It’s a Numbers Game

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It’s that time of year again. Everyone is making New Year’s Resolutions with every intent of keeping them, yet most people fail after the first week. You can watch the numbers swell at the gym, by February, it’s tapered off and only the regulars are still there. Oh, there a few here or there who stick with it, but not with the same enthusiasm they did on January 2nd.

I know, I sound pessimistic and I’m not trying to be. I’m stating an observation. Yet, there is a way to truly succeed with your nutritional and fitness goals. It takes a plan.

Here’s our mantra going forward: Eat Less. Move More. Drink more H20.

Eat Less

As a culture we consume way more food than we need, empty calories in fact. We’d love it if a calorie were a calorie, but we know a cookie calorie doesn’t impact our bodies the same way a celery calorie does. (Yes, it would be really cool if it did though!) You might be amazed about how much you really are consuming if you’d just write down the calorie count for every item for a single day. It’ll help explain why you’re not losing weight, or on the flip side, why you’re gaining weight. Do you know how many calories you need a day? No? Here’s a useful tool, your Basal Metabolic Rate is the number of calories you’d burn if you stayed in bed all day – calculate yours here. For my age and weight, I get a whole 1340 calories a day. That’s how many calories I can have and help my body lose weight. My mother, she gets 1580. She’s enjoying the fact she can get 200 more  a day than I do. She keeps rubbing it in.

For many people, simply changing eating habits will make a huge shift. Fast food, a no-no. Or, learn which restaurants you can get away with and what items on the menu are better for you. (Hint: the salads aren’t always the best choice.) Check the online nutrition guides for your favorite restaurants BEFORE heading out. If you know what you can have before you leave, you’re less likely to cave and have a 3000 calorie sandwich which has been modified to make you hungry again in a few hours. Every ‘diet’ out there says the same thing (when you break it down)….eat whole foods, eat organic. Stay away from the processed crap they’ve been feeding us for years.

Goal: Figure out your BMR. Research your favorite foods. Create a meal plan. Try it for a week.

Move More

We are lazy. Well, at least most of us. I’d much rather curl up on the couch with a good book than go out for a run.  Our society used to be much more physical and mobile. Now, we use our cars to get everywhere and sit at a desk the majority of the day. Few are far between are the jobs requiring sheer manual labor for 8-10 hours a day. (And for those who DO have those manual jobs, rock on! Nothing better than hitting the pillow at the end of the night knowing you worked your body hard all day.)

While I may prefer reading to running, I’ll admit now that I do treat (not force) myself to working out at the gym or TKD I enjoy feeling stronger and faster and lighter. You end up with a heightened sense of awareness that permeates your entire life. You can do more, enjoy more and really learn to appreciate life. Moving just means getting out to walk every day. Enjoy mother nature. Get on the treadmill and watch a favorite TV show. Just do some sort of movement, every day!

Goal: Walk for 30 minutes a day. Do intervals…walk normal pace, walk fast, back to normal and so on.

Drink More H20

Do you realize that most of us walk around all day in a chronic state of dehydration? If you’re thirsty, you should have been drinking more already. Our planet is mostly water, our bodies are mostly water. It helps flush the toxins out of your system. (And yes, that made me just get up and go get a large glass for myself too!) My son drinks nothing BUT water. I’m still not quite sure how it happened, but I’m not going to fight him on it. He won’t drink milk, which is great since we really shouldn’t be drinking it after we’ve been weaned. (Notice all other animals in the animal kingdom…unless we GIVE them the milk, thinking of cats, they don’t drink anything but water once they’re weaned too.) He won’t touch juice, another plus. Just plain water. It’s a good habit to have.

How to drink more water? Find a fun LARGE glass. Make it silly, fun or elegant and refined. Pick something for YOU. Mine today? Huge skull water glass from Pleasure Island. I should drop a light up ice cube in it…will remind me to keep sipping I’ll go grab that when I’m done writing. The point is, if you have a fun glass you’ll be more inclined to remember to drink from it.

Now, the issue comes up, but I don’t LIKE water. Yes, if you’ve been drinking sodas for your entire life, your tastebuds are whacked. Alternate. One large glass of water, then some Crystal Lite, water, CL…start working your way to more water than anything else. Tea is great too! Just beware of caffeine if you’re sensitive to it.

Goal: Include water at every meal or snack. Buy a fun glass!

When you break it down to small steps, you can achieve so much more than looking at the larger picture.

PS – yes, this post was as much for me this time of year as it was for everyone else We all get off track.

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