Extra credit!

Week #8 Extra Credit Challenge Points (worth 25)

I've put a lot of thought into these extra credit challenges because I want them to be both helpful and meaningful. I've known since before we started that this was one I wanted/needed to do. I took a nutrition class a few years ago and this concept/topic is the one thing that has really lingered  with me. 

First of all, in my opinion, overall fitness and health is very personal....we are not all "one size fits all" or "one size is best." We all come in different shapes and sizes, but I'd like to emphasize that making your health a priority isn't necessarily about looking great in a swimming suit...IT IS STILL VERY VERY IMPORTANT! It deserves your attention and to be a priority...which priority in your life right now is personal. In October 2014 Genreal Conference (we are all LDS) Elder Klebingat said: 

" Take responsibility for your own physical well-being. Your soul consists of your body and spirit (see D&C 88:15). Feeding the spirit while neglecting the body, which is a temple, usually leads to spiritual dissonance and lowered self-esteem. If you are out of shape, if you are uncomfortable in your own body and can do something about it, then do it! Elder Russell M. Nelson has taught that we should “regard our body as a temple of our very own” and that we should “control our diet and exercise for physical fitness” (“We Are Children of God,” Ensign, Nov. 1998, 87; Liahona, Jan. 1999, 103).

President Boyd K. Packer has taught “that our spirit and our body are combined in such a way that our body becomes an instrument of our mind and the foundation of our character” (“The Instrument of Your Mind and the Foundation of Your Character” [Church Educational System fireside, Feb. 2, 2003], 2; speeches.byu.edu). Therefore, please use good judgment in what and especially how much you eat, and regularly give your body the exercise it needs and deserves. If you are physically able, decide today to be the master of your own house and begin a regular, long-term exercise program, suited to your abilities, combined with a healthier diet. Spiritual confidence increases when your spirit, with the help of the Savior, is truly in charge of your natural man or woman."

Since our bodies are kind of amazing, wonderful, and we sort of use them a lot...giving it what it needs and deserves will be such a benefit to you and how you feel! However, sometimes it is just not that simple! Our food intake and exercise doesn't stand alone, it comes with habits, feelings, etc. The purpose of this extra credit challenge is to confront some of those issues. Taking into consideration what you've experienced over the last 7 weeks and you can take in even more long term then that, what was the hardest thing for you and why? Have you acquired some habits and motivation you don't want to loose and are worried you will? Did old habits die hard this challenge? I want you to write down, and review with your support teammate, a PLAN! A what will I do now plan. A what have I learned and need to confront and change or keep up plan. A, crap, I've had a bad week I don't know how to get back on track plan. 

As you create this plan, I want you to really reflect. This should take you an hour or longer. Your plan needs to fit you, so I don't want to pre-define it for you. I'll put some food for thought up on here, I will provide some links and I may share more this week as it goes on just to help.

Thoughts: 

Behavior modification....

address specific behavior problems that contribute to your bad habits. This is a CRITICAL part of reducing your weight or maintaining a current healthy weight.

1. Have any of you thought, well, I am starting my "diet" Monday, so I'll just eat whatever I want today and tomorrow. Yo-Yo dieting at it's WORST! I am 30 years old and I am overwhelmed when I think of "dieting" the rest of my life. Because, that is where I am at if I want to reach a healthy fitness level. The first thought I have is, think about how you will make LIFESTYLE changes, not fad dieting and short term solutions....lifestyle changes. Instead of dieting, I am treating myself to some extra sweets and fun this weekend but normally I eat a balanced, healthy diet and stay active through consistent exercise that I enjoy. Going up and down is so emotionally draining and so overwhelming. What lifestyle musts will you put in your plan? Now, there may be times in your life when you will be more vigorous in order to reach a goal and then work to maintain...but overall, avoiding yo-yo dieting and that mentality is worth considering in your plan. 

2. Break up behaviors that tend to occur together. For example: you always get lemonade when you eat out. Or when we go to a movie, we ALWAYS get popcorn and coke and in the size you can get as many refills as you want. You have these, think of them now! These things don't have to happen together but they often do. You may want to consider ways to modify these. For example, maybe we should get the small size and enjoy it while it lasts and forget refills! Or, at the last movie...I brought my own snacks...grapes. I love to snack when I watch a movie and they certainly don't sell anything healthy so I just brought it myself! 

