Healthy Ways Of Losing And Gaining Weight / Question
Published: February 23, 2001
Dear TeenHealthFX,
I'm a 14-year-old female who is 5'7", 134 pounds. I am not anorexic or anything but I would like to start eating healthier and exercising. There is a gym I can walk to and I belong to but getting myself to do it is the problem, I always tell myself I will but then up not. Do you have an actual diet I could start sticking to for a while with things that don't take long to prepare!!
Signed: I Want To Be Happier With My Body
Dear I Want To Be Happier With My Body,
TeenHealthFX applauds your desire to take better care of your body. The reason most diets fail is because they are too difficult to maintain. The best thing you could do is to eat healthy. Developing healthy eating habits are easier to maintain because they become part of your daily routine. You will find that when your goal is to eat good foods you feel less guilty when you indulge, then when you stray from a strict diet. No one expects you to be perfect but eating right is a good way to treat your body.
In addition to eating healthy, regular exercise is also very important. If you were to check with most gyms you would find that a significant number of their total enrollment is inactive. Many people have good intentions about going to the gym but never seem to make it. They do not want to cancel their membership because that would be conceding defeat.
Try making a commitment to yourself that you will work out on a regular basis for 3 months. Be reasonable about how much you will do and how often you go. If you set the bar to high you will make it harder for yourself to succeed. Hopefully after three months the gym will be part of your routine and something you look forward to on a regular basis. That old saying "No pain, no gain", is true. However, in the beginning it may seem like all pain and no gain. So hang in there, the results will come.
You may also want to consider other activities besides the gym:
- Taking a brisk 1 mile walk a few times a week (ask a friend to join you to help keep you motivated!)
- Buy an aerobics tape and do the work out at home
TeenHealthFX also wants you to realize that for your height, your weight is just right!
Signed: TeenHealthFX
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