Sustainability is the Key
Diet, exercise, life — sustainability is the key
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I have been on the diet yo-yo since I was a kid. All my life I have been overweight to one degree or another.
Over the years, I’ve tried various forms of diets, exercise routines, and combinations of both to get the weight off. Despite success at various points, I’ve thus far always managed to slip. It wasn’t long before not only had I put the weight I lost back on — but topped it with another 10–20 pounds.
Now, the new practice I am currently undertaking is not simply focused on my weight — but also on the underlying numbers and my overall physical health. More than that, I am also being mindful of my mental, emotional, and spiritual health, too.
Since the end of January, I’ve been highly focused and mindful of this. In that time, my A1C has dropped, my resting heart stable in the low to mid-60s, and I have felt more energized overall. Also, I have lost nearly 20 pounds, too.
The thing is — what I’ve been doing since January isn’t some crash diet or extreme exercise program. Instead, it’s a change of dietary focus, as well as simple, easy exercise.
The key lies in the sustainability of it all.
A shift in habit and perspective
There are so many different diet programs out there. Some are extremely regimented, limit and restrict certain foods, and will take off the weight quickly.
But then it becomes a question of sustainability. Is this a program you can and will do for life? Or is it just a good-for-six-months-to-a-year program, after which you’ve not changed your overall habits or perspective?
I am aware of the allure of the quick-fix diet program. Drink those shakes, stay away from all carbs, eat no meat, and all sorts of other options for fast weight loss.
Never mind the unusual chemicals and artificial sweeteners you’re putting in your body. You’ll get results and get them fast.
Couple that with extreme exercise programs. That intense 30-day workout that leaves you wrecked for an hour afterward; bizarre weight lifting ideas for fat burn that you do intensely for two months; paying thousands of…
