How do we go from young and athletic in our 20’s to overweight in our 50’s? Ten calories a day. That’s it. Walking a flight of stairs. One and a half almonds. Every day.
The average adult gains about one pound per year and one pound equals about 3500 calories. 3500 calories divided by 365 days a year equals about 10 calories a day. While one pound does not sound like a lot, that becomes ten pounds a decade. This means if you are a svelte 180 pounds at 25 years old, you may be facing a hefty 210 pounds at 55 years old.
So…back to the ten calories. Often we are too focused on our crash diets, multi-hour workout sessions and egregious errors in nutritional (why did I eat that huge piece of cake?) or fitness (I missed my workout today) judgment that we fail to take note of the other, smaller daily decisions (walking vs. driving, elevator vs. stairs, whole vs. low-fat milk) that can have just as much, if not greater, of an impact on our weight.
Our body is usually able to handle and adapt to the big mistakes, because that is what they are…mistakes. As in, not the norm. In fact, isn’t it amazing that our bodies, despite all of the crap we do to it, is able to regulate itself to stay within such a narrow weight range? In other words, sometimes it is worth sweating the small stuff…pun intended. Because it is the small stuff that ultimately drives how much we weigh 20 years from now. Not that one big meal you had last night. Unless you have a big meal every night.
In conclusion, very small changes, done on a daily basis can have a large impact on our long-term weight. Diets come and go, the latest workout fads will be forgotten faster than you can say “shake weight,” but your body will still need to eat and will still need to move. If you can take small, sustainable steps to living a healthier lifestyle, then you can harness the power of ten to make sure you are maintaining a healthy weight rather than becoming another “average adult” statistic.
I will be launching an additional area to my blog to promote the Power of 10™ by focusing on the small changes we can make in our daily activities (Burn10™) and eating habits (Cut10™) to prevent the excess ten calories that lead to ten pounds every ten years. Ideas will also be sent out via my twitter account, @JMachowskyRDFit.
If you would like to share your own ideas, please add your comment here!
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