Archive for the ‘Exercise’ Category

Weight loss is hard.  Right?  This is the perpective that I’ve always had.  Anytime I’ve lost weight in the past, it was hard.  The plan was hard, the exercise was hard and sticking to the plan was hard.  I was of the “no pain, no gain” school of thought.  It had to be hard in order to work.  Partly because of that and partly due to my desperation to lose weight, my diets kept getting harder and more extreme.  And so did my workouts.  And I could do it - for a while any way.  But, generally, it became too hard and I would find an excuse to stop.  I would either get injured - hurting my back or pulling a hamstring or something or I would find some reason that I couldn’t follow a diet any more.  I would generally abandon my diet in favor of “healthy eating”.  I would say, “No carbs is crazy.  People don’t eat like that.  You’ve gotta live.  Skinny people eat carbs.  I just need to eat healthy.  I just need to use moderation.  I don’t need this crazy diet.”  You can substitute raw foods, whole foods, sugar, fat, points, fasting, juicing, shakes, conscious eating or whatever into the previous idea to see my way out.  The general theme all along was that weight loss was hard, too hard and that IT just isn’t fair.  Why can other people eat what they want, whenever they want and not weigh 200 pounds?  It’s because they don’t!  That’s why!

I started studying how “normal people” eat and maintain their weight.  The first challenge is to find a “normal person”.  People have all kinds of crazy ways they do food, exercise and weight management.  I have a couple of people that I consider healthy, normal eaters who have healthy, normal (even desirable) bodies.  I was thinking that I shouldn’t name them, but it’s a list I’d love to be on, so here they are:  Erika (my best friend), Jeanne (my sister-in-law), Nathan (my son) and my Dad. I’ve excluded my trainer, Tracey, from this list even though she is a relatively sane eater who has taught me a lot about how to eat and how to separate eating and emotions.  I don’t include her because she exercises for 2-8 hours every day and that is not something I ever aspire to do.  Talk about hard!

So, here is what my unofficial, un-scientific study has taught me:

• Maintaining my weight can be easy.  Yes, EASY!  None of my “subjects” is over-concerned with their weight or their diet.
• Exercise for fitness and health, not for weight management.
• There is no such thing as deprivation.  I can have whatever I want whenever I want it.  It’s only when I think I can’t that I start over indulging regularly.
• Eat well, regularly.  It’s the daily habits that make a difference.
• Portions matter.  One cookie won’t make you fat, a dozen will.  One bite actually tastes better than the whole container.
• Over-eating and binge eating is emotional, not physical.

There are many more lessons to be learned and that I am learning on the way.  But, the biggest lesson is that it’s easy!  Really, it is.  When it starts getting hard, I need to start looking at my feelings, my emotions and my meanings.  THAT is what starts getting hard.  The food is easy.  100% is easy.

I realize that I hardly ever talk about exercise. I allude to it and mention “my trainer”, but I haven’t really discussed my exercise plan here. I think it’s because my exercise is actually something that I feel like I have handled (with the help of a talented professional). It’s something that is easy and automatic for me. It is something that I forget is an essential part of my weight loss success.

About 12 years ago, I read a book called “Fit or Fat” by Covert Bailey. It struck a cord with me and I started exercising and I haven’t stopped since. I have exercised anywhere from 3 days a week for 30 minutes to 7 days a week for over an hour consistently for the last 12 years. I have tried a lot of different types of exercise including roller blading, walking, swimming, hiking, swing dancing, salsa, pole dancing, running, weight lifting, rowing, stair stepping, aerobics, yoga, pilates, kick boxing, ballet, etc. You get the picture. I have learned that it is more important to find something that I like to do than to do something that I dread. There are so many fun ways to stay fit.

I have also learned that exercise is really good for you and I like the way my body feels when I exercise and I don’t like the way my body feels when I don’t exercise. Over exercising can lead to injury - but this isn’t a problem that most of us are concerned about. I have learned that I can use exercise to affect my weight, but that I am not really willing to exercise enough to eat whatever I want, whenever I want. And, I also know that I can lose weight by dieting alone, but it’s harder and I don’t really like the way my body looks or feels as a result.

So, I have settled on taking advantage of the all of the best that’s available to me. I am eating well and exercising moderately under supervision. I work out with a personal trainer 3-5 days a week for an hour. We do moderate aerobic activities like walking, running, step aerobics, swimming, hula hooping and circuit training. We also do resistance training designed for weight loss - moderate weight bearing activities with bands, weights or my body. My trainer keeps my workouts fun and fresh and entertains me and educates me while we work out. She brings all the equipment and incorporates my dogs and kids into my workout as necessary. She really makes it easy and fun. My exercise is a huge part of my consistent weight loss success.

So, get out there and exercise! If you want to play with Tracey, give her a call:
Tracey Smith: 310-903-6585 or tracey.smbody@yahoo.com