Archive for January, 2008
Isn’t It Odd?
Author: adminSubmitted by Louis Moore’s Build A Better Body Blog
Just a few observations in American society:
While people are eating more healthful foods than ever (just take a look at the huge success of Whole Foods Markets), fast food restaurants are thriving more than ever.
While America is growing older, most of what we see in advertising and entertainment has been created with youth in mind.
While more people than ever before are drinking clear, natural water, more people are also drinking “monster” energy drinks loaded with chemicals and caffeine.
While there are more diets on the market and “fat burning pills, more people in America are overweight and obese.
While our children face an obesity epedemic in America (for example, 28% of youth in Houston are obese), more children than ever are vegetarian (about 1.5 million nationwide).
While there are more people sedentary than ever in America, there are more fitness, sports and recreational opportunities available than ever (take Houston for example, there are over 25 Bally Fitness Centers, 30 24-Hour Fitness Centers, 40 YMCA’s, 58 Municipal Community Centers, 40 public swimming pools, 50 golf courses, 250 plus soccer and softball fields, and over 350 public parks). People in Houston cannot make any excuses!
Why are there such extremes now in America?
The explosion of choice. We now live in a society with millions of choices. Maybe it’s a form of information overload. Anyway, nowadays we have more freedom of choice in every area of our life, such as new employment, new religions, new foods, new technologies, new forms of communication, new sports and leisure activities, etc.
It’s not like the old days. I remember 30 years ago in the mid 70’s there was only 1 kind of potato chip. I occassionally ate them and didn’t think twice about it. However, if you go to your local grocery store you’ll see an amazing variety potato chips and other kinds of snacks. You’ll see chips that are baked, fried, rippled, low-fat, no trans fat, reduced fat, salted, no salt, natural, and with flavor subcategories (barbeque, sour cream, jalapeno, spicy, etc.).
My Cuban friends tell me it’s very hard to buy meat in their country. Everyone is forced to consume soy. As a result, Cubans have very little cholesterol problems and other health issues. However, I don’t believe the government is the solution here in America.
I like my freedom of choice. Never will I let anyone take it away from me. That’s part of being American.
Sometimes I meet with a client for the first time and they ask me the question “what am I going to do to fix them?” I say “nothing.” I tell them I will provide them with the right information, guidance and coaching, but they ultimately “have to do it.”
Some women will say that a lot of the beautiful celebrities like Jenifer Lopez and Jessica Simpson have a lot of resources at their disposal to look gorgeous, such as personal trainers and personal chefs. I say, “yeah, that’s true, but they ultimately have to do everything themselves. They have to do every repetition with intensity. They have to do their cardio workouts at least 6 - 7 times per week. They have to eat well and in the right amounts.”
The information is out there, especially on the Internet. You just have to take responsibility for yourself and “do it.”
The government is not the solution.
What do you think?
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read comments (0)Submitted by Fit and Female Blog
You made it — It’s Day 30!!!! Whoooooo Hoooooooo, come on let’s all dance in the end zone. Wait? You aren’t allowed to celebrate in the end zone — says who!? This isn’t football — this is life!!
The fact is, when it come to our health most of us don’t give ourselves enough credit for the little accomplishments and changes that we make along the way. Most of us approach our lives and our goals — as all or nothing propositions. If we fail to do everything absolutely perfectly we feel like we failed. Too often we don’t celebrate the little victories or stand back and acknowledge just how much progress we’ve made.
Anthony Robbins (I swear I’m not on this guy’s payroll, but I really do love his stuff) talks a lot about setting up the “game of life” so that you can win more often than not. He says that we set up far too many rules about has to happen before we can feel good about what we’ve done. What if instead we make it as easy as possible to get a win? For example:
- If I exercise for 20-minutes today — that’s a win
If I drink 2 more glasses of water than I did yesterday — that’s a win
If I get an extra 30 minutes of shut-eye — that’s a win
If I substitute one crappy food choice for one better one — that’s a win
You get the idea. Too often we set the bar of success sooooo high, we’d have to be superhuman to even come close to reaching it.
What about you? What small changes have you made in the past 30-days that you could give yourself a pat on the back for? What other little changes could you implement and then celebrate? Think about it, I’m sure you have a lot to be proud of.
Okay, now spike the ball and let’s bust some moves….
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Submitted by Fit and Female Blog
Did you know that 97% of all diets fail?
There is nothing more frustrating than going on a diet, losing weight, only to find out that several weeks or months down the line you’ve gained all of it back — and more!
If you’ve read my book Fit and Female, then you know that I am not a big proponent of “dieting”, but rather making permanent lifestyle changes. Changes that you embrace for the long haul — not just for a quick fix. So how do you keep those pounds from slowly creeping back on? Here are some sure-fire strategies to keeping your weight off after dieting.
Change the way you think about “dieting” . Most of us approach dieting and weight loss as an all-or-nothing proposition. We are either “on a diet” or “eating normally”.
The problem is that eating “normally” is what caused the weight gain in the first place — so that is the LAST thing we want to return to doing. You need to identify those areas where you were either overeating and/or eating too much of the wrong thing. You need to be honest about it and limit whatever it is in the future so that you don’t undo all the hard work you did to lose weight in the first place.
Watch your drinking! And I’m not just talking about alcohol consumption here, although certainly that can contribute to re-gaining weight. Remember that ALL calories count, even the ones that go down quickly and easily in the form of a beverage. This means limiting your consumption of: juice (eat the whole fruit instead), coffee drinks, “health shakes”, smoothies and (of course) alcohol can have you drinking 300 calories in a minute or two. Just one extra 300 calorie beverage per week can add up to over 1/2 pound of weight gain per week — 2.4 pounds per month –or an unbelievable 28 plus pounds in a year!!!
Remain a “conscious eater”. When we are on a diet we are all very aware of what we are eating and when. Somehow when we “go off the diet” we start developing “eating amnesia”. That bag of M&Ms we had at the desk didn’t count, the handful of fries off our kid’s plate didn’t count, the food you nibble while cooking dinner didn’t count.
The painful reality is EVERYTHING COUNTS. Calories count. In order to keep weight off you have to be aware of everything that you eat and make conscious choices.
It’s fine to have a piece of chocolate cake every once and a while, but you need to balance it out with some healthier, lower calories choices (salad and grilled chicken for dinner that day, for example) in order to compensate.
Try to move everyday. Even if a full workout isn’t possible, try to get as much of your body moving as possible through out the day. See if there is a sneaky way to all an extra 5-10 minutes of activity into each day.
Walk somewhere that you would normally drive, take the stairs at work instead of the elevator, stay out and go around the block once after putting the kids on the bus. Sit on that exercise bike (and pedal!) while watching the evening news. There are ways to add more movement to your day. You just have to be creative and find them.
It may not sound like a lot but 10 extra minutes of activity per day can offset the extra calories of a dessert that you had that week, making it harder to put the weight back on.
