Saturday, November 30, 2013

Post-Thanksgiving Blues



                OK, it’s confession time – self-control around the holidays is not my strong suit.  I don’t always make the ideal food choices, but I generally do pretty well.  I thought I had mastered the art of portion control and calorie awareness. Unfortunately, over the past three days, I’ve learned that I’m nearly helpless in the face of a good stuffing – and as a result I’ve gained three pounds since Wednesday. Now that Thanksgiving is over, I need to buckle down, lose those few pounds and get back on track. But I’m going to take a few lessons away from the past few days.

                First, it takes a lot of effort and sweat to lose weight. It takes very little effort and no sweat whatsoever to put it back on. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all in favor of enjoying Thanksgiving. But at the next holiday feast, I need to take my own advice and stick to one moderate helping.

                Second, my body feels like total crap the day after I overeat – especially when the food has a high fat content and is loaded with butter. I stuck with my workouts over the Thanksgiving holiday, but I didn’t have my usual energy. By this morning (Saturday), I had to drag myself out of bed to do a Stretch workout (which was desperately needed). Fatty foods are no good for fueling a workout. Of course, you need some healthy fats in your diet - but butter-laden bread and potatoes don’t fit the bill.

                Third, portion control is something that should be practiced at every meal – and not shelved for special occasions. Thanksgiving is just as nice if you eat smaller portions of the same foods – just eat a bit less of the unhealthy foods and a bit more of the healthy ones. Make sure there are wholesome salads and vegetables on the table, so you can satisfy your hunger and have more energy the next day.

                Tomorrow is December 1, so I’m going to take these lessons and follow them for the rest of the year. My December will be packed with holiday lunches, parties, and family dinners, but I’m committing myself to making healthier choices.  I fully intend to get through the holidays in style (which means that I should be able to zip up my dress on New Year’s Eve).

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Enjoy your Thanksgiving - guilt-free!



                The next month will be packed with countless holiday events, all of which have one thing in common – food. We kick the holiday season off on Thursday with the greatest American feast of the year – Thanksgiving.

                Once you’ve made a commitment to live a healthy lifestyle, Thanksgiving day may seem fraught with peril. Traditional meals are prepared with healthy doses of butter, cream and sugar – everything you’re supposed to avoid when losing weight, staying lean and building muscle.

                There are lots of healthier alternatives out there to butter-laden stuffing and mashed potatoes – just do a quick Internet search and you’ll find loads of options. But those only get you so far when you’re a guest of Aunt Betty’s, who makes the world’s best pumpkin pie, and whose sour cream mashed potatoes are world-renowned … Many people start to dread those dinners, worry about the weight they might gain, and aren’t able to fully enjoy the holiday experience.

                But don’t make this mistake!  Life is far too short not to embrace these special occasions to the fullest. There isn’t a single meal – no matter how rich or decadent – that will destroy your fitness plan, so long as you plan ahead and don’t get bogged down in guilt. Here are three simple steps that I plan to take, to make sure I enjoy this year’s Thanksgiving dinner:

                1) Put a few calories in the bank. On Thanksgiving Day, enjoy a light breakfast and lunch, keeping each under 350-400 calories. Then, once it’s time for the big feast, you can enjoy the meal! I’ll have my usual breakfast, and then have my Shakeology for lunch. Then I’ll be ready to enjoy a full Thanksgiving meal in the evening.

                2) Portion control is key. People go wrong when they start piling on the seconds and thirds. Take one plate and fill it with all the good stuff, but then stop there. Dessert is ok, too – just pick the best looking dessert on the table and enjoy (as opposed to sampling them all)!

                3) No guilt allowed – there’s no place for it on Thanksgiving if you otherwise follow a healthy lifestyle. This is a holiday. It’s one meal. Enjoy it (in moderation), enjoy the company, and embrace the day. Then tomorrow, hit your workout as usual, resume your healthy eating plan and move forward.

                Happy Thanksgiving!

Monday, November 25, 2013

Fitness vs. Weight Loss - What drives you to exercise?



A lot of people start working out because they want to lose weight. Because of this, they judge the success or failure of their exercise program by how quickly the scale moves downward. This is a natural reaction – achieving a healthy body weight is a worthy goal, and when you’re sweating buckets and putting in tremendous effort each day, it’s understandable that you want to see results on the scale.

Unfortunately, this same thinking is one of the reasons that most people who start an exercise program quit – many of them in the first couple of weeks. Exercise is viewed as a means to an end – and if the weight isn’t coming off fast enough, the program is obviously “not working” and they quit, leaving their hard-earned fitness gains behind.

This is also a reason why so many people gain back the weight they lost. Once a weight loss gain is achieved, people who don’t view exercise as a lifestyle change tend to drift back toward their old habits, maybe eating a bit more and exercising a bit less… then over time, the results from all that hard work become a distant memory.

That’s why it’s so important to view fitness as a lifestyle choice, not a “program”. When thinking about “why” you want to exercise, it’s important to find reasons other than “lose weight”. Because if you’re successful and you achieve your goal weight, what will drive you to keep going?

