Do One Thing

So we know there is no magic pill that miraculously helps us lose weight. No lotion, balm or cabbage-only diet really gets us where we want to go--at least not for long. Really, who can eat only cabbage (or bananas or fill in the blank here) for very long? Who can live without chocolate forever? Or ice cream? Or steak? But I digress.

So how do we do it, then? We all know that there is a formula known as "calories in, calories out" and that the former must be smaller than the later for this weight loss thing to happen. We know about BMI and resting metabolic rate and that we should eat right and exercise. But that is not enough. No, you have to DO something.

So, that is what happened to me. I started with one thing. I started riding my bike every day (M-F) with my good friend. That's the other secret. You have to commit to this thing. Every day. Or at least on a schedule, with the specific days and times on the calendar. Until I did that, it was, "I'll exercise three times a week," but that could always be tomorrow, right? I've talked about this before but it is a key element.

Once this plan was on the calendar, we biking every weekday and sometimes a bonus day on the weekend (ah, once a habit is formed, things start to happen, don't they?). Once the snow started to fly in Minneapolis and I got a young dog, we switched to walking but kept our schedule.

And that is where the true magic is. It sounds pretty simple, but once you do one thing, suddenly you are doing more things. Adding a faster pace for part of the run or walk. Going for a hike. Incorporating strength training Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Doing wall pushups (Okay, I'm still a pushup wimp) or squats during the news or while the chicken is cooking. 

Doing one thing is a slippery slope to doing many good things.  It's like the fresh air goes to your head (in a good way) and your body wants to do more! Yippee!

It's so easy to do just one thing. Focus on that thing and see where it takes you. You'll be sure that every decade is Ten Good Years.

Here's to you,

Lisa

Here's a list of some upcoming topics:

• The Buddy System
• Have a Plan
• My favorite low-cal snacks
• Knowledge is Power
• Oopsie...
• Going Public
• Enjoy Yourself
• Get a Life