A New Year's P.L.A.N.

Christmas calories have caught up with me. And I don’t want to carry them along in the New Year, especially not in the year I’m going to be the mother of the groom! Typically I eat too many sugary calories the last half of December. But unfortunately this year, I also ended up with a bad cold and sinus infection, which temporarily curtailed my exercise minutes. Yikes. I’m happy to say I’m slowly cutting back on the calories and today couldn’t resist adding a short run to my exercise walk.

This is the time of year when many people make a variety of resolutions, including weight and other health issues. What is your plan? Here is the P.L.A.N. I frequently use with my patients to help them succeed. Utilize this P.L.A.N. to help you get back on track, “flee from evil” and use the “magic bullet” to your advantage. Follow this PLAN towards success:

P: Portion control

*Smaller portion of food.

*Greater portion of exercise and activity.

Practically speaking, no foods are forbidden. However, portion sizes of all foods needs to be controlled.  In the land of “super-size” food servings, we need to eat smaller portions especially of high calorie, low nutrient-rich foods.  Typical “junk foods” such as potato chips, soda, candy bars, etc. have comparatively fewer nutrients and more calories than foods like apples, spinach, or grapes. If we take in more calories than we burn, we will carry that weight on our bodies. (Additionally, in a very complex hormone system in the body, eating carbohydrates triggers more eating. Eating more protein helps curb appetite.)

A Journal of the American Medical Association 11/2015 article declares, “Physical inactivity has been labeled pandemic due to its increasing global prevalence and its health, economic, environmental, and social consequences.  More than half of US adults fail to meet the 2008 physical activity recommendations of 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise daily or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity exercise weekly.” Unfortunately elevators, remote controls, and “automatic” almost everything have reduced our activity. Clearly most people need to increase the number of daily activity minutes. In what ways can you increase number of steps every day? Every step counts; it does not have to be in one chunk exercise session. Park farther away from the store or office. Set a rime for 60 minutes and walk a few minutes or climb a flight of stairs every time it goes off. Walk to the mailbox. Find little ways to add steps throughout the day.

L: Leave it. Flee from evil.  

*Leave it...high-calorie low-nutrient food sources.

*Leave it...couch, computer chair, & other sedentary circumstances.

Flee from anything that tempts you to eat too many calories. What are areas from which you need to flee? Drive home on a different route so McDonalds or Dairy Queen does not call your name?  Walk right past the break room at work or down a different hallway?  Push your grocery cart towards the fruit aisle and away from the snack aisle?  Avoid the all-you-can eat restaurants?

Turn the TV, computer or other electronics off so you avoid sedentary evenings on the couch, at least until after you have exercised? 

A:Accountability 

*Food diary

*Exercise diary

*Accountability partner

Repeatedly, research shows that keeping a food diary helps a person reduce the number of calories and increases the number of exercise minutes. Because of modern technology, multiple options are easily available for food and exercise diaries:online apps, calendar logs, or journals. 

A few years back, at an obesity conference, a renowned speaker declared, “We have the magic bullet for weight loss.” You could have heard a pin drop in that room as people listened expectantly. “Every research study has shown that if people keep food & exercise logs, they will lose weight!”

Pick a person to be your accountability partner. Identify your problem areas. Give your accountability partner 2-3 quantitative (yes or no, or specific number) questions to ask you each week. Examples might include: How many minutes did you exercise last week? How many evenings did you eat food past 8:00?  How many sodas did you drink? Did you eat vegetables every day last week?

N: Nurture

*Nurture in non-food ways. 

*Nurture yourself with exercise.

Unfortunately, our culture uses food to comfort, to calm, to celebrate.  Identify non-food ways to nurture yourself, your family, and your friends. Make a list. Have your ideas easily available so that you do not fall back to your usual source of food (and usually high-calorie, low-nutrient food.)  

Instead of cookies for the children after school, how about hugs, fruit, and cuddling on the couch reading a good book. Instead of grabbing a bag of chips, stroll around the block. Instead of eating candy, take a few moments to read or listen to God’s word. Other ideas include: listening to favorite music, taking a soothing bath, writing or drawing in a journal, golfing, playing the piano or another musical instrument, woodworking, talking with a friend, reading a fun book, or doing another favorite hobby. 

Exercise should not be unpleasant or a punishment, but instead exercise refreshes the body, soul, and mind.  As you exercise, focus your mind on fun memories, memorize a special bible verse, allow God’s Word to penetrate your mind and soul by listening to the Bible on a phone app, or just be mindful of the moment.  Or nurture yourself and a family member or friend by enjoying exercise time together.

Bask in God’s love and nurture for you!

 “The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you with His love He will exult over you with loud singing. “ Zephaniah 3:17

Our bodies are fueled by food, and exercise makes our bodies strong and functional. Psalm 139:14 declares, “ I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” Indeed our bodies are amazing -fearfully and wonderfully made!  However, In the unfriendly environment of too many calories and too few calorie burners, often it is difficult to maneuver towards healthy choices. A P.L.A.N. can enable a person to steer clear of obesity and associated diseases, and live a healthy, functional, vibrant life.