Happy No Diet Day!

If you’re anything like me you’re probably thinking, ‘Huh?’

But it’s true… in case you were wondering: 6 May, is No Diet Day, which is perfectly timed given my recent post about the fact that I’m neither dieting, nor am I not-dieting (which for me has traditionally meant bingeing!).

And I’m really happy to share that, since I’ve quit focussing on what I SHOULDN’T eat (carbohydrates etc) and the fact that I SHOULD be focussed on losing weight; I already feel better. About everything. I’m no longer in that miserable dark, dire place which (in all honesty) held me captive for a few weeks recently.

I’ve said it before, but it’s worth saying again, I KNOW I still need to lose weight and I still WANT to lose weight but – for now – if easing up on myself helps diminish my desire to binge-eat, then that’s where I’ll start. Others may not agree and it may not be right for everyone, but that’s okay. It feels right to me.

Having said that, however, something I’d like to change is my current level of fitness. I know weight loss is mostly about the food, but while I’m not currently prepared to forgo carbs and the like, I am conscious that my no-forced exercise plan means that I’m pretty unfit at the moment.

In fact, while visiting my mother last week I went for a ‘real’ walk – you know, one involving sneakers rather than thongs and… I got no more than a few hundred metres when my shin splints returned.

I hadn’t experienced bad shin splints for a while. I suspect my lack of fitness and the fact that my body is unaccustomed to the exercise are as much to blame as the fact I’m heavier than when I last (properly) exercised.

So… I’m thinking of stepping up my fitness, EVEN if it involves me forcing myself to do some stuff for a while. I’m still working out how to go about… umm… working out, but I do know that (although still overweight) feeling fitter will help me feel better. And healthier.

I watched part of a local triathlon yesterday. My blogging buddy Liz, from Last Chance Training was here for it and I went along to cheer for her (and smile encouragingly at others – but that’s a whole other story). What really surprised me though was that – some of the participants were really struggling by the time they got to the final run. Many did NOT look like they were having fun. I’ve always been a believer that ‘exercise should be fun’ or we’ll never do it, but it made me wonder if… sometimes you need to do the less-fun stuff to get to the fun stuff. I bet the participants, for example, felt bloody good as they crossed that finishing line.

I’d be loath to go to a proper Body Jam or Zumba class now – given my level of fitness. In fact I’d be embarrassed to face up to my old fave faux Zumba instructor in my old hometown, Nikki. The shin splints I suffered the other day and slight strain on my knee really made me feel uncomfortable. Mentally as much as physically.

So… no dieting, but a fitness focus will be on the agenda for me.

Which brings me back to No Diet Day… Long term readers may recall that last year I talked about a book, If Not Dieting, Then What? by Dr Rick Kausman and shortly after that I ran my first blog giveaway – with a copy of the book and Rick’s fabulous Empowerment Cards.

Well… in honour of No Diet Day, The Butterfly Foundation here in Oz, is today launching Rick’s Empowerment Card App. I think there’s an iPad version as well, though Android / Windows users sadly have a wait a bit longer.