Gimmicks and reality

Everyone has seen pictures of people they wish they could look like. You watch infomercials for fitness programs, read an article on how to lose 10 pounds in 10 days, join challenges that come to an end and eventually leave you back at square one, set unrealistic goals based on misbelief about fitness, or fall for the latest fad diet and wonder why you never get to where you want to be.

The frustrating thing about fitness is that you get fired up and look for dramatic promises, fall into the trap of marketing gimmicks, and never truly dig into what it REALLY takes to be healthy and fit. The truth is, if you are being promised dramatic changes and expect to achieve them, you have to do dramatic things to get there. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with dramatic results or dramatic work. I'm saying that most of us in this world don't have the time it takes, much less the desire, to do those things. And we certainly don't want to have to maintain the results.

If your desire is to be uber thin, you have to take extreme, unhealthy measures to get there. If your desire is to be uber shredded, you have to spend a lot of time working out and maintain a very strict, high protein, low carb/fat, also unhealthy diet.

What I find frustrating, is that the "happy medium" or "average" fit body doesn't get people's attention and doesn't make the marketing companies any money, so that's never advertised as a desired goal.

We live in a dramatic world. Drama sells. Drama is what people respond to. But then when you fall for the dramatic gimmick and get normal, real, or average results, you feel like you have failed.

I seriously get so angry about how distorted these companies are and how the messages they send have the opposite affect on people then they should have. You're "sold" a dramatic, unrealistic promise that doesn't deliver and then feel like a failure. How is that promoting health and fitness? Come on...

So this is my attempt to interrupt the lies you're falling for, and hopefully get you thinking differently. When someone wants to sell you something, they're going to SELL you something! I'd like to see more people take that energy they have when they are fired up about getting fit, and put it toward realistic efforts with realistic goals and results.

The best thing you can do for yourself is to find accountability. Consistency is always key. Reality is key. Determination is key. Inspiration is key. Accountability is key!

I encourage you to read more blogs like this. Follow real people that did real work to get real results and are really maintaining. Set your own goals that don't lead you to failure, but rather to success. Expect realistic results. Understand that you should be working toward healthy living. Don't fall for gimmicks. Don't fall for promises. The only promise you need is the one that you make to yourself to never quit. Don't be a victim of the media and marketing agencies. They have a job, and that job is to sell you stuff. And don't fall for the dramatic TV shows that need ratings. Drama gets ratings.

Just to be clear, I don't think there is anything wrong with extreme fitness. Hard work pays off. The harder you work, the more it shows. What I do believe is that you should never take unnatural approaches to accomplish your goals. If your goals require you to take extreme, dramatic, unnatural measures, you need new goals.

If you have questions, need help, need accountability, or are looking for someone to show you the healthy, natural way to live healthy for life, email me at lacysfitnessblog@gmail.com. I want to help you do it right. I want you to succeed. I want you to see what you are really missing out on.

Good luck to you in your journey!

Squats

I don't usually hit on specific exercise movements, but I wanted to talk about the benefits of squats.

Lots of people dread leg day. I personally love it. Squats work the entire lower body without having to use weights. They are known as a leg workout, but you're entire body will benefit from this simple movement. They even work deep down into the core. They do not require any equipment. You can do them anywhere. I like to do them randomly throughout my day, just for an added bonus. And, girls, they're about the best thing you can do to lift that booty.

When done properly, squats can help you improve you upper and lower body strength. They create an Anabolic environment , which promotes muscle building throughout the entire body. Squats are a very functional exercise movement. They are one of the best movements to help improve balance and mobility and well as help you perform real life daily activities. Like getting into or out of a chair, bending over to pick something up, lifting things, and my favorite reason....hovering over public toilets. Ha.

Strong legs are important, but even more so when you get older. Keeping your legs strong will give you a better quality of life for a lot longer. Also, keeping your core and legs strong and improving mobility and balance will help prevent falls. They also improve range of motion and flexibility in your hips and ankles, and protect them as you get older. They have also been proven to improve movement of feces through the colon resulting in more regular bowel movements.

