How many of you made a resolution to make this the year that you were going to eat healthy, exercise, lose weight, and get into shape? Okay, now let me ask, how many have given up?
I was an overweight teenager, who slimmed down naturally when puberty’s vile clutches finally loosed their grasp on me at what seemed like the age of 21. By “vile clutches”, I’m not really saying puberty is a bad thing, but if you describe the process of the “blossoming” you went through as an adolescent in vague terms, it would make an cool plot for a horror movie. You know, sprouting hair, oozing boils, urges to do things that made you go “eew” the day before. Oh, wait, let me get back on track. Even though I didn’t have any serious weight problems, after the aforementioned period of adolescence, I wasn’t in the best of shape, and going to college and having to live on my own with all my time going towards studies, classes, and work, and being able to only afford cheap processed junk foods to eat, I was left in awful shape. I was flabby, inflexible, had poor endurance, and was very physically weak.
And when I tried to exercise, bad things ensued. Let me ask you this. Did you wake up January 2nd (because you were naturally hungover on January 1st), go to the weight bench and set of barbells in your basement, or the gym, and undertake a 1-2 hour lift & grunt session when you hadn’t worked out in months, or even years, or even EVER? How did you feel the next day? You wished you were dead, didn’t you?
I feel you, because I’ve been there many a time. I would workout for an hour or two, going at what I thought was a reasonable, not too difficult level, but the day after I would be so sore and in so much pain, I could barely get out of bed, and the the soreness would last, sometimes for up to a week after. Needless to say, I wasn’t very eager to duplicate this process again, but a few months later, I would repeat it all over. And this was following programs designed SPECIFICALLY FOR people who were beginners or out of shape!
The problem with many of these books and programs is that they were designed by men and women who have been well conditioned athletes since they were in junior high, who got their degrees in personal training, or sports science, and who have basically never been out of shape a day in their life and have no idea of what being sore the day after a workout is like.
One incident sticks out particularly well in my mind. I had read Body for Life by Bill Phillips. It was chock full of success stories from people who were very overweight, out of shape, unhealthy, what have you, and their 12-week before and after photos, were unbelievable. So, I decided to follow the program, and on my first day, I attempted to follow the basic weightlifting program that the book laid out. Well, I couldn’t even finish the workout designed for the beginners! It would begin with the first set of the exercise as primarily a warmup set, with a high number of reps and a light to medium weight. Then you did another set, with less reps and more weight. Then you did another set with even more weight, then another, adding more weight each set until you completed five sets of the exercise, not including the warmup!
I was too FATIGUED to go on after the third exercise! And the next day, my arms were so sore, stiff, and painful that it seriously, literally, and all sorts of other words to say I’m not lyin’ or exaggeratin’, took TWO MINUTES to straighten my elbows.
How many of you have done this? Keep giving up, because it doesn’t feel worth it, but try again after a while and end up doing the same thing over and over again?
The REAL KEY to taking charge of your health for the better lies in these two words, you don’t need a pen and paper handy, because you hear them all the time. The real key lies in BABY STEPS. It’s the small things you can do for your health that will make the biggest difference. And no, it may seem like they won’t give you the fastest result, but think about it this way: What’s going to get you in shape faster? Walking short distances instead of driving, and cutting cookies and junk food out of your diet and doing this EVERY DAY because it’s something you can do? Or is it hitting the weights hard with a new program, then being too sore to move the next day, giving up, and eating a slice of cake and not repeating the process for three or four months, or even longer?
Makes a lot of sense doesn’t it? When you achieve the fitness level required to do hard workouts, then you can do them without discouragement. But here’s a list of the small things you can do in the meantime, that will make the biggest differences in your fitness in the end.
Drink more water. Anyone can tell you this, but it’s true. I was reading an article once in fashion magazine geared toward teenage girls (don’t ask why) that said that this was an outdated rule, and with the amount of bottled drinks and coffee beverages we drink a day, it’s really not necessary. I couldn’t help but laugh at this statement because for one thing, coffee is a diuretic, and takes more water out of your body than it puts in. Try to get in at least 8 preferably more, cups (as in 8 ounces) a day of pure water. And for every amount of coffee, tea, or soda, drink an equal sized amount of water. Most people today are walking around in a some state of dehydration, and dehydration is actually a major cause of headaches, muscle stiffness and soreness, poor digestion, and a range of other problems. And it’s really not that hard to get two quarts of water in a day. Drink two cups at breakfast, two at lunch, two with dinner, and spread the remaining two out during the day. Your body actually loves water, and even though YOU may not crave it, your body does, and will drink it.
