No matter where you are in your health and fitness journey, you are most likely bombarded with information on all the newest fads. You see ad after ad on the newest and greatest "must have" workout, diet plan, or lists of all of the things you're doing wrong. Do this to get a flat tummy, do this to get the best butt, do this to lose 20 pounds in 14 days, etc.... It's exhausting and leaves you so overwhelmed that you don't know WHAT to do.
If you are faced with an overwhelming amount of weight to lose and have a busy life (like most of us), it's easy to look for the easy way out. We live in a society that demands immediate satisfaction. We are impatient people by nature. Add the "hurry up" mind set we have all fallen victim to, and our impatience is magnified. And to add even more fuel to that fire, the media and marketing agencies play on that and feed us with the need for convenience.
Here's the reality. The real secret to health and fitness success. The number one thing you can't live without to get the results you want. I can some it up in one word......"work". Yes, that's right...it takes hard, consistent, focused, determined work to get results that matter. The kind of results that last.
I'm not telling you that information is a bad thing. I encourage you to get online and find workouts that push you and are fun for you to do, or buy a new workout DVD. Read blogs and inspiring stories to help you stay motivated. Watch the biggest loser or extreme makeover. Whatever helps you stay focused, do it. What I'm saying is that there is no magic granual that you can sprinkle on your French Fries, or drop you can stick under your tongue, that will give you permanent results. There are going to be a handful of success stories associated with those products, but the failure rates are out of this world. They're cop outs. They don't last.
I've said it before, your goal should be fitness and improved health. The smaller waist line is a benefit that comes with the healthy living. When we focus our attention on the things that matter, that's when we get permanent results. That's when change happens.
When you watch those shows like Biggest Loser, those people are WORKING! They're throwing up, passing out, eating clean, giving it all they have, and pushing themselves to change. They're not half heartedly going through the motions of walking on a treadmill for 30 minutes every other day. They're doing their WORK.
Now here's the good news..... Although living a healthy lifestyle is something that you have to do every single day, it does get easier when done right. If you can figure out what motivates you, can be your own boss and never let yourself have the option to stop, and can find healthy foods and fun workouts that you enjoy, it gets easier. It gets easier because you're not arguing with yourself anymore. There is no option. You just do it. The new way of life is now a habit that doesn't leave you with that conversation you have with yourself that has you trying to convince yourself that it's ok to eat drive through everyday for lunch because you're a busy person. The new habit doesn't give you those options. The new habit takes charge of your decisions so that you no longer have a battle of wills within your own mind. And you NEVER say the words "I've gotta get back into it" because you're NEVER "out of it" again.....
Go ahead and just get it in your head that if you want to be thinner, you're gonna have to be healthier. And if you're gonna get healthier, you're gonna have to get fit. And if you're gonna get fit, you're gonna have to WORK. And no one can't stop you, but you.
I absolutely love a success story. Keep a log of your journey. Blog about it. Write it in a journal. Share it with others to motivate them, or keep it for yourself to remind you of what you don't want. It's a great tool to keep you on track. Logging your progress is very beneficial. A year from now, look back at how far you've come, and think about how your story could inspire others. You can do this!! Today is the day!! Lets get to WORK!!
Friday, February 8, 2013
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Calorie management
Learning to manage calories can seem complicated, but if you are keeping a food and exercise journal (I recommend myfitnesspal.com) it really does all of the work for you.
Calorie management is key in weight loss and weight management. It is important to pay attention to calories spent, as well as the ones you have consumed. It is also important to listen to your body and pay attention to signs of under or over eating.
Here is an example of what can happen when you don't manage your calories properly. Insert your own experiences in place of my hypothetical example if it helps you better relate.....
