Transitioning to healthier lifestyles without body rejection



Now is the time of year when many, many people make those Resolutions I was talking about in my previous blog.  Lots of those resolutions have some change to a healthier lifestyle at their core.  And for most people, we start off Gung-Ho by making wholesale, sweeping and radical changes at the get-go.

We set our goals and make the changes.  We jump in with both feet and go from zero to Mach 3 at Jan 1 (or whatever other magical day you chose).

Let's take diet as an example.
You've got a person who never eats breakfast, or stops at a fast food restaurant to get a fat-laden breakfast biscuit and a giant coffee or soda.  This person eats fast food or junk at lunch and boxed, quick or frozen food for dinner.  They drink no water, only coffee and/or sodas.

This person decides to make a change to a healthier diet and begins their day with juice, oatmeal and a couple of pieces of turkey bacon.

For lunch, they eat a salad with grilled chicken and no dressing with water.

For dinner, they eat a salad with grilled chicken and no dressing with water.

By noon, the lack-of-caffeine headache has come in full-force.  By dinner, your stomach is grumbling and wanting to know where the 'real food' is.  By day 3 you are completely miserable and pretty certain that your body is furious with you and starting a revolt.  You've already returned to the coffee and/or sodas (to get rid of the pounding headache) deciding that those are just something you aren't going to give up.  You've also 'fallen off the wagon' and ate fast food for lunch once.  This is just three days in.  Sound familiar?

Your body is used to the diet you've been following - however horrible it may be - and has been working hard to pull out the nutrients it can from the sources it receives.  Now you've gone and changed everything.  Your body has no idea what to do with this stuff.  It's used to getting energy from caffeine, not nutrients.  It's used to regulating processes with fat and processed sugars, not fruits and vegetables.  And we aren't even discussing the fact that the "new and improved" diet ALSO doesn't hold what the body needs to function at optimum levels. 

This may be 'better' than the previous diet, but if it is rejected by your body because your body is in a state of shock - what good did it really do?

Another example is exercise.  When a person has led a sedentary lifestyle, and abruptly changes to exercising 6 days a week, the body will reject that.  There are all sorts of escape hatches that your body will develop because it is Confused and In Shock.  They may range from cramping legs to full-blown injuries.  Your energy level may go from medium to completely drained.  Your body may reduce its energy to the level that you couldn't work out if you had a gun to your head.

Please don't misunderstand - I am NOT suggesting we stay in an unhealthy lifestyle, I'm simply suggesting that it seems more logical to take a different approach.

We've heard the phrase "Weaning Off".  I think it is a valuable approach to changing your lifestyle.  Unless, of course, you have medical reasons to make quick and wholesale changes.

If we ease into the changes, it gives our bodies time to assimilate the changes we make without freaking out.  In a way, we are sneaking them in right under our own nose.  The body doesn't go into shock and it is a seamless transition from unhealthy lifestyle to healthy lifestyle.

The hardest part of this is that we are an instant gratification society.  We want to think that we can make these huge changes instantly and see the benefits immediately.  Adopting this other approach requires patience and being gentle with ourselves while knowing that the changes we make will have a better opportunity to last than those made in a rush.  We've got to change our mindset.  We've got to see the bigger, long-term picture and respect that it is a process.

By taking 'baby steps' towards health, we also give ourselves the opportunity to research options, try different exercise plans, take a healthier cooking class, find a support group for fitness or healthy recipe sharing while making the initial changes.

A sample plan might look like this:

Week One
I am reducing my caffeine - going from 3 large cokes per day to 1-2.
I am going to eat a healthy breakfast - researching and implementing new recipes, grains, ideas, etc as I find them.
I am going to walk or do other cardio at least one time this week (going from no exercise at all)

Week Two
Continuing with 1 coke a day, I am setting a goal of drinking 4 8 oz glasses of water plus juice or other non-(or reduced, like green tea)caffeine drinks.
I am getting creative with breakfast options and cooking one dinner per week that is whole, raw, organic food.
I will walk or do other cardio 2 x this week.

Week Three
I will go every other day with No coke, coffee or black teas, will drink 6 8oz glasses of water plus other non(reduced) caffeine drinks.
I've got the healthy breakfast down and have been researching healthy dinner recipes.  I will cook 3 lunch or dinner meals this week that are healthy, whole foods.
I am continuing with at least 2 but could be 3 cardio days per week and incorporating another option (possibly yoga, strength training, kickboxing, etc).
I have started to research vitamins and supplements to add to my diet.

You can see how this progresses.  It gives your body the opportunity to succeed in the transition.  It gives your mind the opportunity to wrap around the changes without being overwhelmed.  It gives your spirit time to assimilate the improvements and work towards a holistic change.

I've been down the Fast and Immediate change road a few times.  None of them worked.  I have tried this approach and it worked for me until I self-sabotaged by wanting quicker results and put impossible expectations upon myself.  Lesson learned. 

In this case, I truly believe that Slow and Steady wins the race.

Journey Wisely and Be Well, my friends.

Disclaimer:
You should consult with a healthcare professional before starting any diet, exercise, supplementation or medication program.  If you have a health concern of any kind consult with your health care professional.