Temptations...

The week after New Years at our gym was a mad house!!!! I had never seen it so full before; spinning classes were packed, people were practically standing on top of each other in toning classes, not an empty elliptical in the house! What a great thing to see-People wanting to change their health for the better! January is the perfect time to start this change...if you can stick with it. Any time is a great time to start...if you can stick with it. Key words are "if you can stick with it". Yesterday Jan 18...that's right only 18 days into the New Year, we go into the gym and there were only a few people there : ( Definitely not as crazy as it was the week after the holidays. I turned to my hubbie and said, "Well it looks like resolutions only lasted 18 days this year!". How sad! Usually people at least put the energy in for a full month, before giving in to their unhealthy temptations once again.

Unhealthy temptations...they are everywhere! Desserts, the alarm clock, persuasion, drinks, high calorie meals, processed foods, etc...everywhere!! In the world today, it is hard to go 5 mins without a temptation creeping up on you! You tell yourself over and over again that you are going to be "good" but before you know it you hit that snooze button 5 times, missed the classes at the gym, meet a friend for lunch instead, follow their lead in ordering something high calorie, come home and you think about that treadmill in the basement, but then realize you got some housework to do, by then the kids are home and you've run out of time for dinner, so you head to the freezer-pop in a processed meal, after dinner you sit in the front of the t.v. with your family eating ice cream or snacking on chips and you think to yourself...."I'll be 'good' tomorrow".
Sound familiar? I'm sure we all have these days where we just want to space out, not think about anything, and not do anything. But should this be all the time?

We need to start thinking about our bodies and what they NEED! Our bodies do not need an excessive amount of sleep, our bodies do not need the garbage from fast food restaurants or restaurants in general! Our bodies do not need to be pressured into eating. Our bodies do not need us to be slugs and lounge around all day. Our bodies do not need alcohol. Our bodies do not need that last piece of chocolate cake! Sometimes our body doesn't know what is good for us-cravings!

Our bodies need to rest. Our bodies need a balanced dose of fresh foods. Our bodies need friends who will be supportive of our decision to be healthy. Our bodies need to be taken care of...we only get one so treat it well! Our bodies need exercise, stretching, and activities. Our bodies need us to make the right decisions! Our bodies deserve the best-they do not deserve to be sick or overweight. Our bodies need us to be smart!

I once heard that if you can stick to a habit for 2 weeks, then it will become routine to your life. Start creating healthy habits and making healthy choices for two weeks...when you start to see results in your body, attitude and energy level it will be hard to fall back into unhealthy temptations.

For example-switch from processed foods to making dinners from scratch using fresh veggies and meat- you will appreciate the meal much more, you will burn calories while you cook, and you can experience the feeling of accomplishment!

Another example: at night when you are craving those sweets-grab a piece of fruit with natural sugar. After two weeks, your body will start to crave the natural sugar instead of the junk food! If you want ice cream, try a glass of milk or switch to sherbet or frozen ice.

Want to sleep in or slug around? Put your alarm across the room, go to bed feeling ambitious, visualize the healthy new you before you go to bed! When you wake up, be determined not to snooze!!! Write down the times you want to workout during the day and place it somewhere where it will remind you to do it! Whether it's going to the gym or going downstairs to the treadmill, it will be rough at first to find the motivation, but you need to keep focused on the end result....if you want to change your body, you have to change your mindset-be motivated and look forward to feeling of completion when your workout is done!

Tempted by friends when you go out to eat? Start talking about your weight loss goals, what you have been doing to achieve these goals, and order your food first!! By talking about your goals and what you've been doing will help remind yourself of what you are trying to do to your body so ordering that high calorie food would not be a good idea! Ordering first would take the pressure off the temptations of hearing what your friend is ordering....and maybe your decisions and actions will motivate your friends to eat a little healthier too! : )

So if you have fallen into temptations 19 days into the New Year...time to take the New Year back...claim it back! It's never too late to start living healthy! And if you think the word "resolution" is too cliche...then put it as one of students put it the other day "I don't want this to be a fad, so instead of making a resolution, I am making the decision for a life-change." Perfectly stated!