The other bad four-letter word

We all grow up learning ‘Bad’ four letter words. I have got a new one for you that you probably did not think of as a ‘Bad’ or ‘Dirty’ word. The dirty word is DIET!

And for many of us here in America, Diet is a horrible word. It means that we can not eat whatever we want. It means that we have to follow some restrictive guidelines telling us what we can eat or we fall victim to some pre-packaged nursing home food, as a friend of mine put it.

In the 1990’s, approximately 63 percent of men and 55 percent of women were overweight. Today in the year 2008, obesity is the second leading cause of Preventable death here in America. The key word here being preventable. When are we ever going to learn? When are we going to learn that nothing in life comes easy?

If it was so easy we would be a Nation of skinny people, but that we are not. If you want something, you have got to work for it. Money, cars, boyfriends, girlfriends, kids, nice cozy lifestyles, luxurious homes, etc. are things that you have got to work for in order to have them. No one gives them to you. The Money fairy is not going to come down and give you squat. The same goes for your health.

So many of us take that for granted, and then one day: Wham! you end up with a stent or something put in you in order to make your heart beat. Or maybe the doctor says, ‘you have got to start losing some weight or you may not be here next year.’ This is a harsh reality and I know several people who have heard that from their doctor or now have a stent.

Obesity has hit America hard! We are no longer the Nation of ‘Hold the pickle hold the lettuce.’ We are now the nation of ‘can I Super Size this’? or ‘Biggie Size that.’ ‘Biggie’ size is also what we have become.

Over 40 billion dollars are spent on some sort of weight loss program or gimmick every year. When are people going to realize that it is a Lifestyle change, not a Diet that is going to keep the weight off? In the Greek language ‘diaita’ or diet in the English language means way of life. Hello! ‘Way of life!’

Here at USA GYM, we have a lady who recently joined and has lost over 60 pounds. In October 2007, while playing with her granddaughter, she noticed that she was short of breath and that she had difficulty breathing. She thought, and I quote, ‘If I don’t make a change, I will not be here to see my granddaughter grow up.’

It was at that point that she CHANGED HER LIFESTYLE! Did she follow a diet program? NO. Did she take Diet Pills? NO. Did she cut out her Carbs? NO.

What she did was to start paying attention to what she was eating, and she started exercising. Was it hard? Of course it was! The first month, she started by walking for 30 minutes to 1 hour. The second month (Nov. 2007), she started lifting weights.

Now five and a half months later she has lost over 60 pounds and her Body Fat percentage has dropped 7 percent. Her friends ask, ‘what kind of Diet are you on?,’ she replies, ‘I’m not on a Diet, I am just not eating all those fattening foods anymore, it’s not worth it.’

This is a perfect example of an overweight person making that Lifestyle Change that I preach about so much. Making a change not only for herself, but for her granddaughter, and her family. It is not that hard! It does take some effort and time, but is your Life not worth it? Is your family not worth it?

Just make a commitment today to go outside and start walking. In addition by adding a weight lifting routine, it can help you to burn the fat faster. Haven’t you heard of the Biggest Loser?

Remember, you can send me questions to Paige Northcutt, P.O. Box 7281, McMinnville, TN 37111, or e-mail me at [email protected] subject Fitness Question. Happy Easter!