Once home, the scales indicated a couple of kilos needed to be shed to get back to pre-holiday numbers. So what now?
The first thing I'm going to do is exercise my discipline. Discipline should be treated just like another muscle: the more you use it the stronger your willpower becomes.
The way to practice discipline is simply by saying no; no thanks; no, not today; no, I don't want it; no, I don't need it. Just say no. The best things to say no to when trying to recalibrate your weight are sugar and alcohol. If you did Febfast, you'll know what I'm talking about. Simply giving up those two things will produce quite remarkable results. Take up the challenge and give them both up for a month. The Febfast website offers loads of suggestions for achieving this.
So that's the first step: no sugar, no alcohol for a month. I allow myself one or two pieces of fruit per day and a few dried apricots or figs a couple of times a week when I'm really wanting a treat with my evening cuppa.
The second thing I'm going to do is exercise my body. Ya gotta move it to lose it people. You're young, you're vital, your body is designed for this..... movement. Whatever you enjoy: be it dancing, walking the dog, riding your bike, swimming in the ocean. You will enjoy it and your body will show you how much it loves it by becoming stronger, leaner, healthier and cleverer at metabolising your food.
Recently, ABC aired a documentary on High Intensity Interval Training
It is well worth reading through the narration. Essentially, the reporter went from average to good fitness levels in just fifteen weeks doing the simple program outlined in the link above. It was a phenomenal result and should be reassuring to all those people out there who think they haven't the time to exercise.
I was so concerned at the levels of obesity I saw at the resort. Not only overweight 20 something year olds, but kids. Kids that could barely run, kids that piled mountains of chips, mashed potato and bread rolls onto their plates, emulating their parents. Yes, I indulged whilst on holiday, but I fear these people made a constant habit of over-indulging.
We know better. We know that excessive consumption of carbohydrates can lead to obesity, Type 2 diabetes, dental cavities and heart disease. Carbohydrates that are beneficial are whole grains, legumes and vegetables. Fill your plate and your belly up with above-ground veggies.
None of these steps are hard. What is harder is condemning yourself and your family to a life-time of health issues and sedentary behaviour. Print off that image of the wee ant and stick it on your fridge. Now get out there and Do Something!
