Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Small Changes

I think making small changes can make a big difference. I used to park close to my office on a daily basis. The the closer I parked to my office, the harder that walk seemed every day. I made a change this semester; I started parking on the other side of campus. I have to walk up four flights of stairs to get to the quad, then I have about a quarter mile walk to my office.  I realized this morning that I was no longer tired walking to my office in the morning.  I did not do anything drastic but I made a small change that adds a bit of exercise to my morning routine.  I don’t deviate from the route even if I am late or if it is raining. I keep a poncho in my briefcase and I wear sneakers every morning to make the walk easier.
Sometimes we make thing so complicated that we become roadblocks to our self. Creating a healthier lifestyle can be as simple as parking farther away from the grocery store. You can even modify your everyday meals to make them healthier and reduce the calories.   I am a cheeseaholic; I admit that until recently I used to slather cheese on everything.  Mainly because I thought it made everything taste better. Two months ago I stopped using cheese completely.  Instead I load eggs and sandwiches with vegetables. I still have flavor but I don’t miss the cheese at all.  I don’t feel deprived, it was small change.
Removing the cheese has removed 500 calorie and 45 grams of fat per week from my diet.  Considering that it only takes a reduction of 3500 calories to lose a pound of fat.  If I only made that change I could possible lose one pound in 7 weeks.  However adding in the daily addition of exercise I can actually lose one pound in 4 weeks. It does not seem like a lot but in a year that is 12 pounds you have lost with minimal effort.
If sticking to a plan is a difficult task for you, start making small changes every week.

2 comments:

Dana said...

Good for you!!!!! I have also been making some changes but I am not so sure I am ready to give up my garage parking spot here at work...especially with the colder temperatures approaching!

Ladie Q said...

You are such an inspiration. We often (i often) come up with 50 reasons i CAN'T do something such as "I work out better in the morning," however that 5 am wake is terrible when i just went to sleep at midnight.
I park on the 2nd level of the parking garage at work and take the stairs. i then take the stairs to get to my office. somedays, the ones when i'm late, are hardest cuz it takes a little more time to make it up the stairs, but I am committed to making the small changes to get the big results.