Cut back on, or give up soda. Yup, I said it. If you drink one cup (as in eight ounces, not one Mega-Thirsty-Quencher-Bucket from the convenience store) of soda a day, that adds up to a ten pound weight gain in a year. Now, how many ounces do those movie theater or gas station sized cups run? Oh, between 44-64 ounces. How many of those do you drink in a day? Now, I’m not saying give up entirely, because sometimes a nice crisp, refreshing cola hits the spot. That’s what a cheat day is for, and I’ll talk more about those a little later, but for now, mull over that soda tidbit. And don’t think diet soda either, there isn’t a health expert on the planet who would drink a diet soda over a regular one. What can you drink instead? There’s water, 100% fruit juice (there can be more calories than soda in 100% juice , but the benefits of drinking it far outweigh the calorie count, unlike soda), and tea, hot or iced (avoid the bottled teas because they usually contain lots of corn syrup and other refined sugars)
Skip the Starbucks. Some of you gasp. When most people think “mocha” they’re thinking coffee. Well, a mocha is basically a hot chocolate with espresso in it, that’s the truth of the matter. And how many of these do people drink in a day, not to mention how big? Your 20 ounce mocha or latte contains 16 or more grams of fat from the whole milk (which is what you’re getting if you don’t specify nonfat), plus the additional fats and sugars from the chocolate sauces and syrups. Not to mention how much water the concentrated espresso flushes out of your body. If you must have caffeine, go for drip coffee with a little sugar and nonfat milk, and don’t forget to drink an equal amount of water. And your wallet will thank you too. A cup of drip coffee costs two or three dollars less than a mocha of the same size. Add that up.
Quit smoking. The benefits to your health and overall state of well-being are incalculable. I’m not going to tell you how to quit, because there are many ways to do it, starting with simply not buying cigarettes, but I digress. Here’s how quitting smoking will tie into other aspects of your health. You will find that your lung capacity improves and your breathing becomes easier, leading to more endurance for exercise. Your muscle recovery time is improved, which means less soreness and stiffness. I know doctors who refuse to operate on patients unless they have been smoke free for AT LEAST a year. What does that tell you about recovery time? And think of how much money you would save. I live in a part of the country where the cigarette tax puts a pack anywhere between five to eight dollars. FIVE TO EIGHT DOLLARS! People scrape by, living on Ramen noodles so they can buy cigarettes. Think of all the ways THEIR health would improve if they quit. They would not only have better lung capacity and muscle recovery, but they would have more money to spend on better food. And they would fell happier because they’re not eating such crappy food! And here’s another bit of information that I just feel like getting off of my chest: yes, I eat meat, and am often criticized for doing so by people I know who are vegetarians, and I find it easy to say back to them “I don’t take health advice from people who deliberately and habitually inhale burning tar, arsenic, hydrogen cyanide and ammonia into their lungs, mmmkay?”.
Walk short distances instead of drive. You might know about this one, but there’s a good chance you don’t practice it. Why don’t you? It’s easy, just give yourself an extra 20-30 minutes, or however long you need, depending on your level of fitness. If there are say, a lot of hills, or no distances short enough that your fitness level can take you, don’t sweat it, just talk a ten minute walk around your block every day and build up. You can also even park farther away from the mall entrance, and take the stairs instead of the elevator. If you can manage a few flights, why not?
Don’t buy cookies, chips, or candy. If you skip the inner aisles at the grocery store (where the heavily processed foods are often located) and stick to the outer (where fresher less processed foods are kept), you might find yourself buying healthier food. And if you don’t buy the unhealthy junk foods, you won’t have them in your house to tempt you.
Get more than the daily recommended servings of fruits and vegetables. The USDA guidelines recommend five-a-day, and I know you see the posters plastered everywhere at the grocery store when you go shopping. I recommend getting at least two servings more. And you should be selecting produce in a fresh or minimally processed state. For those of you who have an issue with the expense of buying fresh produce, you can buy canned and even frozen fruits and vegetables provided they are packed in their own juices with no added salts, sugars, and minimal or no preservatives. Now, I’m not a vegetarian, and some of you may not be either, but the benefits of fresh produce are outstanding. Every few weeks, I go on a three day “fast” where I eat nothing but fruit (no vegetables) and lots of it. The natural acids, sugars, antioxidants, and phytonutrients cleanse and purify your whole system, and by the time the third day is over, you feel clean, refreshed, and rejuvenated (even though you would kill for a cheeseburger). It’s a great jump start for any weight loss program
Quit Drinking. Now, I do enjoy a nice scotch, so you know I’m not moralizing here. Alcohol contains a lot, and I mean, A LOT, of calories. One shot of liquor (which is 1.5 oz.) can contain between 90-150 calories depending on proof. Whether, it’s whiskey, vodka, or gin doesn’t change the amount much, but proof does. And 12 ounces of beer, can contain between 130-200 calories. Not that you drink as much alcohol as you do, soda, ( and if you do, you’re reading the wrong article) but 8 ounces of liquor contains something like 400 calories. Not to mention the damage to your liver.
Take up a fun, active hobby. This may be somewhat limited by your current level of fitness, but do what you can. Take a yoga class, or martial arts lessons, or fencing, or rock climbing, if you can manage it. Basically, the point is to try an “active” activity like a sport, exercise, or dance class that you have always wanted to do, or even just be interested in. This may be a lot for your body to handle, and you may feel like you have when you’ve been sore in the past, but it’s a lot more fun than lifting weights in the basement, and these are often awesome forms of exercise and a way to fitness in themselves, without having to use weights or anything strictly “workout” in the future. And you may find that you absolutely love it and develop a real passion for it.
Those are just a few tips for you to take into account. But now, I have a small challenge for you. I want you to think of as many other “baby steps” that you can, something small that will make a positive impact on your health that you can commit to. You will find over time, that these baby steps will be able to turn into bigger ones.
