As she hit her 50s, Carol Mithers couldn't help but notice how her body was changing. She had less energy, more aches and pains, and was retaining weight where she didn't want it -- her belly.
Even though she had a relatively healthful lifestyle already, she decided to, for a month, follow all the USDA guidelines for diet and exercise and see how they made her feel. Diet-wise, this meant 2,000 calories a day, no more than 67 grams of fat (just 22 from saturated fat), and no more than 1,500 milligrams of sodium. And she made sure she got the government minimum of at least 30 minutes of "moderate intensity" exercise most days of the week.
She flossed daily, used sunscreen, took the RDA of vitamins and minerals, and committed to at least 7 hours of sleep a night. And then she wrote about it all for Oprah.
How did she fare? Did she struggle? What were the ultimate results?
Read her story here:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/02/16/oprah.habit.month/index.html
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Kudos to Carol Mithers for her determination and (mostly) discipline for sticking to the "perfect" regimen. I couldn't do it!
My eating regimen is pretty good, although "deprivation" is not part of my culinary vocabulary. Because I have lupus, an autoimmune deficiency for which sun exposure is a trigger, I must use skin care products containing at least 15 SPF. Exercise, well, my license plate cover even says that I'm a marathoner, lol! Chronic insomnia and forgetting to take my daily supplements, however, contribute to my far less than perfect regimen, as well as a passion for food and wine (my newest magnet states that I'll run for wine, and I am on a sommelier training path).
Yes, Alison is quite right that changing a behavior or lifestyle is difficult. I think the saying goes that it takes repeating a behavior 28 days in a row to make a habit. 6 months to make it a lifestyle, eh? I believe that!
Now, if we could just make living the "perfect" life more fun...
February 17, 2009 - 6:03pmThis Comment
That was an interesting article---I appreciated reading that she was miserable and took hours in the grocery store trying to find the actual "whole wheat" products and had to stop to read every nutrition label. It takes a lot of time, effort, mental agility and quieting the voices in your head that are telling you "this is too hard!" to make a lifestyle change.
The best thing, in the end of this story, is that she saw (and felt) many noticeable changes in her body--lost some weight, didn't feel bloated, and aches/pains/tightness had decreased.
Changing a habit, behavior or lifestyle, well, it just plain stinks (or, insert other word), and takes a lot of time, energy, motivation and frustration...for months....then, one day, you realize that you do feel better, you don't ache, you have a little more energy, it's easier to smile, you aren't hungry...and then THAT gives you the motivation to keep going.
It really does take 6 months to change a habitual behavior, no matter what it is. Everyone: keep trying! It's not fun, but there are some real rewards. One reason I like watching the Biggest Loser on TV: they show the individuals sweating and cursing and hating life...and then you realize it was just an hour of their day working really hard, and by the end of the show, they are healthier. Some of their health conditions (even the chronic diseases, like diabetes!) have literally vanished. Truly amazing, and we have the control to make this happen for ourselves. Powerful.
Thanks for sharing this!
February 17, 2009 - 3:28pmThis Comment