What's up with these wraps???

           All over the Internet, people are selling body wraps that you can use at home. How can you miss them? These products promise a miraculous reduction in body fat, with inches melting off thighs, belly and arms. There are a number of theories provided to explain how this process works, from simple water loss to somehow depleting excess fat in your adipose cells.

               

           I don’t want to talk about whether these things “work”.  I have no idea, because I’ve never tried a body wrap. I figure it’s like any other cosmetic type of treatment you can get at a spa – like having a facial. It’s relaxing, your skin feels nice afterwards, and it’s a generally pleasant experience. So a body wrap might be a nice thing to try right before a big event – maybe you’d temporarily lose an inch or two, so you could zip up that dress more easily? Why not…

But here’s my issue– too many people seem to be marketing body wraps as some magical weight loss solution.  I’ve seen these extraordinary before and after pictures – people who’ve lost 100+ pounds using wraps – but I have no doubt that diet and exercise played the biggest role in the results being attributed to the wraps.

It’s a huge mistake to focus to heavily on the cosmetic aspects of excess weight, without addressing the underlying health, fitness and nutrition issues. Let’s assume for a moment that these wraps can give you sleek, awesome thighs – those thighs won’t get you through a 5 mile run if you haven’t been training. Your belly may look flatter – but your core muscles won’t be any stronger. And even if your arms are less jiggly, you won’t be able to lift your kids above your head, and get that nice ripped look that comes from strength training.

             Don’t get me wrong – I love the fact that I’ve lost weight. I love shopping and trying on clothes I couldn’t have possibly worn last year.  But achieving some mythical perfect body (which isn’t happening at 43) is not what drives me to get up almost every day and work out. I do this because I want to have strong legs, strong arms and a strong back. I want to be flexible, so I can move around without pulling a muscle. I don’t want to go back to having the stiff back that I had when my core muscles were weak. I want to be able to jump high, run and do a headstand if I feel like it (yoga, anyone?). No wrap is going to give me that.

                Most important, in 30 years, I want to be able to travel, hike with my grandkids, ride a bicycle – to the best of my ability. I want to remain active for as long as possible, and I don’t want to leave anything on the table. There are no sure bets in life, but leading an active, healthy lifestyle NOW is the best bet for staying active and healthy over the long term.

                So if the idea of body wrapping appeals to you, give it a try. I’ll keep having my occasional facials, because they’re relaxing and fun. But don’t use them as a substitute for hard, sweaty workouts and healthy eating. Because there are no shortcuts to physical fitness and wellbeing. Push your limits, fuel your body – then enjoy that wrap or trip to the spa as a well-earned reward.

               

Don't work out JUST to lose weight.

                Does that sound counter-intuitive? Don’t a lot of people start an exercise program because they want to lose weight?

                Yes, that’s true – and that’s also why most people who start an exercise program quit within weeks.

                If you really want to get into shape (and notice, I didn’t say “get thin”), you need to do two things. First, you have to make exercise a habit, and not view it as a means to a (weight loss) end. Second, you have to focus on nutrition and healthy eating. It’s a not a question of “dieting” – rather, it’s a matter of gradually changing your mindset, away from “losing weight” and toward “healthy living”.  

In this post, I want to focus on the exercise side of the equation.

Humans aren’t supposed to be sedentary. Before the 20^th century, people lived far more active lives by necessity. There were no cars. There were no washing machines, power mowers, vacuum cleaners and other appliances that made our lives easier. Manual labor was a part of everyday life. Who needed a gym when you had to wash the family’s clothing on a scrub board?

People are made to live active lives, so if you’re stuck at a desk or in a car for most of each day, you need to carve out some time to get your heart rates up and break a sweat.  30 minutes of solid exercise, 5 days a week, will do wonders for your health. You’ll build muscle mass, retain it much better as you age, improve your flexibility, gain endurance and safeguard your future mobility.

If you’re currently out of shape, and you start an exercise program, that’s a really important step. But it’s essential not to see exercise as a means to an end. Taking care of our bodies is a life-long project. It doesn’t mean that once you hit that magic number on the scale, that the job is done.

One last thing – and it’s something I see in my on-line fitness group every day. The more committed people are to exercise, the less concerned they are with reaching a magical “goal weight”. They see the benefits of daily exercise in their daily lives – strong core, powerful legs, well-defined arms, increased flexibility, greater endurance – the list goes on and on. People report increased energy, improved sleep patterns, better moods, and start paying attention to how their bodies look and feel, rather than a random number.

Much of the time, dedication to exercise leads to vastly improved nutrition, because a fit body craves healthier foods. And yes, a lot of the time, this leads to weight loss.  By keeping the focus on what the body needs over the long haul, and you’re far more likely to achieve a strong, fit body that will serve you well throughout your life.