I recently made a speech with this name and it got such a rowsing response, I thought I’d share it with you. Now, realize this is the original written speech. Any good orator goes “off book” once they memorize it and goes with the flow, but the jist of it is here. Let me know what you think!
And it’s videoed! So I’ll never forget what the heck I said!!
Here it is:
When it comes to your eating habits, how many times have you heard yourself say “Oh…just this once!?”
Let’s say its someone’s birthday at work, so “ just this once” you’re going to have a piece of cake to help celebrate. We love when it’s someone’s birthday at the office. That means a break from work AND we get to have cake! “Just this once I’ll have a piece.” Suppose you have about 30 people in your office. Now, an average piece of sheet cake is 4” by 4”. Doesn’t seem so bad, right? Well, in a year, you’ll have 30 of them. That’s 120” or 10 FEET of sheet cake!! I’m 5′5″ tall, that’s almost twice my height!! That’s a lot of cake! And that’s not even including when you have the ‘good stuff’ for friends and family….or you!
Speaking of family, do you have kids? Your son just won his soccer game and you’re going to celebrate by having Burger King. Just this once you’ll get French fries…or even help your son finish his (who are we kidding? He’s 10. You REALLY think he’s going to share his fries with his Mom?!). Even if he’s on a halfway decent team and wins half his matches, that’s at least twice a month. If he plays more than one sport…. Your “Just this once” becomes “Just this twice a week!”
And how often do you go out to dinner with your spouse, other couples….or ESPECIALLY Girls Night Out! I know I’m guilty of this. If we go to an Italian restaurant “just this once” I’m going to have pasta AND if they have good tiramisu, I’m ordering it before I order my appetizer! Why? Because I’m out with friends at a great restaurant. Studies have shown that eating out with friends causes us to eat more than when we eat alone, even WITHOUT dessert!
Even when you’re attempting to get into some sort of exercise routine, following through seems like an “exercise” in futility (pun intended) …“Just this once” I’m going to skip my workout because I’ve got a million things to do.
Get what I’m saying? It’s NEVER just this once. With this mindset you’ll always give yourself permission to “cheat” when you go to a restaurant or a party with great food. You’ll skip the gym or your power walk because you need to pick up your husband’s dry cleaning or take your kids to the mall.
As women we’re natural caretakers and tend to put everyone else’s needs before our own. We use up the day concentrating on everything and everyone else, instead of helping ourselves become better, so we’re THEN better able to handle whatever life throws at us.
Ever see that airline pre-takeoff film where the Mom has to put on the mask before helping her child. She needs to be healthy to help her son. Seems pretty obvious, doesn’t it? This notion has to be taken a step further and used every day.
Financial experts are always telling you to “Pay yourself first!” When you do, you earn interest….so you end up with MORE than you started with. It’s all the same concept. When you take a percentage of your day just for yourself, you end up happier, more centered and less stressed. Give yourself permission to take care of you.
Get the idea? “Just This Once” should be taken out of your vocabulary.
Put in “Just for ME time!” And it doesn’t have to be a LOT of time; just a little focused time will pay off big dividends.
Take a few minutes in the morning to sit and breathe deeply. Let yourself plan your day in your head. Are you going to the gym? Is there a party at work? You’ll be prepared and won’t sabotage yourself if you know there’s a birthday or special event or game celebration. If you need something more concrete, take a month-at-a-glance calendar. Using different colored highlighters, mark down when you have birthday parties, kid’s soccer games, parties, etc. Pretty soon, it’ll look like a Christmas tree and you’ll realize how much opportunity you have to splurge.
You need to plan when to savor those splurges. Realize that you can celebrate and eat healthfully at the same time! If you’re going out, give yourself one thing that evening to splurge on. If you want Tiramisu, don’t have the pasta. If you’re going to a Burger King, have a yogurt parfait. Still fun, but MUCH healthier than those French fries. You’ll also have much more energy and you’ll feel better when you stop eating all that fat and calories.
Make yourself MOVE every day. Do SOMETHING physical. Have fun with it and make it purposeful—and passionate! Instead of strolling around the block, pretend you’re in a race walk and see how fast you can do it. (after all…the sooner you start and get going, the sooner you finish!) Or, bring out that “Inner Child” and skip! Skipping burns just as many calories as race walking and it’s great for toning your lower body. AND…it’s really fun. If you’re grocery shopping, pretend you’re in the Grocery Olympics and lift those packages without getting any help from your family. Do a walking lunge with your packages all the way to the kitchen. You’ll burn more calories even walking back and forth from the car!
You don’t have to go to the gym to get in better shape. Studies have shown that people who keep moving throughout the day actually burn more calories than those people who go crazy at the gym for an hour and then plop on the couch or at a desk the rest of the day!
Bottom line is this. The words “Just This Once” don’t work if you want to keep extra weight off. Allow some ‘Just for ME Time’ to center yourself and plan for your day and make sure you’re moving in some way throughout your daily chores and events.
So, just this once, take my advice…it will give you more energy, more productivity and much less stress in your life.
That’s my story and I”m stickin’ to it!
Talk to you later,
Rona
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