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I've found that I feel better physically and mentally when I'm trying to LiveWell. I can definitely tell a difference in how I feel, I have more energy; I sleep better and wake up feeling more rested. I am also finding I'm gradually becoming stronger and more flexible. I feel much better about myself and my outlook on life is brighter. Most surprising to me is I'm actually enjoying cooking. I've always thrown food together because I had to and would never pass up the chance to go out. I was in a rut cooking the same, many times unhealthy, meals. Now I'm trying new recipes, having fun and it tastes good! I can't believe I'm saying this but I would actually rather stay home and cook than go out because it is easier to stay on track. i want to LiveWell because of the health benefits and also because I want to be able to enjoy my family more and longer. I don't have any physical ailments yet but I know they're just around the corner if I don't make some significant lifestyle changes. My husband has Type II Diabetes and I want to make the changes necessary to help him better contol his disease too. His blood sugars were beginning to climb; they are under control now and he has noticed a significant change in the way he feels. I know his physician will be both surprised and happy when he goes in to see him next month.
For me the most challenging thing about Living Well is TIME; taking the time necessary to do the things I need to do from meal planning and preparation, keeping track of what I'm eating, reading labels at the grocery store, to taking time to make exercise part of my daily activity. For me and my husband eating out is also very much a challenge. We try to select places where we can eat healthier but even those places are a challenge because we are still tempted to eat things we shouldn't. We try to decide before we get to the restaurant what we'll order and try to bring half home for another meal. When we're able to avoid temptation and make better choices we leave feeling stronger and better about ourselves. We recently joined St. Mary's Wellness Center which works well for us because we can go together, at the same time, but participate in the types of exercise that appeal to us individually. I think the biggest thing is to think about what we're doing and make it a priority.
I started the Bulge Busters group out of selfish reasons. I knew I needed to do something both for me and my husband. I need to be accountable to someone other than my husband on a daily basis and I knew I needed the help of others. Forming a group of co-workers seemed like the key. Others I work with had been mentioning wanting to lose weight and had belonged to groups before so I invited them to join. I decided to have it on the same day of the week the other group met and gave each one a personal invitiation. I purchased a box of colorful (blank inside) note-cards. I wrote their name on the front with a note telling them they could bring them to the meeting and us them to track their weight loss. I aslo gave them a Clementine that I called a fortune fruit. I made up some "fortunes" on my computer and cut them into strips that I could tape around the fruit and placed both the card and fruit on their desk. I asked each person to commit for 3 months. After 3 months we'll take a look at it and see if we want to continue. I'm hoping for a long term group commitment. As people began to talk about it I became aware of more people who might be interested and extended the same "invitation" to join. The first meeting was a success and each week we continue to get new people. We've even had people who don't work here ask to join. I think a key too is that there isn't a charge or fee to attend. I've tried to make it more than a weight loss group; it is more of a group to become healthier. One of our members celebrated her 1st anniversary (year) without a cigarette and we CELEBRATED! We celebrate any and all successes. I think it is important to make each member feel special and recognize each step large and small. I think having it a fun time, social time is also key. One week I brought a healthy lunch (soup, veggies, and dessert). That was a success and the group decided to take turns bringing lunch. We are enjoying wonderful meals together as well as getting new recipes to make at home. One week one of our members decided to bring a door prize, that also caught on so now someone volunteers to bring one each week for a drawing. We've made bracelets to track our calories, lbs, etc...anything that helps us get to our goal. At our last meeting we decided to schedule daily walks at lunchtime on all days except our meeting days. All of these things make us feel more connected and motivate us to stay on track.
Because we see one another on a daily basis we check-in with one another and offer praise or encouragement. We share our successess, fears, problems, recipes, and tips. We have members who bring samples of snacks they've found that help them or share magazine articles. We share cookbooks, magazines, books. Because we're growing and it is difficult to remember who has what we've established a roving library basket with a check-out sheet. We share telephone numbers so we can call one another at night or weekends if necessary. Some of us have buddies we exercise with and/or lean on. We walk together and encourage one another to become more active. One of the most important things we do is recognize when someone needs a little more encouragement than normal and give it. We also understand when we slide backwards but encourage one another to begin again.
It is great to have the support of a whole group. We all have days or weeks when it just doesn’t go the way we want it to go and thankfully those aren’t the same days/weeks for us all. Having a buddy is a great benefit but knowing a whole group is supporting you is tremendous. Being accountable to a whole group is helpful too. We weigh ourselves or have a weigh-in buddy and each report our weight loss during the meeting. We are going to begin to include weekly reports on individual goals (physical activity, smoking, relaxing, making better choices, etc). We combine our total weight loss each week; in just a few weeks we’ve lost almost as much as an entire person – that’s exciting!
Begin today. Don’t look back on yesterday and beat yourself up. Look at each day as a new day with new possibilities. Don’t focus on weight loss but on becoming healthier. Make just a few small changes at a time and believe in yourself. If you believe you can do it – you can – and will!
LiveWell is a wonderful resource right at our fingertips with an awesome staff willing and wanting to do all they can to help us live a healthier life; we all should take more advantage of them!
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