, and I know this strategy is only going to frustrate me more.

So, if you want that yummy piece of chocolate, then have it! But instead of having 2 or the whole bag, just really enjoy that one piece, put the bag back and walk away, or even better go for a walk to get your mind somewhere else!

If you tell yourself "I can never have chocolate or pizza or ice cream or hamburgers or bread or cake or white rice ever again!," then what are you going to find yourself wanting more than all the veggies combined? Those foods. Now you might have to let them disappear out of your mind for a little while at first to get the junk and toxins out of your body, but if you are a lover of bread you are going to want it eventually. In my own opinion, I think it is better to work your favorite foods in while eating healthy the rest of the time. Now, there may actually come a day when you realize you don't want those foods because you will be able to see the effect they have on your body and you just don't want them anymore. I've heard of that happening, and if it does embrace it!

If you do go way overboard, I read this suggestion from somewhere (sorry I can't remember the source):
    -Drink lots of water first thing in the morning. The water will help flush the bad stuff out.
    -Eat mostly veggies and lean protein the whole day and try to leave out fats.
    -Make sure to exercise and maybe work out a little harder or a little longer

Don't overdo it, and don't do it as a way to punish your body. It isn't about punishing, it is about providing the extra care your body needs.

BE NICE!

Instant Gratification

We live in such a fast paced world, where information, fun, and anything else we want, is right at our finger tips. If I have to wait ten minutes for a response to a text, I start getting antsy and impatient. Sometimes waiting for a TV episode to go up on Hulu the next day is way too long to wait. I hate to wait for anything. And I think that's the general consensus everywhere.

The thing about being healthy and loosing weight is that it takes time. Sometimes a lot of time. And it's a slow, painful process, with little to show for it. So, what's the point? If it took this much energy to send or receive a text, we'd never text again! So, what makes it worth it? You do. You make it worth it, because YOU are worth it.

I have come to the realization that anything worth while in life takes time and a whole lot of effort. School. Do you know how long it takes to earn three college credits? How much work is involved? Let's not talk about earning an entire college degree. How about relationships? Do you fall in love over night? Can you build something that will last in an hour conversation? And as much as I wish that snapping my fingers like Mary Poppins would clean my house, or do my laundry, it's not going to happen. So, why should loosing weight and becoming healthy be any different? Sure, I guess you could go get lipo-suctioning, but what has changed? You will still eat the same, and have the same habits, so all that weight will probably just come back.

There is this movie called What About Bob. It's hilarious and far-fetched, but it teaches one good thing - baby steps. You have to start small, and build on that. Know that it's going to take time and effort, but that it's going to be worth it. You can get that degree, build strong, long-lasting relationships, clean your entire house, and get healthy! One day you will be able to say, I did it. And that's the best feeling in the entire world.