get fit, not crazy!

I used to be 5’6″, 125 pounds, an 8 in American sizes.

I am now still 5’6″, 135 pounds, and a 10 in American sizes.   I’ve had two kids, both pregnancies gaining over 40 pounds.

Every once in a while a fellow mom will ask me what my secret is.  Well, first off, it’s not a secret.  I don’t sacrifice doves and goat hooves in the dead of night over a pentagram to stay fit.  I don’t eat the unrefined leaves of a rare tropical plant or take sickly colored suplements to make me “jumpier than a hen in a hothouse” or whatever that precious colloquialism is.  This is what I do:

1. Only one sugary or fatty snack a day, and in controlled amounts.  I don’t “graze” all day on Hershey’s kisses.  I allow myself one small snack when my kids snack, and I’m careful to share it with them.  Thus my handful of M&M’s usually ends up only being a few tiny bites.
2. Eat healthy proportions.  I make sure that my stack of vegetables is bigger than my meat or carbs, and I try not to eat any one serving of pasta or meat that is much bigger than my hand.
3. Eat the food you like.  It’s a simple concept- if you like it, you’ll keep eating it.  No one can force themselves to continue a pattern of eating they find distasteful.  So if you hate broccoli and celery, but you’d eat squash and peppers- eat the food you like.  Spend the money if it’s more expensive, find the time if it takes time to prepare.  Love yourself.
4. Don’t quit anything cold turkey.  I like sodas, I like chocolate, if I try to quit them cold I always end up binging.  So I cut back.  I tell myself, “only this much a day” or “only this much a week” and hold myself to it.  It makes the times I do treat myself mean a lot more.
5. If you don’t have the time to exercise, be active.  Not everyone can find a thirty minute block for a hardcore workout, but everyone can do things like park in the back of the parking lot, walk extra fast while shopping, take the stairs, or pop a few squats during the commercial break.  It’s more about the quality of your entire day than it is about a single moment, so be sure that you push yourself whenever possible.
6. DRINK WATER.  Most people don’t drink nearly enough, so be sure that you do.  If you don’t drink enough water you’re putting yourself at higher risk for constipation, you’re draining your body’s ability to replenish itself and keep your body clear of toxins, you’re making your skin less healthy, and on, and on, and on. Also- if you tend to overeat, drink a full glass of water right before a meal.  It will help you feel full faster and curb that naughty appetite.
7. Don’t freak out.  As long as you’re eating healthy and being active, your body will mediate itself.  Not everyone needs to be a perfect size eight with totally toned everything.  As long as you learn to be at peace with your body and be gentle and loving to yourself, it doesn’t matter if you’ve got a little extra bounce in your backside and padding all around.  What matters is that you are healthy and happy and can smile at yourself in the mirror.
8. If your goal is health you can reach it.  If your goal is to look like a model, there’s no guarantee.  So set healthy goals.
9. Smile.
10. Laugh.

And that is all.

March 18, 2008. Tags: advice, diet, exercise, fitness, health, how to. life.