Customization seems to be the name of the game. It has become such a phenomenon lately. Everywhere you go, you’re faced with choice:
- Honey oat or wheat bread as the base of your Subway? 6” or foot long?
- A red skin for your Blackberry or blue? The iPhone or Blackberry?
- Skimmed milk or soy milk in your Starbucks frap?
- Row A, E, L, or J at the cinema?
- Customized Jimmy Choos with a 4″ or 5″ inch heel? Back strap or no?
The number of various options that we are faced with on a daily basis is overwhelming. Personally I love it- if I’m paying, why not actually enjoy what it is that my money is going towards. That being said, I’ll have a tall, mocha light frap with no cream, easy on the ice but NOT double blended (Servers’ nightmare right here :roll:).
Similarily, I think our nutritional and exercise plans need to suit our specific needs rather than merely ‘go with the flow’. Don’t just get on the latest bandwagon because everybody and their grandmother seem to be successful with it. Loads of people ask me what I eat every day and how much exercise I do etc. Of course I love sharing what works for me but it doesn’t mean it’s a one-size-fits-all scenario. Personally, I like love food and would rather exercise that bit more so that I can eat a normal slice of cake . I like to eat carbs with my dinner. I like to write down what I eat so it keeps me somewhat in check.
To that end, don’t just drink a shake here, attend a billion exercise classes there, and hope it all falls into place. Instead to make your weight-related goals more attainable, personalize the plethora of ‘diet’ rules available so that it fits around your life and not vice versa. There’s no point starting something if keeping up with it seems unlikely once the honeymoon period is over.
I came across an article by the magazine Prevention which presents numerous suggestions on how to devise a healthy eating plan that ‘follows the rules’, and suggestions on how to incorporate them into your life. It’s unlikely that all their recommendations will be up your alley, so the idea is to take in those that are and just work around the rest. While the idea of rewarding yourself with a gold star for every serving of veggies that you pack in may seem preposterous, adding a serving of protein to your lunch may be just what you need to avoid the 4pm munchies. To read more of their suggestions, click here.
Enlighten me: what works for YOU?