You know when you are on a plane and they tell you that in the case of an emergency, if you have small children that you need to secure your oxygen mask first? Well, I think that applies to most situations. As parents if we don’t take care of ourselves first then we aren’t able to best take care of our family.
Sometimes I forget this simple rule. I think most of us forget. We pour so much energy into our kids or spouse and forget to take care of ourselves first. Have you ever heard someone with multiple kids say that they still haven’t gotten rid of their “baby weight” from their last pregnancy…but their youngest is 4!? They just don’t have the energy to get healthy, I get it! We can easily get caught up in life and are just too tired to spend the time on ourselves.
Being a mom is hard and no one can do it on their own. For the majority of us, the same goes with losing weight. We need a support system. We need a cheerleader. We need an accountability partner.
Doing anything with someone else is always easier, especially if you are trying to do something that’s difficult…and losing weight (for most women) is very hard.
I had been putting off getting healthy for a long time. It was easier to eat what I wanted and to skip working out. BUT, I was not healthy and it was getting worse every year that passed. So I found a few friends who were in the same boat as me; we are helping each other and seeing results.
I was a complete soda addict. Soda is anything but good for you and I knew it, but like I said… I was ADDICTED to regular (high sugar) soda. I’ve tried to quit in the past but after a day or two I would give up. Having accountability has helped me kick the habit but it was NOT easy. I had a really bad headache for two days and a lingering headache for about a week. Now I’m drinking a ton of water and feel so much better.
Here’s how our accountability system works, for anyone wanting to start your own:
1. We meet once a week for a weigh in. This has to be in person (remember you want that accountability). I’ll admit, this can be a little embarrassing but worth it in the long run.
2. We set up a reward system. Our reward is based on a month’s worth of results. We take the person who has lost the biggest percentage of weight out for a healthy lunch.
3. We have an ongoing text chain. If one of us is having a bad day, we can ask for encouragement. It is also great to share our small accomplishments….like I went to a birthday party with my daughter and didn’t have cake! 🙂
4. Keep it going. We are doing this for an entire year, but you can choose how long you want to continue the weigh ins. Our goal is to make “being conscious of what we are eating” and exercising a HABIT. Getting into a habit of being healthy will keep you going.
By the way, the best way to lose weight is controlling what goes into your body. You can work out but if you aren’t changing what you eat and drink, you will never see the results you want. Having a support system can mean the difference between meeting your goals and falling flat on your face. If you are serious about getting healthy, set up a system to help you succeed!