"THE RULES" 13 Feb 2012

for beginning a new romance with a mysterious stranger

Thanks to Hallmark, February is associated with a very commercial, “ready to buy” idea of love. Like “diets,” boxes of chocolate and tacky lingerie promise a simple and cheap solution to a process that takes time and care.  Too often, these solutions seem like a sarcastic or cruel commentary on what they are actually supposed to represent. 

This Valentine’s Day, dump the lazy, cheap, and thoughtless boyfriend of mass-marketed foods and beauty ideals. A mysterious stranger and a new and exhilarating romance are waiting for you. This dashing prospect is your current health goal. A charming date leans in and listens closely. Do the same to your goal. Read between the lines as you would with post-date and follow-up text messages. What does “I want to lose 15 pounds” really mean? What is different about the version of me who accomplishes this task? What does our life look like together?

Have a flirty first journal date with this question. Take it slow. Making this process into yet another crash diet is like sex on the first “date”: fatal to the relationship. Like a Lithe challenge or earning 30 lunge stamina, exploring, questioning, and deciphering your wellness and weight-loss goal takes time and dedication. And, your efforts are rewarded with lasting gifts that go beyond a smaller and tighter body. The more you listen, the more sensational the love affair with yourself and life, year round. Hallmark and Godiva can never compete with that.

Ali Shapiro is a 20-year cancer survivor and regular NBC Philadelphia contributor. Her Truce with Food program, which simplifies and revolutionizes your nutrition goals, begins March 6. Details and sign-up at http://alishapiro.com/group-programs.

Image of Ali Shapiro via Ali and Lithe Instructors, Krista DeNofa & Melissa Weinberg via Dom