We all, as Americans, can probably stand to lose a few pounds. As we make our way through the Thanksgiving holiday buffet, the work Holiday party, the Hanukah holiday celebration, the Christmas holiday feasts, the up and coming New Year holiday and the associated Hors d'oeuvre and let's not forget about the food filled Chinese New Year holiday grazing we are bound to put on a few extra pounds. Not as if we didn't already carry a few with into the holiday season. The point is we are all tempted to make the coveted New Year's Resolution... Well, don't... You read correct, don't make another resolution that is bound to be covered with disappointment like last year's purchase of a tread mill, elliptical or stair climber.
Please, just go with me here... Instead of a resolution, commit to a subtle change in life style first. Stop eating potato chips. That's it, just stop doing that one thing and in a month or two, after you are over your urges, add something to your life like walking or taking the stairs instead of the elevator at work. Then in a few months take away another thing, something like soda or sugar in your coffee or something along those lines. Then in a month or two add something fun like, jumping rope for 20 min a week. Increase as you feel comfortable and pull back if it's too much. If jumping rope is not your thing, try walking at a brisker pace when you walk somewhere.
If you want to get serious, how about seeing a counselor... Oh boy, have I gone too far? Think about it... Often our eating is emotional. The "add" does not necessarily have to deal only with physical exercise. The point is, to add something that will give your decision to be healthier, a little momentum.
By the "take away and add" method you can make subtle changes in your daily life that have very long term, positive consequences. It's not about a resolution, it's about a decision to be healthier in your mind so that you can be healthier in your body. Slow, gradual changes are almost always better and longer lasting than quickly gotten gains.
A good friend of mine was very over weight and they had one of the weight loss surgeries to help them lose the weight. After about 6 moths they did in fact lose a considerable amount of weight. Two years later their weight crept back up to almost where it was prior to the surgery. The point is, most of us have multiple things that are complicating our weight issues. We MUST deal with the internal as we deal with the external.
Healthy lives are not based on only healthy habits. It's got just as much to do with asking the difficult questions. Questions like, when I talk to my son, why do I eat a bag of Doritos? or When I talk to my mom, why do I feel like making cookies and eating most of them? When I don't feel good about myself, why do I do things that add to my negative self image?
By finding the answers to these questions and embracing the "take away and add" method, your life can be one full of joyful surprises. By staying away from the New Year's Resolutions you can also stay away from the all or nothing mentality that has left you frustrated in the past.
So, what's your first take away?
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