Spring has sprung…and so has my Waistline

     Well, the winter weather is mostly behind us, and as of March 20, the first day of spring is here.  Our thoughts turn to being outside, yard work, flowers, new birth, outside activities, and new growth.  Unfortunately many of us, myself included, have also experienced growth on the scale and on more growth than we would like to see on our waistlines.

     Let’s do something about it.  Let’s NOT be like a friend of mine who was struggling with weight and said he was going to make a change.  Why?  Because of his story… I have a friend who wanted to lose some weight, but he didn’t really put any effort into it…at least so as I noticed anyway.  He said he was making changes, and said he was working on it, but I never saw it.  After an extended break from school (the Christmas holidays) I saw him again.  I asked him how he did with his program over the holidays.  He proudly showed me by putting his thumbs in the waistline of his pants, and running them back and forth, showing me the extra room he had in his pants waistline now.  “Wow!” I said.  “You’ve lost weight?” I said in a questioning manner…anticipating her would tell me how much.  He quickly answered me, “Nope…bought bigger pants.”
Since “most” of us have been lethargic due to the colder weather, the thought of getting outside and becoming more active will require a little warming up.  OK…a lot of warming up.  So how do we start?  Slow and steady…with the emphasis on steady.  96% of people who start a program lasting 12 weeks, will not finish it.  It’s hard.  And five times as hard if you try to go it alone.

     I think there are four things you can do to get a good jump start, and I am going to borrow the acronym from Steve Reynolds, author of Bod4God and Get off the Couch.  He uses the acronym

D.I.E.T.

D:   Dedication.  Commit to getting on a “workable and realistic” plan, and staying with it
I: Inspiration.  Motivate yourself and draw inspiration from others to make positive changes.
E: Eating and Exercise.  Manage your habits.  Events become habits if used regularly enough.
T: Team.  Build your circle of support.  Have several accountability partners

So go on…challenge yourself.  Get a couple of friends to do it with you.  The only thing you have to lose is your waistline.