New Bedford Guide Your Guide to New Bedford and South Coast, MA
by Jordis Brown
There is nothing more annoying than hearing “the only reason you are not in shape is because YOU don’t want it enough”!
We see it on TV and now online. We hear it from pompous relatives or newly in shape strangers. There is nothing that is going to bother me more than that sentence. They are all right. I have a million excuses, some very viable, on why I’m not where I should be physically. The overall truth is I haven’t wanted to be in shape enough to commit to lifestyle changes. It’s hard work!
First I have to break habits then I have to install new ones. Habits that have been there for YEARS! Although there is no cookie cutter method to getting in shape there are some obvious things that need to happen to help the process along.
Eating right for one. There are a million diet plans out there and several food substitutes/shakes, etc. that promise to either help you lose weight or give you the nutritional needs right for your body. I couldn’t tell you which one to follow. The truth is any commitment to paying attention to your intake is going to work.
I was Certified in Nutrition many years ago and what I pretty much took from that was how to read a label. Years pass and what doctors can agree on in regards to what we need or can or cannot have changes. The best you can do to help yourself is to understand if there is a pattern in the foods you eat (are they high in sugar, sodium, etc). Read the labels. There are great online sites like sparkpeople.com or even the government site for the food pyramid which allows you to enter the foods you eat (listing many popular brands) and breaks down your nutritional intake. At the end of the day it shows you what you are either missing in your diet or getting too much of. Taking a log of what you eat is more important than what you might believe.
Honestly, you don’t always believe things till it’s in bold print in-front you. All free of charge.
Exercise. Kind of unavoidable. Just not exactly what you may think. This doesn’t mean that you need to hit the gym.
Truth is, if you’re not comfortable in a gym environment you’re not likely to go very often or stay as long as you should. Think of exercise as any physical activity. Walking is a very basic YET effective form of exercise. Swimming, also a great exercise that’s low impact and great for people just getting into shape. I doubt you own an indoor pool, if you do please comment with your number so I can be your new best friend.
The New Bedford YMCA has a great pool and gym. They even have financial assistance available and even if you do not qualify, many health insurances reimburse you for gym memberships. What if you don’t like to walk or swim or hit the gym? Do you like to climb? It’s the kid in every one of us that looks at a big rock or tree and thinks for a moment what the view might be like from the top. You couldn’t keep me from climbing up until I was a younger adult. Now I’m afraid that if I did scale a rockside I’d have to make a very uncomfortable 911 call that would go something like this…
“I’ll tell you where I am if you promise no sirens or lights. I just really need help getting down”
There’s an indoor facility like Carabiner where they hook you up and you can climb away without fear of gravity or broken shards of glass from teens on rocks. If so far none of these things are appealing then you really have to take another look at that aggravating statement
“The only reason you are not in shape is because YOU don’t want it enough”
Being out of shape isn’t a number on a scale, your reflection or what others think of you. It’s your ability to push your body without hitting a wall too early. It’s not being exhausted from walking around a store or too tired to play with your child. It’s being able not to hide in layers of clothing and being confident. When you are healthier physically you are healthier mentally. This is the key to happiness within yourself. Those annoying people who are active, eat right and smile all the time and legitimately happy. Don’t you want that for yourself?
I’m a little older this year. So are you. Time will not stop and wait for us to get our act together.