Let's say you typically sit at a desk all day, exercise regularly, and have a set realistic calorie allowance (we will use 1300 calories in this example) and are progressing along great through the work week. The weekend comes along and you are vigorously cleaning the house, shoveling the drive way, working in the yard, going on a four hour hike, getting in extra exercise, or any other activity you can think of that you may take part in and keeps you on your feet all day. Lets just say, in this example, that you're active weekend went on for 2 full days. And that you don't account for any of your busyness, but that you stick to your same calorie allowance. And let's say that your regular exercise routine has you burning around 450 calories each day, assuming you're getting in around 45 minutes daily. And let's say that these two active weekend days, you're active for about 10 hours, burning around 1000 calories each of these days. Saturday night you are hungrier than usual. By Sunday afternoon, you are starving and can't understand why because you have been eating as much as you always do. You try to ignore the hunger and stick to the program. Sunday dinner rolls around and you're too exhausted to cook so you order a pizza and choke down 4 slices, some garlic bread, and a bowl of ice cream because you can't fight off the hunger anymore. You step on the scales Monday morning and feel very discouraged. Can any of you relate to this? I'm sure you can see where I'm headed.
Here is what needed to happen.... Your regular routine already has your calorie deficit where it needs to be for you to lose weight successfully without feeling unsatisfied. Then suddenly you are adding an additional 550 calories to that deficit, for 2 days in a row. Those are calories you needed to add to your intake in order to stay on track. If you know you will be increasing your activity level significantly, you have to make adjustments. Just as you would need to take into account when your activity level is lower. It's easy to get trapped into thinking about the possible extra pound that you could work off with the increased calorie deficit, but most of the time those attempts will backfire on you. I speak from experience on this. I will add that if this were an example of the way that I would function in this hypothetical situation, I would most likely be skipping meals in addition to the increased level of activity. When I get focused on a project, I stop for nothing. So I can tell you what I would be doing. I would be binge eating by the first night! Then I would repeat that on the second night. These are major NO NO'S!
Can you relate to this type of situation? Do you make these same mistakes and wonder why you keep hitting road blocks? There is a "diet" (I hate that word) called the "zig zag". When I say "diet", I mean a "way of life". An example of the zig zag is that you would eat X number of calories for 4 days (we will say 1400 calories), then the other 3 days you would eat XX number of calories (we will say 1700). Ideally you would work the increased calories into your more active days, but the purpose for this "way of life" is to prevent the plateau. Your body doesn't get to go into starvation mode, because you are tricking it. This is also taking care of the added caloric need during your more active days. Don't be afraid to add some calories to you active days. Be afraid NOT to. You are far more likely to binge eat with extreme calorie cutting then you are with the more moderate approach. We are humans and we all set ourselves up to fail. We think we are doing a good thing, but it always backfires when we jump in with both feet. It's all about lifestyle changes. Not about "dieting". As long as you are focusing on your body's needs, and not your own desires, you're heading in the healthy direction. And that's why we do what we do. To be healthy. Being thinner is a perk of being healthy. Being thin should never be the only focus. It's all about fitness.
Go to myfitnesspal.com and set up an account. Connect with friends and be diligent about logging everything daily. I wish you all success in being healthy and having the best quality of life.
"I run to add life to my days, not days to my life". I love that quote, but have no clue who said it. We should all try to live by it!
Calorie management is key in weight loss and weight management. It is important to pay attention to calories spent, as well as the ones you have consumed. It is also important to listen to your body and pay attention to signs of under or over eating.
Here is an example of what can happen when you don't manage your calories properly. Insert your own experiences in place of my hypothetical example if it helps you better relate.....
Let's say you typically sit at a desk all day, exercise regularly, and have a set realistic calorie allowance (we will use 1300 calories in this example) and are progressing along great through the work week. The weekend comes along and you are vigorously cleaning the house, shoveling the drive way, working in the yard, going on a four hour hike, getting in extra exercise, or any other activity you can think of that you may take part in and keeps you on your feet all day. Lets just say, in this example, that you're active weekend went on for 2 full days. And that you don't account for any of your busyness, but that you stick to your same calorie allowance. And let's say that your regular exercise routine has you burning around 450 calories each day, assuming you're getting in around 45 minutes daily. And let's say that these two active weekend days, you're active for about 10 hours, burning around 1000 calories each of these days. Saturday night you are hungrier than usual. By Sunday afternoon, you are starving and can't understand why because you have been eating as much as you always do. You try to ignore the hunger and stick to the program. Sunday dinner rolls around and you're too exhausted to cook so you order a pizza and choke down 4 slices, some garlic bread, and a bowl of ice cream because you can't fight off the hunger anymore. You step on the scales Monday morning and feel very discouraged. Can any of you relate to this? I'm sure you can see where I'm headed.