The proper way to perform a squat....
Warm up
Stand with your feet just over shoulder width apart
Keep your back in a neutral position, and keep your knees centered over your feet
Slowly bend your knees, hips and ankles, lowering until you reach a 90-degree angle
Return to starting position -- repeat 15-20 times, for 2-3 sets for beginners (do this two or three times a week)
Breathe in as you lower, breathe out as you return to starting position

Exercise is important in disease prevention. Add squats to your weekly routine. If you are unstable, hold onto a chair,or wall, or kid, or dog to protect yourself. Women....these are the types of movements that prolong and even prevent bone loss. We all want to look good, but sometimes we forget about feeling good and improving our strength for functional and practical reasons. Never lose sight of WHY we should exercise and eat right. It's not all in vain. If you're doing it for that reason only, you will not be living the healthy lifestyle you should be.

If you have questions about squats, or any fitness questions at all, feel free to email me. Lacysfitnessblog@gmail.com

Weight loss

What's the main reason you start an exercise and healthy eating regimen? To lose weight......

If you are always on a new diet and starting to workout (again), you will stay on that same roller coaster forever. Or at least until you change your motives.

People that have gotten out of shape and have become overweight, tend to focus solely on the pounds and the quickest way to shed them. I understand why that would be the focus, and how hard it is to NOT let that be the motive. But I know that diets don't work, and weight loss should never be the motive.

When you haven't been active or eating healthy, and you start on one of your latest weight loss journeys, the sudden change in habit will have weight peeling off you for a few weeks. Once your body is able to figure out how to defend itself against the new demands, that weight loss will slow way down and leave you feeling discouraged. Eventually, most people get frustrated and give up.

Did you know that a lot of fitness professionals don't ever weigh themselves? And did you know that fit people weigh more than you would guess by looking at them? That's because the focus is on losing fat and gaining muscle. It's on being fit, feeling, and looking good. When your goal is to be fit, feel, and look good, you have to eat foods to fuel you through your workouts and promote fat loss. The goal isn't to starve your body skinny. The goal is to feed your body healthy and fit.

Your body wants to be cared for. It wants to be fueled with healthy foods that give it what it needs to perform for you. It wants to shed fat and hang onto muscle.

If you are caring for a plant, you want it to look beautiful. What makes it look beautiful is proper nutrition. What you feed it is reflected through its beauty. The care you give it is reflected through its beauty. When you want it to look better, you give it more nutrients. You don't rob it of them. You don't deprive it of what it needs to make it a healthy and beautiful plant. Your body is the same way. When you start depriving your body of the proper nutrition, you deprive it of its ability to look beautiful for you.

I understand that not everyone is a fitness junkie. I understand that not everyone wants to continue educating themselves on healthy living or workouts. I understand that some people only do it because they want the results or because the doctor told them to. I understand that we can't all be in love with the same things. But one thing we all have in common is the desire to live a quality life. And we accomplish that by taking care of ourselves. And we start that by focusing on nutrition. If you're working in the gym for an hour + each day and eating junk, you're not going to get the results you're looking for. You're not going to feel good. You're not going to be toning the way you expected. And the fat loss isn't going to be what you were hoping for. You're diet is the key to your success. "Change happens in the kitchen".

So, to wrap it up.... For successful healthy living, let's change our focus to just that. "Healthy living!" Let's focus on how to help our bodies give us the results we are looking for. Let's give it the proper tools to work for us. Let's make it beautiful on the outside by nourishing it on the inside. Let's stop obsessing over weight loss and start working on fat loss. We need that muscle to function, and we need it to burn the fat! It's time to stop getting frustrated over diet failures because the reason you fail is that your bodies aren't being given the proper tools. Nourish yourself to success. It's the only way to get to where you want to be. It's what your body wants, needs, and deserves.

Will you?

I don't know about you, but I am so over this weather. My daughter and her cousin wrote a parody to Taylor Swift's song "we are never ever getting back together" called "I will never ever understand this weather". Even our kids are sick of it. I know we have had a pretty mild winter, but it's a long one. We have gone from a drought, to this..... I just want to get outside and run! Normally, I don't let weather keep me inside. But I'm protesting. I quit. I give up. I can't take anymore. I'm ready to break out the flip flops and running shorts. I don't have a point. I'm just complaining. This is the time of year that usually gets me to take my workouts indoors. I'm not a fan of being indoors. So that's all...I'm just whining......

