Spring Cleaning

Posted: May 12 in Health And Wellness by Dr. Lazarus

Going on a weight loss program always seems like such a chore – all those delicious foods that you have to pass by. All that time at the gym that you don’t like or didn’t have time for in the first place.

As spring settles in, why not take a different approach?

In her book “The magical art of tidying up,” Mari Kani takes a mundane chore that we all hate – house cleaning – and turns it into a wonderful, fun project. Instead of putting everything away only to have it reappear and have to be put away again a few days later, she looks at this as an opportunity to really think about what is important to you – and surround yourself with the things you love most. The rest of the stuff is junk and gets disposed of so it doesn’t keep causing you stress. The end result is a clutter-free house that you can’t wait to come home to every day, rather than a house filled with so much junk that walking into it raises your stress levels (and your appetite).

Why not approach your weight differently this time? Trying not to eat foods that are in front of you drives up appetite and stress and leads to over-eating later. Instead of this approach, think about what you want to gain in life. In Mari Kani’s approach to tidying up, you gain appreciation for the things in your life that are important to you, greater enjoyment of your house, and less stress. Can we approach weight management similarly?

I think so. We can follow a few simple steps:

• Declutter the house – why embark on a weight loss program and have a house filled with sabotages? That’s like a recovered alcoholic hanging around bars. Clear out the junk – if you don’t see it you won’t want it. This is a great time of year to gather all the “abnormal food” and donate it to a food shelter.
• Declutter your schedule – our time is precious. Think of all the things you are spending time on that you don’t really need to spend time on – smart phone, email, facebook, TV, magazines… Use time for YOU. Most of us are stressed out about all the things we have to do and how little time we actually have to do it. Make time by eliminating these huge time sinks to take care of yourself.
• Make a list of the things you really want to do – that excess weight is preventing you from doing. Instead of the goal of weight loss per se, set the goal to do those things. Examples may include: going zip lining in Costa Rica, going hiking with your kids or grandkids, being more comfortable in an airplane seat, having less knee pain, or having more energy. With those goals, we are shooting to gain something, not just to lose it.

Instead of a chore, let’s work on making weight loss more about finding improvements in health and happiness.  After all, isn’t that what this is all about?