Today is National Women’s Health and Fitness Day, which most people don’t even think about. But the thought of dieting and workout regimens are at the front of every girl’s day, whether she wants it to be or not. Every magazine cover, pinterest home feed, and grocery store haunt remind us how we need to be starving ourselves, doing the next butt workout, or cardio explosion they’re tauting now.
The problem with that is there’s really good tasting food that is “bad” for you. It’s also going to get cold and all the body craves is carbs and comfort foods. This is also a great season for beer drinking, pumpkin pie, and candy. Then the holidays are going to come and all the mind will be thinking about is devouring that delicious food the relatives slaved over.
Now how are you supposed to maintain washboard abs and a perfect exercise regimen with all of these temptations?
You stop chasing the next fad and decide to change your life:
Start eating mindfully.
Instead of forbidding yourself from eating certain foods, start actually looking at the food you’re eating. Flip around the packaging. If you don’t recognize the ingredients, don’t eat them. If you’re eating it for convenience, don’t. Make things ahead of time that you can grab later to avoid eating preservatives. If you want to eat the cake, do. Just don’t eat all of it, only a slice. Restricting yourself will only cause you to eat more later and gain weight in the long run.
Food isn’t the enemy. It’s important that we eat and eat often. It provides us with fuel and energy to be productive during the day. Starving and over-eating are equally bad. Avoid the health problems, and eat when you’re hungry.
Start moving more.
As a culture, we have many conveniences that even our grandparents didn’t have growing up. This means we are moving less and less which is only creating a sense of laziness. Instead of taking the escalator or elevator, take the stairs. Stop fighting for the closest parking spot and simply walk a bit. Walk or bike whenever possible. Wake up a little sooner to get in a tiny exercise before work.
However you choose to move, just be sure to do it. The exercise isn’t just important for weight loss. It also gives you energy in the middle of the afternoon, helps you think, and keeps your body from deteriorating. The muscles will stop holding their muscle mass, your skin will sag, and your joints will weaken from carrying extra weight. Aging is hard enough. Best to try to take care of yourself now.
Start loving yourself for who you are right now.
Whether you want to gain or lose weight, or change this or that about your body, is not important. What is important is remembering to love yourself in the here and now. Embrace the cellulite on your thighs, your stretch marks from birthing a child, the stomach that won’t flatten no matter how many ab workouts your do.
You’re beautiful and the confidence in knowing so makes you that much sexier.