Lessons I’ve Learned Along The Way

November 3, 2007

I am more physically fit in my 40’s than I have been in my entire life!

Yes, I was very slim in my 20’s, even after having my first baby. But fit? Not quite. In my teens and 20’s, I was not one who ever had to worry about weight gain. I could eat as I please and not gain an ounce. Therefore, I never felt the need to exercise and I focused all my attention on my career as a legal secretary and my first born. However, in my 30’s things started to turn around. By that time, I had three children, I was promoted to Legal Assistant and overtime, and I developed a body that could no longer be seen in a swimsuit. Although I was nowhere close to obesity, I did have what many call “secretarial spread.” My body shape had changed drastically and something had to be done!

So in my late 30’s I set out on my quest to get my body back. And what did I learn in the process? That all the choices I was making on a daily basis were completely wrong. Those choices go way back to my childhood days and I was paying for them dearly now.

Lessons I’ve Learned

It started when I was a kid.

Like most kids, when I was young I too had a sweet tooth and a craving for my grandma’s home-baked cookies. And when I was young, while I was active in school sports, I did not carry that activity into my adulthood. Although, unfortunately, I did take my sweet tooth into adulthood. I developed poor eating habits when I was young and they only worsened when I moved out of my parents house. And I started handing down my bad habits to my children.

But things were different when I was growing up. We didn’t know back then what we know now. We didn’t have the research that is nowadays provided, and we certainly didn’t have easy access to information through the Internet as we do now.

So, what tips can you share? You ask.

1. Skip the fast food restaurants. Those McDonald’s hamburgers and fries are killing us. Sure, it is okay to eat them once in a while, but too many of us eat them on the run regularly. (That used to be me!) They lead to heart attacks, obesity, and diabetes. Try not to eat fast food more than once a week.

2. Grab healthier foods. I know this is obvious and one which we all learned while young … “eat your veggies.” Our parents knew what they were talking about … in this area anyway. Fruits and vegetables are loaded with the vitamins and nutrients we need. Don’t skip these!

3. Read food labels. Oh my gosh! I used to think if a package had healthy words on the front, it must be a “good for you food.” Wrong! Food companies take pride in deceiving us. We all know we should “read the fine print” before signing our life away on any piece of paper. Well, in a sense, we are signing our lives away by the foods we eat too. Don’t be deceived. Read the fine print!

4. Sleep and sleep some more. Did you know lack of sleep ages us faster? You will age slower, be more alert, feel better, and be way more productive with proper amounts of sleep. Strive for eight.

5. Exercise. This is just as important as sleep. Get lots of it and pick something you love to do. As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I am more fit today than ever before. I do cardio kickboxing five days a week. I’ve done aerobics before, off and on, but this is the hardest form of exercise I have ever done and I love it! Not only am I stronger than I have ever been but I feel more confident and I have learned self defense skills that hopefully I will never need to use.

There you go! But these are just the basics. I’ve learned so much more and I plan to share them through this blog as well as discuss in depth current health issues. Please join me, read along, and share your comments. I look forward to getting to know you.

Lessons I’ve Learned Along The Way

Comments

Categories

Archives

Resources

Subscribe to The H&W Post

Recently Written

Sponsors