Health and Fitness April, 2023

[Harriet]

On a springboard •:*'''*:• ⇒ •:*'''*:• of promise, April sends us out into activity-friendly weather, and. for North America, a calendar moment filled with new growth, budding, color.

What seems promising to your health and fitness as you start a new month?
Do you have some budding insights to guide your upcoming plans?

[Nancy]

I have walked with the dog.
Gotten my steps in this week so far yea!

[LadyMaverick]

I am posting here for accountability.

I am reading a book 100 days of Weight Loss by Linda Spangle. I have a goal of reading one day at a time, giving myself time to think about each of the 100 ideas. I give myself a low chance of doing this without some public accountability.

Feel free to call me out if I stop!

I would also love to hear your thoughts and advice about any of the 100 ideas from the book.

Day 1 -I used to be that way….

Change your thinking

Starting today, eliminate the belief that things always go a certain way or that you never stay with your goals. Your past does not determine your future. In fact, your previous failures have absolutely no effect on your ability to succeed now.

I used to be that way, but now I’m different! This powerful statement completely ignores whatever you did before and instead promises you can change your outcome entirely. Rather than being fearful that you’ll repeat the past, build a new way of thinking. Make up a new ending Because now you’re different, you can do anything. You can even create different endings for your old negative patterns.

When doubts creep in, remind yourself that now you handle life differently. Go ahead and invent entirely new outcomes for your goals, then remind yourself often about your ideas.

Make a list of any fears or negative behaviors that have hurt your weight-loss success in the past. Read each one out loud, and then say, “I used to be that way, but now I’m different.”

Then write new endings for them by completing this sentence: I used to _______________ (fill in your old behavior), but now I _______________ (write in your new ending).

Whenever those doubts creep back in, immediately give yourself this new message:
I used to be that way, but now I’m different!
I used to not have a food plan, but now I do have a plan of what I will eat.
I used to not care what I eat, but now I do care.
I used to gobble my food down without paying attention, but now I take the time to notice texture, flavors, smells and enjoy eating.

[LadyMaverick]

Day 2 - Interested or committed??

With interested, you tend to stay with your plans only until something better comes along. You see food and decide to forgo the plan. You depend on seeing results or you quit. .
Then when you struggle, you blame everyone but yourself. You accuse your friends of ruining your diet because they eat potato chips in front of you. In addition, you fall into “if only” thinking, saying things like, “If only I had more time, more money, a new job, or a supportive spouse, then I’d be able to stay on my plan.”

When you’re deeply committed to achieving your goals, you have an entirely different outlook.
Committed means No Matter What. You work on keeping your plan active instead of relying on instant results or giving into distractions. You stay with the plan despite family & friends tempting you.

Look carefully at your current efforts. If you tend to easily fall away from your weight-loss plan, decide if you’re taking the interested approach. If so, strive for being committed instead. Start adopting a “no matter what” attitude, then convince yourself you can stay with your goals regardless of your daily challenges.

[LadyMaverick]

Day 3 - Do it anyway

Right now, you may be solidly committed to your goals. But what happens when you don’t feel like cooking healthy meals or following your diet plan? If you aren’t careful, you can easily slide back from being committed to being just interested.

Being committed means do it anyway regardless of how I feel at the moment. Real life example of this….I will change a baby diaper even though I don't feel like it. Somethings are more important than my temporary feelings.

In the same way, you don’t have to feel like working on your weight-loss plan to stick with your program. To improve your commitment, learn to focus on your actions, not just your feelings. On days you’re not in the mood for exercising or eating right, tell yourself to do it anyway. Then skip the leftover dessert and eat your fruit instead. Get up off the couch and put on your workout shoes. If you’re really committed to your goals, you’ll make these choices no matter what, regardless of whether you feel like it or not. Each day, take a few steps that will move you forward, even if you don’t feel like it. Remember that when you’re truly committed, you do it anyway.

Learn to focus on my actions instead of my feelings.
On the days that I'm not in the mood, do it anyway
Take responsibility for my own actions
Keep going despite challenges or setbacks.
Notice how it feels to accomplish a goal by taking a “no matter what” approach to it.

[Nancy]

TY LM for sharing that! I am enjoying reading those posts!

I am trying to be a bit more efficient in getting Rx got all but one yesterday the other is not up for refill for a week or two.
Been getting my steps in and enjoying nicer weather to do that in, as well as some weeding this week on the better days so yea for progress.

[LadyMaverick]

Day 4 = Boundaries, not diets

The problem isn’t with diets themselves, but with the rigid, perfectionist ways we use them. This all-or-nothing approach never works for very long.
When you slip up and eat a delicious (but forbidden) food, you figure you’ve blown it, so you might as well eat more. Soon you throw the entire diet out the window. This all-or-nothing approach never works because when you are off your diet, you cancel out the progress you made while you were on it.

Like it or not, to lose weight most people have to follow some sort of plan and/or system. Your plan can be quite rigid and meticulous, or as simple as deciding you’ll eat less and increase your level of exercise. Instead of getting stuck on the word diet, learn to think of it as setting boundaries for your eating plan.

Picture your diet program as a road or a path. You can define the boundaries of your diet road based on the number of calories, points, or other factors you choose to follow. As you walk on the road each day, your goal is to stay between the sides of the road. Unlike strict or rigid diet plans, boundaries stay flexible. They provide guidelines, but at the same time they allow for common sense and good judgment.

Boundaries define the plan/system guidelines but are not rigid and allow me to stay on the path while not falling into the ditches.

Boundaries give benefits, not punishment. They provide guidance to live by but are not burdened with rules & guilt.

[LadyMaverick]

Day 5 Write it down

Track your thoughts about food and eating. Jot down thoughts and ideas about managing my eating patterns. When I journal, I stay on track. It helps me catch when I am slipping or getting discouraged. Once identified I can make changes and correct these issues.

Just because I think about food doesn't mean I have to eat it. When food thought or craving comes to mind, write it down. Remind myself that I don't have to act on it. The thought is captured so it can leave my mind.

Anticipate the pleasure of eating it in the future.

Practice the skill of observing food cues & cravings, then letting them go. When you think about a food, write it down. Plan when you will eat it next. Stretch the times further apart for eating this food. You may discover that after a while, certain foods don’t seem as important to you as they once did.

[LadyMaverick]

Day 6 Protect your program

No one will care about my food plan as much as I do.
It is my job to prevent people and/or events from pulling me outside of my boundaries.
Not just yet…..say these words when someone encourages you to eat something off your plan.
Note to self….Most people won't notice how much (or if) I eat at an event.

Identify at least three high-risk times or events such as family gatherings or quiet weekends. Decide how you’ll protect your diet program during each of these.

Protect my plan from myself during times of stress, boredom or late at time. Keep busy. Walk. Distract myself.

[LadyMaverick]

Day 7 I can do it!

Become your own cheerleader.
Squash my doubts.
Create the strong belief that I can do it.
Inspire myself. Remember the hard things I've done (and continue to do). Tell myself if I can do that, then I can do this plan.
Practice saying "I can do it" 10 times a day! Write it down frequently. I am capable of doing this.