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Health & Fitness

Weight, Weight, Don't Tell Me!

Becoming trimmer and regaining lost health takes time and commitment. With changes in your eating habits and moderate exercise - you will meet your personal goals.

Are you feeling sluggish?  Is it hard to climb stairs, take a brisk walk with your dog, or play with your children?  Do you tire easily, or find that your clothes are too snug?  Are you approaching a reversible transition in your life?

Is it possible you simply need to lose some weight or get back into shape? 

Like kudzu, English ivy and mold, negative changes to one’s health usually are slow- growing and insidious.  Also, like creeping vegetation and noxious fungi, a little bit of remediation rarely does much good.  You must attack the problem with both hands and the sweat of your brow.

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So, how does one get back into a more zestful shape or at least become able to accomplish activities that will be beneficial to one’s body and overall health?  The hardest effort may occur with the decision to take that first step toward making changes.

There most likely will be two parallel courses of action that most everyone has to work on.  One will require the constant evaluation of what is being put into one’s mouth and the other is about what we are doing to our bodies.  It all comes down to commitment.

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As for the former, try to make two or ten small decisions that affect your diet.  Cumulatively, the decisions might evolve into a radical change in lifestyle.  Easy decisions that come to mind could be to consume less snack foods, eat more vegetables, and drink copious amounts of water.  Some slightly harder decisions might entail backing away from your historic portion sizes of meats and chicken, saying NO to fried foods, and ‘seconds’.  Without a doubt, it would b wise to rarely eat any processed meats, hot dogs, sandwich spreads and the like. 

With respect to vegetables, why not double what you would normally ladle onto your plate?  If need be, put the main course on a small salad plate and fill a dinner plate with everything else.  Have a mound of fresh cooked green beans, maybe six to eight slices of tomatoes, a large scoop of squash (no butter), ten to fifteen fresh cucumber spears, a handful of radishes, etc.  Add as many colors to your meals as possible but be sure all of them come from nature.

Substitute whatever you like to eat that is sweet with fresh fruits.  Try consuming a quarter of cantaloupe, a nectarine or peach, some grapes or blueberries, a kiwi or star fruit, an apple or a dozen strawberries.  The bulkiness of the fruit will fill you up and the sweetness will satiate your craving for a dessert.  All fruits contain calories, fiber and moisture.  Try adding fruit to every salad you prepare for a great change of pace.

It goes without saying that you should not drink sweetened drinks or colas if you wish to lose pounds.  Stop alcohol consumption, if possible, but if you want a drink after work, try a light beer over ice, a wine spritzer, or something similar.  Delicious juices of all sorts – O.J., tomato, grapefruit, apple – will quench your thirst and they are good for you, too.

If you feel you need drinks that have been sweetened, there are many synthetic sweeteners available.  Personally, I like large glasses of sun tea with lots of ice and perhaps a sprig of mint and a slice or two of lemon or lime.

Much can be said about having a ‘diet shake’ for breakfast, another one for lunch and a meal of actual food for dinner.  I think it is important to masticate so that your brain thinks you actually ate a meal. True, the ‘shake’ will probably provide all of the vitamins and minerals you need.  Eating real food in a sensible manner will do the same.  [Have you noticed that hospital patients want chewable food – not more liquids or Jell-O?]

Few of us can say that we do not know that our eating habits, or our choices of the food groups, have been at the crux of our weight problems.  We also should understand that our too-sedentary lifestyles are not burning off the calories we eat each day. 

Taking control of ourselves can be hard.  If you want to make some simple changes that will radically alter your physical persona, why not tell someone about your decision.  Without further adieu, write down you weight after bathing and note the time and the date.  Use this information as your baseline.  Have your blood pressure measured.  Note that BP reading, as well.  Over time, you will be astounded at the positive results. 

This week – or at least by next week – call or visit a health and fitness facility.  Most will ‘scholarship’ you for a day or a single session so that you can check them out.  Sign up for a membership.  Ask to have the counsel of a personal trainer or advisor.  Learn the exercise equipment, machines, the bikes and the treadmills.   Most importantly, put all the exercises to memory so you will have a workout pattern for your regular visits. 

If you burn up additional calories and eat sensibly, you will lose weight.  If you see muscle tone return, notice that your clothes are looser and you regain stamina – you will not want to quit what you are doing.  By eating better and not wasting calories on ‘junk foods’ or self indulgence, you will see the real and lasting results. 

Contact these West Suburban Chamber members and discuss your needs and goals.

Cardinal Fitness – Countryside, 9825 W. 55th Street, Countryside (708-354-7100)

Curves – Countryside, 1418 W. 55th Street, Countryside (708-588-9889)

Oasis Women’s Fitness & Spa – La Grange Park, 355 N. LaGrange Road, la Grange Park ((708-588-63050)

For information, call the West Suburban Chamber of Commerce at 708-387-7550 or go to www.wscci.org.  Find us on Facebook at www.wscci.org/facebook.

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