An "imperfect" girl's way to health & fitness

If you have been following my posts you probably have learned that health and fitness do not really come naturally to me.  At the root of me I am prone to very poor behavior that does more to sideline my best efforts than to inspire them.

I am "calling myself out" today because I know the majority of us that are trying to lead a healthy lifestyle are not the super, elite athletes that crave sprout shakes and dream of scaling mountains.  Most of us are average individuals that have no intention of ever giving up a carb in order to fit into a pair of skinny jeans. And it is for this reason that I want to offer you a realistic, sensible, EASY and brutally honest approach to your journey towards healthy living.

1. Love yourself and your body RIGHT NOW - AS IS.
Accept every curve, every pound, every dimple, every scar.  They are yours and they make up the wholeness that is YOU.  If you begin a new internal dialog with yourself that is affirming and loving - you will naturally WANT to do right by your body and feed it foods that make it stronger and leaner.  Your journey is not towards perfection - it is towards the healthiest you that you can be.  Do not let others dictate to you your worth.  You're here, you're a player so GAME ON!

2. Do not EVER give up foods that you love.
Anyone can lose weight but your goal should be to keep it off and you won't keep it off if you are eating foods that you do not like.  I am a huge advocate of Weight Watchers because that is exactly their principal.  You lose weight eating foods you like.  Nothing is off limits.  What I found going through WW is that I continued eating the same foods but not in the same ways.  I no longer over-indulged.  As time went by, I would substitute a healthier version of my favorite foods.  I try not to use sugar but rather than weird chemicals, I use maple syrup.  It's natural and because it's so sweet, you need less to get the same affect as sugar.  I also replaced useless starches like pasta with quinoa.  It is a super grain that they make into a variety of different pastas so you can still have your lasagnas, macaroni, spaghetti and it looks and tastes exactly like pasta but you are getting proteins and nutrients not found in the other pastas.

3. Dump your expectations and timelines and just - do it.
I love to set goals but when it comes to something so personal and emotional as weight loss goals are just another excuse to quit.  When you don't meet it, you give up.  Set yourself up for SUCCESS not failure.  Do not give yourself a timeline or a specific weight you want to be.  Instead determine what your ideal healthy weight should be for your height, frame, etc and aim towards that while keeping in mind that the average weight loss should be about a pound a week.  And life and hormones and all kinds of variables may change that number to zero, gaining or losing more.  This is why your only goal should be to stay on track and to start new every single day.  If you over did it on Monday, do not wake up on Tuesday and starve yourself.  Just apply your healthy eating to Tuesday - start over every single day.  And please, avoid comments like, "I've been bad" or "I've got to be good."  This is just food, it isn't a test on your morality or character. I've adopted my husband's line, "I must fuel the beast!"  Because the most important point of eating should be FUELING your body.

4. Don't eat anything that tastes bad no matter how healthy it is.
Life is too short -- or too long to eat foods that you don't like.  My hubby tries to sneak in that wheat pasta and I stand by my opinion that it has the consistency of beach sand.  He loves it, I hate it and I would much rather eat a healthy portion of the regular pasta than consume the one I get no joy from.  If I feel deprived I will be more likely to indulge on things that will only sabotage my efforts.

5.  "If you can't be good, be the least bad you can be." -St. Thomas More
Ok, did you see what I did there?  I totally contradicted myself and used the terms "good" and "bad" even though I said previously not to use these labels.  This is because we are human and will more than likely stray occasionally from our strongest convictions.  Keeping that in mind, plan for it.  Be prepared for those times when you will feel too tired to make the healthy choice of item or amount.  Just remind yourself that if you're going to indulge, set a limit and stick to it.

6.  Life is RIGHT NOW not when the weight is lost and the body toned.  Don't postpone joy.
I was super guilty of this.  During my weight loss journey I stopped cutting my hair.  Wore frumpy clothes that just got baggier and baggier.  Quite frankly, my outside did not match my inside.  I learned from a fellow Weight Watcher that once she lost her first 5 pounds she dumped her wardrobe and invested in clothes that would see her through the changes.  She bought leggings with sassy tops that as she dropped pounds she would belt.  She acquired wrap-dresses that always looked sharp and saw her through a 20+ pound weight loss.  She did not wait to be fabulous - she began her transformation the day she made the decision to adopt a healthy lifestyle.

7.  Put food in it's place.
Food is not a person, partner or solution.  It is just food.  Take the mystery and the romance out of it.  Reframe how you see food and you will find you are going to use it differently.  Food is fuel.  Period.  That is it's ONLY purpose.  So while it's fine to love your food, don't forget that it is not there to make you happy, or to soothe your feelings - it is there to fuel your body.  If you need love, comforting or someone to celebrate with get a hug from a friend not from a donut!

8. MOVE!
Don't join a gym.  Don't buy fancy workout clothes or gear.  Go to a super store and get yourself some body fitting clothes and sneakers that you are comfortable and happy in and then go outside and walk.  Period.  You have to start somewhere and the big mistake many make is that they start too hard and with too much ambition and then - well - you get hurt, or sore, or discouraged and then you quit.  Start slow and build yourself up.  Walk around the block and increase the speed and time a little bit each week.  I started walking around my block and within a year I was running 3 miles every other day.  My goal was never to start running but I let it evolve naturally.  I pushed myself just enough to make a different every week and my only goal was not out there in the distant future, it was a weekly, do able, obtainable goal that kept me motivated and feeling all kinds of accomplished!  Well over a decade later, I run between 3 to 6 miles a day and my goals are still the same, I try to add a little distance while increasing the speed.

9.  Set yourself up for SUCCESS.
This is one of my favorite sayings and advice.  Be mindful and honest with yourself.  Work with who you are and what will work for you.  Prepare your home for your new lifestyle.  Dump the junk and replace it with things you love that will fuel you.  Don't change who you are but just the stuff you were feeding yourself with.  Replace those high salt, sugar and oily chips with a delicious but healthier alternative.  Do the same with your dessert or favorite liquids.  I used to drink sodas but the 10 spoonfuls of sugar per serving crushed that addiction immediately so now I enjoy a blend of naturally sweetened juice with seltzer water.  The same is true with your workout.  I cannot go to a gym and I cannot work out in my house.  Too many distractions, i.e. ways to avoid doing it.  Walking was my best resource because I had to 1) leave the house and then 2) come back!  It was the perfect exercise for me.  Today I run.  I don't own a treadmill because even though I've been running for over a decade I still need that discipline.  Find what is within your comfort zone and then work it in.  What's right for your twin sister may not be right for you so dare to get creative and break away from the pack and do your own thing that gets you sweaty and that heart rate UP!

10.  RELAX!
Your feelings, your stress levels are important to your efforts and it is for this reason that you should begin this journey with an open and non-judgmental mind.  If you can truly love and accept yourself right now, as you are, then you can move forward loving yourself as you change a tiny bit each day.  Every single day that you make some effort towards a healthier lifestyle is a successful day.  Start by forgiving yourself for all the things you feel you have brought into your life that have not served you or the future you envision for yourself.  You can't change the past so focus on your future.  And don't focus on it as a destination.  Let the future be as simple as "tomorrow."  An ironic but appropriate quote I will use here is, "How do you eat an elephant?  One bite at a time."  If you truly take each day at a time, life is so much more manageable.

Having said ALL OF THAT - be your very best friend.  Be your biggest cheerleader.  Don't wait for others to compliment you or validate you.  Remember that you already have everything that you will ever need.  Know that.  Believe that and be the very best and healthiest YOU that can be.

* Next week I will share some of my lowest moments and what I do that keeps me on track in spite of my terrible habits! *