Here is what needed to happen.... Your regular routine already has your calorie deficit where it needs to be for you to lose weight successfully without feeling unsatisfied. Then suddenly you are adding an additional 550 calories to that deficit, for 2 days in a row. Those are calories you needed to add to your intake in order to stay on track. If you know you will be increasing your activity level significantly, you have to make adjustments. Just as you would need to take into account when your activity level is lower. It's easy to get trapped into thinking about the possible extra pound that you could work off with the increased calorie deficit, but most of the time those attempts will backfire on you. I speak from experience on this. I will add that if this were an example of the way that I would function in this hypothetical situation, I would most likely be skipping meals in addition to the increased level of activity. When I get focused on a project, I stop for nothing. So I can tell you what I would be doing. I would be binge eating by the first night! Then I would repeat that on the second night. These are major NO NO'S!
Can you relate to this type of situation? Do you make these same mistakes and wonder why you keep hitting road blocks? There is a "diet" (I hate that word) called the "zig zag". When I say "diet", I mean a "way of life". An example of the zig zag is that you would eat X number of calories for 4 days (we will say 1400 calories), then the other 3 days you would eat XX number of calories (we will say 1700). Ideally you would work the increased calories into your more active days, but the purpose for this "way of life" is to prevent the plateau. Your body doesn't get to go into starvation mode, because you are tricking it. This is also taking care of the added caloric need during your more active days. Don't be afraid to add some calories to you active days. Be afraid NOT to. You are far more likely to binge eat with extreme calorie cutting then you are with the more moderate approach. We are humans and we all set ourselves up to fail. We think we are doing a good thing, but it always backfires when we jump in with both feet. It's all about lifestyle changes. Not about "dieting". As long as you are focusing on your body's needs, and not your own desires, you're heading in the healthy direction. And that's why we do what we do. To be healthy. Being thinner is a perk of being healthy. Being thin should never be the only focus. It's all about fitness.
Go to myfitnesspal.com and set up an account. Connect with friends and be diligent about logging everything daily. I wish you all success in being healthy and having the best quality of life.
"I run to add life to my days, not days to my life". I love that quote, but have no clue who said it. We should all try to live by it!
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Eat your veggies!
"Eat your veggies!" It's something we preach to our kids daily, but given the chance to examine our adult daily habits, we may likely find that our own diets are seriously lacking in this area. I don't want to admit it, but I will come forward here and tell you that I do NOT get my daily recommended servings of veggies. And that's so incredibly dumb of me because I absolutely LOVE veggies and could easily live off of them alone.
When I examine my habits and try to get to the root of the issue, I believe the reason I lack in this area is because I really hate grocery shopping and produce expires at a rate that keeps you hitting the grocery store more often than I'd like to visit. We all have our reasons or excuses for the things we do wrong, and what a lame excuse that is! But being completely honest, that is what gets in my way.
It is recommended that we eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. I will be honest and admit that I may get 2.... Lets make a deal here and all make a point to get our daily recommended servings. I hate the word "try". Notice I didn't say "let's try to get our daily recommended servings"..... "Try" means you're giving yourself an out. You either change or you don't. So let's get it done. No more excuses.
I wanted to share with you a story you may have recently heard about on the news about a couple in their 60's that have pledged to run 365 marathons in 365 days. For those of you that may not know, a marathon is 26.2 miles. I'm 37 years old and can only fathom running 2 or 3 marathons per year. I heard about this on the news and looked up the story online where I read that the wife had been diagnosed with cancer 10 years ago and given 6-12 months to live with treatment. She opted out of chemo and radiation and went on a raw plant diet and is alive and well enough to run a marathon every day this year. You don't have to search very hard to find story after story about the benefits of eating the foods that God has supplied us. What an amazing motivator. With cancer rates as high as they are, and diet seems to be the biggest blame, reading a story like that inspires me to get to the dreaded grocery store. It makes my complaint of having to make that trip more often seem so out of whack. Really?! This is what my excuse is? This is what gets in the way of healthy eating? Seriously.....
