Proactive health

Published in the Idaho State Journal and Blackfoot Morning News week of September 26, 2010

We’re entering our prime eating season, starting when Halloween candy and baking supplies line the shelves in mid-September, and lasting until the chocolate in the heart-shaped boxes finally disappears by end of February. That’s six months of hard-core eating cycles. Everyone’s afraid of gaining weight and turning into mush during the holidays, but the yumminess and lethargy of fall and winter can be offset with a little discipline and balance. Discipline and balance we should start practicing now, because that kind of thing doesn’t happen overnight.

This is not a very proactive culture; we love solving problems, and most of the time we can only do that if we create problems. It might seem strange to be thinking of Christmas dinner in September, but the holiday retail machine is kicking into high gear and it’s going to be forced upon our consciousness soon enough anyway. The idea of being proactive is seeing the result you want well in advance, and taking the time that is necessary to make it happen. Instead of visualizing how you’re going to lose all that weight after the peak eating and laying-around-watching-football seasons, why not implement a plan so you don’t worry about weight-gain in the first place?

One way is start a moderate exercise pattern of some sort, and assuming it’s always more fun to exercise outdoors, there’s no better time to start than when we’re finally not driven inside by 10:00 am because of the summer heat. In a four-season climate, the opportunities for comfortable outdoor exercise are nearly always on the brink of transition—it’s always going to become too hot or too cold pretty soon. Fortunately, at the same time we are beckoned by candy corn and peanut butter chews, we are also beckoned by brightly colored leaves covering sidewalks and forested trails and sunny, not-too-warm days. You don’t have to train for the Olympics or maneuver yourself around strange metal machines to develop a taste for exercise. A really simple way to fight the gravity of your couch is to take a walk. Challenge those knees, stretch those stiff legs. Take a comfortable walk a few times a week, now while the weather is her most flexible and forgiving. Maybe break into a jog if you’re so inclined. Enjoy those deep breaths, meditate on your heartbeat.

Now’s also a good time to examine your grocery list. How many natural foods with only a few ingredients are on it? It doesn’t cost a fortune to have a healthy diet—whole wheat pastas and breads, beans, produce, and low-processed sweet or salty snacks likely stand up dollar to dollar against frozen dinners, sugared/fortified/subsidized/pre-prepared food items, and discount drive-thru menus. I’m as likely to indulge in the ice cream aisle or eat lunch in my car as the next person, but I know what’s coming during the next several months. I want a countertop lined with treats to be the exception rather than the rule. I want to bust a gut with friends and family and not have a guilty thought. I want to build my craving for a brisk walk outside so I’ll take advantage of the warm spells of winter. The way to do that is to establish a healthy baseline now.

Excessive eating and marathon channel-surfing only becomes a problem if it becomes your routine. Take advantage of the bounty and beauty of the fall season to build up good beliefs and habits that still exist come spring. Onward!

Nancy Goodman is a licensed counselor with an emphasis on life and career coaching. For questions or to schedule a free consultation (in-person or over the telephone), please contact Nancy at 208-406-3234 or goodnanc@yahoo.com. http://vocatusidaho.blogspot.com.