Day 204 – Fighting the Holiday Blues
Posted: December 20, 2010 Filed under: Exercise, Food, Nutrition, Reflection | Tags: Appalachian Mountains, Drinking water, Seasonal affective disorder, Sunlight, West Virginia Leave a comment »If you haven’t noticed, my posts have been less frequent lately. In the spring, when this project began, I was writing articles five days a week. Lately I’ve been putting out about five a month. It isn’t because I’m out of things to say either.
The holidays can be a tough time for health nuts, for a number of reasons. For instance, it starts getting dark about an hour after I get home from work. You never really understand how much sunlight affects you until it’s gone. Within three days after setting the clock ahead for daylight savings time, my motivation plummeted.
Secondly, the weather stinks. Now, this might not be a problem in some areas, but in southern West Virginia on the Appalachian Mountains, it’s a big problem. Try getting to the gym when it takes a half hour to get out of the driveway.
Let us add to that the “food factor”. For instance, yesterday Michelle and I attended two potluck dinners. We vowed not to veer from our path that day, but I admit it isn’t easy when you’re surrounded by food. We brought our own food (nothing against anyone else there).
Families are getting together, gift certificates are being passed around… it’s a crazy time of year.
SO, if you’re wondering why my updates have been much less recent, that is why.
In general, everything has slowed down. My workout regime is lighter. My writing regime is also much lighter. Nonetheless, I’ve been watching myself carefully, and have managed to maintain a proper weight, and eat proper meals the the entire time. That is the secret – when you’re facing the “winter blues”, lighten your load if you need to. Go at a more moderate tempo, and maintain yourself where you’re at. You don’t have to backslide during the holidays and play catch up later in the year.
Do your best to stay on your feet. If you aren’t actively working out, try to avoid sitting or laying down for extended periods during the day. Cook, clean, play an active game (we have DDR), do whatever it takes to keep your activity level up.
Put up extra lights. More light will help you. Sunlight helps the body produce vitamin D. You won’t be able to completely emulate sunlight, but you can lessen the effect with a little extra illumination.
Drink a lot of water. Drinking water will help your metabolism stay up. Studies have shown that drinking 64 ounces of water a day could burn a substantial amount of calories (about as much as a half hour of cardio).
Well, those are my tips. Enjoy! Do not give in to those holiday blues. Form a strategy and be prepared for them!
Day 194 – Blood, Sweat, and Tears
Posted: December 10, 2010 Filed under: Exercise, Food, Nutrition, Reflection | Tags: food, health, Health Tips, healthy living, Lifestyle (sociology), nutrition, Weight loss Leave a comment »if you are a person who has struggled to get healthy for a long time, but has continually failed, this post is to encourage you:
I think that one of the most heartbreaking problems today is the obesity epidemic. This national crisis we’re confronted with… well it’s just disturbing. We now have children subjecting themselves to a slow death, some unknowingly, and some proudly. We have people that not only live destructive, unhealthy lifestyles, but lash out against any sort of change. The idea of “health food” is staggeringly offensive to some people.
You also have folks who genuinely want to change and live a healthy lifestyle, but find it difficult to navigate through the complicated maze we’ve set up for them. As a society, we have diluted the truth with so many deceptive half-truths about weight loss and health that the temptation to seek out a “health miracle” draws us in, like a drug. It’s an addiction, really. We are addicted to shortcuts.
Have we not overcomplicated it?
Here, I will submit some common sense to relieve the above mentioned problems.
1. Weight problems are a symptom of an unhealthy life, and not the primary disease. When you decide “I want to lose weight”, as if losing weight will “fix everything”, you’re setting yourself up for failure. There are a lot of ways to lose weight. Some are healthy, and some could kill you. So, you can lose the weight but what then? If you’ve read the “8 I wills“, you may have noticed that the first one is “I will give up on weight loss”. Read into that. I’m not saying you should forget your dreams of having a slim, trim look. I’m telling you to focus on what matters. Focus on what will sustain a healthy body, and a healthy life. The man that lost 27 pounds eating Twinkies, I think, just proves my point.
2. You have to fix your diet before you start busting it in the gym. Food fuels your body. Food is where you get your nutrients and energy to be active. Isn’t it common sense to say that good nutrient-dense food will support a regular workout regime better than cheap unhealthy food? You can’t have one or the other. You need both a healthy diet, and an active lifestyle.
3. There is no shortcut! There is no trick. You are going to have to forsake a lot of things that are prominent in our culture today. You are going to have to get out of your comfort zone. You are going to have to sacrifice. There is a hefty price to pay for being healthy, and I hate to say this, but out world does not make it easy. It is going to cost you blood, sweat, and tears, and you will have to have a crisis of encounter with reality to push you through it.
4. You will have to educate yourself on food, and on your body. These are very personal things, and it’s shocking how people choose to remain ignorant. You will have to choose who you take advice from. And, isn’t it common sense to get health advice from a person who lives a healthy lifestyle? Think about it. I wouldn’t go to a murderer for moral support. I wouldn’t go to a nudist for fashion tips.
5. If you’ve been living dangerously unhealthy for a while, then you probably have spent some time around people who live the same lifestyle as you. I’m not saying that they are bad people. But, you should know that the more you change to live healthily, the more you will be mocked. People can be uncomfortable with challenges, and your choices to turn your life around will challenge a lot of people. Some people, friends even, will want to see you fail. Not all, but some, will, and it can hurt. You will need to take your plight to people who will support you and invest some time with them to balance it out.
6. It all starts with you. You have to believe in yourself, and you have to value yourself. You are worth it. You deserve this. You deserve a higher standard of living. Believe it!
7. You have to know that you will be waging war against your body. Our bodies are stubborn vessels believe me.
8. You can’t lose fat in one part of your body by exercising that part. You have to lose overall body fat. I just thought you should know.
9. If you are grossly overweight with high blood pressure and cholesterol, it’s going to take steady changes, a lot of dedication, and patience. Once again, no shortcuts! You can do it.
10. Just a tip here – you will probably be eating way less sugar, and sodium, if you decide to go healthy.
Honestly, I could go on all day. The bottom line is that it’s a narrow road to health. You have to eat right, and stay active. It’s as simple as that, but what does that even mean, today? It means you are declaring war. That’s what it means.