Here is a link to the story I mentioned above. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-01-01/couple-to-run-a-marathon-every-day/4449488
I encourage you to read it. How amazing are these two? They're spending REAL quality time together, making a statement, using their experience to motivate us all. I won't say this isn't radical, and I won't say I'd ever do this myself, but I enjoyed their testimony and did find inspiration in it. Hopefully you do too.
Go out and buy those veggies. Do some research about what the healthiest ones are, and the best way to prepare them. Just a little tip....the brighter the color, the higher the nutrients. Always buy bright fruits and veggies.
As always, please email me if you have questions, or need a little help figuring out where to get started on you health journey. Lacysfitnessblog@gmail.com.
When I examine my habits and try to get to the root of the issue, I believe the reason I lack in this area is because I really hate grocery shopping and produce expires at a rate that keeps you hitting the grocery store more often than I'd like to visit. We all have our reasons or excuses for the things we do wrong, and what a lame excuse that is! But being completely honest, that is what gets in my way.
It is recommended that we eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. I will be honest and admit that I may get 2.... Lets make a deal here and all make a point to get our daily recommended servings. I hate the word "try". Notice I didn't say "let's try to get our daily recommended servings"..... "Try" means you're giving yourself an out. You either change or you don't. So let's get it done. No more excuses.
I wanted to share with you a story you may have recently heard about on the news about a couple in their 60's that have pledged to run 365 marathons in 365 days. For those of you that may not know, a marathon is 26.2 miles. I'm 37 years old and can only fathom running 2 or 3 marathons per year. I heard about this on the news and looked up the story online where I read that the wife had been diagnosed with cancer 10 years ago and given 6-12 months to live with treatment. She opted out of chemo and radiation and went on a raw plant diet and is alive and well enough to run a marathon every day this year. You don't have to search very hard to find story after story about the benefits of eating the foods that God has supplied us. What an amazing motivator. With cancer rates as high as they are, and diet seems to be the biggest blame, reading a story like that inspires me to get to the dreaded grocery store. It makes my complaint of having to make that trip more often seem so out of whack. Really?! This is what my excuse is? This is what gets in the way of healthy eating? Seriously.....
Here is a link to the story I mentioned above. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-01-01/couple-to-run-a-marathon-every-day/4449488
I encourage you to read it. How amazing are these two? They're spending REAL quality time together, making a statement, using their experience to motivate us all. I won't say this isn't radical, and I won't say I'd ever do this myself, but I enjoyed their testimony and did find inspiration in it. Hopefully you do too.
Go out and buy those veggies. Do some research about what the healthiest ones are, and the best way to prepare them. Just a little tip....the brighter the color, the higher the nutrients. Always buy bright fruits and veggies.
As always, please email me if you have questions, or need a little help figuring out where to get started on you health journey. Lacysfitnessblog@gmail.com.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
What it takes
To lose 1 pound, we have to lose 3500 calories..... That can seem overwhelming, because it IS a lot of calories. But when you think about it in a weekly perspective, it's a lot less intimidating, and a lot more reachable.
To burn 3500 calories in one week through exercise, it will require at least 5 hours of exercise. It is important to get in more than just a quick 30 minutes when trying to lose weight. If time is an issue for you, interval training (high intensity) will burn calories at a much faster rate and keeps your metabolism going for up to 36 hours post workout.
When you incorporate at least 5 hours of exercise per week, with lowering you caloric intake by 500 calories per day, you can expect to lose 2-3 pounds per week (probably more at the beginning and slowing gradually to the 2-3 pounds).
When put like that, I know it is tempting to think that all calories are equal, but beware of this line of thinking. There is a great chance that you will lose weight successfully by following these two rules alone, but you will have a higher body fat percentage if you are consuming higher fat/sugar foods. Body fat doesn't look any better on a smaller body than it does on a bigger one, and for sure doesn't get you to your best level of health. It also leaves you addicted to all of the foods that got you so far off track to begin with. You have to say no to those choices for good, only enjoying your favorite things in moderation, never giving back in to the addiction of unhealthy foods.
It sounds real easy when I write it, but believe me when I tell you that I enjoy food more than I should (sweets especially), and have my own struggles and a very good understanding of the challenges and temptations you face daily.
