Lean in 2014!

I don't usually share my New Year resolutions. Mainly because I rarely make New Year resolutions. However. Over the last few years I have become much more health conscious and aware and I was in need of a little more motivation (the novelty of things tends to wear off after a few years). Thus I decided my motto for this year would be "Lean in 2014." What does this mean? Does it mean fad diets and get-ripped-quick exercise programs? No, no. This year is all about being healthy and doing things the right way. I was listening to a lecture a couple weeks ago about being overweight and underweight. The lecturer mentioned something that seriously stuck with me and made me look at being healthy in a whole new light. She talked about how every cell has a certain life cycle; skin cells live for so many days, liver cells live for this many days, and so on. How long do you think fat cells live for? Are you ready? This blew my socks off. Fat cells live for seven years! SEVEN. YEARS. So this whole weight loss/diet/exercise thing we're all so consumed with is not something that can be accomplished overnight. Sure, you can start another diet and lose pounds and inches over the course of a month and look fabulous. But unless you allow those fat cells to die (which, may I remind you, takes seven years), as soon as you slack in your eating and/or exercise habits, all that fat you just lost is going to come rushing back.

This brings me back to the premise of Lean in 2014. Start today by picking one little thing, one little habit to change. It doesn't need to be big. In fact, make it a tiny habit on purpose. Personal example: every single time I went into the kitchen, I had to have a chocolate covered raisin. OK, if I need to be honest, it wasn't just one. It wasn't just two. It was a lot. Because I love chocolate covered raisins. And they're there. And they're delicious. I came to realize (again) this was not a healthy habit. It would have been find if I had only one chocolate covered raisin every once in a while. But I was eating at least a handful every time I went into the kitchen. And that adds up. So that was my little habit. I stopped eating the chocolate covered raisins. Let me tell you, sometimes it's hard. I see them, I smell them, I want them. But I remind myself I don't need them. I have even gone so far as to cover them up so I can't see or smell them. Whatever it takes. So I encourage you to pick one little thing. Switch one soda a day for a glass of water. Have an apple with your sandwich instead of chips. Park your car a little farther away. Go for a walk every day. Whatever it is, do it. And don't beat yourself up if you slip up. Just pick yourself up and do it tomorrow.  Once that becomes easy, pick another little thing and do that. Baby steps. I know we all want to see results fast, but trust me, with some patience and fortitude you will make changes that last.

So, what have you got to lose? A few pounds? A few inches? That feeling of loathing that accompanies your reflection in every mirror? Or, a different question: what have you got to gain? Peace of mind? A sense of accomplishment? Keeping up with your kids? Loving yourself? It's up to you. You can make great things happen by little baby steps. Just don't give up. You got this!