2009-12-29
I met a guy at a holiday party last week who
had recently lost a lot of weight. A lot.
I was meeting him for the first time, so I had
no idea, but those in the room who knew him were
amazed, impressed, jealous. How did he do it?
Weight Watchers? Stomach stapling? Cabbage soup?
I cornered him, curious about his story. How
did he do it? He quit smoking. That's what he
said, and this guy is a scholar, an academic
with a hugely functioning brain. When he quit
smoking, his whole metabolism turned around.
But wait! Isn't quitting smoking supposed to
make you gain weight? Yes, that's true, too.
Some people who quit smoking will gain weight,
and others will lose weight, and if you can't
wait to get to the punch line, here it is:
Every body is different.
As the year comes to an end, I hope you will
see yourself as the unique bundle of unexpressed
energy that you are. Make a resolution, then
envision and expect success. You won't know
until you give it your all. And giving it your
all — when it comes to making lasting healthy
lifestyle changes — makes all things possible.
What else is helpful when it comes to
creating lasting change in 2010? Now you're
talking. There's a whole science behind behavior
change, and this is a good time of year to begin
a review of some basics:
YOU'VE GOTTA BELIEVE. I'm a big believer in
new beginnings. If you're not, you might as well
stop reading right now. Nothing I say will sway
you if, deep down, you see yourself carved in
stone, basically unchangeable, a fixed cog in
the complicated wheel of life.
If, instead, you believe in your ability to
evolve, then the end of the year is the perfect
time to stop and ask yourself: What would a
healthier lifestyle look like? Would you walk
for 30 minutes a day? Ride your bike to work?
Sign up for a yoga class? Would you drink less
alcohol? Spend more time with family and
friends? Turn off your cell phone for hours at a
time?
Before you can do any of this, you've got to
recognize how fluid your brain really is. It's
called neoplasticity. Your birth chart may be
fixed, but your reality is something you make up
every day. Believing in your own personal growth
creates the space to let it happen. Don't ask
how. Do you know how your TV works?
WANT IT BADLY. Make sure your 2010 New Year's
Resolution is something you really, really
want for yourself and not something you are
doing to please your spouse, partner, parent,
child or even your doctor. Be honest with
yourself, or you are wasting your time.
CHANGE ISN'T LINEAR. Please take this on
board. It's often two steps forward, one step
back. No problem. Behavior experts talk about a
spiral of change, moving toward your goal in
fits and starts even if it means starting over
three or four times. The key is resiliency, the
driving force behind never giving up.
LESS IS MORE. Change comes more easily if you
set realistic achievable goals. Something
grandiose like "I'll lose 20 pounds by
Valentine's Day" sets you up to fail. A pound or
two a week is plenty. Rapid weight loss — from
fasting, goofy diets, big bets with pals — isn't
sustainable because it doesn't create good
habits, which is what your body needs, long
term, to sustain your health and energy.
Breakfast, for instance. Fresh real food, for
instance. Nuts.
REWARD YOURSELF. Once you set a realistic
goal for yourself — consider it your homework
assignment for next week — write it down. Keep a
daily journal of the whole process. Don't skip
this part. Journal-keeping is known to be a
powerful ally in your quest for lasting change.
And when you get where you want to go — a 10k by
summer, a handstand in yoga, an easy fit into
your high school jeans — reward yourself with
something big. Rewards work.
Next week: More about change ... and what the
yogis say.
ENERGY EXPRESS-O! LOL
"New Year's Resolution: To tolerate fools
more gladly, provided this does not encourage
them to take up more of my time." — James Agate
Marilynn Preston — fitness expert, personal
trainer and speaker on healthy lifestyle issues
— is the creator of Energy Express, the
longest-running syndicated fitness column in the
country. She has a website,
http://marilynnpreston.com and welcomes reader
questions, which can be sent to
MyEnergyExpress@aol.com. To find out more about
Preston and read features by other Creators
Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the
Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
COPYRIGHT 2009 ENERGY EXPRESS, LTD.
DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM
