The Importance of Being Persistent

One of my prior posts was about habits and it strikes me that they represent mindless persistence.  On the flipside, mindful persistence is a good thing in all areas of life, from raising children to maintaining relationships to succeeding at work to improving your health.

A weight-loss message that I’ve been seeing and hearing a lot lately is actually one that has been around for a long time and is very simple:  You have to expend more calories than you consume in order to lose weight.  Diet fads come and go and the bottom line is that most people will lose weight on most of them because they are cutting calories, and likely reducing processed foods and saturated fats to boot.  The key to losing weight on any diet is persistence, willpower, stick-to-it-ive-ness, or whatever you want to call it!  And after the weight is off, it’s important to establish a healthy maintenance diet heavy on vegetables, fruits, lean proteins, and good fats.     

A recent article in the Philadelphia Inquirer summarizes all of this nicely and emphasizes the importance of accountability and support, too (see link to article below).  Accountability can be to yourself, by keeping track of everything you eat and weighing yourself frequently, so that you can act quickly if your weight loss stalls or you backslide.  “One of the major differences between the average-weight person and the overweight person is the ability to recover from overeating,” the article states.  Being accountable to someone else is also a powerful incentive and ideally includes getting support from that person, whether it’s a friend, family member, or health coach.  I try to provide holistic nutrition education, warm support and gentle accountability to help my health coaching clients reach their weight loss and other important wellness goals.   

We’ve all heard the phrase, “Eat less, Move more,” and while both suggestions are worthwhile, recent research has shown that they address different goals.  Persistently eating less is the most effective way to take pounds off, while establishing a regular exercise routine is particularly important for keeping those pounds off.  “Exercise is the single best predictor of who keeps weight off and who doesn’t,” the Inquirer article states.  Exercise revs up metabolism and improves overall health, and it helps people maintain muscle mass, which tends to decrease as we age.  And of course, a toned body looks and feels better too.   

So if you’re interested in losing some weight, find a diet that works for your body and lifestyle, stick with it, and develop an exercise routine that you love, and stick with that too.  You’ll be glad you did!   

www.philly.com/philly/health/20120221_New_science_can_help_guide_diets_and_exercise.html