The one thing that we all seem to be struggling with nowadays, besides money problems, is our weight. We constantly see news reports as to how big we are all getting around the waist. There are those that don’t have this problem. They exercise and eat right and exercise religiously. There are those that have been blessed with a metabolism that doesn’t allow them to gain an ounce. However the majority of us gain weight just looking or smelling food. We know we should diet and exercise, keep ourselves healthy and fit but it’s not that easy for some of us. Some of us have hectic schedules.
It’s so bad we have to set time aside for ourselves just to catch our breath. Then there are those of us that can’t take the time to exercise because it will cut into our television time. The most we do for exercise is get up off the couch to get something to eat. Now, it wouldn’t be so bad if what we ate were fruits, cheese or vegetables. Unfortunately, what we eat are chips, cookies, ice cream, donuts, etc.
Of course, after we eat all this we stare at ourselves in the mirror and call ourselves fat. If we could only wire our mouth shut and just sip our three meals a day for a couple of weeks? That would be enough for many of us; we would be slimmer but miserable. Now if we did this, we would gain the weight back and this time we would double it. The problem with dieting is that we believe it means we have to eat foods that have no taste and their texture is like chewing on cardboard. We also believe that exercise means working out until your whole body goes numb and we are in pain.
Well it’s not true. Dieting does not mean eating foods that are bland and disgusting. It means we need to put down the ho ho’s, step away from the ice cream and not even look at the cookies. These sweets should be completely eliminated from our diets and not even allowed in our homes. Not only do we need to change our diets but we have to do some type of exercising. No matter how much we wish this was true, moving our thumbs to change the channel is not exercise. Shifting our body from side of the couch to the other is not aerobics. We need to move, more than 5 steps a day.
Think about it, how much time will it take us to sit down and write simple notes to ourselves. Why can’t we take a few minutes to make a meal plan for our health, maybe our whole family? As for exercise, we can go walking around the neighborhood for 30 to 45 minutes a day. That’s it, it’s very easy. This means you won’t feel uncomfortable as you would in a gym. Some of us want to impress those that are looking at us. Not because we are attracted to them, we just don’t want them to think we are wimps. So what do we do, we lift 100 lbs instead of 20 lbs which is all we really can pick up. By doing this, we won’t impress them but they may laugh at us because as soon as we pick those weights up we will pull every muscle in our body. When we start to walk we are limping and whimpering from the pain.
Now, if after this you are still saying you don’t have the time to plan your meals, how about buying them. There are many diets to choose from which have a very high success rate. The only thing is that you really need to have money because it can be expensive. But since it’s about your health, it is worth every penny. Just think about it. Next time you go in for a check-up you won’t have to worry about your doctor mentioning to you how overweight you are. Not only that but you no longer have to worry that he will notice your love handles as he does his check up. Now for some of us, it’s not love handles, they look more like spare tires gathering around our waist.
So, before you pick up that ho ho, think about your health. Just put it down, it’s hard but you can do it. Pick up a carrot stick, celery, apple, plum, orange, etc. You will find yourself getting use to this and will be able to avoid sweets without crying. If you need motivation, then think of it this way. The healthier you are, the longer you will live and enjoy being with your loved ones. Also, you will probably look real hot in that outfit you have been eyeing.