When I started Insanity back in March, I knew I had some weight to lose. But what was bothering me far more was my sore, aching back. I used to run all the time - I finished a couple of marathons and at one point was running 30-40 miles a week. Eventually I tapered off, but I still enjoyed heading out for a run – until a few years ago. At that point, whenever I would head out for a run, my back would clench into knots the next day. So, I figured I was getting old, and that running was no longer any good for me (mind you, I’m only 42…)

So when I decided to try Insanity, I figured I’d last about a week. Probably less, because between my baknee and my back, I didn’t think I had a chance. But then a funny thing happened – even though I was sore, I wasn’t feeling any real pain. While my back bothered me a bit the first few weeks, eventually the discomfort went away.  My knee – which required a brace during the first month of the program – got stronger, to the point where I stuck the brace in a drawer and haven’t seen it since. I was losing weight – but more importantly, I was gaining strength. My core was able to support my back, and my leg muscles were able to support my knee. I’m not Shaun T, but at this point in my journey I can knock out quite a few power jumps and squats. And when I run (3-4 miles at a time), my back feels fantastic the next day.

Now, I’m not a medical professional. I’m not a certified personal trainer. But I firmly believe that the fitness gains that I’ve achieved will preserve my strength and mobility over the long term. I will continue to exercise because I want my body to be strong and fit into my 50s, 60s, 70s and beyond. And I will not stop, because losing weight is no longer my goal – this is about how I choose to live my life.

So write down some new goals – besides losing weight, WHY do YOU exercise? What will keep you going, even after the scale hits that magic number – or even if it never does?

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Form over Speed!

I'm a huge advocate of home fitness programs. Well-designed video workout plans are extremely effective (if you actually do the work) and are an efficient use of your time. But there are drawbacks as well. It's almost inevitable that people start comparing themselves to the folks in the video, try to keep pace with them and feel frustrated when they can't keep it up.

Always remember - when beginning a workout program, you start from wherever you happen to be. You may wish that you had the knees of a teenager, were 30 pounds lighter and had the stamina of a marathoner, but most of us don't start out there. That probably means that you have to make modifications to the exercises (if they aren't demonstrated) and slow down your pace in order to get the form right.

Which brings me to another drawback of home fitness programs - there's no personal trainer in the room, making sure that you're doing the exercises properly. Nobody is there to tell you to push back your bum in a squat, keep your knees behind your toes when lunging, or keep your back straight, hips back when doing a dead lift. You have to listen to the trainer's cues and pay careful attention to form on your own. This usually means slowing down your pace in the early days while you're learning the moves, so you can double check your form at all times. When you exercise with incorrect form, your workouts will be far less effective, and you are at a higher risk of injury. And an injury is one sure-fire way to throw your entire fitness plan off track.

So take your time, ease your way into the workout plan and slow down. Don't compare yourself to a fitness model - each week compare yourself to YOU the week before. You may not be keeping up with the folks in the video today, but over time your stamina will improve, you'll build strength, you'll pick up speed and enhance your agility - and in the end, you'll achieve your fitness goals.

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

The Power of Accountability

Accountability is a powerful way to stay focused on what's important. In your career, at home, within your family - we are all answerable to someone. We all have certain responsibilities to carry out, and if we fail to live up to them we'll be called to answer for what we've done (or didn't do). While accountability doen't guarantee success, it is a powerful driver to get things done.

That's why accountability is such an important part of a fitness program. If you're working out all alone, day after day, there's a risk of boredom. You may feel isolated, because you don't have anyone who understands and supports what you're trying to do. Because of this, you are much more likely to quit your program and drift back into a sedentary lifestyle. So, no matter what you're doing to stay fit, I think it's important to find a community of like-minded people

There are lots of ways to create accountability. Some people go to the gym - they pay for a membership, enroll in classes and start going regularly. They'll arrange to meet friends at specific times, or attend the same classes each week, which keeps them accountable and moving forward. Other people may belong to a running club, a rowing team, or play basketball in the gym twice a week with friends. All of these things combine fitness with a sense of community, which is a critical factor in keeping people involved in their fitness program

Now, I've never had a gym membership that I actually used (in fact, I just quit my latest gym last week, after going there once). I've always had a hard time making myself go somewhere to exercise, because I always feel pressed for time.  That's why I used to run - because I was getting my workout done the minute I stepped outside the door. For the same reason, that's why I decided to start doing Insanity to get in shape. Just put the DVD in the player, and you're getting it done.

The problem with this approach is the apparent lack of community. When you're doing a home video program, it's often just you and your TV (though I was lucky and had the support of some great friends). The workouts are fantastic and you can achieve a very high level of fitness - but if you don't have support and accountability, you aren't as likely to continue with the program.

That's a big reason that I decided to become a Beachbody coach. When I started Insanity I joined an on-line group, and started posting each day to stay accountable.  But for me, that wasn't enough - so I signed on as a coach and started working to build my own community, to focus on nutrition and working out safely.  Now, we have a Team Beachbody message board and a Facebook group of nearly 50 strong - all working together on our personal fitness goals, overcoming challenges and keeping accountable to each other every day. I love encouraging everyone in the group to keep pushing forward, but if it wasn't for them, I can't say I'd still be sticking with my own programs, week after week. I've been working out consistently for almost nine months now, and I have any intention of quitting!