The Secret to Weight Loss

Some Exercise Essentials

Because I’ve long been a health and fitness enthusiast and have worked in the health field for many years, I often get asked what I think about the latest diet crazes, weight loss pills or spot-reducing exercise equipment.  But no matter how the question is asked, I usually respond with a similar answer:  there’s no quick fix.  If you want results, you have to put in effort.  As a society, we’ve taken something that is so simple and straightforward and have turned it into a frenzied multi-billion dollar industry.  The secret to weight loss doesn’t lie hidden in the depths of a fat-burning pill bottle or in limiting an entire food group from our diets, the answer lies in using plain old common sense*:   get moderate amounts of exercise most days of the week, drink plenty of clean, pure water and eat a clean diet, heavy on fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins.  Don’t waste time obsessing over counting calories and fat grams on a daily basis; who has time for that?  Choosing natural, unprocessed foods allows your body to function optimally without having to think about whether or not it’s on your list of approved foods.  Sure, it might take you longer to drop the weight, but guess what?  You’ll keep it off a lot longer, too, because when you make healthy changes it becomes a way of life, not just a temporary ‘diet’.  And don’t push yourself to make changes overnight.  I once read that it takes your body/mind about two weeks to learn a new habit, so give yourself time.  Make small changes every couple of weeks until you’ve created a new, healthier lifestyle for yourself.  For example, for the first week of your ‘lifestyle makeover’, start drinking more water every day until it just becomes habit for you to reach for water when you’re thirsty instead of a diet soda.  Once that new habit is in place, add a new challenge, like deciding to walk every day for at least 10 minutes, then slowly increase by a couple minutes every day until you’re up to at least 30 minutes a day.  And if you’re hard-pressed for time like most of us are, feel free to break up the daily walks into 10 minute segments (start your morning with a 10 minute walk, take a quick 10-minute lunchtime stroll and another one post-dinner and you’ll have gotten your full 30 minutes in in one day). Each couple of weeks, simply add one new change that you would like to incorporate into your new lifestyle and keep at it until it becomes a habit before you add a new change.  Soon you will begin to see and feel changes that will provide you with the motivation that you need to keep at it.  You want to adopt a new way of thinking about food and exercise so that it becomes your lifestyle, not a temporary fix.  Make sure you choose foods and activities that you enjoy so that it won’t seem like you are sacrificing.  For example, if you think you have to run 5 miles a day to lose weight because that’s what your friend did, but you hate running, then don’t do it!  Find something else that you do enjoy like biking or swimming, speed-walking, group sports, whatever fits your personality that keeps you active is what’s going to motivate you and that’s key.  The same goes for food.  If you think you can only eat salad for lunch and dinner to lose weight, you will soon get bored.  Experiment with recipes that utilize different vegetables and spices that you’re unfamiliar with to add some variety and zest to your meals.  Make it fun.  Buy more fresh and frozen foods and less processed and canned alternatives.  It’s okay to splurge now and then as long as the majority of the time you are choosing good, healthy foods.  Eat until you are almost full, don’t stuff yourself (yes, even at the all-you-can-eat-buffet); don’t think of food as 'good or bad', think of it as nourishment.  Just have a healthy relationship with food, exercise and yourself and you’re bound to look as good as you are supposed to (ie--your own healthy weight, not some imaginary ideal)! You don’t always see it right away but you can feel it when you’re at your best:  happier, lighter, more energetic, stronger, healthier. You’re most beautiful that way.  

*You should always obtain a health screening from your physician before beginning any diet or exercise program.

Thanks for reading today's blog entry, I hope you've enjoyed it!  

~~Jessica Barahona