Dear RHM- January 2016

By: Red Hot Mamas

Published: January 13, 2016

“We never repent of having eaten too little”

– Thomas Jefferson

Dear Red Hot Mamas,

Have you ever found yourself not able to slip into that perfect pair of jeans in your closet? When you’ve tried them on and have had to make a forcible entry into them, you look in the mirror, you feel like you look dumpy, your butt and thighs look thick, you become disillusioned and angry, so those jeans will just sit there never to be worn again.

So, then what do most of us do? We will reach in our closet and pull out the pants with that elastic waistband and put on a shirt or sweater which has an untucked look, which provides the casual concealment needed that won’t bring attention to our ever so changing waistline and weight gain at menopause.

Personally, what helps me is to clip and affix a picture of myself to the refrigerator door. The picture of myself is a reminder of my current fat migration (in my tummy, hips and thighs) and it reminds me that I can no longer disguise my weight and I need to also take a look at my no-exercise flaws. And, I need to say goodbye to those loose fit – elastic waistband pants of mine.

Some of my pearls of wisdom – Instead of getting aroused by pulling out the leftover pizza in your refrigerator or becoming highly aroused when your friend invites you out to one of those buffets, it’s time to take a look at the way you are eating and how much you are exercising. Here’s a link for you to review to understand healthy nutrition: http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/

Also, key is to exercise. I’ve got to be perfectly honest; at times, I make excuses, too. I’d like to know if you can you identify with some of my excuses for not exercising. Here’s my list of no-exercise excuses: “working out is boring; I hate working out alone; I’m way too busy to exercise; or I’m way too tired to exercise”. This is bull crap! And, the mall walks I do shopping for those baggy- fit, elastic waistband pants aren’t cutting it when I look at the picture affixed to my refrigerator door.

So, here are some tips to end those excuses – Get moving. Experts say you should get at least 10,000 steps per day. One idea is to park your car further at the end of the parking lot when you are food shopping or mall shopping. When you are on the phone, take a walk while you are talking. Just move!

Take a brisk 15 minute walk. This will make you feel energized and refreshed. Do housework. Changing bed linens, vacuuming and doing household chores is great exercise.   If you don’t want to exercise alone, join a gym or go out and play tennis. Just find an activity that doesn’t feel like exercise and really stick to it.

And, remember, good health is the ultimate aphrodisiac for life.

Good health to you all,

Karen Giblin