The weekend is here. I don’t know about you, but it’s been a tough week. Take a few minutes today to plan an extended walk or bike ride tomorrow morning. The respite that a good long outing will bring should be something to look forward to. I always am stunned when I see someone walking and talking on their cell phone. Even wearing ear buds and listening to music seems like a missed opportunity. You get to know your environment more when you actually experience it first hand. You get to know your body better when you’re paying attention to it while you exercise. Finally you get to let your brain work and solve problems or create ideas from the seeds of information you plant there.
They have found that the left, right brain communication and activity increases when you walk. It’s good for Alzheimer’s patients and for keeping senior brains active. So if you’re not “senior” just think what benefits you can reap. Or… just think.
TODAY: PLAN YOUR EXERCISE FOR THE WEEKEND.
Okay, I admit it. I had stopped riding my bike for a while. It was because of any number of convenient excuses. Not enough time, too cold, too hot, too wet… too lazy. I actually had to get spider webs off the tires, (I hate spiders.) before re-inflating them. It was simply a matter of motivation. I know I have to burn more calories. The bike works for me. I had grown to really look forward to the rides, especially longer ones on Saturday mornings. But for some reason I lost interest and it took mustering up energy again to get back in the saddle.
You may have a stepper, rider, weights, skates, or walking shoes that need to be dusted off. Now is as good a time as any to get going again. Take it easy at first. Getting stiff will just give you an excuse to stop again. Then watch your endurance go up and your weight go down. You’ll remember how. It’s just like riding a bike.
TODAY: START A NEW, OLD EXERCISE ROUTINE.
Meals are a lot more filling if you start with a first course of a salad or soup. Lower calories than entrees they also contain more water which is filling and the satisfaction of eating is maximized. Slowing down your meal is another side effect, allowing for your brain to catch up with your stomach. Usually it takes about 20 minutes for you to get the feeling of fullness. So the first course helps that too. Just keep off the high calorie dressings and stick to clear, starch free soups.
TODAY: HOLD YOUR STOMACH IN AS FAR AS YOU CAN AT REGULAR INTERVALS DURING THE DAY. AT YOUR DESK, WHILE WATCHING TV, DRIVING, ETC. IT WILL START TO BUILD UP MUSCLE TONE. (And show you what you will look like when you lose some weight.)
Newton’s First Law of Motion states: “An object in motion tends to stay in motion and an object at rest tends to stay at rest, unless acted on by an outside force.” Sound familiar? It pretty much describes how we let ourselves gain weight and resist loosing it. It’s time that you act on it. So get moving and lay off the (Fig) Newtons.
TODAY: TAKE AN EXTENDED WALK.
You already gave up on candy, cookies and all the rest of the sweets that got you where you are. Now reduce the artificial sweeteners and products that use them. Fake sugars keep keep sweetness on your taste buds and mind, making it a temptation and a problem. You may have noticed how you can reduce salt and not miss it on food. The same can happen with sweets. Just eliminate sweets entirely for a week at first, then minimize them later. You’ll probably find that some foods are sweeter than you thought. I was amazed how sweet plain iceburg lettuce is. Okay it’s no Hershey bar, but it gives you that sweet taste of dieting success.
TODAY: WALK AFTER DINNER
Fire up the grill today as part of the great American tradition and celebrate the 4th with a reasonable number of calories. Grill some nice chicken but keep the barbecue sauce to a minimum. The sugar is a hidden calorie waster. Use hot sauces instead.
Grill veggies too. All that zucchini that’s now coming out of home gardens is a great side. Corn on the cob is an easy grill item. Trim off the silk and then soak it water before putting it on the grill for about 10 minutes. It gets smokey and steamed in the husk.
Skip the potato salad! Coleslaw or tomato & cucumber salad is really great with an easy low cal / low carb dressing of mayo and the juice from no sugar “bread & butter” sweet pickles.
Have fruit as dessert. Strawberries and blueberries will keep the theme. Use Splenda as a sweetener. Since that doesn’t make the usual sugar syrup you’ll need to add some liquid. Water will do, or try a little orange juice.
TODAY: Enjoy the picnic, just do it in moderation or your waistline will explode.
If you have a stash of snacks in bags left in the house, get rid of them. You’ve got to change your habits and if you leave those temptations within reach you will no doubt give in to them in a moment of weakness or more likely laziness. It’s just handy to grab one of those bags and munch away. Lay’s even names the snack size bag the “Big Grab”. They ought to call them the “Big Flab”.
You can still snack in moderation when you’re hungry. Just make the snack protein filled. Eat hard cheese, meats, jerky, salami, sardines or the high protein nuts like macadamia and almonds. If you absolutely need a bag of stuff to munch get fried pork rinds. Drink lots of water too. It will help you feel more full while also giving you hydration and flush your system of the extra protein you’re now eating.
TODAY: CLEAN OUT THE PANTRY. GIVE UNOPENED BAGS OF SNACKS TO A SHELTER.
Daily Nag, Exercise | Diet Nag | 
July 9, 2010 6:08 am | 
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