Burn the ships!!! You probably remember that story of the general who had his soldiers burn the ships that they arrived to the enemy’s shores on — leaving them no chance for escape. They had to fight and win, because they had no other alternative.
Do the same thing. Close the escape hatch. Throw out your “big girl clothes”. The clothes you fall back on when you are not taking care of yourself the way you know you should. Better yet, buy some amazing “fit girl clothes”, clothes that you would hate to not fit into.
If you don’t have the option of putting on something lose and baggy you will be more motivated to stay at your goal weight. Also, those tight clothes will serve as a reminder that you’re gaining a bit and it’s time to get back on track with healthy diet and exercise.
Don’t weigh yourself everyday. Menstrual changes, hydration status, sodium consumption and more can change your weight by several pounds throughout the day. Daily weigh-ins will likely frustrate you and might even make you think, “why bother” and cause you to toss in the towel entirely. Try for once a week.
Ideally on a Wed., after you get up, go to the bathroom and undressed. Use that as a baseline, barring some unusual activity on Tues. Strive to stay within a pound or so of that number each week. If you see yourself consistently 2-3 pounds above that, look at where you might be overdoing it.
Eat close to Mother Nature. When in doubt about the best thing to eat, always think about eating “close to nature”. Processed foods have added calories from unnecessary sugars and fats. You can’t go too far wrong eating vegetables, whole grains, fruits and lean proteins.
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Submitted by Fit and Female Blog
Hey it’s Day 28!! We’re almost there!! Today I want to say a brief word about feeling your best when you workout — by looking your best.
I know a lot of people who roll out of bed and put on the oldest, crappiest workout clothes, sneakers that they’ve have since senior year in high school — then top it off with their husband’s sweatshirt (you know the one covered with paint stains — the one he uses to clean the garage).
“I feel pretty…oh so pretty…”
Personally, I’m a big believer in wearing workout clothes that you feel good wearing. You don’t have to get dolled-up to exercise or “do” your hair. But making some effort to look your sportif best does make exercise seem more important — and more fun. So you look forward to getting ready to go to the gym. Back in the day, Jane Fonda used to say she always like to look like a dancer when she worked out. She said she would show off her body to motivate herself and remind her what all her hard work was for.
Also by making some kind of an investment in your workout duds, you are sending a message to your subconscious that working out is a priority — not something you just fall into wearing some grimy old T-shirt. Something that you take seriously. You don’t have to spend a fortune either, Target for example, has a Champion Line that looks great and wears very well.
While we’re here…a word about sneakers. Sneakers breakdown internally (offering far less cushioning) LONG before they actually “look” worn-out. On average runners are advised to changed their sneaker approximately every 500 miles. If you are not a runner, it’s hard to know how much mileage, but if you go to the gym 3x/week, you should probably look into getting a new pair of sneaks every 6 months or so. You can save the “old ones” as an emergency pair to leave in the trunk of the car.
Here are other suggestions for gear must-haves:
An MP3 player - nothing like your own tunes to motivate you to move. Unless you’ve been under a rock for the last few years, you probably have one. But if you don’t — run, do not walk, and get one. It’s your own personal commercial-free radio station.
A really cool gym bag - I once knew of a very wealthy Park Avenue lady who transported her fitness gear in a ripped plastic shopping bag from CVS. She had a $5000 Berkin Bag to wear around town, but this is how she transported the clothes she wears to take care of her body. Shows you how much value she placed on working out.
Expensive socks - all socks are NOT created equal!!! Forget the 10 for $10 value pack here. Cushiony, athletic performance socks provide increased support, prevent blisters, wick moisture away and help reduce impact. And even the really pricey ones are only about $10. A small investment for happy feet. Check out my personal faves, Thor-Los and Nikes.
Clothes with Dri-Lite or other “wicking” fabrics - There are tons of microfiber clothes which move moisture away from your skin to the outside of the clothes, keeping you more comfortable and cooler in summer and warmer in winter. Again, I love Nike clothes, you can’t destroy them and they keep looking and feeling good.
A nice “just for the gym” toiletries case - Pack it with little sizes of what you need to wash-up after a good sweat (shampoo, conditioner, a great-smelling shower gel, deodorant, perfume, shaving cream, razor, etc.). All neat, zipped-up in your gym bag in a pretty tote– just ready to roll. If you are putting things together on the fly you are bound to forget something.
Good weight training gloves - I can’t lift weights without them. The skin on my hands is very sensitive and grabbing those iron dumbbells or machines just rips ‘em to shreds. A nice padded pear of weight training gloves cushions your palms, helps you grip better and prevents callouses.
A good, supportive jog bra - Everyone — even the smallest-breasted among us need proper support for “the girls”. A good jog bra should be comfortable, but snug compressing the breasts and preventing motion. Breast motion during exercise can temporary discomfort and annoyance during exercise (unless of course you’re the guy ogling her on the next treadmill). Worse yet, repeated bouncing can cause permanent sagging by damaging a structures known as the Cooper’s ligaments (special connective tissues that provide breast structure).
So what little fitness fashion indulgences can you treat yourself to as a way of rewarding yourself and honoring your commitment to your health and fitness?
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30 Days To “The Best Me Ever” - Day 27 - Changing It Up
Author: adminSubmitted by Fit and Female Blog
Ch…Ch…Ch…Ch…Changes, Turn And Face The Strain” ~ David Bowie
As I look around the gym each day, I am always taken by the number of people who have been doing the exact same workout, 3-5 days per week — for years.
While, I certainly applaud their commitment to exercise, I don’t think most of them understand the concepts of “adaptation” and “progression”.
“Adaptation” means that your body gets “used” to what ever you do on a regular basis. For example, you try spinning for the first time. You wake up the next morning with your upper back sore, your quads in a knot and your nether regions bruised from the seat. But after a couple of classes you don’t feel any of those things — you feel great. Spinning becomes easier. Your body has adapted to this new “training stimulus”.
That’s not to say that you won’t continue to get benefits from the activity (in this example, a great cardio workout) — but you won’t get the same degree of benefit that you did initially. Because your body has made all the changes that it needs in order to get the job done. Which leads me to the second concept, “progression”.
“Progression”, is the concept that you must provide your body with varied stimuli (i.e.; “different exercises” for you non-egghead types) for continued fitness gains. You need to change up something that you are doing, whether it is the type of exercise you’re doing, the frequency of the workout (sometimes less is more — but that’s a whole separate blog) and the intensity of what you are doing.
That’s why cross-training gets so much good press. Cross-training means engaging in a variety of fitness activities. With this type of exercise program you never get too much of any one thing, so that your body is never fully-adapted and must continue to make changes. Another important benefit is, cross-training helps prevent boredom and burn-out. Exercise becomes playtime with each workout being new and fresh.
