As I sit here and watch my co-workers stuff themselves full of deep
fried junk and soft drinks.... I think back to when I lived on fried
junk, bacon cheeseburgers, Dr Pepper, and oatmeal creme pies. At my
heaviest I was 265 lbs. I couldn't walk up a flight of stairs without
being out of breath. I smoked about a pack of cigarettes a day. I was
uncomfortable all the time and I avoided mirrors like they were the
plague.
One day I realized I was going to have to get bigger
pants. It hit me like a ton of bricks. I realized something had to
change. Don't get me wrong I still went on to work and had a couple
Dr.Pepper's and a cigarette on the way. I thoughtfully munched on a
doughnut and some swiss cake rolls and considered how to lose a few
pounds. Changing myself was not easy, nor was it quick. I knew I had to
do some form of exercise. I knew I had to quit smoking. I knew I had to
change what I ate. How to go about that stuff....... I was clueless.
2 questions that I hear all the time (The same questions I asked myself)...... How do I start? How do I make it stick?
Lets
attack question 1. How Do I Start? You have to make the conscious
decision that you want to change. If you truly want to change and become
a healthy person then you have to want to change. The choices that
follow that decision are a little harder. You have to choose everyday to
make the healthy choice.... Water. not Mountain Dew. Fruit. not
doughnuts. Spinach Wrap. Not fast food. Walking for 30 minutes. Not TV.
Pilates. Not surfing the web. You get the idea.
Next you
need to get informed. Do some research. The internet has a trillion
different websites you can look at and read that will fill you with more
information than you could ever need. Find a Nutritionist or a
Dietician. Ask them some questions. Talk to a personal trainer. Find
that really healthy friend you have and talk to them. Listen to what
they have to say. Take notes. Observe how they eat and what they eat.
Form your own opinion. Find what works for you. I certainly didn't
figure it out over night. I sure as hell didn't decide to be a vegan
overnight. It took years for me to figure out that being a vegan is the
direction I wanted to go. One day at a time. One step at a time.
You
will need a support system. You need to make your family and friends
aware of what you are doing and why. Not having some form of support
will make it that much harder. Your spouse, your best friend, a coach,
even a new friend will do. Some one to help you along your journey.
Someone who will be honest, even brutally honest at times, with you....
but will still be kind about it when you need it.
There
will be times when you give in. Don't fret, start fresh right then.
Don't wait, it will just set you up to make excuses. Just a step at a
time. One healthy decision at a time.
Speaking of
excuses............. STOP!!!! The "I have bad knees," "I have that body
that needs animal protein," "I have no will power when it comes to
......", "I am too busy", "I will wait until after the holidays"
Etc......
I used to make the excuses too. I couldn't
run because I had bad knees, I didn't feel right if I didn't get my
morning caffeine, Why do I need to be healthy? And My favorite....... I
am going to die eventually so I want to die happy.
That is all a load of poo!!!!
If
you think hard enough you can come up with an excuse for everything.
You have to make up your mind to stop using excuses. Another healthy
choice. This is where the honest support comes in..... someone to ask if
you are just making excuses. One step at a time. One healthy choice at a
time.
By the way..... If your wondering.........
Today I am 180lbs. A Vegan. A Runner, training for an Ultra-Marathon.
(Bad Knees? Yep.... Just an excuse) I run a minimum of 2 miles everyday
for the last 73 days. I do a minimum of 50 push-ups, 50 situps, and 10
pull-ups....... everyday. Usually I do more. But that is the minimum. I
also have a running streak of 1 mile everyday for 652 days at the time
of this post. (I plan on continuing the streak for many years to come)
If I can change, and get my family to change too, then you can change.
It was not a quick, or even easy, journey. I had my set backs, my
challenges. I kept making one healthy choice at a time. You can do it
too.
The next post we will talk about "Making it Stick". Hint.... avoid the "Fad Diets." They don't work long term.
