When I Was A Teenager, I Could...

90's "grunge" look. Pretty sure that I was
wearing torn jeans and Doc Martins. 

We all have those times that we say, "When I was in high school, I could...eat whatever I wanted OR stay up till all hours of the morning, OR get away with so much more than I can now."  Oh! If only I could have the body I had as a teenager!!

TEENAGE HEALTH AND NUTRITION

Well, when I was in high school, I ate chips and a Coke each morning for breakfast. My lunch consisted of Taco Bell, and my dinner was usually eating out as well. I had a job, car, and various extra curricular activities that kept me busy. Too busy. However, I noticed that those same activities also kept me thin! WHAAA??? Yup, I was dancing, running, jumping, playing, laughing, acting, singing, and waitress-ing (back when Pizza Hut was still a "sit-down" place.) Although I didn't eat well AT ALL, my metabolism and activity level made up for it.

It should come as no surprise that when I graduated from high school, my friends went their separate ways, I didn't have the many activities to be involved in, but my eating habits stayed the same. THIS time, I was a college student working full time and studying the rest of the time. There was no "time" for activity, and my eating habits didn't change because I didn't KNOW that they NEEDED a change. The fact still remained that I ATE like I did when I was a teenager, but this time, I didn't have the metabolism to burn it off.

GROWING OLDER

*Cough* years later, I sit at my computer analyzing my daily activity level and nutrition habits.  I struggle with change because it is something NEW to me.  Oh, I KNOW how to eat correctly, but KNOWING something and DOING it are two different things.  This blog has helped this OCD red head put things into an order of understanding.  I'm not so overwhelmed with the idea of living a healthier lifestyle.  Change takes time.

It was TIME that I was contemplating a little bit ago. "When I was a teenager, many moons ago, I could....." No, wait. "When I was a teenager, I..... didn't know....I just did."  Oh sure, I had the same sensitivities that most teenage girls have.  In fact, I remember a specific time that I told the director of a play that I was in that I REALLY didn't want to wear the skirt that he gave me because my legs weren't as thin as the other girls that had to wear the same thing.  But, really, I just LIVED my life.  I exercised by "walking."  Power Walking was the huge craze of the late 80's and 90's.  After aerobics died out in the 80's, WALKING was the "in." Everyone would go "walking" at the mall.  Remember that?

I decided to do the same thing.  I would go walking at the mall, or around the high school track or gymnasium.  I walked at a brisk pace, but nothing that would win a race.  I got my heart rate up though.  I also remember ONLY eating until I was just about full, not all the way full.  I don't know if it was that I was in too big of a hurry, or if I was too poor to order a bunch of food, but I really didn't eat that much.

IF I COULD TURN BACK TIME

BFF's! This was our "lesbian"picture.
We aren't lesbians, but people just took pictures
with their friends. We thought this was cool.
We were wrong. But it was fun!
She didn't give me permission to post this! 

I now wonder...what if I exercised the same way that I did when I was teenager.  Just a moderate, pick up walk or jog, lifting enough in weight to be able to climb a tree or hold a dance pose. What if I ATE the same amounts of food that I did back then?  Small amounts, but of BETTER food?  How would I feel?I am a lot older now, over twice as old as those "good ol' days." But, I wonder if there wasn't a thing or two to learn from the "teenage me." Perhaps I CAN still eat like a teenager....just not the same FOODS that I ate back then. I have to admit, moderate exercise and eating smaller portions of the right foods....well, sounds familiar, right? So, if I want my teenage body, I should perhaps go back to those habits! I'll just make better food choices now. I also think that doing a little jumping, playing, screaming, laughing, and dancing wouldn't hurt either.

It's time to start acting like a teenager! Well, with the exception of cooking for the family and cleaning my own house. I'm going to TALK through the whole meal, wander around the house while talking to a friend and laughing (something that I COULDN'T do as a teenager because the phone cord only reached as far as the kitchen entry,) and perhaps I'll go play Ultimate Frisbee in the park. The options are limitless!

What were your teenage years like?  Do you see a similar trend?  What have you learned SINCE then?
Please feel free to comment or leave your thoughts on the Facebook page!