Scared to step on the scale this morning? You and a million other people who enjoyed the holiday bounty a bit too much this past season and are finally getting back to work with some extra insulation on the rear.
So you come back to work this week fresh and well rested and a long list of new year resolutions. #1 on the list: Lose weight. As you walk to your cube, you noticed that some idiot brought in some boxes of chocolates, cakes, and other tempting goodies. They must have read http://whatnotthought.blogspot.com/2007/12/wnt-on-new-year-resolutions-losing.html .
You have a decision to make:
a. Take all the goodies and stuff them in the trash while everyone's at their morning meeting.
b. What's another day, right? Go ahead an indulge for another day!
c. Walk away.
Answer Key:
a. WRONG. What a way to start off the new year by pissing off your boss by throwing away all the goodies she slaved over making. Say goodbye to that promotion.
b. WAY WRONG! One more day becomes another day and another day becomes another week and another week becomes another month. And before you know it, it's the end of the year again and you're 20 lbs. heavier.
c. CORRECT!! Keep on walking. If you haven't had breakfast already, go to your cafeteria and get some yogart and granola and a nice hot bowl of fresh oatmeal. Pass on the eggs, pancakes, and hashbrowns. If you need to snack, grab some fruit or granola bar. If your boss insists you try some of her cookies, take only one and take a few bites (make sure you tell her that their the best cookies ever). Don't eat the whole cookie though. When no one's looking, wrap the remaining cookie in a napkin and throw it away.
Now that we got that covered, what else can you do to lose some pounds? GET ACTIVE!
Join the gym or take an aerobic class
A lot of gyms like 24 Hour Fitness and Bally Total Fitness have good deals on memberships (The company you work for may even reimburse you for joining a gym. Ask your Human Resources Departmant). Just visit your local gym and take a tour. It's free! Make sure to shop around though because some of these gyms can be a bit aggressive in trying to reel new members in. I pay about $29/mo for my three year contract. Yes, that is a long committment and at times I regret it, so make sure to check out other venues like your local community center or even consider taking a few aerobic or dance classes each quarter or semester at your local community college.
The gym and aerobics classes boring you? Consider taking up a new sport or hobby. There are tons of martial arts studios around, dance groups of all styles, hiking groups, groups training for marathons and triathalons, the list is endless. I'm very active with my hula and tahitian dancing group and I've lost several pounds dancing with them 2 to 3 times a week. These groups have all levels and of all ages. I was a bit intimidated joining my hula halau at the age of 24 with a large "tire" around my waist. But I came to discover that there were other women there as old as 60 that have been dancing and one doesn't have to be as thin as a super model to look good dancing.
You have a lot of down time?
In between classes or breaks at work you probably have a lot of down time. Take a walk around campus ,or at work, walk a lap around the building or climb up and down the stairs a bit. At home, while you're watching the news, do a few squats, sit-ups, push-ups, or tidy up your room or kitchen, even fold laundry. The point is to keep your body moving instead of sitting your life away.
Drink Water!
Before grabbing the soda pop or your favorite diet beverage, consider walking over to the water cooler with your reusable cup and drink some water. It's free, isn't it? You know how many calories you consume per regular can of soda? That's like 150+ calories each! Diet soda? From experience, I've lost more weight drinking water than drinking diet soda. I would limit my diet soda drinks to maybe once a week and supplement the rest with drinking water. Water better hydrates you.
Enjoy your journey to losing weight! Do you have any tips to share?
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2 comments:
Thank you for submitting your post to Carnival of Tips. My tip would be, instead of diving right into dieting, slowly cut back and you'll wean yourself off of what is holding you back. Fan of McDonald's? Try a Happy Meal instead of a Value meal... I guarentee that will satiate your hunger, and you won't even miss the extra fries. Better yet, make your own version at home without all the unhealthy stuff... bake the potatoes, and use lean beef and low-fat cheese.
Thank you tip diva! Cutting back on calories gradually instead of diving right in is the best way to go, especially when one is trying to make this a life long effort. Over the years, I slowly began to cut out the fast food chains and now I don't have the palate to stand it! But every now and then, I'd steal a couple McD's fries.
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