So it's January; a month when a lot of people make crazy impossibly to stick to resolutions about finally losing those last 5, 20 or 50 pounds or finally starting your dream job. I am all for self-improvement; heck the name of my blog is "Live the Life You Deserve" for pete's sake! But dramatically changing your life is hard to do and it's a lot of pressure to suddenly go from the first episode of The Biggest Loser to cat-walking with Gisele, or bagging groceries at Ralphs to creating a multi-million dollar app that's more popular than Facebook. Real, lasting growth and change takes time and is hard and slow. Sorry folks but that's just the facts.
When it comes to being healthy physically, this is incredibly true. Losing weight and getting the type of body you've always wanted is all about a lifestyle change. It also is not about starving yourself everyday or eating Lean Cuisines for lunch. Let's be real: no one on earth is satisfied by eating a "Thai Peanut" Lean Cuisine. They are like food for toddlers, except that even toddlers would want a real meal afterwards. Call it cheat meals or the 80/20 rule (eat good except for 20% of the time), but the true "secret" to lasting weight management and change is moderation and living your life! Going out for drinks and getting In-and-Out once and awhile is not only allowed but truly important for sticking to a healthier lifestyle. Feeling deprived = binging on cookie dough ice cream at 1pm while you watch "The Real Housewives of Tijuana." (not a real show....yet) Both are trash, one just rots your mind while the other...makes you fat. You need to eat real food (veggies, meat, fruit, and other things with 1 ingredient listed is a good rule to follow), not too much. It's sounds easy, but as we all know food is awesome and this 'everything in moderation' thing is incredibly hard. But putting good things inside your body is related to taking care of yourself. Would you want the person you love to shovel poison in their mouth? That's what eating processed crap is; it's poison for your body. Take care of your own body, treat it well. It's the only one you got! You deserve to feel good after meals, not tired or gross. Eating real food (not talking organic just apples not Apple Jacks) will leave your mind and tummy feeling good.
The other part of getting healthy is moving your body. I happen to like the gym- you can hate me, I feel obnoxious writing it but it's true because of how it makes me feel. But if you don't it doesn't mean you are sentenced to a life of stretch pants, dark colors, and weird long shirts that hide your butt. Just move- everyday. Get up and walk, lift weights, do yoga, I don't care what it is just MOVE. As humans we were made to not sit on our butts and watch Netflix all day. Cavemen hunted buffalo, we hunt KFC. It's the sad result of our sedentary society. If you make exercise a priority you will do it. Plain and simple, it has to be important to you. Because there is no (legal) pill that will make you feel as good as good ol' fashioned exercise and non-crap food will. They will improve your health, relationship, job performance, attitude and especially your sex life. No one wants to have sex after downing a bag of Fritos and staring at the bloated result afterwards in a full-body mirror in mid-December. But feeling confident, strong and satisfied? That is incredibly sexy. I never feel better than after I lift a heavy set or finish running a few miles and you will too.
I know change is scary and hard. But if not now, this year, this day, this minute, then when? We get one shot, one chance, one life. Don't waste it being miserable or unhappy. A lot of things in life are pretty much outside of our control (car accidents, breakups, cancer, the government), but what you put in your mouth and moving your body is not. These two things will change your life instantly. Forget the 2016 resolutions and focus on your life resolution to simply LIVE.
When it comes to being healthy physically, this is incredibly true. Losing weight and getting the type of body you've always wanted is all about a lifestyle change. It also is not about starving yourself everyday or eating Lean Cuisines for lunch. Let's be real: no one on earth is satisfied by eating a "Thai Peanut" Lean Cuisine. They are like food for toddlers, except that even toddlers would want a real meal afterwards. Call it cheat meals or the 80/20 rule (eat good except for 20% of the time), but the true "secret" to lasting weight management and change is moderation and living your life! Going out for drinks and getting In-and-Out once and awhile is not only allowed but truly important for sticking to a healthier lifestyle. Feeling deprived = binging on cookie dough ice cream at 1pm while you watch "The Real Housewives of Tijuana." (not a real show....yet) Both are trash, one just rots your mind while the other...makes you fat. You need to eat real food (veggies, meat, fruit, and other things with 1 ingredient listed is a good rule to follow), not too much. It's sounds easy, but as we all know food is awesome and this 'everything in moderation' thing is incredibly hard. But putting good things inside your body is related to taking care of yourself. Would you want the person you love to shovel poison in their mouth? That's what eating processed crap is; it's poison for your body. Take care of your own body, treat it well. It's the only one you got! You deserve to feel good after meals, not tired or gross. Eating real food (not talking organic just apples not Apple Jacks) will leave your mind and tummy feeling good.
The other part of getting healthy is moving your body. I happen to like the gym- you can hate me, I feel obnoxious writing it but it's true because of how it makes me feel. But if you don't it doesn't mean you are sentenced to a life of stretch pants, dark colors, and weird long shirts that hide your butt. Just move- everyday. Get up and walk, lift weights, do yoga, I don't care what it is just MOVE. As humans we were made to not sit on our butts and watch Netflix all day. Cavemen hunted buffalo, we hunt KFC. It's the sad result of our sedentary society. If you make exercise a priority you will do it. Plain and simple, it has to be important to you. Because there is no (legal) pill that will make you feel as good as good ol' fashioned exercise and non-crap food will. They will improve your health, relationship, job performance, attitude and especially your sex life. No one wants to have sex after downing a bag of Fritos and staring at the bloated result afterwards in a full-body mirror in mid-December. But feeling confident, strong and satisfied? That is incredibly sexy. I never feel better than after I lift a heavy set or finish running a few miles and you will too.
I know change is scary and hard. But if not now, this year, this day, this minute, then when? We get one shot, one chance, one life. Don't waste it being miserable or unhappy. A lot of things in life are pretty much outside of our control (car accidents, breakups, cancer, the government), but what you put in your mouth and moving your body is not. These two things will change your life instantly. Forget the 2016 resolutions and focus on your life resolution to simply LIVE.