Marathon Diva

This is a four-letter word.

At the risk of stating the obvious, diets don't work.  Ever.  Period. 

Being on a diet is like running a race with a finish line.  The runner trains by reducing calorie intake, eating only certain foods, eliminating others altogether, and exercising to excess.  At the race, she sprints as fast as humanly possible, crosses the finish line, and then collapses with exhaustion and relief that it's over.

 

Goal met!  Wearing a smaller size!  Woot woot!  Unfortunately, since she's only trained for the short run, she relapses into unhealthy behaviors...until she decides to train for another race, that is, and the vicious cycle continues.  It's no surprise that this kind of restrictive regimen is extremely unhealthy, unbalanced, unsuccessful and one which cannot be sustained.

Say it with me, Divas!

Another runner decides to get in a race, too.  This person has made a commitment to make lifelong changes with eating, exercise and personal peace and balance.  She is mentally prepared with a "progress, not perfection" mindset.  Determined, she tackles one task at a time and begins to walk slowly.  With each new behavior and cognitive improvement, the runner progresses from walking faster to jogging at a pace that is sustainable.  She's running towards good health. 

She has a solid plan to deal with falling off course (she is human, after all):  Get up, put the stumble behind her, get back in the groove, and continue to move forward.  Soon, with practice, the run becomes a healthy lifestyle which sustains her between those occasional stumbles.  Best of all, she is proud of herself for the progress she makes every day, and actually enjoys how good it feels to be running a marathon...one with no finish line.

Anyone care to join me in the long run?

(c) Robyn Posson 2012