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SparkPeople: Weekly Community Highlight
  Week of 4/23/2009 - Featured Blog Post

Lifestyle: That Word Kept Me Up All Night
TURFGIRL


So last night I was having problems sleeping. One of those nights where you just can't turn off your pesky brain.

I have been struggling with food again. One of my goals lately was not tracking so much, as this is all supposed to be a "lifestyle" change. Before my great brainstorm last night, to me lifestyle = unconscious decision making. This meant to me that I don't have to track my calories, and magically I will want to eat a carrot over a piece of cake. I guess I finally came to realize that is NEVER going to happen.

Then I thought of other "lifestyles" out there. If someone chose to be a vegetarian or an environmentalist they would be making conscious decisions all day everyday to support their lifestyle. They are not going to hope what they are eating doesn't have animal products in it- they are going to make sure it doesn't. An environmentalist is not going to throw their plastic bottle in the garbage can, hoping it somehow gets recycled. They are going to make sure it gets recycled.

So if my "lifestyle" is to be fit and fabulous, then I need to make conscious decisions to support that everyday. That means I need to keep track of what I put in my mouth and how much I exercise to balance and keep my body healthy. I need to know that the cake tastes better than a carrot but the carrot is better for me in the long run.

We live in a world where honestly, a healthy lifestyle is not the norm. We are bombarded with ads for junk and surrounded by things that are making our lives more and more lethargic. I need to make conscious decisions to make the right choices. We grow up with treats being fast food and candy... not with treats being celery and broccoli.

There is no magic.




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