Handle with Care

The other day I bought a lovely expensive silk dress to celebrate my weight loss.   I didn’t have time to take it to the dry cleaners so I just threw it in the washer/dryer along with my whites and towels.  Afterwards, I didn’t have time to hang it up so I just crammed it into my sock drawer until I could get around to taking care of it.

I was also in a great mood because after saving for such a long time, we could finally afford the lovely deep shag white carpeting in the living room – it was so pretty!  To celebrate, I had a party for all the mommies and toddlers in our playgroup and we christened the new carpet with brownies and grape juice. 

By now you are saying, “Surely you must be joking!”   Well, yes I am joking (but please don’t call me Shirley).  The point I am making shows that you would not go to all the trouble and expense to acquire something so wonderful and then not take care of it!  You need to HANDLE WITH CARE.

So now what?  We are eating and following the Perfect 10 Diet Plan by Dr. Michael Aziz . A lot of our time is spent in worrying about “What do we eat? What can I eat?  Can I eat this?  I miss eating that!”  We lose sight of the OTHER items on the plan that need to be addressed.

A lot of times I see the question – “Why am I not losing weight?”  Remember, P10 is not just all about eating right, it’s also about taking care of yourself.  In addition to changing our eating habits, the book also reminds us to:

Drink Water – Drink it. Drink a lot of it.  Drink it a lot.  Ice water burns more calories.  Put some lemon in it.  Use a straw.  Get yourself a crystal goblet and toast to your health if you have to.

Sleep – If you don’t get enough sleep, you will not lose the weight.  The production of the growth hormones and the hunger reducing hormones happens while you’re asleep.  Good sleep.  Deep sleep.  More than just a few hours sleep.  Make it happen.  Darken the room, put on soothing music or white noise, get comfy.  If you stay  up late a lot, try to go to bed a little earlier each night until you are going to bed at a better time.

Exercise – kick up your metabolism and unleash the hormonal power of exercise.  Exercise decreases insulin (fat storing) and increases glucagon (fat burning) and increases human growth hormone (HGH).  The book says that you have to go to ‘pain level’ to get HGH going in your bloodstream – meaning you will need to break a sweat and feel the burn.   You must also have a regular exercise routine to reap the benefits.  (Try not to exercise before bed or you won’t be able to sleep).

Stress – you won’t be able to let go of the weight unless you unclench your gut and relax.  Learn to breathe deep in through your nose, expanding your stomach to take in a lot of air and then exhale.  At work, take your break where no one can find you.  On the way home, drive to another neighborhood or parking lot, park the car, turn off your cell phone and sit there for 10 minutes.  Don’t talk, read or listen to music, just decompress.  When I'm stressed I like listening to the Ambient/New Age music that doesn’t have lyrics, it’s very soothing.  Take a warm bath, even if only for 15 minutes (before bed, so you can sleep). Get into a regular habit of prayer or meditation.  Go to counseling.

Have sex regularly – it increases sex hormones and improves immunity and increases lifespan.  And that’s about all I have to say about that.

Alcohol and Nicotine – go for it!  Sorry, just wanted to see if you were still reading.  Stop, just stop.  I know it’s not that easy but why go to all the trouble to eat right and then tear it all down with bad habits?

So remember, as long as you’re taking the time to eat right and get healthy, don’t neglect the other things that need to happen to make you feel like a Perfect 10. 

If you’re reading this at night, turn off your computer and go to bed.  NOW.