Commitment and Recommitment

I have been very impressed by the way my personal commitment affects my fitness. I’m sure there are many of you who may think “duh, Boston,” but I guess I just didn’t recognize it until now.

Over the last three weeks, my weight loss has been less than stellar. Since the end of February, I’ve stayed the same weight (or even gained a pound or two). I’m tempted to offer a plethora of reasons as to why that is, but as I reflect on them, I realize they are nothing more than poor excuses. And those excuses hinge on one thing: my commitment.

Because I haven’t been committed to my goals, I haven’t been living a “weight-loss lifestyle.” I’m more willing to rationalize eating bigger portions or more unhealthy items. I find other things to do than go to the gym. And these feeligns gets easier and easier as the days pass.

There have been a couple times in the past few weeks that I told myself I would start again, but I didn’t really have the conviction. I wasn’t committed. Thus, it didn’t happen.

My dad once gave me a wonderful gold nugget of wisdom: you become what you think about and commit to. Such a simple statement, but very profound. In essence, when we commit our lives to a task or goal, and when that end becomes the focus of our thoughts, nothing can keep us from accomplishing it. So, when video games, movies, pizza, unhealthy snacks and laziness are what occupy my mind, I tend not to lose weight.

That doesn’t mean I cannot think of those things. But it means I have to be more committed to my fitness goals, and whenever those above mentioned items (or any other distractions) start to crowd out my commitment to fitness, they need to be removed and set aside.

So, here’s to recommitment and moving forward. I hope if anything, my (hopefully short-lived) lapse in commitment will be of some worth to those of you who may find yourself struggling with your own commitment, whether to fitness or anything else. And if/when those times come that you struggle with commitment, I hope you’ll remember that it doesn’t mean you’re through. Just pick yourself up, recommit and move forward. 

Tips to Drinking More Water

Drinking water is an integral part of staying healthy, and is especially important when trying to lose weight. While there are differing ideas on how much water a person should be drinking, the Mayo Clinic has posted the following advice:

So how much fluid does the average, healthy adult living in a temperate climate need? The Institute of Medicine determined that an adequate intake (AI) for men is roughly 3 liters (about 13 cups) of total beverages a day. The AI for women is 2.2 liters (about 9 cups) of total beverages a day.

Everyone has heard the advice, "Drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day." That's about 1.9 liters, which isn't that different from the Institute of Medicine recommendations. Although the "8 by 8" rule isn't supported by hard evidence, it remains popular because it's easy to remember. Just keep in mind that the rule should be reframed as: "Drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of fluid a day," because all fluids count toward the daily total.

Based on these numbers, eight 8-ounce glasses of water may not be enough for many people, and that’s for those who aren’t active! If you’re active, trying to lose weight, or have a job that requires a lot of physical movement or activity, you will have to be drinking more than the 3 liters (for men) or 2.2 liters (for women).

That’s a TON of water!

And let’s be honest, drinking that much water can be tough. The first few glasses aren’t that hard to get down, but after a while, water starts getting bland and undesirable. But we still need to get more water into our bodies. What are we do to?

Well, I have a couple tricks I’d like to share about how I make sure to get the water my body needs:

1. Give water taste. I do this with the travel packets of Crystal Light. These are a great choice because they don’t have any calories and give flavor to the water, making it easier to drink more. I may just be making this up, but I recall an ad by Crystal Light claiming people drink 15% more water when using Crystal Light. With taste, I drink more water, keeping me hydrated.

2. Eat salty snacks. One thing I do to drink more water is keep salty snacks nearby, which keep me thirsty. My favorite are nuts, primarily pistachios. I can eat about four or five pistachios, and the salt from them make me thirsty, which causes me to drink almost a whole glass of water. As I do that throughout the day, I find I am drinking a whole glass of water ever 30-60 minutes. As a side note, this is also a good idea to keep from eating too much at lunch or dinner. Right before you eat your meal, throw down a handful of nuts, and drink a glass or two of water afterward. All that water will cause you to feel less hungry.