Enough about that. I was thinking this morning, about how much goals change our mindset. I know I've written about setting goals before. We all know how important it is to have them. We all know how they keep us going and give us something to work for. But I was thinking specifically about how our thought process changes when we have a goal.

Think about what goals you have set for yourself, and how it affects your thinking. Here's my personal experience and observation.

When I set a goal to run a marathon, my mind becomes focused on how my choices affect my goal and my training. When I'm training, I know how a glass of wine or a heavy meal will affect my long Saturday morning training run, so I opt out. I know that if I have a big piece of sugary cake or a salad, I'm going to crash on my run the next day. I also know that if I carb up properly, hydrate properly, and skip the greasy fried foods and sweets, I'm going to feel a whole lot better and enjoy training a whole lot more.

When we have a goal, we want to be able to accomplish it. We don't want fail. And most likely, you have what it takes if you do all the right things. If you want to run a 5k, you can run a 5k. Or maybe you walk it. Whatever. My point is....if you're willing to do the work, you will accomplish the goal.

So many times you hear people say they just can't lose weight. No matter what they do, they just can't lose it. I don't believe that. I do believe it is harder for some people. I do know that we are genetically different and that plays a big role in our abilities. But I also believe that when we set goals that are realistic for our own selves, that is when we succeed. But if you don't do the work it takes for you personally, then you won't ever make it to your goal. Just because its harder for you, doesn't mean it can't be done. And maybe it's not harder. Maybe you just don't want to work that hard. We are Americans. We have become a lazy nation. We are spoiled. We want what we want without having to work at it.

Sometimes we set a goal and don't do the work and find all kinds of things to blame our failure on, but we don't want to own up to the fact that we just didn't try hard enough. "Practice makes perfect". If you want to be healthy and fit, you have to live that way. You're choices have to revolve around your goal. Your mindset has to change. You can't continue doing the same old thing and expect to see change.

When we start training toward something, the first thing we need to train is our brain. If you want to be able to walk 6 miles, you have to start with your brain. Your mind will quit you long before your body ever will. You have to believe that you're capable of what you want accomplish. You have to learn to make the right choices that help you meet that goal. You have to pay attention to what works for you and what doesn't. And you have to learn from your mistakes.

It's going to take time. It won't happen today. That's what makes it so good for you. You have to stay focused and allow yourself time to get to where you want to be. Whatever you goal is, believe that you can accomplish it. It's not about "can you?" It's about "will you?"

Figuring it out

Have you ever had that unbelievable craving for something "bad" to eat, and finally you cave in and binge on it only to find that it wasn't near as amazing as you thought it was going to be? Don't you hate that?! I wish I had some wise words on how to avoid this..... Sorry. No such luck.

Here's the deal, though. I may not have words of wisdom here, but I have opinions. I'm never short on opinions! Here's your chance to choose whether you want to keep reading, or develop your own opinion on the matter. Get out while you can. Go ahead. Run!

Good! You're still here;). Ok, this is what I think.... First, let me start by saying I am guilty of over indulging. So don't let me lead you wrong by giving you the impression that I've got it all under control. That couldn't be more wrong. But! In my opinion, cheating should be enjoying something that you have given up (on a regular basis) and miss. The one thing that you wish you could have anytime you want. For you it could be McDonald's fries. For someone else it might be a loaded baked potato. For me it's anything with sugar or simple carbs. What I wish I could get a handle on, is tasting my cheat and determining if its worth it or not. Like maybe I bring home some store bought cupcakes and they're really not all that, but I eat it anyway because it's my cheat. But what if I sampled it, decided it wasn't worth it, and didn't waste those calories? What if I found an alternative option to satisfy my sweet tooth? Bare with me..... I'm headed somewhere with this.

I have come to realize, for me personally, that I do this more often than I should. I like food. I enjoy gathering around a table with the people I love and sharing a meal. I love to eat out with my husband and kids. Mealtime has always been a time of fellowship. A time to gather and enjoy each other. Food is something that can make you feel whole. It's something that is used to make someone feel loved or important. We use it to celebrate. It so easily becomes the focus on a gathering.

