It's Your Call

Two weeks have passed into the New Year and maybe you made a resolution, commitment or challenge to get on a fitness track with the goal to lose weight and get healthy. Have you started? As I speak with clients and class participants, I know that getting exercise in either with me or even independently is usually not the hard part. The hard part is changing the eating habits.
I usually suggest taking things slow when altering what you eat because you have conditioned yourself to eat certain things and have a taste for them naturally. You also may be a creature of habit and have to really think about stepping outside of that comfort zone. What I hear when I ask my clients if they have made any changes to their diet, the response for some is usually “I know what I have to do or I need to sit down and just make the commitment or I am having a hard time with the discipline.” The process of change requires discipline wholeheartedly, however, getting started takes a fire being lit under the tush. Then inertia may set in. So, I ask my clients (and you the reader), if you want to improve your health or change the body image you detest or the fact that you are growing into the next unwanted pants size . . . What is MORE important? The change you want to achieve OR the food choices that you cannot seem to modify. It’s your choice. Although it’s NOT easy, when one puts their mind to it, all things are possible.
Exercise inclusive of cardiovascular and strength training combined with healthier eating choices is the optimal method to make changes in one’s physical well-being. My clients and class participants are able to maintain consistency for their exercise with personal training or group fitness classes, however that alone will not create change in the body. When it comes to food, starting with small steps such as reducing items incrementally will not send shock waves through your habits. Some ideas may be to:
1. Reduce your soda or juice intake and slowly incorporate more water.
2. Start changing your white food products over to whole grain products. Ie. White rice to brown rice or regular pasta to
whole grain pasta
3. Reduce your sweets and white sugar intake. Replace with natural honey as a sweetener.
4. Let go of fried and processed foods. Opt for more lean meats and vegetables.
So when it comes to choices of what you want your health or body image to be, it’s your call. It is so easy to give up on the hard work of diet change and exercise and take the easy path. If that is the path you choose, then accept the state of your health and image OR do something about it and get that fire lit under your tush.