One thing I highly recommend doing is keeping your biggest weaknesses out of the house no matter what. If you have a weakness for cake and keep cake in the house, you're going to eat cake. If soda is your vice and you keep it in the house because the kids love it, you're going to drink soda..... Maybe you tell yourself that you have to keep pop tarts on hand for your youngest son, but truth be told, the pop tarts are being eaten by you...... Don't buy it. Don't keep it in the house. You WILL eventually eat it. Don't set yourself up to fail.
One more tip that will help you succeed, is to make sure you eat and never let yourself go hungry. When you try to starve yourself skinny, eventually you are going to binge. The best thing you can do for your metabolism is to eat several small meals per day, keeping them around 300-400 calories per meal. You will never feel "stuffed", you will never feel starved, and you will control your cravings. Cravings can be triggered by hunger. So, always try to stay satisfied. Plan ahead to make it easier. And don't make it complicated. Eat yogurt, fruit, nuts, protein bars, cheese, cold cuts (the lean ones), raw veggies (omit the ranch, sorry!), etc... Do these for snacks and meals throughout the day, and try to enjoy a small healthy meal for dinner.
Best of luck to you on your weight loss goals!! If you have questions, you can always email me. If you're diligent and consistent, you will be successful! And don't forget to log your foods!!
To burn 3500 calories in one week through exercise, it will require at least 5 hours of exercise. It is important to get in more than just a quick 30 minutes when trying to lose weight. If time is an issue for you, interval training (high intensity) will burn calories at a much faster rate and keeps your metabolism going for up to 36 hours post workout.
When you incorporate at least 5 hours of exercise per week, with lowering you caloric intake by 500 calories per day, you can expect to lose 2-3 pounds per week (probably more at the beginning and slowing gradually to the 2-3 pounds).
When put like that, I know it is tempting to think that all calories are equal, but beware of this line of thinking. There is a great chance that you will lose weight successfully by following these two rules alone, but you will have a higher body fat percentage if you are consuming higher fat/sugar foods. Body fat doesn't look any better on a smaller body than it does on a bigger one, and for sure doesn't get you to your best level of health. It also leaves you addicted to all of the foods that got you so far off track to begin with. You have to say no to those choices for good, only enjoying your favorite things in moderation, never giving back in to the addiction of unhealthy foods.
It sounds real easy when I write it, but believe me when I tell you that I enjoy food more than I should (sweets especially), and have my own struggles and a very good understanding of the challenges and temptations you face daily.
One thing I highly recommend doing is keeping your biggest weaknesses out of the house no matter what. If you have a weakness for cake and keep cake in the house, you're going to eat cake. If soda is your vice and you keep it in the house because the kids love it, you're going to drink soda..... Maybe you tell yourself that you have to keep pop tarts on hand for your youngest son, but truth be told, the pop tarts are being eaten by you...... Don't buy it. Don't keep it in the house. You WILL eventually eat it. Don't set yourself up to fail.
One more tip that will help you succeed, is to make sure you eat and never let yourself go hungry. When you try to starve yourself skinny, eventually you are going to binge. The best thing you can do for your metabolism is to eat several small meals per day, keeping them around 300-400 calories per meal. You will never feel "stuffed", you will never feel starved, and you will control your cravings. Cravings can be triggered by hunger. So, always try to stay satisfied. Plan ahead to make it easier. And don't make it complicated. Eat yogurt, fruit, nuts, protein bars, cheese, cold cuts (the lean ones), raw veggies (omit the ranch, sorry!), etc... Do these for snacks and meals throughout the day, and try to enjoy a small healthy meal for dinner.
Best of luck to you on your weight loss goals!! If you have questions, you can always email me. If you're diligent and consistent, you will be successful! And don't forget to log your foods!!
Monday, February 4, 2013
Food journal
I've either been slacking off, or my life has been super chaotic, or I've been slacking off because my life has been super chaotic! If you follow me on facebook, you may have noticed that we have been moving. Downsizing from a 5500 sq ft house, to 2200 sq ft. Also you may have noticed that I am no longer working. Over the last year, I realized that chasing after money, success, and material things divides a family like nothing else. And that these things are so unfulfilling and come with a price that is paid by the ones you love the most. This may not be true for everyone, but I have learned that chasing a life of luxury causes selfishness and spoiled attitudes in children and adults, and really gets your priorities all jacked up. So my husband and I decided to make a huge lifestyle change and walk away from that way of life. I am excited and happy to see the closeness and positive changes that are coming from redirecting my priorities. energy, and attention to the things that can not be replaced. I am very blessed and fortunate to be married to a Godly man that cares about his family and would do anything for us. This is completely unrelated to fitness, but I wanted to share the beginning of a new chapter in my life that I am excited about with you, and explain what's kept me away from writing.
