Well I wouldn’t dare name the blog post Fifty Shades of Grey now would I? People might talk, but then again — let them. Besides, that’s an entirely different conversation for another day.
It’s New Year’s Day today. 2023. What are you thinking about? Are the brain gears burning and churning of all that’ll you do this year, accomplish – abolish – etc.
Many folks think of fireworks, fun parties, fancy clothes or tuxedos and what not. Or maybe you’re thinking of the hangovers 🙂 Then there are those that think … Hurry up, eat all the junk food in the house. Drink all the alcohol. Get it out of your system. Party hard! Because of course; starting on the magical New Year’s Day, on the ever elusive January 1st, that mystical day of transformation, you are going to eat perfect. You will work out like a Greek Goddess. You will have perfect portion control and macro nutrient timing down to a Science. You will be the envy of all the gossiping gazelles from the sidelines waiting to start their diets after the New Year’s rush dies down. They’ll join the gyms when the enthusiastic short-timers clear away. They’ll start on Monday, after the next Monday, or that next Sunday, or on the first. OR – maybe they’ll start when they get paid, or when they’re not stressed, or when they feel better, or when they look better. Some swear to start when they have more money, when the junk food is gone or when the in-laws aren’t visiting. But what if you find yourself at the next New Year’s Eve party swearing off resolutions because they never work. Then you vow and promise to get rid of the pounds that crept up over the last decade of failed and false starts. But wait – there’s still Christmas cookies in the jar.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with starting something new, with a new year or a new week, or even a new day … but with that, you must start it with a new mindset. Why are you doing this? Is it a lifestyle? Or is this some silly tradition or gimmick or cool kids’ table sorority initiation type thing? Well hey, all the OTHER mamas are doing Keto, so I should too, right?
First of all; stop assigning emotional value to food. There are not good foods vs bad foods. Food is food. It should be fuel for your body, period. Some food will fuel you better than others. Some food will make you feel like crap; well that’s a given. Try not to beat yourself up and turn that into this whole diatribe about how you’re a horrible person because you ate a bag of chips that gave you diarrhea and made you feel like poop – LITERALLY. So, um, okay – chips are not good fuel. Move on. Some people swear by broccoli. Well, that doesn’t work for me. I can’t eat broccoli. If I eat broccoli, I get very ill. That is not good fuel for Deb. That is very BAD fuel for Deb – but not in the world of fitness and clean eating per se. Everyone hails broccoli like it’s a God or something. Not in my world. Thus is my point. Eat for YOUR body, not your neighbor’s. Eyes on your own plate people. Not everything is black and white. There are a thousand shades of grey to mitigate.
The rules are sketchy and murky and ever-changing. Why? Because the only rules that matter are the rules that apply to you and your body, your health and lifestyle. Of course there are general ones that apply to most; like everybody should be drinking water! Meanwhile, guess what … your body will change. Yup. It changes all the dang time. As I’ve become smaller; my rules have changed. Oh my word, Menopause changed the game big time. I can’t do the same thing or eat the same way, I have to adapt. If your body changes, the rules change. And everybody’s physical tent is constantly changing and aging. My workouts have to change. I’ve got to pay attention. That is why I can’t just jump on every silly band wagon hippy fad magazine hype that hits the airwaves as if they’re the magic ticket.
Also … mental health plays a huge factor. Stress and anxiety, or insomnia, create havoc in our bodies and work against our best efforts. For me, grief has been a bombshell I was never expecting. The death of my daughter in 2021 affected me in ways I never thought possible. Between surviving a pandemic, surviving the death of a child, mitigating menopause and now battling anemia… I basically have to start over. Back to basics. I know what to do. I know how. I’ve relentlessly studied the human body, physiology and nutrition. But like my mama used to say about the Bible – – knowing the ten commandments and obeying them are two entirely different things. So yes, I know what to do. I just have to be consistent in doing such. Notice I said ‘consistent’ – NOT ‘Perfect’! Perfection is an illusion. Don’t fall for that trap. Hang out with me and you’ll see me start, fail, fall down, get up, crawl, climb, walk, jump, inhale fresh air, pray, sing, dance, stumble and stretch. Then rinse and repeat.
People come to me for advice all of the time. That’s always welcome. I’m excited to do it; but all I’m really going to do is ask you a laundry list of questions to get to the heart of YOU. One of two things happen: The person gets excited and answers the questions, self reflect – and takes action – – or they disappear. That’s fine, that means they were either ready or they were not. No worries, I’m not going anywhere. For those who are eager and want to join me in my ongoing journey… I’m still here. In the meantime; I’ll be in my corner of the world learning to walk and breathe again.
New Year’s Eve 1999 vs. New Year’s Eve 2014
As always, make champion choices,
The Healthy Habit Lady
The Healthy Habit Lady 