So losing weight is hard, right?! Why is it that you never see a program geared toward gaining weight? Gaining weight is easy, thanks to evolution, our bodies like to store extra fat in case we run into some kind of famine, and it’s really hard to get rid of that extra weight with Darwin’s apes on our back!
I decided that 2012 is going to my year to finally lose that baby/winter weight that I’ve been meaning to get rid of for the last 7 years, so I’ve enlisted the help of the Drexel University Center for Integrated Nutrition & Performance (CINP) as well as the Drexel Recreation Center to help me achieve my goals.
Just before the holiday break, CINP announced that they were going to be holding an 8 week weight management program starting January 2012. Taking that as a sign that I found my new year’s resolution, I registered immediately. Prior to starting we needed to have a fitness assessment, if you’ve never had one of these, please know that they are almost as a personal as giving blood, there are no secrets left, and what happens during the assessment stays locked up unless you choose otherwise. Definitely get one though, it’s a great starting point, and it will put you on the right track to fitness, but we’ll get more into that in a later post.
Week one of the program we talked about setting goals, diet goals in particular. We were told that our goals need to be more than just a number on the scale. They outlined for us S.M.A.R.T. goals: Specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely. Now I’m thinking, I want to lose 30 pounds, but that goal is not smart enough for this program and I’ve got homework to do.
The next part of the class talked about Choose My Plate. A while back the government changed the food pyramid, you remember that from grade school right? No? Maybe this will help to jog your memory “You are what you eat” They didn’t really change anything but make it vertical instead of horizontal, but the Choose My Plate initiative is designed around this update to the food pyramid, and it preaches portion control within a well rounded diet.
They take us to the ChooseMyPlate.gov website, and the first image I see is Michelle Obama. Michelle is the spokesperson for the program, and she’s always on the Disney channel, or making the talk show rounds promoting a healthier lifestyle. This woman is in ridiculous shape, her arms are so ripped, I bet she could break walnuts with her biceps! And she has to be, right?! She IS the first lady of the U.S.A., she has to be tough, and that got me thinking about my goals. I’m a Philly girl, born and raised. Now, I don’t know where you’re from but around here we like to size each other up. We eyeball each other’s physical traits and secretly wonder who would win in a fight. Hey it passes the time, don’t judge. Now I realize that a part of my goal is that I’d like to know that if I met Mrs. Obama in person that I could look at her and think, “Yeah…I can beat that.”
Here is my smart goal for the next 8 weeks: To lose weight and gain fitness endurance through a well rounded diet and regular exercise.
Next post: “Squats…why do you have to hurt so much?”