A step-to-step guide for creating sustainable exercise and healthy diet habitsWords Sebastian PartogiâKnowing on a cognitive level that exercise and a healthy lifestyle are very important and translating that into behavior are two very, very different things,â clinical psychologist Veronica Adesla says
A step-to-step guide for creating sustainable exercise and healthy diet habits
Words Sebastian Partogi
'Knowing on a cognitive level that exercise and a healthy lifestyle are very important and translating that into behavior are two very, very different things,' clinical psychologist Veronica Adesla says.
It's a sentiment evinced by Freska 'Cika' Darnadi (above) a 34-year-old former Indonesian Idol contestant whose diet went to pot during a divorce and when she put on 22 kilograms after giving birth.
Veronica's expertise and Cika's experience in losing weight are both important for those who want a healthier lifestyle. Let's take a closer look.
DETERMINATION
'People will change their health behavior only if they are aware of its importance'and the motivation has to come internally,' Veronica said. 'If you do it for your spouse, for instance, when they leave, your behavior will automatically go extinct,' she told JPlus in a recent interview.
'If you do it to please somebody, the quest will soon turn into pressure and distress for you,' she adds. 'Usually, there's a pivotal point in someone's life that just makes them realize that they have to change.'
Cika's turning point came when she looked at herself in the mirror after giving birth and felt a stinging pain.
'I was aware that I needed to exercise and keep a healthy diet in order to lose weight and feel good again,' Cika said in a separate interview. 'I wanted to be a happy mother for my baby.'
Awareness is not enough, according to Veronica. 'It is not easy to break a habit. Most of us don't have someone who can supervise our behavior all the time. It's easy to slip back into old habits. This is why we need to take baby steps. We should find books on exercise and dieting for beginners. When we set unrealistically high targets, it causes us to beat ourselves up should we fail to reach them.'
Fortunately, Cika had a different option. She passed the audition for the second season of Fit for Fashion, a reality television show produced by high-end fitness center Fitness First.
It's a tough program: Participants join a 10-week boot camp combining strenuous exercise with a healthy diet program. Connections to the outside world were cut off to ensure focus and participants were monitored to ensure their compliance.
PERSISTENCE
The road to health is long'and full of many temptations. You go to a company gathering and fatty foods are served. Close friends beg you to skip jogging and join them for a coffee instead.
'Unfortunately, you can't always rely on social support. On the contrary, people often tease us when we first show our determination to live a healthy life,' Veronica said. 'You, however, need to show them that your determination is firm and that you are consistent with your choices.'
While motivation must come from within, some social cues can help you through tough times, she adds.
'Carry objects that remind you of the people that you hold dear. For example, your family's photo, or any object that reminds you of them, like a rubber band. Anytime you're tempted to get off track, look at these objects to remember those people'who are more important to you than any temptations that might temporarily come your way,' Veronica said.
Cika said she took some of her daughter's toys and clothes to boot camp to remember her daughter's presence when she felt down.
She also looked to other participants and the production crew.
'They were also struggling. We were all away from our friends and families. The television crew's work was definitely harder than mine,' Cika said. 'I don't want to complain because I don't want to embarrass myself in front of them.'
Veronica said joining a support group of like-minded people could strengthen your commitment to creating a healthier lifestyle.
PERMANENCE
Veronica said that standards for creating an enduring habit differed from person to person. 'One yardstick, however, that you can use to know whether the change has already become permanent or not is this: If you don't do something, let's say exercising in the morning, do you feel as if something is missing from your life? If yes, you've successfully created a new habit.'
On dieting, the body has its own mechanism of telling you it has changed, Veronica added. 'People who haven't consumed monosodium glutamate [MSG] flavor enhancer will have headache if they consume it again after a certain span of time. Once the body detoxifies itself of an element, the element becomes foreign and the body will react to it adversely.'
This happened to Cika, who made it through boot camp and lost around 25 kilograms. After 10 weeks of detox, Cika said that she was nauseated by foods with too much fat or sugar.
'Aside from my physical reaction, my 10-week struggle in the boot camp also helps me refrain to old habits,' she says. 'I don't want to waste my hard-earned experience.'
The second season of Fit for Fashion airs Sundays on Star World.
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