So what if we stopped eating foods that aren't worth it? What if we made healthier, more realistically portioned meals at our gatherings? What if we brought a fruit salad to a potluck instead of double chocolate fudge brownies with chocolate chips? And what if we only indulged on foods that actually taste as good as we imagined? What if we used food as fuel? Fuel to keep us alive. Fuel that includes the nutrients we need to prevent cancer, increase immune health, and promote healthy living. And maybe we find ways to satisfy our cheats that aren't so sinful. Like fat free frozen yogurt. Baked potatoes loaded with healthier choices. Baked fries at home. Whole wheat pasta. Popcorn topped with healthy olive oil instead of butter. A dark chocolate candy bar instead of a king size mars bar. Etc....

This is my rant for today. Something I have been thinking about lately, and need to work on myself. I don't believe that healthy living should be a sacrifice that you can't stand waking up to every day. I don't believe that it should be stressful. I don't believe we have to restrict calories and live our lives feeling deprived. I believe those are mistakes that lead to failure. I believe we need to learn how to eat at a party, holiday, vacation, restaurant, etc. We need to learn what moderation is. We need to learn to eat when we are hungry. We need to learn to stay off the scales more. We need to stop obsessing over weight loss as a model of what healthy looks like. We need to stop crash diets, or any diets. I believe we need to make healthy choices every day that make us feel satisfied, full, and motivated. Choices that promote healthy living permanently, not quick fixes that have an ending and backfire.

I can happily admit that I have gotten a handle on the day to day, for the most part. I get it right more than wrong. And that's a goal you should work toward. Healthy living is a daily learning experience. It's something you have to create based on what you want to achieve. We learn from our mistakes.

I'm not perfect, and neither are you. So don't beat yourself up when you get it wrong. Learn from it and move on. For me, I need to work on how and when I cheat. I can do better. But I do believe we need to enjoy ourselves. We do all this work and focus so much energy on getting it right. We don't want to ruin it with bad choices, but we should find ways to enjoy ourselves. When I sit down at a restaurant with my husband, my focus should not be on how many calories I'm going to eat. I'm guilty of that and it's annoying to the people you're with. Don't be that person. My focus should be on enjoying a meal with my husband. One bad meal isn't going to be the end of it all. 3 bad meals a day for 7 days is where the problem lies. A lifestyle packed full of one bad choice after the other, coupled with never ever exercising is where the problem lies.

I'd love to help you get on track and teach you how to get to this point. I'd love to train you how to enjoy life while living healthy. I'd love to show you how fun and rewarding it is to feel and look your best. My email is lacysfitnessblog@gmail.com. Email me and we will get you there together!

Solutions

We all have busy lives. Sometimes it's hard to get to the gym. And when you do make it, it seems like the whole town showed up and you can't get on a piece of equipment. That's the type of frustration that can turn into an excuse. Solution? Here's an idea... If you are only able to get to the gym during the busiest times and feel frustrated by the lack of available equipment, create your own "at home workout". Get creative. You don't need weights or bands or benches or treadmills to do this. All you need is a small amount of space and your body weight.


Example: jog in place. Do some jumping jacks. Butt kicks. High knees. Whatever you can do to warm up in a small space. Then create a circuit that takes 2-3 minutes and repeat it 3-5 times.

A circuit would look something like this: 10 push ups 10 air squats 10 crunches 10 tri dips 10 burpees 10 side lunges


We have just worked every muscle from head to toe, engaging the core the entire time. This is only an example. You need to be creative. Maybe you want to focus on your shoulders so you do some shoulder dips. Or maybe you hate crunches and prefer Russian twists. The beauty of it is that you're the boss. And the key to it is to keep moving with 30-60 second rests between each circuit. The harder you work, the more fat and calories you will burn. Always be sure to cool down with some marching in place or whatever movement you prefer. And always, ALWAYS stretch!