3. Remove temptations! Stop buying it or if the people you live with buy it keep it somewhere you don't look often. Consider what you could do to keep an abundance of good choices around...so when that third cookie is looking too good and if all you have is yet another banana for the tenth day in a row, you're likely to eat another cookie! But if you have plenty of healthy options around, that third cookie won't be as tempting. Something I did to remove the temptation of peanut butter...which is great in small amounts but was not good in the amounts I was consuming...was enlist the help of my mom. I told her for every tablespoon I ate I owed her a book. So, when I went to grab the PB (I was eating it on everything!) I realized that small bite could cost me $20. And it quickly lost it's appeal! That helped me to just get over the everyday habit of grabbing that darn PB jar. 

4. Find alternatives for stress reduction. For example, when you've had a hard day and you're making lapS (not a typo) at the chic-fil-a drive thru to get a large ice dream (no I did not spell that wrong...it is a dream!) put a little note on your debit card that says, go take a walk at your favorite park, play a round of golf, or go buy a new great smelling lotion with that $$ you're spending. A little reminder icon on your debit card might be all you need. 

5. Evaluate situations that tend to trigger over eating or stress you out. One word: desk. How many of you snack way too much at work and you don't even think twice? You could plan for healthy snacks to avoid vending machine or for your break go walking while you drink water. How many of you continue to embrace stress that you could eliminate? Do you always eat more when you eat at a party or as a guest? Etc. Think about the situations you always overeat or that trigger stress. See if you can modify those situations to help you make more consistent healthy choices.  For me, it can be really stressful taking both kids on an outing but I love getting out. So, to relieve the stress without taking out the fun of going out....I limit myself. We go out a few times a week and I always let myself have a least one day where I just plan to turn on a movie for Tess and I can clean or I just watch with her. And we are usually still in our pjs and such, but it's a welcome break from the stress of me taking both kids and our circus out every day of the week! It's a better balance for me instead of feeling like each day of the week needs to be planned and fun-filled. Something else I do-I always overeat when I eat at somebody else's house. A lot of times I do it because I enjoy the food, sometimes I do it because I am afraid our hosts will feel bad if they don't see me eating large and second portions of their food. Silly, huh? Yes, but it's a real problem I have! 

6. "Off limits." Moderation is the very best way of managing the choices you make with food. Doing it short term can be helpful, but long term can lead to some major internal battles! At one moment you've conquered the "temptation" of the food and the next you binge. This isn't good. For those foods, develop a way to eat them in moderation so you don't have a love/hate, off/on relationship with that food. 

7. Plan for lapses! You're going to have bad weeks, days, months, etc. The key is NOT to completely give up! Without a plan to take charge after a relapse...it can quickly turn into a new bad habit. This is perhaps the hardest part of loosing or maintaining weight. Think about how you will combat the lapses/relapses! Here are some ideas: a. social support, professional support, etc. Consult with somebody who you trust and will be there for you. A mom, dad, sister, spouse, registered dietitian, fitness trainer, etc. b. Review what motivates you and put it where you can see it. c. Rewards when you do well. d. Regularly weigh. (I start ignoring the scale thinking the issue will go away. If I weigh myself weekly, it can be a reality check of how I am doing.) e. don't set unreasonable goals to start with. f. focus on how far you have come and not how far you need to go. g. avoid using "always" or "never"  These are just some ideas. 

I hope this doesn't sound extreme, I don't support the approach that you have to always avoid your favorite treats and you'll never be able to one Saturday afternoon binge on Netflixs with your favorite popcorn, I am promoting the idea of creating a plan that will help you maintain and accomplish healthy habits that are the rule and not the exception! The indulging is the exception. Create a plan that works for you and talk about/review it with your teammate. I would also encourage you to visit, review, and modify your plan when necessary as time passes. Create a plan now that meets your needs! 

Here are some links of articles I found interesting:

http://ashotofadrenaline.net/back-up-workout/

http://www.canyonranch.com/your-health/fitness-movement/understanding-fitness/staying-motivated/your-workout-back-plan

This was lengthy! Thank you for reading...if you got this far. :) I hope it will be helpful to you in your journey to have good health!