How Your Friends Make It Easy to be Healthy: Cheat Days
This is a diary of the healthy lifestyle goals that my son, Chris, and I are making together each month. Since it takes 21-30 days to develop a new habit, making a goal for the month ahead is an effective strategy.
The buddy system is one of the main ways to get motivated. I’ve always found that if I say out loud to someone what I plan on doing, I’m more likely to do it. Because if I say I will, I feel responsible to follow through.
Age doesn’t matter. It’s never too late. You can always make progress and actually reverse the signs of aging!
Last month, Chris planned to continue doing his strict diet and exercise regimen for the filming of his role in the movie “You Say Hello.” When the shoot was over, he wanted to continue the diet but be a little less strict, with maybe a cheat day once a week. He would allow some more calories but just to maintain his weight…in other words, more good foods, like lean proteins (chicken, fish, turkey, etc.) But overall, he wants to stick to low-carb, low-calorie foods and allow only a small amount of healthy whole grains.
My goal last month was to exercise three times a week, twice at the gym and once at home…with the exception of times when I get alternative exercise…like going to the mall and power walking while I’m there, or going to a hotel and swimming in the pool….
Chris’s Experience
Chris had a great incentive to stick with the strictest diet and exercise plan, since he was acting in a movie and had to take his shirt off for the part. He did not waver from his plan.
But he and his partner also planned a cheat day for when it was all over. They waited for weeks, looking forward to the last Saturday in February for their cheat day. On that day, Chris said he “pigged out.” Lol! He had fried chicken wings, bread, chips, beer, sweets, you name it. And he loved it!
Now he is planning to have a cheat day once a week. He is calling it “Saturday Cheat Day.” Except he will not have everything he wants, just something he usually doesn’t allow. He thinks it’s important to have a regular cheat day so that it’s easier to stick with his healthy habits the rest of the time without slipping.
His goal for March is to try out Saturday cheat days.
My Experience
I really like my plan for exercising three times a week: twice at the gym and once at home during the winter months. I don’t get out for winter sports like I used to. I love skiing but it’s a trip and an expense. I enjoy ice skating but I don’t know of anyone to go with. So wintertime is when I fall back on the gym.
Spring and fall, when the weather is temperate, I love to go hiking or even horseback riding. Summer is when I go to the swimming pool for my favorite sport.
I grew up swimming in a pool in our backyard every day of the summer. I would spend the day outside reading a book in between swimming, diving, learning stunts and playing water games with my siblings and friends. Then in high school I joined the synchronized swimming club, became a lifeguard and taught swim lessons. During the summer, I can’t wait for a sunny day to go out swimming!
Last month, my sisters took me to Iridescence restaurant at the Motor City Casino to celebrate my birthday. We stayed overnight at the MGM Grand Detroit Hotel. Although we were served a dinner with many courses, we made sure to keep our helpings small so that we didn’t wreck our diets. I also ended up having only two drinks. So despite having a fun dinner with drinks, I easily stayed within limits.
Afterward, I went swimming in the magnificent pool there while my sisters went gambling. The pool has salt water in it instead of chlorine. It was easier on the eyes and the next day my hair was texturized! It was wonderful to have such a special swimming experience during the coldest time of the winter.
Five days in a row, though, my exercise consisted of shoveling snow because it was the snowiest February in memory! And then the temperature went up and it all thawed out. What a joke the universe played on us, don’t you think?
My downfall last month, though, was paczki. When paczki day comes, I usually buy a box of them and freeze them. My husband likes them so we share them over time. Recently, though, Russ found out he is sensitive to gluten so he can’t eat it. That left the whole box to me. I loved it and it was heavenly, but I’d better not buy a whole box of them anymore now that Russ can’t have them. I had one almost every day! I don’t know what I did to my health, but it couldn’t have been good.
The good thing is that I never went over my calorie count for the day. My Fitness Pal not only keeps me within 1500 calories a day, but it warns me when I’m about to go over my goal amount of carbs, sugars or fats. So I kind of don’t think I need a cheat day, since I can choose whatever I want to eat and yet always stay within my limits.
Chris thought cheat days were important, though. With Chris’s encouragement, I think I’ll let myself slip over the calorie limit a bit or over one of the categories of carbs, sugars or fats once a week. Or, sometimes it’s nice to go to a restaurant and just let myself estimate instead of worrying about how many calories they put in everything.
Next Month’s Goal
So for the coming month of March, Chris and I are going to try having a cheat day once a week. For Chris, it will be Saturday cheat days when he can have something he doesn’t usually allow himself to eat on a daily basis. For me, it will be allowing myself to slip once each week when the calorie, carbohydrate, fat or sugar count goes over my goal limit. How’s that for health goals? Hopefully, it will help us to stay on track the rest of the time without slipping, because nobody is perfect!
Do you stick to a healthy diet? Are you very strict about it, or do you allow yourself cheat days? Tell us about it in the comments below!
You might also want to read my other journal entries in the category: Health Goal Diary
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