So take a look at your fitness routine. If you don’t have a fitness routine, don’t worry about cross-training right now. To paraphrase the Nike Ad, “Just Do ANYTHING”, a 20-minute walk each day for a couch potato could decrease their likelihood of a heart attack immensely.
But, if you are working out regularly, ask yourself what you could try that would be different. Are you a distance runner? What about one day where you go shorter, but add some intervals? Are you a spinner? What about that Power Yoga class to loosen up those quads? Crazy about free weights? What about one day of body weight only exercises that emphasize your core?
The bottom line is, regardless of what some of us may feel about changes…our bodies really like it.
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Submitted by Fit and Female Blog
A girlfriend of mine once said, “To be female and living on The Upper East Side (of Manhattan) is by definition — to be eating disordered”.
It wasn’t as funny a statement as it should have been — because in the circles we traveled in — it was actually true.
Manhattanites will also appreciate this gem from that same friend…she used to call Tasti D-Lite Stores — “a beacon for the eating disordered”…I love TD, but it’s really true!)
And from the emails that I’m getting from women all over these days, I think that there is far more borderline eating disordered behavior among women in this country than anyone believes.
Not really a stretch of the imagination when you consider that:
According to some studies as much as 97% of women are unhappy with their bodies.
Models whose bodies represent 2-5% of the world’s women are touted as the ultimate goal of womanhood in the media.
It seems like the celebrities whom thousands of young girls idolize are coming clean about their body image problems every day.
My friend and I were both in our mid 20s at the time (I’m 29 now ;-), both teaching “aerobics” (that was old skool for “group exercise”) and both recovering from various issues with food. She was a former professional dancer who had dabbled in both anorexia and bulimia.
I was never a full-fledged anorexic, but I was as close as you can get without falling over the edge. I was aspiring (but failed) bulimic, having tried a few times to make myself throw-up with no success. Virtually every woman we knew had issues with eating, food and their body image.
One of our friends (a group fitness instructor) was a serious exercise bulimic. She would literally spend two hours at a time on the stairmaster after teaching fitness classes all day long. Her weight would swing back and forth 20-30 pounds in the seeming flash of an eye. Lose-gain, lose-gain. Then she would be seen by various people at odd times (like 9 AM) in some random out-of- the way dinner eating huge amounts of chocolate cake.
Later, this fitness professional actually took up smoking, because it helped her lose weight. And finally, and most tragically..apparently, she got addicted to heroine and cocaine…true story…her health meant nothing to her. It was all about looking a certain way.
Food issues are especially difficult — because you can’t avoid food. You need to eat to survive.
It’s not like smoking, alcohol or drugs which you can steer clear off if you put yourself in the right environments. Not so with food, because at least 3 times a day, you are going to have to deal with it.
Beyond that, food means a lot more than sustenance for most of us. It means comfort, love, security and tons of other things. None of them having to do nourishment of the body.
Food issues are also issues of control. In a constantly changing, world full of things that we can’t control food — and our eating habits are one thing that we can master. Sometimes some of us take this to the extreme.
For years, every time there was a significant upset or upheaval in my life, I either lost or gained a significant amount of weight.
I had two periods of what I would describe as a borderline anorexia. The first one (in my early 20s) and the second (in my early 30s). In both of those instances I was very depressed and anxious about other things that were going on. Not eating and losing weight made me feel like I had control in at least one area of my life.
The really disturbing thing about that is…the more weight I lost, the more positive feedback I got from women. Both times I went from a size healthy 8-6 to an emaciated size 2-0 in a matter of weeks. My clothes were literally hanging off of me, my rib and hip bones were really popping out, I was hardly eating anything, my periods were irregular — but women kept telling me things like, “Wow — you lost so much weight — you look fantastic!!”
Someone (who I know has major eating disorders herself) actually told me, “you finally lost your baby fat!!”. And another woman (also very eating disordered) asked me for a step-by-step guide to what I did to lose weight.
Meanwhile, a rational part of me knows that this is not healthy, I’m getting sicker and I need help. Kinda messes with your mind.
Thankfully, in both cases I got some professional help and got my life back together.
The point is, as women we live in a distorted, mentally unhealthy world and we have to take a step back from the insanity and see it for what it is.
We have to feel good about who we are, who we are supposed to be, first and foremost. We have to remember that real women do not look like Barbie dolls, models or eating-disordered celebrities. We need to tune out to the garbage messages from the media about what we should look like. And if we’re in a bad place with any of this — we need to get help.
If you (or someone you care about) are dealing with significant body image or eating disorders. Please, please get some help. Know that what you are dealing with is far more common among women. You are not alone — not by a long shot. Obsessing about this garbage can ruin your quality of life — and your health. The sooner you deal with it, the better.
NEDA, the National Eating Disorders Association is one good resource. Or speak with your doctor, speak with a qualified therapist …but do something and do it NOW!!
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Submitted by Fit and Female Blog
I cannot tell you the number of women I know who have a “when…then” mentality, particularly when it comes to their own health and well being. “When the kids start school…then I’ll start working out” or “when things aren’t so stressful…then I’ll start eating better”… or “when the weather gets nicer…then I’ll start that walking program” . The list is endless.
Too many of us are waiting for the “perfect time” to get started. The time when all of our proverbial ducks are in a row…when we have fewer obligations and tons of time to just spend taking care of ourselves. Get real!!
Think back on your life so far. For most of us, there has always been tons of stuff going on in our lives. From school, to work, to having a family, to juggling career and kids…its always something. The notion of a point in your life when time stands still so you can focus on yourself is a myth, particularly for a woman. If time were really standing that still, chances are you’d be pushing up daisies
Meanwhile, for far too many of us life is going on and our health issues (both large and small) are getting worse and worse…leaving us more to fix things on the other end if that “perfect time” where to come around (which it won’t).
For example, being five pounds overweight isn’t that big of a problem to deal with — being 30 pounds overweight is.
Having “pre-hypertension” or “pre-diabetes” can often be fixed in a few weeks with some simple changes in diet and exercise. But having full-on hypertension and diabetes puts your very life at risk.
In addition to this “perfect time”myth, I believe there are two other faulty beliefs that keeping us from doing the that things we know we should do. One, we believe we still have plenty of time to fix things before they get totally out of control, so we procrastinate. And two, we believe that we have to make radical changes in order to be effective. Neither of which is true.
The fact of that matter is it is the very things we do from an early age which determine our health and overall quality of life over time.
One of the best illustrations of this was the famous Korean War Veterans study published back in 1953 in The Journal of the American Medical Association. In this research, Army doctors performed autopsies on 300 soldiers who died in the line of duty in the Korean War. When the doctors examined the coronary blood vessels (which supply blood to the heart) of these young men — 77% of them had evidence of major cardiovascular disease. This even though their average age was 22!!