Here's another pointer..... It's always better to get your heart rate up during a workout, but with circuits, you're bringing your heart rate up then back down and repeating that cycle for the duration of the workout. This has been proven to keep your heart rate up for up to 48 hours following a workout. But maybe you got home late and just don't feel like doing an organized workout. Maybe you feel like watching your favorite recorded TV show but guilt is setting in and you're beating yourself up over skipping a workout. Solution? Ok! Watch your recorded show. Don't skip the commercials. Get up and do some squats, push ups, crunches, high knees, whatever you want that works those muscles and raises your heart rate for the whole commercial break without even think about it. Just move. Do what you feel like. Don't be too lazy.... Actually work at it, at least a little bit.... Do this for 30 minutes to an hour of TV watching and the guilt is gone. Added bonus-exercise replaced trips to the kitchen for junk during commercials:)!! Keep some water close by and drink while you watch your shows.

There's always a solution. Instead of excuses, we really just have different options. Instead of excuses, we really just have life. Instead of excuses, we really just have interruptions and speed bumps. A different outlook can make all the difference. You do what you can with what you have to work with. You set a goal to be healthy. Don't allow anything to ruin it. You owe it to yourself. You know you love to feel and look your best. It's not going to magically happen on it's own. You have to make it happen.

Size and shape

I read a quote somewhere that said something like this...."how many calories you eat determines your size, the kind of food you eat determines your shape". This stuck with me because I know it to be very true. I talk a lot about how we, especially us girls, desire to be a certain weight. And that no matter how hard it is for us to accept, fitness is not about a number on the scales. That number is just a sort of gauge that does not say all there is to say and doesn't define your fitness level.

I will always be hitting on this subject because it's something we all need constantly reminded of. If your goals are to be skinny, you will fail at being healthy and fit. I understand the lengths a person has to go to in order to be skinny. All skinny is saying about you is that you look good in clothes and that you restrict calories to an unhealthy level. Being skinny is not good for you if it is being forced. Being skinnier isn't making you healthier.

Every girl sees actresses in movies and feels like they want to look that way. It's how we're programmed. It's what we have been fed by the media. It's what we have been programmed to believe is pretty. So many women have a mindset of not wanting to look "bulky". Why? What part of having a low body fat percentage is such a turn off to you? What part of being healthy do you dislike? The reality is, we are women. Just like supermodels who have been air brushed and gone on starvation diets before a photo shoot, body builders go to different extremes. When you aim to and become skinny, you still don't look like the pictures you see in a magazine. The same goes for being fit. When you achieve a low body fat percentage, you don't look like the pictures you see either.

Whether you are over or under what is considered a "healthy weight" for your body type, I'd like you to look in a mirror (with little to no clothing on) and ask yourself this...."do I like what I see and how I feel? And why or why not?" Be honest. What would you change?

If you are eating junk, whether you exercise or not, you will not very likely be satisfied with what you see or how you feel no matter how much you weigh or what size pants you wear. Think about this..... Unless you're getting a new drivers license or checking in with your doctor, nobody will ever even know how much you weigh.... And who's paying attention to what size pants you're buying? Who cares? Why do you care so much about what you look like when you're covered up in clothing? Because of the media! That's why. Because you have been trained to believe what you should look like in skinny jeans by advertising agencies. That's why.

When we finally stop trying to be someone else, and embrace and enhance our own bodies, change starts to happen. When it's no longer about being skinny, weighing a certain weight, or wearing a certain size, but rather about being fit and healthy, that's when you succeed. Fitness is a realistic goal. When you eat the right foods and exercise appropriately, you become the best you that you can be. You become the healthiest you that you can be. It is important to pay attention to your weight and how many calories you consume to help guide you to your healthiest self. But if you're hungry, eat! Just make sure you're eating things that will determine your shape. Not just your size. Choose healthy fats, whole grains, nuts, fruits, veggies, lean meats, etc. When you feel hungry, grab an apple and some string cheese. Don't go for potato chips or snack cakes, or even just nothing at all. The idea is to encourage muscle growth. Don't be afraid to be strong (girls).

I'm going to post a picture I found online that really makes my point better than any words I could type in this blog. This picture shows that the number on the scales should never scare you into starvation and that that number does NOT define your level of fitness. I hope that no matter what you weigh, you take to heart the reality of what I'm saying. You can be fat fat or skinny fat, or you can just be fit. What would you rather be?