How to take control of your body size

Do you find your body size fluctuates?  Sometimes it’s going up … and sometimes your body size is going down? 
Many people find that their body size is usually pretty steady but a long vacation, a period of intense exercise or a major life event can sometimes result in weight loss or gain.  When this happens it can lead you to feel out of control.
In fact, my body size changed a lot recently. I’m an active person and on top of working and my usual exercise routine, I also spend my time running around after my four lively kids! So, when I recently went on an extended business trip, I didn’t think twice about the extra exercising: I was running about and leading a few fun classes each day. I didn’t pair the extra exercise with extra calories and my weight dropped by about 7lbs (3kgs).
You may think this is wonderful news but I’m petite and losing that weight wasn’t something I was trying to do.  My body shape changed and my clothes didn’t fit properly.
What I should have done was pair my calories in with my calories out.  In the back of my mind I knew this but I didn’t equally prioritize eating properly. And my sudden weight loss was accompanied with a lack of energy – the last thing I wanted!
This week, I’m going to share my tips to help you maintain your weight and avoid body size fluctuations – whatever is happening in your life. After all, you’ve worked hard to make sure your body is the right size for you – let’s make sure you keep the shape you want.

Plan for success

Know what you are going to do and when you are going to do it. This is important for both eating and exercising and will help you stay in control of your body size.

• I make time for balanced meals and always keep a few healthy snacks on hand to make sure I have something nutritionally beneficial within reach – this is especially helpful when I’m rushing around.
• I  try to make sure my minimum exercise level is set at 30 minutes a day.

With these two things I know that I can balance my calories in with my calories out. If I find myself exercising more then I can add an extra snack when I think about it – I don’t give myself a chance to forget and that means my body size will stay just right.

Be consistent

Whether you want to maintain, lose or gain weight then you need to be consistent with your eating and exercise routines. I feel like our attention spans are getting shorter but we have to give routines time to work. It’s no use doing something for a day or a week and then giving up.
At the same time, we know that a life that is the same every day would be boring. That means that if you have an extra portion of dessert one day then, no, you don’t need to jump up and start exercising to balance the calories.  You just need to say no to extra dessert the next day.
(Too often I hear people say they’re planning to miss a meal because they ate too much the day before.  It’s important to understand that even if you do slip up on your calories, you still need to consume calories later because your body needs consistent amounts of fuel. In the same way, follow a day of intense exercise with a different activity not complete laziness. For instance, the day after an endurance run consider a gentle swim.)
Balance
Don’t let changes in your life be an excuse to let your body size become something beyond your control.
I want to make it clear that you must not create a habit of thinking “I ate a donut = I must run for an hour right now” because this could create an unhealthy pattern of extremes. Exercise is not a substitute for poor nutrition and good nutrition is not a good excuse to skip your workout. These two important parts of our life work best when combined in a perfect balance. Strive to find the balance that is right for you.
Balancing your nutrition and activity level consistently will help you stay in control of your body size. And, when we feel in control, we feel happier!  Now tell me your tips for taking back control below – I absolutely love reading your thoughts.