New Year's Resolution

Now that we are in a new year.  I am thinking this is a great time to begin to challenge myself to some sort of New Year's resolution.  This year I wanted  to drink water in the place of my typical drink of choice, un-sweet tea and do it for the month of January.  I do love me some tea to drink and I prefer it to the food I eat.  But I have to admit trying to accomplish this has been difficult.  Although I have blown it several times already, I just keep on trying.  I think it is a great idea for me to challenge these choices in my life to be certain I am in balance and that there are no things that are controlling me in my life other than Christ.  So if you have made a resolution to lose weight, to exercise, or whatever, know this, if you happen to mess up, just get right back at it.  Don't give up.  (Also, if you say I want to start at the beginning of the week and by midweek you blow it, don't wait until the beginning of the next week to start again.  Just start back the next day)  Don't sabotage yourself.  Do pace yourself and be reasonable with your expectations.

I know that with those wanting to drop weight, if you mess up you feel as if you have completely blown it and you may give up.  But I want to take the time to encourage you.  Please do not go on a diet.  Diets NEVER work permanently.  You ask "why", it is because dieting is a misused word in our vocabulary.  Diet is just the way you eat.  We have turned it into depriving the body of certain foods temporarily  to lose the weight we want until the weight is gone.  Then we return to eating the way we did and returning to the weight we were and then some more.  Yet everyone just needs to change that way of thinking.  It doesn't work long term.  If you want permanent weight loss it has to be a LIFESTYLE change.  You have to change the way you relate to food for the rest of your life.  If you choose a diet, ask yourself this question, can I eat this way for the rest of my life.  If the answer is no, keep looking for a reasonable meal plan.

So here is the way to succeed in my opinion.  Eat a sensible diet (notice I didn't say go on a sensible diet).  Eat when you are hungry where you have much more fruits, veggies, healthy grains and nuts.  I typically keep my meat intake to 3 or 4 ounces as my serving size. (I don't have to have meat at every meal)  Drink lots of water.  If you do not like water, try to find a fruit you like to flavor the water, such as lemon, strawberry, or even a cucumber or bananas.

I always suggest getting off of the artificial sweetners.  Too many studies show headaches and weight gain as the side effects.  http://www.doctoroz.com/search?q1=artificial+sweeteners&cat=all&sort=relevancy
Several references are available by other sources as well.  However, here is my greatest source, look around at all that choose this type of sweetners, are they small or not?  Test it for yourself.  I do not know of anyone that actually lost weight as a result.

But I simply would like to see each person that reads this to be healthier in 2013.  I have been watching a number of documentaries about eating healthy.  If you have a membership with Netflix, I recommend watching a few of these.
Food Matters;  Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead;  Hungry for Change.
These videos are good sources of information if you are interested.

And lastly, be a body in motion.  You don't have to have a membership to a gym.  I recommend it since I work at one and I believe it is such a great incentive to work out.  But you can find other options too.  Buy a low cost pedometer and wear it all day.  At the end of the day it is recommended you walk a total of 10,000 steps.  That comes to approximately 5 miles.  If you would like further information, check out this website.  http://www.thewalkingsite.com/10000steps.html

Be healthy and blessed today and hope that 2013 is a great year for you.