HEALTH AT EVERY SIZE

Health at Every Size - these are the buzz words around the internet these days. Are you healthy? Do you want to be healthier?

What is health? The World Health Organization defined health in its broader sense in 1946 as "a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity". Being healthier doesn't mean losing weight. To you it might mean:

eating better (such as reducing processed foods)
exercising/moving more
stopping smoking
working on that depression
etc.

We are very happy to announce that we have a Registered Dietician on staff who will be writing our Health At Every Size series as well as answering a reader's question each month. You can read about Shari's philosophy and experience on our staff page. If you have a question for Shari, please email us at info@ssbbw-magazine.com.

Disclaimer: This advice is not intended to be a substitute for, nor does it replace, professional medical, health or nutritional advice.

New Year Resolutions - Make it work this time

'Oh, I'm sooooo sick of the new year resolution thingy!' one of my clients told me recently.

And that's totally understandable - that lady had, year after year, made a very long list of resolutions she was adamant to follow. For 2013, her number one resolution was to lose 100lbs by sticking to a 1200kcal diet and exercising 2 hours a day. Yikes! Just hearing that sounded depressing! The worst part was that, not only did she not achieve that goal but by the end of 2013, she had actually gained some extra pounds - and these were making her feel m-i-s-e-r-a-b-l-e.

While you may not have ever made that kind of drastic resolution, haven't you, at least once, thought about changing numerous habits as the New Year approaches? And let me ask you two things:

How many items did you actually cross off your list because you completed that 'task'? Not as many as you'd wish, huh? [If that's not your case, carry on with your 'technique' and share it around! You'll make many happy people for sure.]
How did you feel about your list after a few months struggling with number 1?
Frustrated?
Terribly annoyed with yourself?
Disappointed perhaps?
A wee bit depressed?

I understand that the New Year may feel like an opportunity to turn over a new leaf and it's great to be motivated to improve your lifestyle habits. But, for this coming year, why not attempt things with a slightly different approach?

Instead of trying to reinvent yourself, you could try the following this time:

Plan NOW - don't wait until New Year's Eve to make resolutions. With the holiday spirit, you may set unrealistic goals.
Select only ONE resolution - take your list and prioritize your resolutions until you come up with the one you'll stick to this coming year.
'Polish' your resolution - by this, I mean, make it more specific and realistic and focus on something you can do rather than the end result you want to achieve. Let's say you've decided to eat more veggies. That's great, but it's too general. It would be better to decide to 'drink a home-made green smoothie for breakfast three days per week' or 'bring a green salad to work every day.'
Identify something you can do - 'Losing weight' or 'losing 10 pounds in 90 days' are typical resolutions that have a high failure rate. The first one is too vague and you can't control the other. I mean, can you wake up tomorrow and say 'Hey, I'm gonna lose a pound today!' Well, yeah, you can say that but weight loss doesn't work that way. Instead, why not decide to 'do 10 minutes of interval training every morning at 6am' or 'nibble on veggie sticks instead of crisps and popcorn when watching TV every alternate day.'
Set milestones - So you've decided to stop drinking sodas. Maybe you could break this resolution into baby steps. For instance, let's say you're drinking 32 oz of soda daily. You could aim to reduce this consumption to 30 oz during the first week of January and so on. Crossing off milestones will give you a sense of accomplishment that will motivate you to keep going.

One last thing: don't blame yourself if and when you slip. Instead, congratulate yourself for having had the courage to take action and for having reached where you're at now. And when you're ready, smile and get up.

Have a blessed New Year!

Submitted by: Shari

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