Now keep in minde that “taking care of yourself” doesn’t have necessarily mean surviving on a diet of tofu and wheat grass and running 5 miles a day. It’s always a good idea to avoid extremes. Extremes usually result in pendulum swings of one type or another. It’s a better idea to try and make simple changes that you can live with. Remember, every little bit counts, every action stacks up — until they result in huge changes in your well being over the long haul.
Think about it. What small changes could you make in your own life? Think of some shifts that you could make which really wouldn’t be a big deal. Drinking more water, cutting down on fried foods, just having one glass of wine with dinner, doing 15-minutes of that yoga tape that’s been gathering dust on the book shelf, taking a 20 minute walk after dinner…whatever. Little things do mean a lot.
Still don’t believe me? Consider this…cutting out just 200 calories a day, the equivalent of one tablespoon of mayo on your sandwich (switch to light or use mustard) and 2 Oreos (that you ate out of sheer boredom while watching TV)…would equal about .5 a pound of weight loss a week — or 20 pounds of weight loss in a year! And that’s nothing!!
The bottom line is there is never going to be a time when the world is going to come to a screeching halt so that you can start taking care of your health. First, accept that as a reality. Then look and see what it is that you CAN do in the here and now which will point you in a better direction. As Anthony Robbins would say when folks say, “but I can’t”…”I know you can’t, but if you could…what could you do?” Then decide commit and take action starting today. Because honestly, there has never been a more “perfect time”!
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Jan 25, 2008, New and Improved Build A Better Body Blog
Author: adminSubmitted by Louis Moore’s Build A Better Body Blog
To serve you better, I have re-created my Build A Better Body Blog using a different platform — Word Press. Word Press allows me to make the blog more interactive by having a comment section, archive and categories for various topics. Hope you like it!
Louis
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Submitted by Fit and Female Blog
I’ve been thinking about the mind games we play with ourselves a lot lately. About how we really create our own reality with the kind of beliefs we have about who we are, who we’re supposed to be and what is really possible for us.
From everything I’m reading (and I’m reading and listening to A LOT these days: Tony Robbins, Marianne Williamson, Wayne Dyer, Napoleon Hill, Brian Tracy — you name it) one thing is apparent to me… we set ourselves up for success or shackle ourselves down to failure by the things we tell ourselves and the choices we make.
One thing that I am trying to banish from my own life (and something that I see my clients do a lot in the fitness and nutrition arena) is blaming other folks for things that are “beyond our control”, playing “the blame game”:
“I would have eaten better, but my kids just had to have that pizza and ice cream last night, so I had to eat it too”.
“I would have loved to workout, but my husband needed me to take care of something so I couldn’t”
“If it hadn’t been for that phone call that came in when I was about to leave for the gym, I would have been here on time to exercise”…it goes…on and on.
Tony Robbins has one of my favorite answers to “the blame game”.
Whenever somebody comes up with an excuse as to why they “couldn’t” do something, he says, “Yes, I understand that you couldn’t — but if you COULD — what COULD you do?”
In other words, certainly there are somethings (acts of G-d, forces of nature, etc) which are clearly out of our control. But what IS within your control?? What could you do if you chose to?
For instance, In the above examples, you might ask this person…
Okay, did your kids “have” to have pizza and ice cream (i.e. would they die if they didn’t eat it?) or did you make a choice that this was something you wanted to let them do.
So then knowing that was the choice…you also made another choice to join them (which is fine..as long as you’re honest about it…and as long as its not every single night). But, was there another choice you could have made? Eat before you went out?
Get a salad with some chicken and a sorbet, instead? Or choose to pig out — enjoy and move on with life in the AM?
Did you have to do that chore to help your husband out at all? Could someone else have helped him, perhaps? Did you have to do it at that particular time? Or did you choose to do it when you did it…deciding that it was more important than working out in that moment?
Did you have to answer that phone call? Could you have let your VM pick it up? Was it really an emergency requiring your immediate attention? Or did you decide that your workout time was less important than this particular call?This is what Brian Tracy refers to as “locus of control theory”. The idea behind locus of control theory is that the more you focus on those things that you can have an effect on –the greater your results will be.
Forget what is truly out of your control. What could you do if you were really committed to a particular result. What is in your control? What choices could you have made to insure you get the results your after.
Which brings me to the next thing I’ve been thinking about (which will definitely be a separate blog…but I’ll go into it a bit now)…which is that we use “the blame game” to dodge responsibility for our choices, because on some deeper level — we don’t REALLY want that result.
Too often, we don’t believe we are supposed to achieve things in our lives…either because we aren’t worthy, or we’re frightened or we think we are going to have to suffer in the process…it goes on and on.
But whatever the internal dialog is…for some reason we are not TOTALLY committed to the end result…and therefore WE sabotage our own efforts and then we try to pin our failure on other people.
The more people I meet, the more stories I hear, the more that I’m convinced that human beings are capable of just about anything.
From the 40-something woman who lost over 100 pounds and became a personal trainer (with an awesome bod)
To the successful entrepreneur who was a drug addict living in public housing just a few years ago
To the former starving night janitor sleeping in someone’s laundry room — who now owns his own island in Fiji (aka..Tony Robbins — true story!!).If folks want it bad enough they can move mountains to make it happen.
Think about your goals (health and fitness or otherwise).
What do you really want? How committed are you to making it happen?
Then forget all of the obstacles that stand in your way and focus on the things that are within your control.
What choices could you make…if you REALLY wanted to get the job done?
And every time that you hear that voice saying…”well, I would if I could, but I have to walk the dog…and the baby needed changing…and I had to go the grocery store to get milk, blah, blah, blah, blah —- STOP YOURSELF — and force yourself to answer the question, “I know you couldn’t…but if you could…WHAT COULD YOU DO?
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30 Days To “The Best Me Ever” - Day 23 - Do It For You!
Author: adminSubmitted by Fit and Female Blog
Working out and staying in shape isn’t something that you do for other people– its something you do just for you!
You have to want it just for yourself, you have to feel you truly deserve it — and you have to feel that you are important enough to make it (and YOU) a priority.
Unfortunately, far too many of us don’t feel like we deserve to look and feel in the best shape possible. We under-exercise and overeat for long periods of time — only becoming concerned with the situation when a wedding, a reunion or bathing suit season looms in the distance. Then suddenly we become concerned about what other people might think about our appearance.
What if we wanted to be in the best shape possible all of the time — just for ourselves — because we felt that we truly deserved to feel good about the bodies we inhabit?
I think some of this is just a function of being female. Most of the women the I know are very giving by nature…to our kids, our partners, our friends, our co-workers, our pets, our community…the list goes on and on. But too many times we put taking care of our health and our bodies at the absolute bottom of the to-do list.
I can promise you one thing. If you don’t think that taking care of your own body is a priority — no one else will.
