The Game Plan
A publication of the National Senior Games Association
Success and Continuity in Lifestyle change
Last night a reporter from the Chicago Tribune called to interview me for a story about success and motivation when making a lifestyle change. She said, "we all know what to do. So why don't we do it or if we do it, why can't we stick with it?"
These are fantastic questions that are relevant and pivotal at this time of the year. I want to address not only what to do but how we do it to ensure long-term success.
Each new year, we say, "This is THE year!" We write down goals. We are going to get healthy! Fit! We do our best to follow meal plans and join the gym. We promise ourselves this time it will be different.... And for a few weeks or even a month, it is different. We work at it. We makes changes. We say no to things we love. We force ourselves through workouts we dislike.
And one day we don't make it to the gym. The next day there is a massive coffee cake in the break room at work that is calling to us. That Friday, we decide to go out with friends for happy hour and have just ONE margarita... which turns into three which results in a plate of nachos flying down the piehole before we know what's happening.
We fall off. We feel badly about ourselves. Then we quit. AgainWhen the reporter said we know what to do, I explained that "knowing what to do" was a misconception and the main problem in a nutshell. After more than a decade and a half in this business, I feel confident that folks are missing very important pieces of information about what to do.
There are indeed holes in most people's knowledge base that are pivotal in having long-term success in this process. The other piece is that the whole process is generally seen through the lens of deprivation and punishment. That is not sustainable. It is not human nature to respond to the negative stimuli on an on-going basis. It may work for a while. But if you are constantly depriving yourself, coming down on yourself, feeling ripped-off and punished, you WILL quit.
So how do you do it differently? First off, you have to make sure you work with someone who can provide you with all the information you need for success, particularly about food. It's all here on various blogs of mine, but in a nutshell you need to eat long-burning fuels (lean protein and fiber-rich carbohydrates like veggies,fruits and whole grains), that keep you full longer, keep your blood sugar stable and satisfy you. These foods have to be things you like and enjoy. While food is indeed fuel, it must taste good. We should give the body what it needs first, but it needs to come in a package that is tasty. We need at each tasty meal, a lean protein, a veggie (2-3 a day) and/or a fruit (1-2x a day) and a whole grain. A fist is a portion. 3-4 portions is a meal. Your stomach is about the size of an evening purse. 3-4 fists of food is plenty to fill it up. Snack should be protein and veggies. Add fiber-rich carbs to the snack if you are a highly active person. Drink enough water that your urine is lemonade in color. If it looks like apple juice, you are dehydrated. Sleep. We know if you get too little sleep, less than 7-8 hours a night, your brain will look to high sugar snacks and simple carbs for energy to stay awake. Limit alcohol and don't drink your calories in juice, pop, etc. Not worth it. Diet soda has been shown to uptick your sugar cravings, so limit that if you can.
Eating regularly is very key. There is no such things are willpower. If you go too long without eating, and you get too hungry or eat highly processed food that isn't long-burning and then proceed to go several hours without eating, you will be ravenously hungry. In order to drive the bus on your food choices, you need to keep from getting too hungry....
When you get ravenously hungry, your brain, in an attempt to protect you from starvation, craves high fat, high sugar, high calorie foods. It thinks it needs to hoard and store food for later, since you seem to be without sustenance now and who knows when you will get it next? It doesn't know you have a fridge full of food 50 paces away... The brain is trying to do it's job of protecting you so it craves that calorie-dense food. You then eat that food on a metabolic rate that has been slowed down by a brain who thinks it needs to converse energy, due to a lack of fuel. And high caloric intake in a body with a slowed metabolic rate equals weight gain.
Eating regularly keeps the metabolism up and the brain confident that we aren't starving. Consuming tasty, slow-burning fuels at regular intervals, keeps us confident and in-charge of our choices, allowing us to do what is best for us in that moment and the long term.
Another tool is to choose exercise you like. Or if you don't like it, at least you find it tolerable. Walking, biking, stairs, swimming.... whatever you like. Then commit to doing it a minimum number of times a week. Too often people jump into this process and proclaim they will workout every day! Then they miss a day, feel badly about it and the downward spiral ensues.
Choose a number that is doable no matter what. I find 3 is a great place to start. You will do 3 a week and when those are done and there are still days left in the week, you can do more and get extra credit. :) Again, it's about how you frame it and perceive it.
It's important to include some kind of weight-bearing work. If you don't feel comfy lifting weights, hire a professional for a few sessions to show you how to do it so you can feel confident with that work. A certified trainer can arm you with the information you need to walk into the weight room at the gym and execute effectively.
Finally, it's the shift in perspective that is the last piece to keeping up this change and making it an integrated part of your lifestyle. Our bodies are incredible machines; so sophisticated and amazing. The body, when treated with care and respect, can undo the damage of past years abuse. It can find homeostasis and balance and can function optimally once again. Making a lifestyle change stick is knowing that you want to have the options in your life that are a by-product of living well and functioning optimally. We find it easier to maintain health and fitness when we are grateful for the body and its ability to rebound. It's easier to treat the body respectfully when we feel better and better as we give the body what it needs to be at its best. We develop a deep respect and partnership with our bodies, so we can be on the same side, working toward a common goal.
It is all about the lens we see health and fitness through. Once we are fully informed and know what to do and how to do it, we can then be on our own sides, work in harmony with ourselves and our bodies. We can be supportive and caring rather than punitive and deprivational.
And when we do that, every aspect of our lives gets better. What a tremendous gift to give yourself this new year. Why not start right now?
Here is to happy, healthy 2012!
