Oh Snap! I Think My Pants Shrunk!

 

That's the only reason why they would stop fitting, right? I must have accidentally washed them in hot water and dried them on the extra-shrink setting. It couldn't possibly be that I'm gaining weight...no way! I just can't believe French toast stuffed with nutella and strawberries isn't good for you. Strawberries are part of the fruit and vegetable requirement for the day. Chocolate has antioxidants or something in it. And bread is part of the whole grain group. Obviously, that was one of the wisest breakfast choices one could make. See...pants must have shunken in the wash. Yay! Now I get to buy some new ones!

How many of us make rationalizations when it comes to our diet and exercise regimen? Do any of these sound familiar?

1. I'm too tired/stressed/busy to work out.
2. I just got my hair done, I don't want to sweat it out.
3. I'm allergic to cooking (that's one of my favorites!).
4. I'll do it tomorrow.
5. My pinky finger hurts too much to go running.
6. I can't find any childcare (for my 15 year old).

I'll bet there are a plethora of excuses we've made to get out of exercising and eating healthfully. I'm the first to admit my love affair with desserts of all kinds – pie, cake, cookies, pudding, ice cream, whatever. Unfortunately, the relationship is not mutual and it causes things like waistline strangulation due to too-tight (I mean shrunken) pants.

As Americans, I think we have it particularly bad. We are a society that believes strongly in being quick, efficient, and instantly gratified. This has had a significant and mostly negative impact on our dietary and exercise habits. How many of us roll through a fast-food joint when we're pressed for time and hungry? How many of us drive to places we could actually walk to? How often do we give up on going to the gym because we know our machine won't be immediately available and we might have to wait?

Now I know some us feel that some of the above reasons (excuses) are really legitimate, particularly #1. However, exercising actually helps alleviate stress and fatigue. Studies have shown that exercise improves your mood, helps you manage your weight, boosts your energy and helps you sleep better. It can actually be fun too. Coupled with a healthy diet, we might start feeling good – and less stressed. When we take care of ourselves, it starts to spill over to other parts of our lives. You start feeling good about being healthy, you start to look better and your confidence increases. Many times, I've recommended that clients look at their diet and start incorporating some form of exercise to help alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety. It's a lot more difficult to fixate on your anxiety about work/money/relationships/whatever when you are concentrating on not falling off the stairmaster.

Here are 7 signs that it might be time to revamp your diet and start sweating to the oldies:

1. You have a case of booty-do (that's when your gut sticks out more than your booty do).
2. You get winded walking from the couch to the fridge.
3. You get asked when you are due...and you're not pregnant...because you're a dude.
4. You can't bend over to tie your shoes.
5. You notice that all your pants have an elastic waistband.
6. You eat vegetables of the fried variety.
7. Water is for bathing, not drinking.

In all seriousness, if you've noticed that you've gained a noticeable amount of weight in a short amount of time, you may want to go to the doctor to get checked out to make sure there's nothing wrong.

Some of us have been fortunate to be naturally thin and can eat what we want without worrying too much about it. Eventually, those kind of habits have a way of catching up to us as we get older and our metabolism slows down, especially for women. Thin also does not equal fit or healthy. I once had a roommate (CB) who was quite thin, but had zero muscle tone and had the worst eating habits. Entenmann's coffee cake is not a meal! For those of us who are not naturally thin, it means we have to work(out) a little bit harder to maintain a healthy weight. This also applies to men – as you get older, playing basketball once a week is not going to be enough to sustain a healthy weight. Although beauty is the eye of the beholder, a beer gut is really not sexy, no matter what you've heard.

If you've decided this year is the year – no, really, you really mean it this year, for reals – to get in shape and lose that freshman 15 from 10 years ago, I wish you the best of luck. Share it with your support network so someone else will hold you accountable. Mix it up, so you don't get bored and it helps to keep track of what you eat. Most importantly, feel good about what you're doing; it's very difficult to make changes, even when they are in our best interests.