Reinstating recess could be weight-loss cure
Why is it so darn hard to lose weight? It’s said that it gets harder the older we get because our metabolisms slow down. Or is it because we eat too many carbs and not enough protein? Enough of the theories! Am I the only one sick of this bull that the diet industry has been feeding us? They keep getting richer selling their advice and we keep getting fatter. We know what to do. It’s time we claim back our minds, and get off our bums.
I’m starting this journey today, not tomorrow or Monday – because let’s face it, tomorrow never comes. My journeys always begin with reminding myself of what works and what doesn’t.
Take this week’s diet for instance. I didn’t eat any white stuff. (That’s anything with white flour or sugar in it.) Yeah, it sucks. I even sneaked a few long walks in too, but my healthy weeks usually end on Fridays, when the weekend sends all my good deeds to hell. My downfall first began with several sugary martinis after work, followed by late-night munching with my girlfriends. I was too hung over to exercise on Saturday, so I grazed on grease and chocolate most of the afternoon just to feel human again. Sound familiar?
I went to a potluck Saturday where I passed on many items that would have filled me. Hungrier toward the end, I stood around and gorged myself with chocolate-covered pretzels. Let’s face it, when we get into these eating binges, saying we only nibbled is a lie. We either gorge or graze; there’s no getting around the fat of that.
Tired from my nights out and lack of exercise, I went shopping Sunday and bought chips and candy to improve my mood. If that wasn’t bad enough, I made that impulse, sucker buy at the check-out stand, and threw Time magazine into my cart. The cover said, “Special get fit guide. All you need to know to lose the weight.” I spent $4 to tell me that I shouldn’t have bought those fatty, sugar-filled goodies that will be gone tomorrow.
They’re selling us these theories for one reason only – because they can’t make millions telling us the truth, which is quit eating like a pig and start moving again!
Inhaling my Reeses in disgust on the way home, it occurred to me what worked in the past. I thought about how we lived when we were young. We walked everywhere, got plenty of sleep and never sat around for hours gorging because we were too busy playing. Alcohol wasn’t available, but cookies were. We had a couple here and there, but never a box to cure depression. Moderation is the key and never makes us fat.
And why did we stop playing and staying active for fun? Don’t you miss playing games outside? I think we know what to do when it comes to losing weight – it’s live like a kid again, but with the patience of an adult who realizes it’s going to take time to achieve the results.
Who says recess has to be over? We’re the grown-ups now and can reinstate recess in our lives. Doesn’t playing basketball, tag or dodge ball sound like a lot more fun than walking on a treadmill? So let’s make some play dates and start losing weight.
The beauty of being adults is we can keep playing when it gets dark, and don’t need permission to have our best friend spend the night afterward.