Back to fitness! Do you keep a food journal? Do you even know how? If you do, are you religious about it? Do you log EVERY LITTLE THING YOU CONSUME? Or do you tell yourself "it was just 6 fries, I don't need to count it"....?
If you don't keep a food journal, today is the day to start. You will find success, accountability, and learn about your own habits and mistakes more from a food journal than anything else. There are several websites available now. You don't have to carry around a notebook and pencil with you anymore to keep your food consumption logged. I have tried several, and I recommend myfitnesspal. This one, like most, also has a smartphone app available that is super easy to use. It is also very handy when eating in restaurants and really helps you learn things about what you're eating. It has breakdowns that show you your fat/carb/protein ratio, lets you connect with friends, and even tells you how many calories you need to consume to meet your personal goals. The barcode scanner makes it even easier to use at home. Their is almost no excuse not to use this app/website. It's quick and simple to learn.
I have created an example of how you can learn to eat healthier through using a food journal like this. I have compared 2 breakfast options that will show you the drastic difference in fat, calories, carbs, and protein just by making some easy changes. I encourage you to play around with this and to always make sure you log EVERYTHING you eat and drink.
For those of you that need more accountability and extra help getting and staying on track, please feel free to contact me. I am currently looking to take on a couple of clients and would love to help you learn how to live a healthy lifestyle. I realize hiring a trainer can be costly, but it is worth it to learn how to live healthy and improve your quality of life. Email me at lacysfitnessblog@gmail.com. Be sure to ask me about prepaying for multiple sessions for a lower rate.
Back to fitness! Do you keep a food journal? Do you even know how? If you do, are you religious about it? Do you log EVERY LITTLE THING YOU CONSUME? Or do you tell yourself "it was just 6 fries, I don't need to count it"....?
If you don't keep a food journal, today is the day to start. You will find success, accountability, and learn about your own habits and mistakes more from a food journal than anything else. There are several websites available now. You don't have to carry around a notebook and pencil with you anymore to keep your food consumption logged. I have tried several, and I recommend myfitnesspal. This one, like most, also has a smartphone app available that is super easy to use. It is also very handy when eating in restaurants and really helps you learn things about what you're eating. It has breakdowns that show you your fat/carb/protein ratio, lets you connect with friends, and even tells you how many calories you need to consume to meet your personal goals. The barcode scanner makes it even easier to use at home. Their is almost no excuse not to use this app/website. It's quick and simple to learn.
I have created an example of how you can learn to eat healthier through using a food journal like this. I have compared 2 breakfast options that will show you the drastic difference in fat, calories, carbs, and protein just by making some easy changes. I encourage you to play around with this and to always make sure you log EVERYTHING you eat and drink.
For those of you that need more accountability and extra help getting and staying on track, please feel free to contact me. I am currently looking to take on a couple of clients and would love to help you learn how to live a healthy lifestyle. I realize hiring a trainer can be costly, but it is worth it to learn how to live healthy and improve your quality of life. Email me at lacysfitnessblog@gmail.com. Be sure to ask me about prepaying for multiple sessions for a lower rate.
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Healthy competition
Everyone is born with a bit of a competitive spirit. It's stronger in some than it is in others. Some seem to ignore or deny it, but I believe we all have it.
We naturally compare ourselves to others in many ways. Who drives the better car, has the better job, better house, better television, better whatever..... This is where competition is wasted. What if you took that energy and put it to good use? What if you put it toward a healthy type of competition? Something more beneficial that would result in making you a better YOU?
Society makes it easy to get caught up in unhealthy competition. There's always pressure to keep up with the things that really don't matter. It's exhausting! Think about trying to shift that energy into a healthier type of competition.
