Anonymous asked: How do you stay in shape? Do you cut anything out of your diet, or exercise everyday?
When I first saw this question, I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry.
Honestly, I’m struggling to feel comfortable with my current physique as I’ve gained about 10 pounds over the last several months, mostly due to a complete and utter lack of thinking about what I’m eating and feeling too tired to exercise (excuses, excuses). The beginning of the year I joined a gym (after almost a whole year without any concerted effort to exercise). I also know that if I’m not going to be too tired to work out, I really need to go to bed at a decent hour to get my rest. I am a major night owl so this is definitely a struggle.
It’s still a struggle to find out what sort of diet/exercise regime works best for me now that I’m approaching 30 and can’t rely on my teenage metabolism to get me through life.
For me personally, I find I have been most successful when I eat healthier* foods. I’ve lost weight that way even when I didn’t exercise. But exercise is important for overall well being and fitness, hence the gym. For me, the only way I would ever workout for a whole hour is if I’m in a class, so I like to go to spin class twice a week and a yoga or pilates class once a week. I also know that exercising in the morning plus planning out my meals for the week and prepping them on the weekends ensures a greater chance that I will stick to healthy eating and exercise on any given week. The prior planning and prep makes it a cinch to whip up something fabulous after a long work day or squeeze in a yummy, prepared lunch when I can’t get away from the desk.
But it is a weekly battle. (Case in point, I didn’t work out at all last week.)
So, I guess to answer your question, I try to find what works for me given my schedule, life commitments and motivation. I don’t try to deprive myself of any foods, but rather swap them out for something else equally, if not more satisfying. For example, instead of a bag of peanut m&m’s I’ll break up a 100 calorie-portioned dark chocolate bar from trader joe’s and toss in a handful of peanuts for a decadent treat. Or instead of dipping my veggies in ranch, I dip them in a totally yummy white bean hummus from Trader Joe’s. Can you tell I heart Trader Joe’s? And I definitely don’t exercise every day, but I try to exercise 3-4 days/week, even if one of those days is just grabbing the dog and Jason and strolling for a few miles in the sunshine.
And finally, consistency is key. Even if I do something small, when I do it consistently over many days, I see results.
*I define healthier foods as wholesome foods. I eat only sprouted grain breads. I don’t eat yogurt unless it’s Greek yogurt. I use real creamer in my coffee. And if I want it sweet, I use evaporated sugar cane as opposed to refined sugar or artificial sweeteners. I also buy local meats whenever possible and aim to stock up on fresh veggies on a weekly basis. Stay far, far away from “diet foods.” No one ever got fat from eating avocados or olive oil.
