Balancing Two Necessities for A Healthier You

You hardly ever see them anymore.  In a movement to make all playgrounds safer for the children who use them, most have been removed.  Occasionally, you may find one and when you do it is often being utilized.  Kids love it.  The “See-Saw” was a favorite playground attraction when I was growing up.  Using the weight of a friend to counter balance your own, you could push off the ground to new heights.  Then you could switch and elevate your buddy upward into the atmosphere.  It was part catapult, part balance, and was sure to create recess friendships.  You couldn’t do it alone, you needed the two of you to make it worth playing on.  Otherwise, you were just a loner sitting on a board.

This “See-Saw” picture is what many of us need in our quest for fitness.  Let me explain.  There are two predominant ideas about how to get in better shape by losing excess weight: dieting and exercise.  The tendency is for many people to chose one or the other and place all their goals at the mercy of a single strategy.  This is because we are often led to believe that a single strategy is enough.

Infomercials boast workout machines that can help you get into the best shape of your life.  Never mind that you may have just had a fast-food Number 1 and a Number 7, large-sized, with a milkshake, and an apple pie.  The 30-minute spot seems to suggest working out each day is the only thing that you need in order to look and feel great!

Other programs imply if you simply follow an eating plan, shake system, or make sensible eating choices you are sure to see the pounds roll away.  Never mind that there is a large groove in the couch where your southern end is parked for 5-6 hours an evening.  This follows an 8-hour workday where the greatest physical exertion was a trip to the water cooler.  The program promises that eating their products is the lone silver bullet to your dreams come true.

Both of these strategies are not bad, until they suggest that you do not have to be involved with the other.  There are always two necessities when you are seeking to get into better physical condition: diet and exercise.  Doctors know this, which is why they rarely refer to one without the other when advising a patient to lose some weight.  Like two sides of the See-Saw, these two things must be in constant motion in order for you to obtain your goals.

So here are two questions to ask yourself:

1.     How Am I Tracking My Food Intake?  Whether you are using a system or simply counting calories you need something to track your food intake.  There are a variety of helps online (such as Calorie Calculators) to determine how much you should be taking in so you can begin losing weight.

2.     How Much Time Can I Commit To Exercise? Do this on a weekly basis, spreading it out across three or four days to begin with.  Make sure that you are making significant contributions of your time so that you can reach your goal.  (At least 30 minutes at a time of elevated heart-rate activites.)  If you cannot afford a gym or a product, there are a number of activities that require little to no equipment.  Choose one and get to it.

Our bodies need both good nutrition and physical activity to help us achieve the goals we seek.  Figure out which one you have been neglecting, create a plan to better implement it, and do it.  When you do, your results will improve and you will find yourself on the fast-track to your ideal weight and fitness level.