In the past eight years, I have been 20 pounds heavier and 15 pounds lighter than I am at this moment. Both can be attributed to two words: Iowa City. When I first moved there, I didn’t know how to balance the pizza and beer with the rest of my life. After it hit me that I had ripped my fattest pair of fat jeans, I knew I needed to cool it.
I attribute being my thinnest to three things: first, I had an incredibly thin friend whose energy level was through the roof. Keeping up with her just made me skinny. Second, I got mono. I was skeletal. People would pinch my skinny arms. Yuck. Third, Iowa City is a pedestrian city. I would say it’s actually hostile for drivers (read: parking tickets, GOOD LORD). You want to study at a coffee shop? You walk or drive there. You lose weight on accident.
I’ve had multiple friends who, after they get over the initial pizza/beer fat, shrunk down to their thinnest because IC promotes an extremely active lifestyle. Common questions for Iowa City folk: “So, are you on drugs? Or do you have an eating disorder?”
“Uh… I walk to class?”
At the beginning of this year, I realized something… I need to not gain weight every year for the rest of my life. Yes, I’m a healthy size, right now, I thought. But at January 1, I was a full ten pounds heavier than I was at 20 (I have seven more pounds to go. Think of it. I’d gained a bowling ball). And no, it’s not muscle. At that rate, I would be another ten pounds heavier at 30. By the time I’m forty, another twenty pounds. That is not going to fly with me.
My birthday is on Easter this year. Today marks the first day of Lent. Now, I’m not Catholic, but what a good timeframe for a goal, don’t you think?
For the most part, I live a healthy lifestyle. It’s hard for me to say, “Oh, I can give up candy (pop, chips, junk, etc),” because I don’t usually have that stuff. I guess I can cool it on the booze, but I’ve probably indulged twice in the past 30 days. It would be a marginal impact if I said I was giving up any of those things. What do you do when there really isn’t anything tangible/useful to “give up?”
Well, I asked myself, “What else?” Answer: this will be the year that I give up laziness. Except when my 25th birthday rolls around, my goal is to have given it up for good.
PLAN:
- If I’m watching bad television, I MUST be on a treadmill.
- Unless running more than 15 minutes late (weather permitting) I will walk to work.
- I will prep my food when I get home from the grocer. I will prepare 75% of what I eat.
- No restaurant meals unless I’ve walked an additional 45 minutes, or walk to the restaurant.
- My friends and I will plan active dates. No more sitting around, kids! (I can feel myself losing friends…Great.)
What else can I add? Add any helpful suggestions in the comments. I really want to make a permanent (not so painful I’ll quit) change. Not just because I don’t want to be a porky, frump-zilla, hoody-wearing “I Gave Up” 30-year-old, but because I don’t want to be at higher risk for a plethora of ailments.
What are you giving up for Lent?
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