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Hi, I'm new here but I have an important question to ask about me. Well, I have a problem with self control, it's not bad but it is not good either. I dont want it to turn into a problem. Sometimes I eat a little to much when I know I'm full, but I do it anyways cuase I'm bored or dont have anything else to do. Like, I eat M&M's alot and also cookies like everyday, (M&M's not much) and I'm not fat or anything, I'm just out of shape and I dont want this to become a problem and I dont wnat to get fat. I dont get to exercise to much becuase my mom works all the time so I'm not able to go out by myself. I'm trying to eat better and more healthier foods, but I still give in to much to junk food (especially on the weekends) and I was wondering if anyone had any advice for me.. sweatdrop Also, does anyone know of any exercises to do indoors? Thnaks so much!!! heart

First of all, jump rope is really good, but unless you have bad ankle problems, it's safe.

It's good because it gets your heart rate up (used to increase fitness and loose weight), builds muscles in your legs (more toned, more muscle = higher metabolism), strengthens your core (back and stomach and decreases lower back pain) and also tones you arms (depending on how you use them). It's also really easy and cheap too.

With the self control, only you can break that habit. What are your goals? To loose weight? To tone up? To get fit? To compete in an event?

Depending on these is how much you will need to cut down on the junk you are eating. If it's to loose weight and tone up, you will need to cut it out a lot to loose body fat. If it's to get fit and you don't care whether or not you loose weight, still cut down a bit, but you can still induldge every now and then. Although the best thing would be to stop it as much as you can, I know how hard it is to cut out junk food, if you don't have some in moderation occasionally, you'll binge (done that a few times).

If it is the amount you eat, for the m&m's, buy those little snack size packs. I find that if I have a large pack, I will finish it off and feel sick. Where if I have one of those snack size packs, I will still finish it off (and not feel sick) and my brain will think that I've just finished off a whole pack, I shouldn't have any more. Well that's my theory to it.

I know how you feel with eating due to boredom, that's the cause of me eating too much. So keep yourself occupied and if you really need something, eat ice or unbuttered/salted/sugared popcorn.

But don't replace that for meals. Make sure your meals are still nutritious such as porridge, fruit and yoghurt for breakfast; salad and chicken or tuna for lunch; vegetables and fish for tea; sorbet for desert. Then snacks being fruit and drinking lots of water.

Fitness wise, it depends on how old you are and your neighbourhood, but you could go for a walk, run or cycle around the block. At home you could try those fitness dvds such as the pilates, aerobics and martial arts. If you have cable there could be programs on that and usually normal tv early in the morning have aerobic sessions on.

In the back yard you could skip, jump on the trampoline if you have one, run around like crazy and do cartwheels, rolls and stuff (that is a lot of fun to do that, but you end up exhausted). For toning you could lift soup of pet food cans, do pushups, situps, chinups (if you have the bars that go across the underside of the roof of the shed), leg raises etc. Be creative.

Finally, don't try to be healthier and end up having a binge session then tell yourself off about how hopeless you are etc. That brings about more binging, more sobbing and so on. Just realise that it happened, try to figure out why it happened and move on. Try allowing yourself a weekly limit like one hand full of m&m's daily or two 600mL bottles of coke per week etc. See how you go. If not successful, up the amount and then gradually bring it down. Or you could go cold turkey, but unless you have the determination and nothing that will prompt you to have the junk food (like it's sitting in the pantry) this one is a lot harder.

My personal rule to junk food such as chocolate, lollies and soft drink, I can have as much as I like when I socialise, but nothing on my own. That way, because I only go out socialising maybe once or twice a fornight, when I get there, I don't overdo it. I realise that I will undo a lot of the work I've done, so I might have some, but I won't have too much. That has helped me out a lot - except for the past three weeks because I've just got back from a holiday. I ate way too much crap, but I had a break from my fitness program and I'm getting back on to it today. So yeah, it's ok to indulge occasionally.

smile

Hope that helps a bit, let me know if there is any more questions for specific answers or general like this one again and I'll try to help

Oh yea, about jump roping, I hurt my back about a year ago while skating. I slipped and fell on my lower back and twisted it, I had to go to the Chiropractor for a while but then we stopped going. My back is better but it still hurts sometimes if I do certain things, would it be okay to still jump rope? I want to keep skating but my mom wont let me cuase she doesnt want me to get hurt again sad And also, the regular exercises I do are sit ups and I dont know all the ones I do are called, but sometimes when I do sit ups and all for my stomach, it hurts my back. I was wondering if you think it would be okay to still do them. I need to do exercises everday cuase I dont go out much, but I dont want to hurt my back sweatdrop I'm sorry to keep bothering you, but I was just wondering about this, I was just worried. Thankyou so much for helping me and take care! ~ Akira heart

If it hurts your back, stop doing it. Probably would be best to see a fitness/personal trainer or doctor to find things that won't make your back worse. I have heard though that yoga is really good for back related problems.
All I could really say is probably do swimming, it won't put any compression on your spine. It'd be just that costs of going there and getting the transport. Probably bus?

Akira from the movie/manga Akira?