Fitness Files: My simple path to a healthy life

Driving to the gym this week, my husband of 46 years said, “I know you won’t listen to me, you never do, but I think you should write about diet and exercise — jump start your readers’ New Years’ resolutions in October.”

He’s right. For years, I’ve resisted his suggestions to write a diet and exercise book.

But I’ll prove him wrong and give some diet and exercise advice right now. You be the judge of whether I have anything to say.

“Exciting breakthrough! Lose 10 pounds in 10 days!!!”

I won’t write that.

Yet, I know it appeals to many. When I was rounder I’d tell myself, “I’m going to lose five pounds by the weekend. I won’t eat anything.” Then, in a panic, I’d reach for the cookies.

So, here’s my tried and true, first-hand honest advice:

Don’t diet.

Don’t measure your success by how much weight you lose in a week.

Don’t eliminate a certain food group.

Eat cake and ice cream at the birthday party.

What works are life-long habits of eating and exercising. What matters is not how much you weigh in a week, but how fit you feel at the end of the day and how much you weigh at the end of the year.

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Exercise

You probably dread exertion. Most do. Get over it.

Commit to six days a week of at least 30 minutes of activity that builds up a sweat.

I’m talking about exercising for your lifetime, all the time, except when you don’t.

Illness, injury or vacation, may cause you to skip your workout. No matter. Rapidly return to action. Resume as soon as you can.

Get out first thing in the morning when it’s cooler.

Meet a positive person or peppy group or allow yourself the time alone.

Push your limits a tiny bit each day and a tiny bit more every day after that.

By the way:

Exercise to the sweating level helps you sleep at night.

Exercise leads to better food choices.

Exercise leads to better digestion, good blood pressure readings, and lower cholesterol and fun.

Exercise builds self confidence.

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Eating

No foods are off limits. Big portions are.

Hardly ever eat chips or sweet snack foods and don’t stock them in your pantry.

Pile up tasty fresh fruits and vegetables in the refrigerator.

I almost never eat white bread, hardly ever eat red meat and never buy packaged food-mixes. I eat fish about twice a week. I never drink soda or sweetened drinks.

That’s me.

If you need the structure of a diet, learn portion control from one that includes all food groups.

I joined Weight Watchers in the ‘80s and learned to fill my plate with salad, cooked vegetables, whole grains and smaller protein portions.

Eat breakfast. You will not save calories by skipping. The habit of starting your day with a bowl of oatmeal reduces cholesterol.

Weigh yourself and measure your waist about once a week, same day every week. If you’re not losing weight it is because you are not exercising enough and/or eating too much.

No matter which celebrity promotes it or how much you pay, you can’t buy magic weight-loss pills or potions.

It’s up to you.

Start by writing down every single morsel you eat and every drink you imbibe.

Common sense + honesty = a free-of-charge diet plan.

I do not pass myself off as a health professional or fitness instructor and rarely give advice from personal experience — I believe in relying on responsible research. But I live by the information above — it’s not revolutionary but I’ve tested it for 50 years.

Up until now I’ve resisted my husband’s suggestions to write about diet and exercise. I figured advice to sweat and cut portions couldn’t compete with packaged diets and TV advertising promises.

However, I’ll make a 100% guarantee: Exercise every day, eat smaller portions emphasizing fresh vegetables, fruits, whole grains and you’ll have a healthier, lighter, more energetic and more optimistic 2016. Promise.

Newport Beach resident CARRIE LUGER SLAYBACK is a retired teacher who ran the Los Angeles Marathon at age 70, winning first place in her age group.