I once heard somewhere that it is a good idea to periodically take stock of how you treat yourself on a day-to-day basis. How do you talk to yourself? How do you treat yourself? What do you do for yourself? Do you do things for yourself on a regular basis, because as the famous L’Oreal ad says “you’re worth it”? Or do you grind yourself into the ground taking care of other folks needs without ever thinking of your own. The fact is, most of us treat virtual strangers with more consideration and respect than we show ourselves.
You are entitled to have some time to yourself (even 20 minutes) each and every day. You can’t keep giving and giving to others without replenishing the proverbial “well”. Just a half an hour a day that you designate to do something for your body will pay you huge dividends in how you look and feel about yourself. It doesn’t have to be a 2 hour marathon workout at the gym 15 minutes away. It could be:
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A brisk walk around the neighborhood
15-minutes of the sun salutation
Stopping by a farmer’s market to get some fabulous organic produce
Meditating for 10 minutes
A bubble bath
Taking advantage of an empty house — to dance around like a lunatic for bit (not that I would know anything about this personally, mind you
The point is to designate some time that is yours alone (ideally, each and every day) to show appreciation for your body. Regardless of your time constraints, resolve to do one small gesture…something kind to your body perhaps something that only you know about. And do it — just for yourself.
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Submitted by Fit and Female Blog
It’s human nature that all of us seem to gravitate toward the things we do well. Certainly there is nothing more validating than performing at your best. We all have our own skill set and its always fun to have a chance to “strut your stuff”.
The greater challenge comes in pushing ourselves to do those things that we are less skilled at. Nowhere is this more true than in the area of exercise and fitness.
I am always struck by how people (women and men) stick to what we know and what makes us look the best. Runners run, flexible folks do yoga, strong people lift weights. And while its fine to work with your natural gifts, the problem is that it is usually the thing that we MOST need and LEAST want to do that will ultimately result in an injury. Typically, it is the weakest link in our chain that will cause the injury…maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but at some point in the future — unless we address it.
I’ve known big muscular guys who can bench 300 lbs, but can’t come close to touching their toes. Sure, it’s unlikely that these he-men will injure themselves lifting up heavy packages, — but they may end up blowing a disc in their backs just bending over to pick up a pencil. Their weakest link isn’t their strength — its their flexibility.
On the other end of the spectrum, I have a girlfriend who is a choreographer/dancer. She is probably the most flexible person that I know. You know, one of those freaky Cirque Du Soliel types that can lie on her back and rest her leg comfortably on her shoulder.
Well, what does my pal…this gumby-esq creature focus on? You guessed it — she is an avid yogini (female yoga practitioner). She works at becoming more flexible. Why? She already has a lock on the flexibility market.
And guess what happened to her? Well, she actually tore her gluteus maximus (the butt muscle) doing a kick. She was soooo flexible, that she kicked her leg up and it just kept going and going — RIP– YEEE-OUCH!!.
Continue reading “30 Days To The Best Me Ever - Day 22- Finding Your Weakest Link” »
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Submitted by Fit and Female Blog
Several years ago, there was a phenomenally successful book on dating, called “The Rules”. I thought it was kind of a silly book, actually. But I loved the pure simplicity of it. The whole idea of if you do these specific things and you’ll get the results you’re after.
In this age of information overload, with so many so-called experts giving so much advice,it is easy to find ourselves in a situation of paralysis by analysis. Its often hard to know what path to follow or how to put all the information together. Understandably, folks want a recipe to follow that will yield results every time.
I got to thinking about what some of “The Rules” would be for getting in shape and staying that way. So here are five tried and true methods to insure that you’ll always look and feel your best.
Rule 1: Only eat when you’re hungry. It doesn’t matter what time of day it is. Don’t eat just because its time to eat. Let your stomach tell you when its time to dig in by reconnecting with your body’s nature hunger mechanism.
It’s very easy to eat (or drink) hundreds of extra calories, that you didn’t even want in the first place. Before you eat always ask yourself…”am I actually hungry?”. If not, wait until you are ready…not ravenous, but ready.
Rule 2: Always try to make the healthiest food choice available. Play a mental game with yourself to try and identify the absolute best choice in terms of “nutrient density”. In other words, given the available choices at that moment what will give you the most health benefit in terms of providing:
the least amount of saturated fat
the least amount of processed white flour
the least amount of simple sugars
the least amount of artificial colors or flavors
the fewest chemical additives
the most fiber
the most anti-oxidants
foods that are closest to their natural form
Rule 3: Try to workout every single day. Yep…that’s what I said…every single day. The reason is that life being what it is, invariably there will be something that will come up and throw your exercise plans out the window. If you plan on working out 3 times a week and your workout gets derailed by some unforeseen circumstance (which it probably will) you’ll be down to just twice a week. Which is not enough to meet your fitness goals.
Try to set aside some time (20-60 minutes each day) as your designated workout time. Realistically you’ll probably end up exercising 3-5 times per week, which is the recommended amount.
Rule 4: Find something that you really enjoy doing. I am always amused by people who say that they “hate” such and such time of exercise, but they know they should because someone told them that its “good” for them.
Here’s a tip..human beings (even women) are only so masochistic, so if there is an activity that you totally loathe –it is unlikely that you will commit to doing it on a regular basis.
Fitness should be fun. You should look forward to your exercise as your private time and your play time. Try to find several things you really like and working out becomes a break from the daily grind, time to clear your head, challenge your body and do something that’s just for you.
Rule 5: When Your Fall “Off The Wagon”, Dust Yourself Off and Climb Right Back On. Always keep in mind that nobody is perfect — and fitness is not an all-or-nothing proposition. Too many people give up on their fitness programs because they have a few weeks where their choices (in diet and/or exercise) are less than stellar. Stuff happens. Stuff is gonna happen. That’s life. The trick is to not beat yourself up over it, or use it as an excuse to abandon your routine entirely. Just resolve to get back on track before a five pound weight gain becomes a 25 pound one or a month-long lapse in working out becomes a year.
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Submitted by Fit and Female Blog
Have you ever heard someone tell you they know of a workout that makes you “longer and leaner”? Did you believe them?
If so, I have some prime real estate in Florida that you might be interested in. Yeah, sure there’s a few gators scrambling around amidst the reeds…and a bit of a stench, but its really not that bad once you get used to it.
Seriously though, the truth is exercise can make bodies “leaner”, but it can’t make them”longer”.
“Lean” means that you have proportionately more muscle tissue and less fat tissue. That is certainly a realistic goal to have with any consistent workout routine.
But “length” is another matter all together. Muscle length is a function of your limb length.
Folks with longer bones (such as the femur in the leg and the humerus in the arm) have longer muscles strung across them to make them move properly.
No matter what you may read on the cover of a magazine — no exercise program will make you “longer”…although there was that medieval torture “the rack”…hmmm…maybe they were on to something… could be the next Thigh Master…but I digress.
