Sometimes I wish I lived where there is a clear sky, warm weather and palm trees year round, but one of the things I am most grateful for is living where I get to experience all the beautiful seasons of nature! As we leave winter and progress into spring, I’m sure we all have thought, “It’s time to shed my warm, bulky clothes and pull out the skirts, sandals, short sleeves and show a little more skin, ugh!”
We look in the mirror, take a closer look at our body and are alarmed by any imperfections . . . that everyone may see! Yes, ladies, it is that time again!
Have you ever pulled out your spring clothes line with absolute confidence in your body? Do you look back at your holidays and wish you had eaten better, continued to exercise or at least started exercising and wonder how in the world you ended up this way . . . once again?! I remember the lyrics to a song about a decade ago (can’t recall the title or artist) and they went something like this: ‘if you don’t like who you are, change your life!’
This inspired me and I wrote it down where I could read it often. Simple, well said and easy to do! Why do we repeat the same behaviors over and over and find ourselves in the same situation having to re-group? I’ll let you ponder that one and see if you can re-discover how special you are!
So, here we are scrambling to get ourselves “together” for the nightlife, social gatherings, making a statement with our looks and becoming star-studded. How do we do it with time creeping up on us? We can always get our hair and nails done, pay for a pedicure and wax, invest in a spray tan if we want a little glow, get our eye-brows in check and maybe even try a new make-up line. We shop with our girlfriends, buy new shoes, dresses, purses or sunglasses . . . and the dreadful swimsuit! But, what are we going to do about our frumpy figure in time to make a grand entrance worth remembering?
Here are some quick tips to get your groove back:
- Drink at least 60% of your water weight (ex: 160 pounds X .60 = 96 ounces/8 ounces = 12 glasses/day)
- Start a simple 30-Day Muscle Toning Routine (think of it as a 30-day challenge)
- Get in the gym and do cardio 4-5 times/week at least 60 minutes/session
- Practice meditation/relaxation for 15 minutes/day
- Start stretching all your muscle groups daily
- Get 7 hours of deep sleep every night
- Consider your nutritional intake: back off on calories by eating smaller portions, eat from ALL five Food Groups (yes, this includes fruits and vegetable!), chew each bite 32 times and eat SLOWLY with frequent sips of water, avoid fast food and limit eating out only for your social get-togethers, make sure snacking includes a high protein/low fat/low carb content and enjoy your food, not loath it!
Once you feel you are back on track, try to remember how easy it would be to keep these healthy behaviors on-going. You won’t dread those cute little dresses and tighter-fitting clothes! Know you are beautiful all year round whether people can see your body up close or not! Take care of it and most importantly, take care of YOU!
Gayl Anderson, B.S., M.S., Exercise Physiologist
University of Louisville ~ Master of Science
Exercise Physiology Major
University of Iowa ~ Bachelor of Science
Physical Education Major
Fitness & Wellness Specialization
