THE WEEK IN HEALTH AND FITNESS
Abdominal fat causes dementia. Excess weight is linked to increased risk of dementia (Harvard Health Publications). Why? Fatty tissue in the abdominal cavity secrete hormones that may affect brain tissues. Another reason to lose weight.
Lose a pound of fat every 12 days without really trying. (Men’s Health newsletter). Simply cutting out 2 bottles of soda per day could help you lose a pound every 1.5 weeks. One bottle of soda contains 12 teaspoons of sugar. Measure it out for fun. Pour 12 teaspoons into a clear glass to see how much sugar that really is.
We have all made them.
“I’m busy.”
“I don’t have the right foods.”
“I don’t have time for my full work out so I might as well not work out at all today.”
“I have to go to a party so I will indulge now and start my diet tomorrow.”
“I had a bad day.”
Or my favorite (one which I use frequently) “I’m too tired” (to lift weights, ride my bike, eat an apple, go for a walk, play with my kids.)
We are too (busy / tired / depressed) to take care of our health and our weight, and yet we make time for everything, and everyone else. (Americans watch nearly five hours of television every – single – day.)
Watch THIS VIDEO from Nike. It may help you put those excuses to rest. Take out a notebook and write your own excuses down. Borrow some from the video if you’d like. Read over your list, then look back at something you really wanted (a new car, that fabulous jacket, the European vacation, the widescreen TV). Would you let the same list of excuses stand in your way? Would you allow those same reasons keep you from getting what you wanted? Or would you make every effort possible to overcome ANY obstacle?
Think about it.
I’ve used most of these myself – have you?
I just read a forum post with that title. The poster talks about being fat, how disgusted she is with her weight, and gives people her diet plan for “tomorrow.”
Will she make it? Probably not. Because planning to lose weight tomorrow doesn’t ensure success – it ensures failure. Waiting for tomorrow is how I gained almost 90 pounds. Because every day I waited for tomorrow gave me a whole extra day to eat whatever I wanted…license to eat everything that was not nailed down. Eat, eat, eat, gorge, gorge, gorge. Because tomorrow – that magical tomorrow – I would start my diet. Finally be thin. The following day, when I “blew it” and hated myself bitterly, I would plan to start the next tomorrow. And so on. Day after day. Year after year. Pound after pound. Tomorrow after tomorrow.
How did I finally change? How did I finally succeed? By starting today. This minute. This meal. NOW. Not tomorrow. It was difficult. I would rather have waited for yet another tomorrow, one full of empty promises to myself. But the tomorrows had never materialized, so I forced my tomorrow to start today. Finally took control of my own life – and succeeded.
When will your tomorrow start?
It is common knowledge that a healthy diet for weight loss consists of lots of fruits and vegetables, plenty of water, unprocessed foods and loads of fiber. But if I told you that pizza is part of the equation, would you believe it? If I told you pizza is a health food would you buy it?
Refined carbs (including pizza), soda, alcohol and candy are all persona non grata in the health arena. Caffeine, sugar and fat are on our “bad” lists, as is eating late at night. And yet, just two weeks ago I found myself driving home at 1 a.m., eating five-hour cold greasy pizza out of a box in the backseat of my car, and stopping at a fast food joint for fully caffeinated coffee in the middle of the night. How does a personal trainer justify that? Easily. And would she recommend it to her clients? Definitely. With the following disclaimer, of course.
Continue reading ‘Making Pizza Part of Your Diet’
The electronic version of my “Living the Fit Life” is here. >Download your copy now. It’s free! (Courtesy of LA’s the Place.com.)
Post any comments you might have about it. I’d love to hear your feedback.
Before we talk about the best way to get flat abs quickly, we need to clarify one little thing: There is no such thing as spot reduction. If there were I would have the most amazing abdominals ever, because I do a lot of stomach exercises. I plank, pike, lift, crunch, x climb, tuck, roll out and kettlebell. However, I have lost 80 pounds, been pregnant twice, and now carry an extra 10 pounds over ideal. So, alas, my muscles are fabulous, but the excess skin (and few extra pounds) covering them are not.
Do I care? Not really. Because my core is strong and my body can do pretty much everything I ask of it. This Christmas, I found myself climbing up and down a ladder, hoisting decoration-filled boxes in and out of my tiny attic. Reaching overhead while balancing on a rung, lifting the boxes, rotating them across my body and lowering down (sounds like the “wood chop” exercise, doesn’t it?). All stomach muscles engaged, back taught, stabilizers engaged. THAT is why I work my abs…to be able to live my life without ending up in traction.
Continue reading ‘The Best Workout for a Flat Stomach’
The American Council on Exercise (ACE), America’s Authority on Fitness®, just released its annual popular fitness trend report. Topping the list? No surprise here. Budget-friendly workouts and time-saving boot camp-style classes.
The economy has taken its toll on everyone, and the fitness industry is not exempt. Every year ACE surveys its worldwide network of personal trainers, group fitness experts, lifestyle and weight management consultants, and advanced health and fitness specialists to see what’s hot, and what’s not, in exercise.
The top two trends reflect our current economic woes, but there is a definite positive element. Though people are cutting back on expenses, they are still thinking of their health as their best investment. For many, it’s simply time to get creative with their exercise routines. The following are ACE’s “Top Workout Trends” for 2009. See what other people are doing for their health and fitness.
Continue reading ‘Saving Time and Money with Exercise Important’
The amount of exercise you need a day is a difficult question to answer.
Celebrities often claim to exercise two hours a day. On TV, weight loss shows feature people exercising more than four hours each day. Health advocates say 30 minutes of daily activity is enough to keep you healthy.
So…how much exercise do you really need?
According to the American College of Sports Medicine, it’s more than previously thought.
Continue reading ‘How Much Exercise Is Enough to Lose Weight?’
{Hi, I’m Helen M. Ryan – aka Spinchick, the blog mistress. Why am I here? Because I want to help you discover how to lose weight using methods I learned while on my own weight loss journey.
Five years ago I was so overweight I could not fit into a ride at Legoland. I had a bad back, sore feet, constant fatigue and no dreams. Since then I have LOST 80 POUNDS, become a certified personal trainer, Spinning® instructor and writer.
So…how did I do it? By taking simple, consistent (and free – yes, free) steps to improve myself. Follow the blog, sign up for my free e-zine. And I’d love to hear your comments about posts, or questions you might have (chat through my Facebook page, too). Carry on – today really is the first day in the rest of your life.}
January 1 sported plenty of people out jogging…apparently folks who usually do not jog. They struggled. They ran barely above crawling. They limped. And yet onward they jogged, full of agony. Why? Because their new year’s resolutions told them to.
How long will these joggers keep running? Not long enough. Of the 70% of people who make new year’s resolutions every year a large majority will not keep them. They set unrealistic goals, do not have a proper plan in place, and believe that on an arbitrary date things will “be different.”
THE FRESH START APPROACH
The “fresh start,” or clean slate, concept is what motivates many people to make new year’s resolutions. It also gives them license to “be bad” up until that date, knowing that on the magical day of January 1 they will be transformed into strong-willed exercise machines. Unfortunately, as someone who has seen many a January 1 (or many a Monday) come and go with no miraculous change within myself, I can attest to the fact that there is one big problem with the fresh start approach: The date may be fresh, but you are still…you. With the same life, same issues, same problems you had on December 31. Until you resolve those problems and change your thought patterns, your resolutions will start, stop, and stay unfulfilled.
Continue reading ‘New Year’s Weight Loss Resolutions’
