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March 21, 2007

10 in 10: Reaching the point of lifestyle change

By Crystal Garcia

TERRE HAUTE — Sunday marks the end of the 10th week and the end of Gov. Mitch Daniels’ health initiative INShape Indiana.

Although it’s not the end of the weight-loss challenge for me, it might be for others, so I went back to Union Hospital to speak with personal trainer Rayetta Minton and dietitian Tracy Arini about maintaining weight loss.

“I think the key to keeping going is staying motivated and finding something that you enjoy,” Minton said. “It’s finding your niche in fitness and realizing that it is a lifestyle change.”

Lifestyle change.

Because I’ve lost 13 pounds during the 10-week challenge to weigh 133 pounds, that’s a concept that has been trying to escape me.

I’ve recently had a closure feeling looming over me, almost like “because the 10 weeks is done, I should be done, too.”

It’s kind of like, OK, now that the 10 weeks is over, I can go back to lying on my couch and eating cheeseburgers.

Don’t panic, I know that’s not the case. I’m not going to throw all my hard work out the window.

When that feeling hits me, I remind myself that I started this to become healthier and to stay healthy. I have to make this part of my permanent routine.

“It’s OK to fall off the wagon as long as you get back on the wagon,” Minton said. “And knowing that one day of being bad or cheating on your diet isn’t going to kill you as long as you pick it back up the next day, and it’s OK to treat yourself every once in a while. Otherwise, you’ll drive yourself crazy.”

This is true, and one of the reasons when a co-worker who is known for her delicious baked goods brought in some cookies, I let myself have one.

Something you can do to stay on track with your new lifestyle is to change things up.

“Change it up with the seasons, even,” Minton said, noting with the warm weather on the way, you can get outside.

“There’s hardly ever a time that you’ll drive down Ohio [Street] and not see a runner or walker going toward Deming [Park],” she said, “and that’s motivating, too.”

While you will do a lot of the same exercises that got you to your goal, it’s also good to change what you’re doing to “keep your body guessing,” she said.

Minton said changing things up can make exercising more fun and harder to get bored with what you’re doing.

Finding some new exercises online by just Googling “fitness,” paying a guest fee to a fitness center to take a class or checking out the latest copy of a fitness magazine are some ways to keep a workout interesting.

Some magazines Minton recommends are Fitness and Oxygen, both geared toward women’s health with mini workouts, different exercises for the seasons and healthy recipe ideas.

“That’s probably one of the best sources, I think [for] anybody that does at-home workouts, you could invest in a good subscription to a good magazine like that, a reputable one,” she said.

Getting a partner at the same fitness level also helps because you will have someone to hold you accountable, Minton said.

Like exercises, changing what you eat can help, also. It’s important to continue, however, with calorie and portion control, Arini said.

“It would probably be a good idea to look back over and see where you are calorie-wise to see what’s helping you to stay that amount,” she said. “That way you’ll be aware of … what’s my high point and low point.”

If you are planning to change your diet, Arini said you should stick to the principles of plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole grains, but you can try different things.

“Sometimes we get tired of eating the same thing all the time,” she said.

Altering how you prepare foods with different spices or seasonings is one way to change the flavor of things drastically, Arini said, but don’t add salt!

Another way to add variety to your diet is to try having different types of things for meals such as not always having breakfast foods for breakfast, she said.

When it all comes down to it, just keep exercising and watch that diet. After all, this is a lifestyle change, not a quick fix.

But at what point does the healthy lifestyle change stop being a change and is just my lifestyle?

I think I might be reaching that point because I can feel a difference between the days that I get up and exercise and days that I hit the alarm clock and keep sleeping.

The hardest part, for me, is getting up. But once my workout is done, things seem to be better.

Songs on the radio are better, my shower feels nicer and I just feel a certain pep in my step with a little more energy.

Days seem mundane and drag along when I don’t exercise and get some extra sleep instead.

“Always remember to enjoy it and have fun,” Minton said. “Don’t think of it as a job because that’s never any fun.”

Hopefully, I can get to that point when working out is just something I do such as brushing my teeth or letting the dog out.

I’m almost there, I can feel it. Once I get that lifestyle change out of the way, all I’ll have left is to quit biting my nails.

Crystal Garcia can be reached at (812) 231-4271 or crystal.garcia@tribstar.com.

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