Today's topic/drug of choice is diets which we all know could lead into a bunch of different tangents as there are so many not to mention how people are probably doing more than one. Of course diet can refer to what we eat, but when society hears the word diet it is thought of all the special foods that one eats in order to lose weight or be healthy. Sometimes I wonder why people do not have more willpower when it comes to food, but then I have been on that side of the table...literally. I have been the large girl all my life and as much as I embrace my personality people usually just see my physical build. Let me just say high school was hell on earth for this.
Not the point the though. I have grown up, of course, and become more aware of what I put in my mouth. I also have to be aware of my mental state while becoming a healthier me as healthy is not just the physical attributes, but the mental as well. You see, I have an addictive personality and I acknowledge that, but it means that I can become a bit obsessive with things such as weight control. I have a friend who has the same issue, but sadly my friend has not come to realize when too far is a bit extreme and a person begins to look unhealthy...to everyone.
So while keeping my mind in check I started out small or at least with something I thought would be easy which turned out to be something that is a bit of a challenge. I began yoga in order to stretch and relax my body while tuning into my mind. Now I have taken a couple classes of yoga both giving me a completely different experience. The first yoga class I took was a hot yoga class where the temperature in a small room is heated to 104 degrees Fahrenheit or about 40 degrees Celsius. The idea behind the heat is to relax your body to assist in flexibility and encourage sweating which will detoxify the body. My first class worked slowly into each movement with calming music in the background to leaving a person to focus on the stretch. With each pose my body stretched a bit further than it was acquired to, teaching me that for the ultimate benefit I needed to exhale as I set into a pose or stretched further in my poses. The second time I went to a hot yoga class the instructor did not allow for a stretch and jumped from one pose to the next almost quicker than I could breath. I understand that moving from pose to pose quicker burns more calories encouraging a bit of cardio, but for those who are looking for benefits that are long term in flexibility and movement would want to practice the slower yoga that concentrates more on breathing and stretching. The latter one is the yoga I prefer as my body personally feels younger in comparison to years prior.
After I became able to move my body and not feel so stiff I encouraged more cardio. My preference is the Elliptical as I can read and listen to music as I exercise. Now using the Elliptical may be a simple way or even boring, but the key is variance. I started out on manual level one and worked my way up to level five in a matter of weeks and yes I will stress WEEKS. I learned from prior experience that moving too fast hurts and does not leave long lasting satisfaction. the next set of weeks after and to this day I do interval training. A couple minutes at a higher level, a couple minutes at a lower level and I change my resistance with different levels as well giving me plenty of options to not have the same workout twice.
With my workout I have lost over forty-five pounds and am proud of myself. Now you must keep in mind that workout alone does not make a person healthier nor help a person lose weight. Let's go into diet should we? Right now I drink at least half my weight in ounces of water, that means I drink a gallon of water a day (and some days live in the bathroom :P). It helps control my appetite not to mention that sometimes I am not hungry, but thirsty. I also now eat more vegetables and fruits than I have ever been accustom. The funny part is some people think that they need to become a temporary vegetarian or vegan to lose weight. I still like my meats, don't get me wrong, but I also still eat sweets or a bit of chocolate. The difference in the ability to eat this is that I eat a very limited amount which usually amounts to one small piece of chocolate to satisfy my urge especially during particular times during the year. From experience I have learned the depriving the body of certain urges make it want more of the thing you are depriving it from so if you have enough for a taste you can satisfy an urge while still progressing to a healthy lifestyle.
I am sure if you are reading this you have considered vegetarian or vegan diet along with the idea of the Adkins, South Beach, Jenny Craig, and Weight Watchers diet. I chuckle a bit at these now as I did a bit of research only to realize that when you pay for the food through these venues you are allowing other people to control your portions. I mean, you paid money for someone else to control your portions because you could not. If that is what it takes and you can afford it so be it, but I would prefer to use my money elsewhere and control my own portions. If you want, however, you can pay me and I'll control your portions. I could use the money ;).
I cannot tell you what to do or who to listen to because I can only tell you what I do and if you want to try similar techniques I hope they work for you.
1. Find the proper mindset
2. Start slow.
3. Find something that works for you.
4. Variance is key
5. Learn to control your own diet
6. Last, but not least....Put one foot in front of the other as the hardest part is starting.
GOOD LUCK!!