Everyone wants to be healthy and fit. We all want it. Where you go wrong is when you try to compare yourself to others that are far more advanced in their journey than you are. You want to go from 40 pounds overweight to healthy and fit overnight. You set yourself up for failure because your focus is not in the right place. Your focus isn't on YOU.
When it comes to sports or races or things that ARE a competition, you train and compete to be better than the rest. And that's awesome. But when you are trying to become a better, healthier, more fit YOU, it's time to train to be a better version of YOU. It's time to push yourself past your own comfort zone and focus on a healthy type of competition. It's great to have a person to help inspire, push, and motivate you. I encourage anyone to put themselves in situations that make you want to be better. Just be careful about how you do it and how far you push yourself. You need challenges to make changes. Just make sure you're taking on things that challenge YOU and make YOU better. Focus on being better than you were yesterday. I don't want to deliver my message wrong. I am not saying it is unhealthy to compete with others. I am saying that it is important to keep a healthy attitude about it and always compete with yourself before you worry about anyone else.
There is a time for competing to be better than the rest. And I encourage you to do so. Just don't make the mistake of trying to compare yourself to others. Because as long as you are making yourself better than you used to be, you're a winner. And as long as your competitive spirit is leading you to be a better you, you're a winner. Don't waste your competitive spirit on the things that don't matter. Don't waste your energy on trying to be someone else. Put it to good use and see what happens.
We naturally compare ourselves to others in many ways. Who drives the better car, has the better job, better house, better television, better whatever..... This is where competition is wasted. What if you took that energy and put it to good use? What if you put it toward a healthy type of competition? Something more beneficial that would result in making you a better YOU?
Society makes it easy to get caught up in unhealthy competition. There's always pressure to keep up with the things that really don't matter. It's exhausting! Think about trying to shift that energy into a healthier type of competition.
Everyone wants to be healthy and fit. We all want it. Where you go wrong is when you try to compare yourself to others that are far more advanced in their journey than you are. You want to go from 40 pounds overweight to healthy and fit overnight. You set yourself up for failure because your focus is not in the right place. Your focus isn't on YOU.
When it comes to sports or races or things that ARE a competition, you train and compete to be better than the rest. And that's awesome. But when you are trying to become a better, healthier, more fit YOU, it's time to train to be a better version of YOU. It's time to push yourself past your own comfort zone and focus on a healthy type of competition. It's great to have a person to help inspire, push, and motivate you. I encourage anyone to put themselves in situations that make you want to be better. Just be careful about how you do it and how far you push yourself. You need challenges to make changes. Just make sure you're taking on things that challenge YOU and make YOU better. Focus on being better than you were yesterday. I don't want to deliver my message wrong. I am not saying it is unhealthy to compete with others. I am saying that it is important to keep a healthy attitude about it and always compete with yourself before you worry about anyone else.
There is a time for competing to be better than the rest. And I encourage you to do so. Just don't make the mistake of trying to compare yourself to others. Because as long as you are making yourself better than you used to be, you're a winner. And as long as your competitive spirit is leading you to be a better you, you're a winner. Don't waste your competitive spirit on the things that don't matter. Don't waste your energy on trying to be someone else. Put it to good use and see what happens.
Monday, January 14, 2013
More than calories
HELLO! I hope everyone had a great Christmas and hope your New Year is off to a great start! My new year has already been full of lots of life changes and I'm excited to see where the changes take me and my family. I took a break from writing, but my sweet hubby told me I need to get back to it. So here I go!
I do a lot of thinking when I'm running. It's my favorite way to get lost in my thoughts. While I was running today, I was thinking about how much my priorities and my life has changed this year already. I thought about how all of these changes were made by choice, based on what really matters to me. And I thought about how there are so many people that start their year off on the right foot, in the right frame of mind, determined to make better decisions about not only priorities in life, but also in lifestyle.
I always love success stories. Anyone can take their current situation and turn it around. Anyone can transform themselves with a little determination and commitment. There will be challenges that get in the way and slow down your progress, but as long as you are unstoppable, you will reach your goals.
What does this have to do with calories....? When I was thinking about all of the people that committed to making themselves healthy this year, I thought about some of the mistakes I made when I first started changing my habits. One of the biggest mistakes I made was not realizing, or admitting, that there is more to food than calories. When I would read a label, my only concern was "how many calories". Well that's great, and important, but you can't eat a small order of fries from McDonald's and only pay attention to the 230 calories you just consumed. What about the 11 grams of fat you just inhaled? And it's not healthy fat.....
