Tuesday 26 November 2013

Reality Check - part 2


This is a continuation from Reality Check
Being open to a new way of living is very important
Most of us know if we want to start this journey we need to be willing to change but by being open I mean you have to be willing to try things you never thought you would, give up things you always thought you can't survive without, you need to be willing to re-prioritize things in your life.
The old me never ever ate bananas I did not like them but as I got healthier I realized banana was the best form of healthy dessert for me...I had to be willing to try the banana pancake, the banana-oat cookie, I had to be willing to have frozen banana as an after meal dessert
Being open is about giving these new ideas a fair chance not trying them with a preconceived notion about how weird it is to swap ice-cream for frozen banana
I think this is important because from what I have noticed people who start with the idea that certain things won’t work usually don’t manage enjoying the journey because at the back of their mind they still miss their old life but if you give it a fair chance I believe most of us will find a healthy replacement that will keep us happy..

If you are not willing to give healthy living a fair chance you will find it more difficult to make it a lifestyle

Weight loss should not be your only goal
I know most of us start this journey to lose weight I am no stranger to this...but the problem with weight is that it is not reliable enough to judge your progress. The amount of weight you lose in your journey will always vary, there will be days when you lose more than expected and sometimes you might not lose even a little and if weight loss was your only aim it’s gets difficult to carry on. Another reason I feel weight loss cannot be the only goal because your weight is not the most reliable marker of your health. Just being within the healthy weight range doesn't always mean you are fit...
I am not saying ignore the scales all I am saying is find measurable goals, like sticking to 4 days of workout or maybe doing a certain number of squats or running a certain distance. This way you are always moving towards your goal and resulting in you becoming healthy

Focus on more reliable goals to keep going
Keep Reading I will Keep Writing 
Tanvee

8 comments:

  1. Good post Tanvee! While I agree you can replace a calorie loaded dessert with a much simpler one, BUT banana! No thank you! I too am not a fan of bananas! So I would rather have another fruit! :) Thanks for sharing!

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    1. thanks Sheetal, that banana thing was just one example I had noticed in my life :) I was trying to say you need to be open to the idea of making that switch and giving the healthy option a chance, I have seen so many people who will not even give it a try because they know fruits can't replace desserts...but I feel sometimes they can if you give it a chance...

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  2. Hi Tanvee! I think that people don't even know exactly what they are close-minded about--perhaps that it riles up their mind's values in general. A lot of people who don't exercise call it "lazy," but many of those people had messages from others to not spend time on themselves and/or that fitness was not a high priority. Those types of messages will subtly pop into people's minds, especially if this is a value shared by parents or another influential person, and it will cancel out their urge to exercise. Being receptive is a very hard thing to do. The more practice we have with being receptive and getting success from the experience, the easier it becomes. At this point, I know for a fact that other people have great advice for me, and when I use others' advice, I've had incredible success with it. People mostly want us to do well and will instruct us how to get there.

    On point 2: I'm about 4 pounds more than my lowest weight this year. Yet, this is the very best I've been at the gym all year. So I'm thinking if I were a weightlifter guy, they'd trade the 4 pounds for the better performance in the gym--any day of the year. This would be a no-brainer decision for them. So I'm going with the guys. I'm prioritizing to be good in the gym right now, rather than working on losing weight. :D

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    1. that's true people don't even understand they are close minded..I noticed this with a friend of mine who is so keen on getting healthy but if option I gave her she rejected it by saying she knows she won't like it or won't have time...(she always knew why she would not be able to make the change...) the one thing I noticed was the healthy food option when I made something without telling her the recipe she enjoyed it (I am talking about the cauliflower base pizza but after I told her she changed her mind....)
      the weight thing is so important for people to understand..it's difficult to understand and be ok with a certain weight and focus on really getting fit and not just reaching a number on the scale..

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  3. 'If you are not willing to give healthy living a fair chance you will find it more difficult to make it a lifestyle'

    It is good we all look at our lifestyle, there is always room for improvement, we are not all perfect all the time.

    We do need to take our own health and lifestyle circumstances into account and be fair to ourselves in living a healthy lifestyle.

    Eat real food, if you are diabetic keep your blood sugars low. You may have other health issues that must be taken into account when looking at diet or exercise.

    Life is a balance and we owe it to ourselves to do our best to get the balance that suits us best to lead a healthy and active life.

    All the best Jan

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    1. being fair to ourselves is important we deserve to live a good healthy life :), thanks for you comment Jan

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  4. Awesome post Tanvee :) really loved it... I have also made plenty of new discoveries on this way to healthy living :)

    And oh boy about weight loss. IEven after doing this thing for about three years now, I feel I dont know how exactly my body responds in weight loss language. So I gain weight when I expect to lose and lose when I fear I've gained...But yes I am travelling in the right direction.

    Thanks for this post!

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    1. thank you Sugar :)
      this journey is full of new discoveries...I agree with you the body responds differently and focusing on weight loss is just not very reliable might as well focus on a more reliable goal :), good luck with your half marathon training

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