Resolutions vs. reality
Dear readers,
If you're anything like me then, over the past 1.5 - 2 months, you've been stuffing your face (literally, with turkey's partner in crime) with everything from daily Starbucks' Eggnog Latte runs and the holiday cookies in your office, to all of the sweet 'n savories in between (honey-baked ham, warm artichoke dip, chips & salsa, mulled wine, pecan pie, chocolates, macaroni & cheese, green bean casserole, biscuits, fully-loaded breakfast burritos, bacon, fish-bowl sized margaritas, cheese enchiladas, chile con queso, holiday party hors d'oeuvres, sopapillas, greasy beef tacos, BBQ, steak, fully-loaded baked potatoes...shall I continue? Nah, you get the point.). Whew!
And, here we are, on the cusp of New Year's Eve - looking back, reflecting upon 2010 and wondering, "How can I make 2011 my best year yet?" Come Saturday, and the first few weeks that follow, local gyms will be bursting at the seam with new members eager to make their weight loss and exercise goals a reality. I can't help but wonder, while strolling past a New York Sports Club or Equinox, how long the average resolution lasts. Two weeks? One month? If I walk past the same gym-at the same time-in exactly one month from Saturday, will I see more vacant elliptical machines and treadmills? For argument's sake, let's say I do. My question is, how can we make our resolutions last longer?
Among the laundry list of goals that I have set for myself, one of the most important is, like everyone else on the planet, to get healthy. This encompasses many aspects because, aside from losing weight, I'd like to focus on eating more natural foods, exercising, and taking time out for myself. I spend so much time and energy on, well, basically everyone but me. Does that mean I hope to become more selfish? Perhaps.
Recently, my sister successfully completed 21-days on the "Clean Program," and another friend of mine is considering the Blue Print Cleanse. Having heard the word "cleanse" so often that I want to scream, I decided to do a bit of research. "Would I be an ideal 'cleanse' candidate?" I wondered. Low and behold, I came across Bon Apetit's version. "How hard could a gourmet food magazine's cleanse be?" I chuckled.
For any of you out there that have similar health goals + a full-time job + a life spent living paycheck to paycheck, I want you to have a look at Bon Apetit's Food Lovers Cleanse. Go ahead, read through the recipes and their fancy ingredients. Now, be honest and ask yourself: Do I have the time and/or funds available to make each meal for two consecutive weeks?
Well, do you?
For those of you who live anywhere other than New York City or Los Angeles, where in the hell are you going to procure such ingredients as "Pomegranate Molasses?" If you said "the internet," then I'll commend your answer. But, if you order these exotic products online, are you willing to wait the extra week or two to receive them? What about having to pay the exorbitant shipping fees?
Well, are you?
If so, then I am jealous of your time and money. For the rest of us schmucks, I suppose that our only answer lies in losing weight the old-fashioned way. It's going to be grueling for me to have to eat oatmeal for breakfast instead of a cream cheese-schmeared bagel - grilled fish and veggies for dinner instead of pizza - and opt-out of that second glass of wine at happy hour, but enough is enough. It's high time for me to regain control without regaining the weight. After all, nothing good in life comes easy.
And with that, dear readers, I wish you the happiest New Year. May 2011, truly, be our best yet! Until next year...
…
Until we eat again,
Lindsay, The Lunch Belle