Happy New Year, here's what I suggest

Wow, a year ago today the Little Book of Thin was released. I was holed up in my apartment reviewing and reviewing for a Today show segment. I wasn’t thinking resolutions. Yesterday I was pretty free and spent some time reading resolution advice. Time magazine suggested resolutions work better when you “fork over cash”.  The Daily Good referenced Seinfeld’s comedy writing and suggested picking something you can do every day and to focus on the doing versus the results (liked that). Anyway you frame it though, the resolution success rates (under 10%) are almost as grim as weight loss statistics. “Nobody keeps their resolutions, nobody loses weight long-term". In 2014, I would’ve said those comments make me want to punch the doubters in the face but since it’s the first day of the year (and one of my personal goals is calmness) instead I’ll just say let’s prove those pessimists wrong.

What I know for sure in this department:

A year is a long time- start with a January commitment. I know, I know you’re super motivated and want to put the "holiday heft" behind you right away but commit for January and then reassess, even switch the goal. 

Track- there is a whole movement called The Quantified Self which can get a little carried away (sensors in our mattresses, really?) but there is a value to tracking and gathering data about yourself. First, activity trackers like my beloved Fitbit take little to no effort on your part in order to track your activity or water drinking. And just the act of tracking has a positive influence on your behavior. Psych people- isn’t this called the Hawthorne Effect? This is provided you’re not too judgy with yourself.. Keeping a food journal is another easy way to improve your behaviors. I think this is why people like our Foodstalking program.

Cooking- if you really want to make changes with your health and your weight, you need to cook. You don’t need to be a chef, you don’t need lots of equipment but you need to scramble eggs or roast vegetables or just take pride in buying the best ingredients you can. This connects you to your food and let’s you control what goes in your body. I was watching a show last night Booze Traveler (not very resolutiony but I’m obsessed) and the host joked “this batch tastes better because I helped prepare it". Can you make your lunch once a week? Or even cut vegetables up on Sunday for the week?  In LBT I suggest making a green, a grain and a main (protein) if you really want to set yourself up for the week.

Repetition works. My most successful clients have “anchor” behaviors that they do over and over. These habits breed confidence and also don’t require much deliberation. If we’re talking cooking, boil half a dozen eggs or roast Brussels sprouts once a week. Maybe there are one or two breakfasts you stick to like glue. And if you’re thinking that sounds boring? I only suggested a January pledge, for Feb you can switch it up.

If you’re on the fence about making changes. I loved this comment on a post earlier this week. This was from Andrew of the Wellness Notes blog

Whenever I gain some weight, I know that something is "going on" in my life. It's always a reflection of something being slightly off. So, no, I am never truly okay or happy when I'm heavier because it's actually a reflection of the other "stuff" that's going on.

And two other notes

First, stay tuned for information in our Monday newsletter on our Whipping Week. One week, super strict, kinda fun. Many of us need a nutritional whipping.

And second, I’m starting to write the proposal for book #2. I picked up Frank Lipman’s new book The New Health Rules (quick healthy snippets)  and “Do Something You Love for at Least 10 Minutes a Day” stuck with me. I love writing…so we’ll see.

Happy New Year to you. There are times when I feel “should I blog?” Or I feel guilty that I don’t give the blog as much attention as I used to but your comments and feedback are so interesting to me.

What do you think about resolutions? Are you a tracker? Do you cook? What do you love to do?

On Track

Monday I focused on The Real Housewives. To prove I have varied tastes today’s post was inspired by a New York Times article. Before you give me credit, know this piece was clipped from Sunday Styles. Despite my RHONY embarrassment I know, via Google Analytics tracking, that many of you read the Ramona post. And I know from the “United States ofMetrics” that sixty-nine percent of Americans track their weight, diet or exercise. So there’s lots of tracking going on.

In addition to Google Analytics, at any given point I know my Fitbit steps (only 44 but it’s 5:30AM), water intake (8oz going up to 80, fingers crossed) and Instagram followers (2120, Snack Queen is to blame for this obsession). I used to care about Twitter but I’m newer to Instagram and yes even for me it seems there are only so many things one can track. Feiler writes, “we are awash in numbers. Data is everywhere. Old-fashioned things like words are in retreat; numbers are on the rise.”

I find numbers fun and motivating but you have to be careful. I take a spin classes at a place called Flywheel. While the other popular NYC studio focuses on “Soul”, Flywheel has metrics. You are guided through class with suggestions for torq and rpm (revolutions per minute). There’s even an optional torq board showing how you stack up versus others and you get a total number at the end of the session. If that’s not enough if you hit 3,000 for the month you “powered up” and receive a congratulatory email and a tank top. I don’t always love the tank but the e-patontheback? Fantastic.

When I started Flywheel, my total number wasn’t even on par with the lowest number on the board. I persevered and eventually felt confident to opt into the board. I continued to take classes and improve my scores and then something happened. One day, from the start of class it was clear something was off, my score seemed higher. This improvement wasn’t attributed to my fitness but to an “easy” bike. My total was tremendous and even knowing it was an error didn’t detract from my euphoria.

A couple of classes later spin karma struck and I was suddenly on the hardest bike in the world. I was working twice as hard and couldn’t even achieve my usual scores. I was frustrated and complained to management. Depressed and lacking confidence, I took myself off of the board.

But technology can be fun, for some more fun than others. I learned in the Times article that the Spreadsheet app calculates the length of sexual encounters…um no thanks. Tracking has its limits. I have been burned by a malfunctioning GPS watch malfunctioning during a marathon and on a bumpy boat ride my Fitbit mistook bumps for steps.

And all the nutrition apps in the world cannot assess what made you eat the 400 additional calories after dinner or why you tend to blow it on the weekends. I seriously hope we don’t have to choose one or the other because I still like words and conversation. I’m even trying to take Richard Branson’s advice to use the phone more (and email less). Wait, is there an app for that?

Are you a tracker or not so much? Which apps or devices do you use? Do you know anyone who uses Spreadsheet, c’mon tell me.