Take care of yourself...

I am amazed by the obvious. It has taken me quite awhile to find this resolution, even though it has been right in front of my face the whole time. I am amazed at how much better life is if you take care of yourself. Now, I'm not talking extreme pampering, or any special treatment at all. I'm talking about the basics: eating healthy, being active, getting enough sleep, and drinking plenty of water. How many times have you heard that? Probably a million. But yet, most of us still search and search and search for the answer. We are looking for a quick fix. We are looking for that diet that will make us "lose 20 pounds in three weeks". Or that workout plan that will "drop inches from your waist in minutes". Number 1, is that even possible? And number 2, if it is possible, is it really healthy? We are looking for an easy way out of this mess we've found ourselves in. But, how much easier can you get than following the basics mentioned above? 


I will be the first to admit that I have been a prisoner of food and extreme dieting for the past couple of years. Sometimes I felt as though I had an addiction. To food. For some sick reason, I let food take over my life, both mentally and physically. My mind would tell me that it's okay to eat junk, and carbs, and fatty foods. But my poor body would sit there helpless, surrendering to my mind's humiliating dependency on food. This addiction (if we can call it that) never resulted in anything good. Beyond the initial taste of food, it brought me nothing but disgust and embarrassment. This disappointment brought upon the need to diet. I can't tell you how many times I searched on Google "lose weight fast" or "detox diets". I would find the easiest plan and stick to it for a couple weeks. On top of that would be a new workout plan or some form of extreme exercise. It wouldn't be long, though, before this lifestyle would give up on me and I would be face to face with my enemy once again. The feeling of failure is something I've experienced more times than I can count. Failing myself was a reoccurring situation. 


Of course you failed, you idiot. Every fad diet and miracle weight loss plan fail. Sure, I managed to maintain a healthy weight for as long as I can remember. But in all that time, I never remember once being satisfied with myself, with my body. It was always one extreme or the other. Either completely surrender to food and "start my diet tomorrow", or completely neglect to nourish my body. My new favorite saying is "you are what you eat", because it is SO TRUE. If you expect to feel happy and healthy after eating a greasy pizza, a dozen cookies, and a large milkshake, you're wrong. There's a reason someone came up with the food pyramid, because it's exactly what our bodies need to be healthy! Go back to the caveman days; they ate food to simply stay alive. Now here we are, being gluttonous and stuffing our poor stomachs with stuff it does not want or need. 


Trust me, I know it is easier said than done. However, I have witnessed first-hand what eating healthy and being active can do. It will change your life (not to mention your skin will appear healthier, your energy level will go up, your mood will change, your body will change, and your self-confidence will increase dramatically). Don't get me wrong, I can't live without chocolate and pizza. But I don't need an entire bag of chocolate and 6 pieces of pizza. Food doesn't need to be the first thing on my mind. Lately, I'm proud to say it hasn't been. And since I've shoved my dependency upon food to the back of my mind, I am able to live a happier, healthier life. My body needs certain things; fruit, veggies, whole grains, etc. That's what it needs to be healthy, and that's what it deserves. We were all given just one body...the least we can do is take care of it. 


On a less-serious note, there was a pet costume parade in the park behind my apartment building this morning! Of course I bundled up, grabbed coffee from Starbucks, and watched them prance around...and took pictures!