Have any other ideas for making sure you drink plenty of water throughout the day? I am interested in any tricks or thoughts you have. And as always, I love comments.

A Snack a Day Keeps the Doctor Away... Maybe

Healthy eating is hard. I know, because I’m trying to do it right now. And for many people, including me, the hardest part about healthy eating is the snacking.

As some of you know, I have started drinking green smoothies. When I set out on the green smoothie journey, I wanted to make those the biggest part of my diet. But I’ve run into two struggles with that: 1) In order to get enough calories in my day, I have to be drinking green smoothies constantly, and I don’t have the money or taste for that. 2) It is hard to pass up snacks throughout the day, especially since my green smoothies are all liquid and I want something solid.

Passing up snacks is especially hard when I am at a desk for eight hours a day. I’m not complaining about my job, in fact I love my job. But I get hungry at my desk. And snacks are so easy.

As I thought about this predicament, I realized I am probably not the only one who feels this way. So I decided to look up some good snack choices for work, which are not only healthy (ish) for us, but are also low in calories, so they don’t destroy our diets (and I’m using the term “diet” here to mean “a particular selection of food, especially as designated or prescribed to improve a person’s physical condition or to prevent or treat disease*” and not just a diet to lose weight).

Here’s my list:

Fruits: Fruits are a wonderful snack idea because they are high in nutrients and usually have low calories. They are also good because they are normally easily carried. Some great, and classic, examples are Apples (95 calories), Bananas (105 calories), Oranges (62 calories), Kiwi (46 calories) and Grapes (62 calories in one cup).

Vegetables: Like fruits, vegetables are a great source of nutrients and low calories. And they can also be easily carried or transported. Examples are Carrot Sticks (4 calories per stick), Celery (1 calorie per strip) and Cucumbers (14 calories for one cup sliced).

Nuts or Seeds: Nuts and seeds are a great snack because they can keep your hands and mouth busy, while providing healthy fats and good proteins. While you may not be able to eat as much if you’re on a weight-loss diet, they are still a great source of good nutrients. Try eating Pistachios (80 calories for around 24 nuts – my personal favorite), Roasted Peanuts (6 calories per nut), Almonds (80 calories for 12 nuts), Cashews (156 calories per oz), Sunflower Seeds (135 calories per half cup with shells), Pumpkin Seeds (57 calories per tablespoon).

100 Calorie Snack Packs: Finally, I know there may be many of you who, like me, just have a hard time giving up your chip and cracker snacks. It is so easy (and relatively cheap) to buy a bag of chips and just work on those as you go. But sadly, you are consuming not only more calories per snack, but also a lot of saturated fats. Not good. But if you still need them, I would recommend the 100 Calorie Snack Packs you can find at the grocery store. These offer fewer calories, and are helpful with portion size. I can’t tell you how many times I have purchased a bag of potato chips with the intention of eating a little at a time, then finding, after an hour, that my hand is hitting the bottom of the bag and all I’m getting is crumbs.

Too many 1,500-calories-from-a-bag-of-chips-in-one-hour experiences to count.

Finally, there is actually great benefit in snacking, as long as it is done in a healthy manner. By making sure you are consuming food every 2-3 hours, which you can do with three square meals and a snack between meals, you are keeping your metabolism working. This means it is constantly burning something, helping your body have energy and (if you’re dieting) lose more weight.

And don’t forget the best snack of all: Water! Whether or not you’re using any of these other snack ideas, be sure to drink plenty of water each day. A good standard for daily water intake is eight or nine glasses of water per day. And you should be drinking more if you have an active day (from work, sports, exercise, etc.).

If you have any other healthy snack ideas, I would love to hear them. I also welcome any recipes you may have for healthy snacking. If you comment or send me a recipe I like, I’ll be sure to blog about it!

*From Dictionary.com