Today has been my second successful day of eating well and exercising! Wa-hoo! For anyone who has ever dieted/tried to change their lifestyle you know how hard it is to stay on track. In the past when I've done this (I used to over the summers when I was in college, then I just kind of stopped...woops) I've found that the first week is the hardest. So I guess you can say two days down, five to go! Then it'll be smooth sailing.
I have a lot of things working in my favor. For starters I am not what you would consider "fat." By the BMI index I am considered slightly overweight; if I lose 5 pounds I will go back into the "normal" category. I'm actually not a huge fan of the BMI index. I think it tends to stress people out and make them feel bad about themselves. At the same time it is a good way to help set goals, which is kind of how I've been using it. Also when your mom is a dancer/dance teacher you are never far away from tips on how to lose weight, from how to eat well to helpful stretches. Mom has always been a huge help when it comes to getting fit, and I consider myself really lucky that I know what to do to shed the pounds. Knowing is half the battle. The other half, of course, is following through. That's the part that I have trouble with.
My main problem over the past couple years is that I just can't help but love food. Like a lot of people I appreciate good food, even if it's loaded with butter and sugar (fat fat and more fat as my mom would say!) But I sometimes feel like I'm depriving myself when I don't give in to my sweet-tooth or eat a salad instead of a burger. Luckily over the past couple days I've reminded myself that that's bogus. I've managed to eat really delicious meals that are also healthy. The key? Fresh, organic pears from Whole Foods and goat cheese. I've been topping my salads with pear and goat cheese and the fact is they make a DELICIOUS combo. I actually craved this salad for dinner today instead of my normal cravings for In-and-Out Burger (which is I admit pretty delicious).
The other thing that I find hard to do is exercise, which again is silly because I always feel great after I do it. The problem is when I'm already sitting in my bed in my sweatpants after a long day at school the last thing I want to do is move. But yesterday I was really good; I went on a run with my roommate, which although painful at times was really invigorating and I felt great afterwards. My legs were pretty sore today (I don't normally run so it took a toll on my legs but I'm determined to get better at it), so I did a little bit of yoga and pilates. Here's a tip: if you've had a long day (which I did) and you don't want to do cardio, do some yoga and/or pilates. You will not only feel like you've done something but you'll have this great renewed sense of energy. Yoga is also a great way to get rid of added stress; something about the slow breathing and being able to just focus on your body really does help relieve your stress for the day.
So if you're trying to get fit here's a few tips. 1) Don't give up. The hardest part is the beginning, and you can do it! 2) Don't feel like eating well means you have to deprive yourself. You can still eat healthy and have delicious food, and the occasional sweet won't kill you. And finally 3) Do exercises that you enjoy doing. I really enjoy Yoga, Pilates, and being outside. Sitting inside a gym really isn't my thing. Exercise shouldn't be a punishment, but rather something that makes you feel good about yourself.
I know it can be hard, but keep telling yourself that you can do it. You can be your ideal weight, even if it takes some time and work to get there.
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