Back to Basics!

In light of recent entries I have taken stock of my current emotional, mental, and physical state and decided it’s time to get back to basics!

When I first began my successful quest to lose weight 2 years ago, I was heavily reliant on my “food and feelings” diary as a way to keep track of my daily food intake, and to record the feelings I had about loosing weight, making healthy decisions, and sadly all the self-loathing I had towards my body and my belief in my inability to lose weight.

Being one for instant gratification, my own expectations had previously always been such that the minute I decided to lose weight, I assumed (OK, desperately hoped) it would just 'fall' off. Naturally when this did not occur, I would throw in the towel, have a tantrum to rival my toddlers and then resort to a big bag of chips or chocolate in an effort to console myself. I simply could not get my head around, or more honestly, choose to acknowledge the fact that losing weight required CHANGE. Real long term, lifestyle change.

We currently live in a society which is so saturated with “quick fixes”. Diet pills and shakes, exercise machines guaranteed to show results in as little as 5 minutes a day, hypnosis, acupuncture, lap-band surgery…the list goes on. And of course this is what we see splashed across the media daily, because let’s be honest, if an advertisement was to come on TV with an overweight person huffing and puffing a house down, sweating up a storm, and cursing like a sailor (such as I do) would it sell? No. Of course not. However, stick around for 5 minutes after a decent-sweat-induced-exercise-session and you’ll be treated to a genuine euphoric, endorphin- induced sense of pride and satisfaction, which simply can’t be rivalled by the likes of pills, shakes, potions and lotions!

Sadly it would seem people are more interested in making money then selling the truth.

The sad reality is that we are living in such a fast paced, busy world these days that it so often seems that all we have time for is the quick fixes. I myself have fallen for the trap many times of thinking that the quickest option is the most suitable.
I'm a busy Mum, I work part-time out of the home, have a house to tend, kids to raise, a cat to feed, friends to see, a husband to whom some days marriage is harder than an 8km run with a headwind- really, who has time for exercise? Why wouldn't we choose the easy option and grab a packet of xantax from the chemist?

Well, for me personally, when it comes to real health and well being, the matter of fact truth is that the only REAL option is the age old adage. Eat well and move more. Sounds simple in theory right, but yet why then is it so hard?

Perhaps it all comes back to instant gratification. We want results now. Not in a year, not a month, not a few weeks. No. NOW. And if you are anything like me, by the time you are making the choice to try and change, you are so sick of seeing the weight related flaws that even yesterday wouldn't have come quick enough for the new and improved body we are so desperately craving. It's all to hard. Pass the pizza please!

Sadly though my friends, I have news for you. Harsh, cold, unrelenting news. There is NO SUCH THING as a quick fix. In the vast majority of cases people who manage to lose weight with the aid of shakes, pills, and powders will often find the weight is back within a few short years. Essentially, the problem being that a change in long term lifestyle did not occur. It wasn't learnt.

Just yesterday I was lamenting to Sexy Twin that this journey is endless. It just goes on and on and on. And the thing is, it does. It’s like paying taxes, buying groceries, cleaning the house (for some of us). Health and well being SHOULD be a daily action. A daily choice, a lifestyle that you live by.

Even if it is only making the choice to park the car an extra 100 metres from work, or drinking your 2 litres of water each day. Or how about consciously cutting your portion sizes in half and really fuelling the body with nutrient rich foods.

Am I suggesting you wake up tomorrow morning and start training for the next local marathon. No way. I am suggesting however, that we get right back to the very basics of good health. Let's challenge our perceptions and social expectations of weight loss, and live the way we are intended too. With movement and nourishing foods daily, and treats in moderation.

For me, getting back to basics means dragging out my food diary. Keeping track of what food I eat and making conscious decisions before I eat to really think; "Do I need this?" "Will it satisfy me?" "Is there a better choice I could be making?". I do the same with exercise. Is there a pay off to this? Will it improve my fitness and well being? Will I reap the benefits of this activity in the long run, even if I can't be arsed right now?

I have also set some firm goals to focus on.

1: I would like to lose 4 kilograms to reach my goal weight.

2: I would like to focus on body tone and strength.

3: I would like to change the shape of my body, to lose my post-baby belly and become lean.

4: I would like to push myself harder when my exercise routines feel easy. To reach that next fitness goal.

5: I would like to keep it fun! Keep my kids involved and ensure there is a 'pay-off' to everything I do where health and weight is concerned.

6: I would like to learn to love myself more than I do now. To be proud of what I can and do achieve and to release myself of the years of low-self esteem surrounding my body weight and image that linger and occasionally cloud my perception.

These goals are my goals from now until October this year. I'm going to reach them all :o)

So, what are your goals? Do you need to get back to the basics?