There is no magic pill....

Today my husband and I were at Hastings.  We rented a movie and then decided to kill some time and go and look for a book that my pastor has been referencing at church.  Lately, I have been really interested in health and fitness books, so I made sure to swing by that section as well.  I couldn't believe it.  I was, and still am blown away by how many "diet" books are polluting our bookshelves.  Who buys these things?  I know...I know....alot of people do.  Well...I'm here to tell ya....there is no "magic pill"!


I've been down that road....alot!  I've done the Atkins diet and read books about the South Beach diet and had friends who did the cabbage soup diet.  These diets give you quick results, but they quickly fade and then you blow up like the Goodyear Blimp.  Any diet, no matter who endorses it, no matter what celebrity swears by it, must involve physical activity and good, nutritious food choices.  If not...it's CRAP!  Take the Atkins diet craze that hit a few years ago.  I tried it...so there is no judgment here.  That diet had people, myself included, believing that eating cheeseburger patties, bacon, sausage, eggs, and cheese were good for you.  It convinced you to give up fruit!  What person in their right mind thinks that this diet could truly be effective in the long run?


Diets like these, and the people who support them, are hoping to prey on people who are exhausted with being overweight....people who are busy and think they don't have time to work out or plan a healthy eating schedule.  Diet gurus are hoping that you're just ignorant enough to buy into their lies.  Eating better and being physically active must become priorities.  I know that people are busy and our lives are hectic.  Finding time to go to the gym or cook healthy meals is a struggle, I know.  However, for the things that are important in our lives, we make time.  It's a matter of what is important to you.


Another reason these fad diets seem to be so popular is that it's audience is ignorant to what is best for them.  I don't say that in a condescending way, I'm still learning these things myself.  If you don't know what your body needs to stay healthy and what your body needs to be doing to stay active, then it's very easy to be swayed by diet books promising you quick results with minimal effort.  We all know better, but we buy into it anyway.  More often than not, if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.


Getting healthy can also be a little scary.  You are so afraid that you're going to have to give up everything you once loved and live at the gym and life as you know it will cease to exist.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  When my husband and I were at Hastings today, looking at the health/fitness books, he said to me "I don't want you becoming a health nut!"  I'm not sure, but I assume he says that because he's afraid I'll turn our house into a farmer's market and  never cook another good-tasting meal for the rest of our lives.  People are afraid of what they don't know.  That's why it's so important to read up....find out what is good for you.  Talk to your doctor.  Read literature that comes from a credible source, not just any old book lying around.  Do your research.  Knowledge is power.


Last, but not least, stay active.  Even the best eating habits won't get you nearly as far if you don't get moving.  There are so many pluses to exercise, I don't have time to list them all.  And once you start, you'll become addicted and you'll need that exercise to feel good.  I know that it's hard to work out at the end of a long day at work, but we all need to do it.  Just like laundry, or showering, it must be done.  It's like that old saying "Anything worth having is worth fighting for!"  It won't be easy, but the good stuff never is.