Wednesday, April 02, 2008

The Disciplined Life

It has been difficult to get into some proper patterns in my life. It's hard to believe that it has been seven months since we moved to Ohio. That means it's been about seven months since I was able to really stick to a diet or exercise plan. When my life gets nutty, those are often the first few areas to go sideways.

I've driven a stake in the ground this month. April is the month that I regain control. I went to the gym for the first time since January yesterday and I'm going back today. I'm eating better - trying to just watch portions and calories more than anything else this go around. (I've bounced from diet to diet for almost twenty years - another post for another day.) Everything is connected with me. Just 36 hours of thinking healthy makes me want to pray, read and write more. It's hard to break the cycles we fall into.

I'm not going to try to motivate anyone else here. I've had enough alcoholic friends with two days sobriety who love to lecture drunk people to know what that is like. This is more just a coming out party - an acknowledgement that I've been stuck in a prison and I'm clawing my way out.

4 comments:

Darren said...

I think you have the right attitude. I spent four years at Miami studying Physiology and Exercise Science. In more than a dozen classes our professors showed research stating that the only time tested and proven diet is one that is well balanced and portion managed. My wife and I tested this theory, without exercise, (other than the occasional walk) for 8 months. My wife lost 40 pounds and has had no problem keeping it off. I, on the other hand, LOVE food and hate discipline. This is a nasty combo that leads to midnight snacking and self-loathing (kidding).

My health tips, in no particular order (I know you didn't ask, but here they are anyway):
A nutritionist once told me that the bottom line is calories in vs. calories out. Eat whatever you want, just be reasonable about it.

Drink a glass or two of water before eating any meal.

Make sure to eat protein within one hour after a strength training session. This is the most optimal time for amino acids to reach and repair the worked muscle tissues because the blood flow to those areas will be peaking.

Drink a glass of water anytime you begin to feel hungry. A dehydrated body can trick the mind into believing it needs food.

Also, eat foods that contain a great deal of water, like soup or celery, when you feel especially hungry because they are known to help a person reach optimal satiety.

I guess that is enough since you didn't really ask.

Darren said...
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Darren said...
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j steg said...

word