If you don't look any further into a food label than the caloric content, and you're restricting calories, you're most likely going to lose weight. People have done Oreo cookie diets, fast food diets, ice cream diets, and anything else you can think of, and have proven that weight loss is possible with calorie restriction alone. And it is. But what happens is you hold onto more fat and don't do your arteries any favors. What about trying to improve overall health? What about maintaining healthy blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels? What about improving longevity and quality of life?
These are questions I started asking myself a long time ago. These are things I tried to ignore by convincing myself that being thin meant I was doing everything right. I don't suffer from any health issues, and that made it even harder to convince myself to make changes. But I decided I don't want to see how long I could keep that good luck going. I decided it was time to admit to myself that eating crap pretty much made me feel like crap.... I have always been one that loves healthy foods so it wasn't a hard change for me to make. But I do love sweets as much as any sweet lover, and I do still indulge. The idea isn't to deprive yourself completely of the things you love the most. The idea is to learn to make those things special treats, instead of a normal way of life. Instead of eating snack cakes or donuts for breakfast and snacks, they become something you learn to enjoy in moderation.
My point is this.....read labels past the calorie content. Don't make a habit of eating a 300 calorie donut for breakfast every day to later discover the onset of diabetes and wonder how you got there. Count more than calories alone. Being thinner is a great goal. But being healthier is a better goal. Prevention is important. Let's not wait to pay attention to health issues after we're diagnosed with them. Let's be proactive and make better choices so that those things never do become an issue at all.
I do a lot of thinking when I'm running. It's my favorite way to get lost in my thoughts. While I was running today, I was thinking about how much my priorities and my life has changed this year already. I thought about how all of these changes were made by choice, based on what really matters to me. And I thought about how there are so many people that start their year off on the right foot, in the right frame of mind, determined to make better decisions about not only priorities in life, but also in lifestyle.
I always love success stories. Anyone can take their current situation and turn it around. Anyone can transform themselves with a little determination and commitment. There will be challenges that get in the way and slow down your progress, but as long as you are unstoppable, you will reach your goals.
What does this have to do with calories....? When I was thinking about all of the people that committed to making themselves healthy this year, I thought about some of the mistakes I made when I first started changing my habits. One of the biggest mistakes I made was not realizing, or admitting, that there is more to food than calories. When I would read a label, my only concern was "how many calories". Well that's great, and important, but you can't eat a small order of fries from McDonald's and only pay attention to the 230 calories you just consumed. What about the 11 grams of fat you just inhaled? And it's not healthy fat.....
If you don't look any further into a food label than the caloric content, and you're restricting calories, you're most likely going to lose weight. People have done Oreo cookie diets, fast food diets, ice cream diets, and anything else you can think of, and have proven that weight loss is possible with calorie restriction alone. And it is. But what happens is you hold onto more fat and don't do your arteries any favors. What about trying to improve overall health? What about maintaining healthy blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels? What about improving longevity and quality of life?
These are questions I started asking myself a long time ago. These are things I tried to ignore by convincing myself that being thin meant I was doing everything right. I don't suffer from any health issues, and that made it even harder to convince myself to make changes. But I decided I don't want to see how long I could keep that good luck going. I decided it was time to admit to myself that eating crap pretty much made me feel like crap.... I have always been one that loves healthy foods so it wasn't a hard change for me to make. But I do love sweets as much as any sweet lover, and I do still indulge. The idea isn't to deprive yourself completely of the things you love the most. The idea is to learn to make those things special treats, instead of a normal way of life. Instead of eating snack cakes or donuts for breakfast and snacks, they become something you learn to enjoy in moderation.
My point is this.....read labels past the calorie content. Don't make a habit of eating a 300 calorie donut for breakfast every day to later discover the onset of diabetes and wonder how you got there. Count more than calories alone. Being thinner is a great goal. But being healthier is a better goal. Prevention is important. Let's not wait to pay attention to health issues after we're diagnosed with them. Let's be proactive and make better choices so that those things never do become an issue at all.
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