The truth is if you are an adult then your limb length is set. So unless your limbs happen to be made of salt water taffy — they won’t get LONGER from exercise.
Continue reading “30 Days To “The Best Me Ever” - Day 21 - Longer and Leaner?” »
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Joy’s Fit Club Circuit Workout Video Clip
Author: adminSubmitted by Fit and Female Blog
Hey, Folks:
Shameless self promotion alert ;-)!!
Just FYI, this is the clip from the segment I did with Joy Bauer on The Today Show on Monday 1/14/07. For more information on Joy’s Fit Club and the workout program that I designed for her click here.
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30 Days To The Best Me Ever - Day 20 - Drink Up
Author: adminSubmitted by Fit and Female Blog
Wow — it’s already Day 20! Still with me? Good! Here’s today’s challenge….DRINK MORE WATER. There is nothing like it for feeling and looking better.
Over 70% of the human body is comprised of water, so even mild to moderate dehydration can negatively impact virtually every bodily system. Not drinking enough water has been associated with everything from: fatigue, irritability, anxiety, agoraphobia, depression, food cravings, and allergies, migraine headaches, angina, rheumatoid joint pain, back pain, colitis pain, fibromyalgia pain, constipation…YEEESH.
Worse yet, medical experts believe that over time dehydration can contribute to: high cholesterol levels, heart failure, chronic fatigue, cancers, multiple sclerosis, osteoarthritis and osteoporosis, stroke, and Alzheimer’s.
So commit today to get enough of the wet stuff.
Not sure how much to drink. 8 glasses day is not the number for everyone. To find out exactly how much you need take this handy quiz from about.com http://nutrition.about.com/library/blwatercalculator.htm
Geez — I just took the quiz and I need about 10 1/2-8 oz glasses per day….glug, glug, glug…..
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Joy’s Fit Club on The Today Show (1/14/08)
Author: adminSubmitted by Fit and Female Blog
This morning (1/14) I was on NBC’s The Today Show with my dear friend and continual inspiration, Today Show Nutritionist, Joy Bauer.
Joy asked me to design a mix and match circuit routine for her Joy’s Fit Club Members so that they would have a quick, inexpensive, fun and easy way to tone up and lose weight. If you haven’t joined Joy’s Fit Club, do it now — lots of great tools for losing weight, getting fit and having fun doing it!
If you missed the segment (Meredith did the workout in heels!!!)
check it out here. For my step-by-step instructions on the program check out The Today Show website
Want more tools? My forthcoming DVD/CD/Weight Loss program The Best Me Ever uses a similar circuit format of low-impact cardio with toning (using dynabands and tubing) in three separate workouts. Each workout is broken up in to “do what you can” 5-min segments to fit easily into your lifestyle. Sign-up for my Best Me Ever Insider’s List for a one-time only release date special pricing AND special free bonuses designed to make weight loss and working out fun and easy.
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Submitted by Fit and Female Blog
Joseph Pilates (founder of the fitness technique which bares his name) was credited with saying, “a man is as old as his spine”. Nothing could be more true.
More than 100 million Americans say they have lower back pain. 50 million say that the pain they have is significant enough to interfere with their every day activities. In fact, back pain is the second most common reason that Americans go to the doctor (the common cold is number one). Back injuries are the number one work-related injury, according to The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons.
While there are many potential causes for back pain (accidents, tumors, birth defects, infections) the fact is MOST back pain is related to poor body mechanics (both at rest and in movement) and is therefore preventable. Proper lifting techniques, maintaining a healthy body weight, good posture and regular exercise to strengthen the core musculature top the list of the best ways to prevent lower back pain.
Experts now believe that the best core (often defined as the abdominals, back extensors and hips) exercises should:
work all the muscle core groups simultaneously
in a way that simulates what the muscles should do to stabilize the spine rather than move it
Improve the flexibility of the hip musculature
challenge whole body balance and stability
In other words, core training today is not just about crunches and back extension, but planks, bridges, balance apparatus (including physioballs) and more.
The best news is that when it comes to back pain an once of prevention is truly worth more than a pound of cure. Even 5-minutes a day of just a few basic core exercises can keep back pain at bay and help make you part of the lucky 20% of Americans who do not have to deal with this nagging malady. Are you doing something everyday to keep your back healthy?
For specific recommendations check out my youtube video on a quick and easy back maintenance routine you can do in about 5 minutes.
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Submitted by Fit and Female Blog
Bored with the same old workout? Taking the same class day after day? Doing that same 30 min 3.6 mph walk on the the treadmill? It’s not just boring — it’s also responsible for causing a fitness plateau.
One way to avoid getting stale and to keep on making improvements is to mix-up your workout choices with cross-training.
The dictionary defines “cross-training” as training”in different sports, mainly by alternating regimens”. The benefits of cross training, include:
Prevents staleness and exercise boredom
Provide plenty of options depending on each day’s circumstances (can’t get to the gym, bad weather, feeling a little tired…etc.)
Produces a higher level of all around conditioning
Conditions the entire body, not just specific muscle groups
Reduces the risk of injury
Allows some muscles to work more while others can rest and recover
Allows for training, even when one area is injured
Improves skill, agility and balance
I can’t tell you how many people have told me with pride that either they (or someone that they admire) runs “5 miles a day”. As if that was a good thing. That’s a little bit like saying…”I each spinach everyday”. Spinach is good for you…but if that was all you ate you would have a very unhealthy diet, deficient in other essential nutrients. Fitness works the same way.
In that example, certainly, that kind of mileage could be fine if you are training for a specific long distance running event, for a finite amount of time. But, if that is all that you are doing for exercise day after day, year after year — you are going to have some issues.
In fact, can pretty much guarantee that if you show me a person who runs 5 miles a day (and does nothing else), I’ll show you someone with:
a lot of muscular imbalances
a lot of nagging injuries, aches and pains
a person who is very weak in certain area
a person who is very inflexible in certain areas
The truth is the body does not “like” to do the same thing, day after day. Doing one kind of activity over and over puts the same stress on the same areas of the body without allowing enough time for recovery and repair.
This means that other areas of the body (or other energy systems) are NOT getting worked out, while areas are getting far too much exercise and are put at increased risk for injury.
The body responds best to varied activities, the more different the better. In designing a fitness program, always try to choose activities with movements that look very different from one another, activities with different levels of impact, activities that move at different speeds, some activities which tone muscles, some which stretch and lengthen muscles and some which make you good and sweaty.
Here are some examples of workout combinations which compliment and balance each other well:
Running or walking and yoga
Swimming and kettlebell training
Boxing and cycling
Elliptical machines and rockwall climbing
Roller-blading and boot camp training
Ballroom dance and free weight training
Cross country skiing and gymnastic “rings” training
The fact is “exercise boredom” is one of the most common reasons that people stop exercising. Unusual fitness combinations keep exercising fresh and interesting, by preventing the drudgery that can come from doing the same things endlessly. Pick a couple of activities that strike your fancy, mix and match ‘em — and get to it!
