HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!
It’s the Monday after New Years & resolutions are in full swing. Gyms will be packed, fridges & pantries are “clean” but now the question is “Are my changes sustainable?” It’s so easy to start off strong. So I chose to reevaluate, are my changes practical & sustainable? Or will I burn out quickly because I started out full throttle? Like the tortoise & the hare SLOW AND STEADY, that’s the secret to long-term success!
FOOD … SLOW AND STEADY
After yo yo dieting for 20 years of my life *gulp* yes, I just said 20 years. After trying every diet under the sun bariatricks, phen-phin, cabbage, atkins, and south beach just to name a few, I have come to a realization. Yes they work and yes it comes off fast but the minute I went back to eatting to what I refer to “normally”, which I define as without deprevation, all the lbs I had lost and about 20 of its friends would come back. My realization … fast is not better although, I will admit I got caught up in the euphoria of the results, fast is not SUSTAINABLE. Slow and steady wins the race, slow and steady allows changes to be implemented, slow and steady does not result in deprevation rather moderation.
I’m not going to lie, as I put my jeans on Christmas Eve I was not happy and the first thought that popped into my head “Well guess I wont be eating Christmas Eve dinner”. Then the virtual slap happened “Deprevation will only make things worse”. So I immediately went to my computer and entered what I had eaten at that point in the day into MyPlate on Livestrong.com. REALIZATION, ACCOUNTABILITY & AWARENESS the three things I gave myself that afternoon which allowed me to enjoy Christmas Eve dinner of tamales, posole, mole, rice & beans in MODERATION.
If I am not aware or accountable of what I am eating, it remains a mystery. That handful of cheerios when getting the kids breakfast … I write it down. The piece of cheese eaten while making the kids lunch … I write it down. In the end, all those extras add up and sadly, I know I never thought they were that big of a deal, til I wrote them down.
EXERCISE, WORK HARD … JUST KEEP IT SLOW AND STEADY
As I was running repeats this morning up 1/2 mile long “Thunder Hill” that was my mantra SLOW AND STEADY. Why? Well quite frankly, I have not run repeats up Thunder Hill in at least 6 months, injuring myself today was not that high on my list of things to do and lastly why the rush? I needed that reminder, although I am all about goals, this is a life style change. Did I put on some lbs during the Christmas / New Years celebrations YOU BET am I beating myself up about it NO WAY! I enjoyed myself and refused to feel deprived when the tamales, baked goods and cocktails hit the table. Now back to my third reason for my mantra, WHY THE RUSH?????
I could have killed myself doing those repeats, don’t get me wrong I was working hard but, I wasn’t going to push myself so hard that I would not be able to work out for the rest of the week.
Would I love to wake up tomorrow and be back to the 20-22 miles a week of running that I was at post-CIM? YES. Would I love to be more toned everywhere YES. However, the reality is that over night is not sustainable, over night is not realistic, over night is not the investment in my life that I am wanting to make.
I like the tortoise. In Chinese symbolism the tortoise represents wisdom, strength, endurance and regeneration all characteristics I hope to one day have. So I will just go ahead and continue my journey like the tortoise SLOW and STEADY.
Lori said,
January 4, 2010 at 8:27 pm
Amen, girl. Good entry.