The journey to fitness is truly an easy task—in theory. We write a plan of action. What we eat, what we should not eat, our exercise routine, how we avoid temptation, record our progress and constantly learn about nutrition and fitness. Unfortunately, applying the theory to real life is not as easy. The high energy fitness gurus would like you to think it is, but it’s not. And if the words “nothing in life is easy” sound familiar to you is because it’s true.
Changing bad habits into good ones, one small step at a time, is the best way to keep from falling off the well-paved path. You still have to work hard and be mindful and accountable for the daily choices you make, but there’s no need to overwhelm yourself only to give it up a week later. It simply won’t work and then the yo-yo dieting begins. Ugh, there’s that word again.
For the next 14 days—Focus on Nutritional changes. Change one thing in your diet—you don’t have to do them all, just pick one to get your started, here are some ideas:
o drink 1 cup of coffee less than before
o eat one fruit in place of chips or another snack
o replace a soft drink with water
o change your milk from whole to 2%, or 2% to 1%
o use less sugar in your tea or coffee
o change one condiment to a lower fat version – salad dressing=olive oil and lemon, mayonnaise=sour cream and mayo, butter=olive oil, etc…
The idea is to make one or two small changes and stick with them until you can do them without much thought. These are small enough to make a big impact but also easy to manage. Each time you become comfortable with your current change then you can add another.
I have made many permanent changes over time. In the next 14 days I will be adding more fruit or vegetable to my daily snacks. So instead of cheese and crackers, I may have cheese with apples, a Granny Smith apple to satisfy my crunchy, tart cravings and fruit smoothies when I need something sweet.
What changes are you willing to make to begin paving the path for your fitness journey? Share them in the comments, maybe someone else will benefit from your ideas.
Stay well,
Spin Diva
Oooh..I've got one! A while back we traded out our whole or 2% milk for 1% Acidopholus (sp?) milk. It tastes almost better than the original! Easy switch!
Posted by: Topsy-Techie | March 12, 2008 at 11:29
As a mom who has raised two kids--one boy and one girl--little differences mean a lot, but can be a challenge as they grow up and want more control. Not to mention the cheating! Things I've done:
Exchange those packets of quick cook oat meal with all the sugar and stuff--for the 5 minute kind. Now you can use 2% milk and substitute a fruit for sweetener.
Instead of ice cream as a treat--I've switched to whole fruit sorbets.
A bowl of cereal--unsweet of course--is a healthier snack than chips.
By the way--fitness is another issue that can grind your gears. Kids would rather flop--and getting them off the couch is hard. I'm using a brand new web site called gotrybe.com. What a cool way to make your kids move--cool being the operative word. It's all video on line-so they like the technology aspect and customization. Try it.
Posted by: Older Mom | March 13, 2008 at 10:29
Topsy..good switch it is. You get all the goodness without the added fat.
Older Mom: Thanks for visiting my blog and leaving a comment. You have made some really nice changes as well. I also gave up the pre-packaged oatmeal for the more traditional "home-made" version. My kids love it! I will take a look at that site-maybe it will work for my teen daughter.
Posted by: SpinDiva | March 13, 2008 at 12:15
It's amazing how much of a difference eliminating soft drinks from your diet can do. I cut them out completely years ago and haven't looked back; I feel healthier and dropped a good deal of weight. Excellent ideas for good nutrition!
Posted by: The Rev. | March 13, 2008 at 13:05
This has been on my mind for awhile now, the idea of little switches. Just this week, I switched pop for freshly-brewed, unsweetened, decaf tea. I need to make a lot more changes than that, but like you said, small steps. :)
Posted by: RenovationGirl | March 15, 2008 at 08:40
Hi. My name is Catherine Morgan, I'm a health wellness contributing editor for BlogHer. I just wanted to let you know that your blog is featured with ten others, on a post I did today. :-)
Posted by: Catherine Morgan | March 15, 2008 at 11:44
Hi. My name is Catherine Morgan, I'm a health wellness contributing editor for BlogHer. I just wanted to let you know that your blog is featured with ten others, on a post I did today. :-)
Posted by: Catherine Morgan | March 15, 2008 at 11:45