Now if you’ll excuse me…I’m gonna go run on the treadmill while watching Season 4 of Nip/Tuck (a guilty pleasure!) — and then practice some combinations on the heavy bag.
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Submitted by Louis Moore’s Build A Better Body Blog
Coca-Cola and Cargill will move to introduce their stevia sweetner product in countries where the ingredient is already approved, the firms have confirmed. This is big news! I always figured it was just a matter of time before stevia would make its way to the mainstream United States. Stevia is a natural herb found in Paraguay that has an incredibly sweet taste, but zero calories and carbs. I’ve been using it for years adding it to my coffee, oatmeal and green tea. I’ll warn you though, it has a different sweet taste . . . kinda like licorice. Some people love it, some hate it. Anyway, all of the big sugar manufacturers and artificial sweetner companies (Equal, Splenda, etc.) have been placing incredible political pressures with the FDA to slow the introduction of stevia in the United States. Obviously, this would seriously cut their market shares. That’s why you don’t hear about it as much in the mainstream. I always thought it would take some real political power to get stevia pushed through the FDA and marketing muscle to introduce it to America. Well, now this is becoming reality with 2 huge multi-national corporations taking serious interest and investment in Stevia . . . Coca-Cola and Cargill. “We will sell in the markets where regulatory approval already exists and we’ll work through the paths for regulatory approval in other countries around the world, including the US,” Cargill spokesperson Ann Tucker told FoodNavigator-USA.com. The big question still remains how fast Coca-Cola can make this happen?
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Submitted by Fit and Female Blog
It’s Day 17 - time to say a brief word about sisterhood. I think there is FAR too little of it in this world. As women, we need to support each other…appreciate each other…not tear each other down. We do this a lot when it comes to our appearances.
It’s Day 17 - time to say a brief word about sisterhood. I think there is FAR too little of it in this world. As women, we need to support each other…appreciate each other…not tear each other down. We do this a lot when it comes to our appearances.
How many times have you heard another woman say… or perhaps said yourself…”That skinny bitch!! I hate her!!!” Maybe in jest, but as we know — many a truth is spoken in jest.
The point is, I think as a gender we are WAY too threatened by each other. It’s as if we believe “Well, she’s pretty, so I can’t be”. “She has a great body, so that takes away from me”.
Nope, not true!! There is plenty of FABULOUS out there for everybody.
There is Audrey Hepburn beauty, Marilyn Monroe beauty, Kate Moss beauty and Beyonce beauty. All gorgeous…all very different. Lots of room on the beauty train for everyone! AAAAAll Aboard!!!
Why does one woman looking great take ANYTHING away from another? It’s just like another magnificent snowflake, unique and wonderful to admire.
For years I used to be very insecure about how I stacked up to other women. Now, I LOVE seeing beautiful women of all ages, shapes and sizes. I always respect my sisters who take care of themselves, stay in shape, enjoy their femininity. Rather than feel threatened or try to rip them to shreds…”Well, her butt isn’t that great — I mean I’ve seen better.”. No, now I say, many times right to the person (who might think I’m gay and coming on to them, but I don’t care) “Wow, you are gorgeous!” Usually, they are very happy to hear the it! Women don’t give each other enough sincere compliments.
We’re women. It’s so awesome to be a woman. We’re a gorgeous freakin’ gender.
Think about it — we make men weak in the knees, they designed guitars because they were inspired by the shape of our bodies. They stare at us on the Internet and in magazines, because we fascinate them. We’re on the cover of men’s magazines…and women’s magazines, because everybody likes looking at our bodies. How cool is that?? The female body is really a work of art.
So rather than seeing another woman’s assets as a threat…why not say, “Woooo hoooo…there goes another living work of art…. score another one for the smokin’ hot XX chromosome team!!!”
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I’ll Be On The Today Show This Monday 1/14/08
Author: adminSubmitted by Fit and Female Blog
Just wanted to let you know that I’ll be on NBC’s, The Today Show this Monday 1/14/08 (at the top of the 8 AM EST hour) doing a segment on using circuit training for weight loss. I’ll be working with Joy Bauer, as part of her excellent segment Joy’s Fit Club. Hope you can check it out!!
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Ready….Set….GO!
Author: adminSubmitted by ABSolution 4 Her Blog
Spring racing season is right around the corner. Like most runners, if you’ve been doing mostly endurance runs indoors on a treadmill during the cold weather months, you may feel unprepared to hit that first 5K in a time that won’t make you cry. Replace one day of your regular running routine by trying these different speed drills. It will pay off on race day!
Boot Camp Hills. Find a steep hill that’s at least 50 to 75 meters long, and run hill repeats on it once every two weeks. Alternate running up the hill at close to top speed with “bounding” up the hill more slowly, with an exaggerated vertical motion. Start with six repeats per workout and gradually increase to 10. Between repeats, jog slowly back down to the bottom of the hill.
Hill Hops. After you’ve finished the above workout, begin hopping up the hill on one foot for 15 hops, then shift to the other foot for 15 more hops. Walk for a few seconds to recover, and then repeat.
Running on your Toes. After you have warmed up properly, “sprint” on your toes for 30 meters, taking small, quick steps with high knee action. Jog easily for 15 seconds to recover, and then repeat twice more. When finished, do the rest of your workout.
Jump and Sprint. Do a standing long jump, but at the moment you land, sprint for about 10 yards.
Laterals: Get in a slightly crouched position with your back straight and your arms out in front of you. Step quickly side to side, bringing the trailing leg next to the leading leg. Stay in the crouch and move 25 yards to one side, then return with the opposite leg leading.
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Jan 11, 2008, Favorite Fripp Quotes
Author: adminSubmitted by Louis Moore’s Build A Better Body Blog
I’ve been a huge Robert Fripp fan throughout the years, both for his musical compositions and writings. I just think all of his stuff is totally original, mindful, and the opposite of being “status quo.” Here’s a few of his quotes I think are interesting:
“Don’t be helpful, be available”
“Listen also with the ears of the heart”
“When stuck, increase the complexity”
“With commitment, all the rules change”
“Just below the surface of our everyday world lie riches”
“Helpful people are a nuisance”
“Interrogate the error”
“The artist is a bridge between the possible, the impossible, and the actual”
“We begin where we are”
“Nothing worthwhile is achieved suddenly”
“Effective action begins when we cease to concern ourselves with being effective”
“Rely on what someone does, not what they claim to be”
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Submitted by Fit and Female Blog
Patient: Doctor, it hurts when I do this.
Doctor: Stop doing that.
(Keep your Noel Coward, I just love that silly vaudeville-type humor)
I am always astounded by the number of people who: 1) think exercise is supposed to hurt and 2) continue to exercise even when they are in pain. Every day I see people limping and hobbling through the gym trying to pretend that nothing is wrong and doing more of the stuff that got them in that condition in the first place.
