Monday, March 31, 2008

Signs, signs, everwhere there's signs....

Eating healthy foods would be a whole lot easier if there were no such thing as a fast food commercial, or husbands. Husbands love to bring home foods that are a complete death knell to all the willpower in the world. Mine loves to tempt me with the fact that I wouldn’t have to cook. Not fair! What mom in her right mind would rather cook some boring, healthy meal than get to eat scrumptious food someone else made? Ok, well, some people out there are fabulous cooks, and the junk from take-out places is far lower than their standards. But for me, the take-out is somehow more glamorous - sad, yes?

Then there are the commercials. It kills me how long the thought of a hamburger stays imbedded in my brain after a fleeting glimpse of one on television. It’s crazy. And then the hamburger begins to enter into my thoughts for the rest of the day. Time to dust the hamburger, oops, I mean the dresser…..time to turn on the hamburger, oops, I mean the dryer. I know - that completely makes me sound like a mental case. However, it’s true, I took marketing classes in college, and the fact that those images remain in my mind like that just means they are doing what they’re supposed to do. They’re supposed to make people crave, desire, and drool over that hamburger. And let’s face it – fast food burgers are sub-par. I can definitely make a much better tasting one at home, on my grill. For some reason, though, I still only want THAT store’s hamburger.

So in my constant battle with the commercials and my husband’s cravings, I’ve managed to find some sort of balance. Meaning, the scale is headed in the right direction, even though I give in to those impulses from time to time. It’s sad that I’m surprised by this, but it’s such a simple answer as to how, too. It’s exercise. That is the ONE cure-all out there for the expanding waistline. No pill, diet, program, or hypnosis tape will work as fabulously as merely putting on your cross trainers and going out for a brisk walk. Adding in some squats will make your next morning painful, but it sure improves the rear view.

Why didn’t I remember how good it felt to get to eat a little more because I was working out? Why do I let myself stop working out, ever? The answer, unfortunately, is laziness. Being a couch potato is far easier than hopping onto a treadmill or lifting some weights. Surely just sitting still and watching television is easier than, say, doing sit ups while you’re watching.

It sounds like such a small change, doesn’t it? Here’s the big secret – it works. I feel like I’m the incredible shrinking woman because of my new addiction to Spin, and karate. Add to that the fact that I’m sleeping better at night too, and it feels like I already hit my goal weight. I can’t believe how much I’m challenging myself with lately. I even took karate, AND hit the gym, AND swam this past Saturday! And I signed up to run a 5K! Take it from me, I don’t normally run unless there is something large and fast chasing me. But something in my head said, you can do that, you can run 3 miles. The strangest part is that I still have days where I have to push myself to do it. I can’t fathom why, since it feels so darn good when I’m done. Guess the old couch potato roots are still there. I need some of that weed killer to get rid of those tubers, I tell you!

3 comments:

KathyLikesPink said...

You're absolutely right. The times in my life when I have exercised regularly, I have felt better.

I've been a total couch potato for about a year and a half now (health issues) and I feel like a real slug. Time to get busy doing SOMETHING again.

kat said...

Yeah what is it with husbands and food? It was easier to lose or maintain weight when I was living alone....Temptation and a tendency towards the couch how I hate you!

Dea said...

I feel better knowing it's not just me! :D

 
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