Do you believe losing weight is a simple thing to do? For me it’s not. It is a constant battle to which I have
surrendered many many times.
Losing weight is
a difficult struggle for many of us. With all the junk food readily available,
it can be hard to stick to a healthy lifestyle and stay determined to lose the
weight. Especially because we are
expecting too much result in too little time, and therefore we give up.
How many of us have seen
weight loss commercials or read articles telling us how easy it is to lose
weight? —if we just take this pill, follow that crazy diet, buy this gizmo or get
that equipment which most of the time ends up in the corner of your room only
to be used to hang your clothes or shoved in the garage under a pile of your
other useless junk for your next garage sale.
We spend over billions each year on weight loss products and services
and yet we are still overweight, because to lose weight, not only you have to change
your eating habits but your lifestyle too.
Those are easy to do the first few weeks but then it is difficult for a
lot of us to keep that promise. The key
to lose weight, be fit and enjoy a healthy life is the “Attitude.” We all have to have that positive attitude to
accomplish any goals we set in life, right? Well, it also applies for losing weight.
Therefore, I have changed my
attitude. I have always been conscious
about my weight, although I still get a lot of compliments for not looking my
age, I am not as slim as I used to be when I was in my twenties or
thirties. However, when you get to a
certain age and suddenly gravity strike, and certain parts of the body start
shifting the wrong way and you find yourself looking in the mirror with horror
saying to yourself, “WTF that did not
look like that!” It’s kind of a
wakeup call, at least for me it was. I
myself HATE to exercise (which I like to refer to as self-inflicting torture
probably invented by men.) *laughs* I am ok with diets but can’t get committed to
one for too long, so my weight fluctuates which I don’t think is healthy. But lately, it wasn’t just how I looked in the mirror or how tight
my jeans felt around my waist that made me realize that I needed to get fit and
do something to improve my looks and health.
It was something more special that made me change my attitude from “ooh, I’m too tired to go to the gym” to
“I can do this!” And that reason was
that I want to be around for my children and grandchildren, and I think that is
a hell of a motivation for anyone. And
if you don’t have children, you can also find something else to motivate yourself,
like having more energy, improve your mood, have a better sex life, or help
prevent or manage your health problems.
The idea behind losing weight
is very simple, just burn more calories than you eat. It can be as simple as replacing a couple of
sodas with water and adding 20 minutes of walking to your day. But you have to be willing to be more active
on a regular basis--not just for a week here and there. A workout is not about killing yourself, it's
about being physically active by finding an activity that you like and that you
will stick to for the rest of your life and eventually the results will show
physically and emotionally. I don’t
believe in drastic weight loss, or extreme exercising, but if it works for you,
—my hat’s off to you!
I think is best to be
realistic about your goals, no one is going to go from a size 20 to a size 2 in
two months unless you starve yourself. My trainer asked me to bring a photograph of
my ideal physique; he said it could be of a celebrity or one of me at my best to
use as motivation. Eeeeh! A celebrity, really?
As if all of the sudden I’m going to transform into someone I’m not and could
never be. This is where the young girls
get the wrong idea on how they should look. (society's unrealistic
expectations.) Embrace your body type
and don’t be too harsh on yourself if you don’t see much progress, specially
don’t give up. The main thing is that
you will gradually change your lifestyle and eating habits and that is what
counts. In the long run, you will be
fit, healthier, feel younger and look great!
Remember, Rome was not built in a day!
I will keep you guys informed
of my progress and/or if I keep up my exercise routine, (fingers crossed) like
I said I’m not expecting any sudden changes nor I’m expecting to look like I
did in my twenties. I just want to have more
energy, feel good, and if I drop of couple of sizes, more power to me.
