Out with the Booze and Sugar in 2016 (for Real)

This is the year I will get fit. I know it. And I know I’m not alone in this declaration.

Nothing wrong with a little self-improvement, right? The new calendar year offers a blank slate. The craze of the holidays is over. Life slows down a little in January. It is the perfect time to start some healthy habits.

But why do most of us fail at achieving these annual goals? A quarter of resolution makers give up after the first week. Why can’t we follow through? What gives? In the coming weeks and months of 2016 I’m going to explore these questions.

It won’t be easy. I have three young children, ages 5, 3 and 10 months. I have a dog. I work borderline full time from home. I serve on two advisory committees. I volunteer. My plate is overflowing.

But I am not unique. A friend, Michelle Ray, has four kids and works in human resources full time outside her home. Not only is she in superb shape, she’s an online coach for other busy moms. I asked her, “How do you do it?”

Ray does the best she can daily without putting too much pressure or guilt on herself. She does have some “non-negotiables.” She starts the day with a workout. She drinks one or two cups of coffee followed by water the rest of the day, and eats well 90 percent of the time. But even this super mom has room to improve.

“I do sleep, but not nearly as many hours as I should. Sleep quality and quantity is on my list of priorities for 2016,” she said.

I have no excuses. Between Ray’s advice and that of several health professionals, I’ve devised a plan.

Critical Goals
My doctor says I am the picture of health. All of my numbers are optimal except for one: my weight. I need to lose about 20 pounds. If I try to do that at a rate of 5 pounds a month, that will put me in a healthy range by the end of April, just in time for the 10-mile race I’ve signed up for. I run a lot. But I’m slow. I’ve long dreamed of changing that.

These two revelations leave me with three basic goals for 2016.
1: Lose 20 pounds.
2: Improve fitness/run faster.
3: Establish lasting health habits.

Now it’s about spelling out how to do all this.

Eat ‘Clean’ Most of the Time
Author, journalist and food activist Michael Pollan has simple yet brilliant advice on eating “clean”: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” By food, he means whole foods. The more processed something is, the worse it is for us.

Whenever I’m tempted to diverge from this, I’ll remember the analogy that chiropractor and applied kinesiologist Sushil Sims shared with me. Think about planting flowers, he said. Think about how we put them in soil filled with nutrients and give them ample water and sunlight. The result is a beautiful flower. Then think of a toxic waste dump. Things grow there but nothing we want anything to do with. Yet we’re feeding ourselves food that is essentially creating a waste dump in our bodies. No more!

Step Away from the Sugar
Sugar is one of the most toxic substances we can consume. As I explained in a recent LifeZette series, we’re just now beginning to understand how dangerous sugar is. I may indulge in an occasional piece of chocolate, but when it comes to my family’s overall diet, we will be avoiding added sugar. Really.

Become a Water Hog
We’ve gotten conflicted messages on how much water to drink. The once tried-and-true “eight glasses a day” is no longer a given. The Mayo Clinic says to drink enough fluid so you rarely feel thirsty and your urine is colorless or light yellow. It also says that while water is the best bet for hydration, milk, juice, beer, wine and caffeinated beverages can contribute.

But when it comes to our health, Sims disagrees. Water is by far the best choice, he said.

“When you shower, would you ever shower yourself in coffee?” Um, no. He added, “It’s the same for the inside of your body. Water cleanses you on the inside. Coffee does not.”

Maryam Dadkhah is a registered dietician, nutritionist, and certified personal trainer. She, too, reiterated the importance of water. She said to avoid juice completely. If we want to spice up our water, add some citrus fruit to infuse flavor.

Keep a ‘Hands Off’ Attitude with Alcohol (Most of the Time)
Despite studies stating its ample benefits (many funded by companies that produce alcohol), wine, beer, and spirits are more of a hindrance to our health. Alcohol is high in calories. It lowers our inhibitions, making it easier for us to make poor food choices. Perhaps most alarming is how even small amounts affect our livers.

The liver’s job is to remove toxins from our bodies and metabolize fat. Alcohol is toxic. When we drink it, our liver stops everything else to rid our body of alcohol. If we drink a lot, or often, or both, fat starts building up because the liver can’t flush it out of our system. That explains beer bellies and wine guts.

Go with Your Gut
I first talked to Sims, the chiropractor and applied kinesiologist, because of back pain, which I thought was related to caring for three children. Much of it, instead, has to do with what’s going on inside my gut. The nerves in our backs are all connected to other parts of our bodies. He stressed that healthy eating coupled with lots of fiber and water will help clear out my intestines and detox my liver; and that is the key to not only easing my back pain, but also losing weight.

Sims says he sees many patients who are running in circles trying to drop some pounds, but that it’s nearly impossible until we get our gut bacteria sorted out. The best bet are hearty vegetables like broccoli, artichokes, cauliflower, kale, and cabbage. Not only will these foods help remove toxins, they’ll help build up the good bacteria in our bodies. In addition to diet, consuming fiber and probiotics can help restore order to our insides.

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Get Moving! (and Find the Time to Do It)
I’m a former athlete. I’ve worked with a personal trainer. I love running. But when it comes to the strength training and stretching my doctor recommends, I rarely get around to it. Ray says that’s ridiculous. “You can always find time. Always.” She says some of her best workouts are 30 minutes long. She used to go to the gym for an hour or two to take a class, but that was too much time, so she started doing home workouts.

Get Those Zzzzssss
Sleep is critical to our health. Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland have discovered a link between lack of sleep and Alzheimer’s disease, in fact. The brain clears out toxins when we sleep. The scientists observed animals whose sleep quality was lacking and noticed toxins related to dementia were building up and damaging their brains. They’re planning to expand the study to examine the relation of sleep problems and Alzheimer’s disease in humans.

Sleep is a luxury for me right now. My infant and my 3-year-old are still waking up at night. My sleep is always interrupted. And my baby girl’s wake up time is usually before 5 a.m., which means I’m up with her. I’m going to have to adopt the same bedtime as my children whenever possible. Thank goodness coffee is considered healthy at the moment.

Finding Balance
When I review past attempts to get fit, the biggest obstacle was balance. I’m an “all or nothing” kind of gal. When my son ended up in the hospital, my diet turned to garbage. When my youngest child got the flu, my daily workouts disappeared.

This time, I need to get back on the horse whenever a curveball comes my way. I also need to be kind to myself when I can’t meet all expectations.

It takes time to build a new habit. The popular idea that it takes 30 days to form a habit is wrong. A researcher in London did a formal study a few years back that found that, on average, it takes more than two months before a new behavior becomes routine. And it’s persistence, not perfection, that makes those habits stick.

Resolved: Everything in moderation. Including moderation.

Read more of Erin Croyle’s effort to get her family off sugar.