True, exercise is supposed to stress your systems (metabolic and musculoskeletal, principally). And certainly exercise is supposed to be challenging. The idea is that you put enough stress on the body to cause a positive change (adaptation) but not so much stress (or so little rest) that the body breaks down and gets injured. In other words actual “pain” should NEVER be part of the workout equation.
In fact, if anything, a well-rounded fitness program should actually DECREASE your discomforts, such as shoulder pain, back pain, knee pain, etc. Because when muscles are strong AND flexible they are better able to do their job moving joints and keeping the body in proper alignment.
Pain is ALWAYS the body’s way of signaling you that it needs time to heal. Ignoring that signal is a sure recipe for disaster.
I have never, not once, heard of a person who ignored their pain signals, exercised through an injury and was ultimately successful. In fact, every time a person I’ve known has told me they were going to continue to workout despite their pain signals, their pain worsened and they ended up with a more significant injury than they had in the first place. An injury which eventually side-lined them from working out all together.
Having some discomfort or an injury often doesn’t mean that you have to stop exercising, entirely. However, it almost always means that you need to modify your current activity or switch to different activity. For example, if your running or walking program has given you “shin splints” (diffuse muscular pain in the inside front of the lower leg), switching to a lower impact activity such as cycling or elliptical training can allow you to continue your cardio conditioning while allowing the running injury to heal.
Keep in mind, the best way to deal with an injury — is not to get one in the first place. Non-contact (i.e. overuse) injuries are easy to predict. If someone suddenly increases two or more of the following (the intensity of the activity , the frequency of the workouts or the time spent working out) it almost ALWAYS WITHOUT EXCEPTION results in an overuse injury.
Doing too much, too soon, too often is a sure-fire recipe for disaster, because the body does not have sufficient time to adapt to the change in activity, tissues and structures breakdown and whammo — your in pain.
So if something is (or has been) bothering you and you are continuing to do the same workout day after day without addressing it — STOP — you are headed for big problems. Your body is a whole lot smarter than you are and will eventually “shut you down” completely with an injury sure to get your attention — to prevent you from causing further damage to the system.
First, see your doctor and get it checked out. Then if you aren’t sure how to return to your workout seek out the advice of physical therapist AND a highly-credentialed personal trainer to help address and correct the flaws in your routine that caused the breakdown in the first place. Remember fitness is supposed to improve your health — not worsen it.
I’ll be on the Today Show this Monday 1/14 during the 8 AM EST Hour doing a circuit training segment with Joy Bauer for Joy’s Fit Club. Hope you can tune in!!
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Submitted by Fit and Female
You know the acronym…K.I.S.S., “Keep it simple, Stupid”…Well, I prefer, “Keep it simple, Sweetie”, myself… and people who prefer eyes without giant shiners on them would be wise to use that particular one with me…but the basic idea is the same.
So, today on Day 15 of our month-long “Best Me Ever Challenge”, I would like to say a word about MAKING YOUR FITNESS ROUTINE EASY!!
In order to work over the long-haul, fitness needs to fit into your lifestyle, not the other way around.
I am always struck by the number of people who tell me that they are going to start an exercise program. “Great”, I say, “what are you going to do?”. Well, and then they proceed to tell something like this.
“I’m going to bundle up the baby and take her to my Mom’s, then pick my friend Sue up at her house, then we’ll drive together the 30-minute trip to the Y, we’ll swim for an hour, then I’ll drop her off and go home, shower and change”.
How long do you think that routine is going to last in the “real world”? …I say two, maybe three times…max.
Many people chose fitness activities that will NEVER work on a day-to-day basis. Sure something like that might work (possibly) once a week, but day-to-day it has the shelf-life of a fish fillet.
You need to find something (really SEVERAL somethings) that you can do easily on a daily basis. Here are some questions (and suggestions) that may help you make fitness choices that will work for you day after day.
Can you get to a gym? I’m a gym rat. I love being in the gym, but on the weekends (and some weekdays) that’s just not an option for me. It’s too far away from my home. So I put together a little gym in my house. It doesn’t take much to set one up either, just one decent cardio piece (like a bike or a treadmill), a bench and some free weights and bands and you are more than good to go. I also have a bunch of fitness DVDs to pop in if I need someone else to motivate me.
Do you LIKE being outside? It’s great to say that you are going to walk outside everyday, but if you HATE the cold and live in the northern part of the country, you’re going to outta luck a good part of the year.
Is your workout space a space that you ENJOY being in? One of my clients told me with pride that she moved her treadmill/clothing and hat rack into the garage(?).
“Is it a real garage or did you convert it?” I asked. “No, she told me, it’s a real garage.”
Is it heated, I asked. “No”, she replied, “it’s not”.
I responded, “Okay, so let me get this straight. You are going to go into your freezing cold garage every morning and get on the treadmill?”.
“Yes,” she responded, “I don’t mind the cold. “Besides, once you get moving it’s really not that cold”.
I gave her one of my patented “okay, let me know how that works out for ya” looks.
Fast forward…weeks went by and the only time she touched that treadmill was when she brushed by it accidentally.. getting into the car. Needless to say the treadmill ended up back in the house where at least it can be a useful coat rack.
One more one this subject…
another client told me that she and her husband set up a workout space in the basement.
“Great!”, I said enthusiastically, “is it a furnished basement”. “No”, she replied, “it’s unfinished”.
“So what are you facing while you are on your treadmill?”, I asked.
“A cement wall”, she replied.
Now keep in mind that this woman is a landscape architect by trade. A visual person!!! How many times do you think she uses that treadmill facing the unfinished CEMENT WALL???? Maybe we could get her some nice bamboo shoots to put under her fingernails while she’s on there?
The point is, it needs to be a space that you are comfortable in on all levels. It shouldn’t feel like your own personal Gulag Archipelago.
Is this a time of day that you can workout consistently? Carving out a realistic workout time is key. It’s great to want to workout at lunchtime. But if you take 45-minute to shower, change and blow dry your hair, fitting a workout into your workday is going to eat up over 2-hours.
Once a client wanted to train with me at 1 PM. I had that time open, because nobody wanted that time. It’s smack dab in the middle of the day for Pete’s sake.
She went on to tell me how she planned to make it work. It was a long, convoluted story that basically ended up with the everything revolving around getting to the gym to see me in the middle of the day. I knew there was NO WAY that she was going to be doing that for more than a week or two. That’s just not the way life works. So, I talked her into a more realistic time of day.
The bottom line is…it has to be as convenient and easy as possible. The faster you can get moving, the less steps and prepping needed. The better. Anthony Robbins talks about “rolling out of bed, into your gear” and getting a move on ASAP.
So think about your own program (or lack there of) what is it for you? How can you KEEP IT SIMPLE, SWEETIE?
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