It's another year, another fresh start! Another list of resolutions and/or goals. As my friends blab away via Facebook status that they terribly need to rapidly lose weight after the holidays' grand feasts, I lean back on my pillow, pet my bulging tummy and think to myself, wow, these guys are nuts. I wonder what magic pill or method they'll be doing to lose the so called "weight".
Instant weight loss is very much advertised today, as if saying, "YOU'RE THAT UGLY AND FAT! Don't waste any more time torturing us with what we see -- CHANGE HOW YOU LOOK NOW!!!" It's funny how some people are easily persuaded with these false ads. It's such a waste of buck. Yeah sure, I've saved my allowance to purchase these weight loss "wonders". From bangkok pills to slimming coffees, I spared no product that promised a slimmer figure or a smaller waist. However, after the yoyo weight craze, I've finally let go of the pseudo faith that one of these products will lower the number on the scale and KEEP IT THERE.
Just before 2009 ended, I promised to appreciate my body more and I have fulfilled it. I've learned how to look at myself [naked] in front of the mirror and smile, and totally not feel abnormal that I have a stomach, a big, fluffy one, in that case. This year, I'm stepping up my game. I'm going to LOVE my body and make it happy.
So what am I yapping about? Well, this is kinda' HUGE for me since I have never really done this... But this year, I am committing to exercise. No, not to lose weight ('cos I honestly think my body is as fine as a model's ;) again, confidence is key, hehe), but to be healthy. Since I'm way past the body appreciation phase, I am going to strive to make my body smile and energetic and most of all -- healthy. I do not want to do this to lose weight. Sure, it may be the side effect of physical activity, but it is not my motive nor my initial purpose of conquering this commitment. I am still going to eat whatever I want and bond with my favorite people over food, for this is one of the things I take pleasure in. All I want is to sweat a bit and find it easier to get up when my bossy sister orders me to do stuff around. I have found myself frowning over the past years because of how much of a sloth I can be. Trust me, it wasn't funny.
Exercise is a great way to regulate your mood, release your anger and/or stress, and feel stimulated. I have been at it for almost a week now and I find myself more alert and energetic (SO energetic that my sister has been forcing me to mellow out).
Having been said my piece, here's an excerpt from an article I found in Reader's Digest Asia last April 2009 that really made me sigh out a relief after reading it:
13 Things You Need to Know About Your Weight
1. Honestly it's really genetic
IN A NUTSHELL : There had been a research on people's vulnerability towards Diabetes, and a so called fatso gene popped up. Today, it's called FTO (to be more polite, I think). People with two copies of this gene is 40% percent more likely to have Diabetes 60% more prone to be obese. The good thing about it? It can be countered by exercise.
2. Some people just have more fat cells
IN A NUTSHELL: Fat cells store up MORE FAT in your body, and no matter how many times your weight changes, your fat cells' count is constant. Some people are blessed/cursed with these cells, some are not.
This article was contributed much by Steve Blair, a short, fat, bald man (weighs 91 kilograms, stands 165 centimeters) who claims he is a lot healthier than people ought to think. He runs 40 kilometers a week, eats six to eight servings of fruits and vegetables a day and avoids processed and fatty foods. He states that he is a living example of how fat doesn't play fair.
I really think it's essential for people wanting or trying to lose weight to know and UNDERSTAND these facts, so that they don't go killing themselves attempting to be a size 2 when their body's smallest possible size is a 12. And I sincerely say THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT. It's okay to want to lose weight, but for what reasons? Weight stopped being about health a long, long, loooong time ago. I say check your motives, be realistic with your goals (don't you find it stupid when people declare they'll lose 20 pounds in a month when they've never engaged in any form of physical activity?) and never ever (EVER!!!) compare your body to someone else's. Please.
So kudos to all who are acting righteously in line with their health goals this new year! I hope you guys get to stick with your commitments. Remember, it's an everyday submission to a choice. :)
Cheers to a healthy 2010!
Plump love,
Danah