Pink Magazine-January 2014
“Skating Uphill” By Judith Lawrenson
“The new year is a special time for re-evaluation and recommitment so let’s get off our collective butts and DO it! We can all “BE” our best selves.”
The Uphill Skater
Every New Year I make resolutions and for the most part I really try to stick to them and I sometimes succeed up to maybe even March or April. There is the rare time, though, that I actually think it through and take a look at myself and honestly make a resolution and stick to it. I do something to make myself a better person.
One of these resolutions was made two years ago and, as you are probably tired of hearing, had to do with weight loss. I did it. I lost and have kept off thirty three pounds. I also adopted several healthy eating habits that not only helped with the weight loss but improved my life as a whole. You will read many suggestions for resolutions in anything from magazines to the web but my suggestions are different. Yes, ladies, I have been honest and realistic so I can encourage you also to be honest and yes, even get real about being your best self. Here goes so don’t tune out until you hear me out. These are my three best resolutions ever.
First, and most important, is to accept your own personal behavioral history. Look yourself in the eye and face up to your failures. This is not so hard when I tell you that the next thing to do is look yourself in the eye and congratulate yourself on all of your successes. Finally, you guessed it-try to figure out why you failed one time and succeeded the other. If you can do this with a high degree of very cold logic and soul searching, you will be able to make some serious resolves that have a very high chance of success.
Just as an example, after reading in many places about the value of an 8 ounce glass of water first thing in the morning, I decided to do it. As it turned out, it was easy. I brush my teeth every morning and now I use my same glass and just drink the bathroom tap water. The glass is right there, the water is right there, and I am right there. It is easy. Easy is good. Easy stays around. Easy becomes a habit. Yes, habits can be good!
Habits can also be bad and one of my worst was to treat the grocery store like a field trip. I love to cook and I love to eat and I also know that all food decisions are made at the grocery store not the fridge or the pantry or the shelf. I decided to shop with a list and not to go off of that list. That one was not easy. In fact it was quite hard. I am still not totally there but boy am I better. Better is good too and may eventually lead to full success-Don’t beat yourself up if you are moving in the right direction even if you are moving a bit slowly.
That brings me to the second to my second resolution. Look for flexibility. If you don’t, you will set yourself up for failure. Don’t say you will never eat a fatty salad dressing again. Don’t say you will only eat organic. Don’t say you will lose four pounds a week. I could go on and on with things I have said to myself and I know you have said those same things and more. We all have and we all know it. Give yourself a break. Do your best when you can. I don’t mean be a slacker or stop trying. I mean know yourself well enough to realize when you are doing the best that you can do. Remember it is always and only about YOU in the long run.
Finally, and of the utmost importance-Set small goals. You would be amazed at what small changes can do for your life. Walk a bit more. Get up a little earlier. Only have one glass of wine and make it red. Drink water with meals. Look at your morning or look at your day. Don’t look at changing your whole life all at once. That is very overwhelming. Instead think about wearing comfortable shoes tomorrow so that you can walk a bit more in your day. Just as an added motivation, I read the other day that if you walk one half hour per day-even just that-you reduce your chance of becoming pre-diabetic by over 70%. Try unsweetened tea instead of soda. Try frozen yogurt or a Weight Watchers ice cream bar instead of full fat ice cream. Cut your baked potato in half and use the other half the next morning in a veg and egg omelet. I could go on and on, but you get the idea. Just look at changing a few things that you know you should and could improve. Do this for a week then get on the scale. Surprised?? Good for you.
So, tune in next week when we will talk about some cold hard facts about why you don’t feel better and why you may not be losing any weight at all when you really want to look like Gweneth Paltrow and know you could if only……