Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Can you abstain or say no?

Sometimes you need to look yourself in the face and ask if you can keep yourself in check in a certain environment.

If you have issues keeping yourself in line in any given scenario...abstain from the situation.

It is hard to do but the right thing to do......if you can't just say no.....follow the advice you would give a child or anyone else and just say no or get away from the situation.

Eating too much nasty food is just as bad as anything else you may just say no to so just do it!

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Kick Off

How do you get your day going every day?

I have found it is not about what do I need to do to start the day.

For me it is very important to keep the end in mind.  If I get up each and every day and I know what the finish line looks like I have no problem getting there each day or as I travel through life.

The big issues I run into are when I leave the goals for myself vague and undefined it is very important to know where you are going....if you are not sure where thie finish line is you will never be able to mark your progress.

Sunday, November 27, 2011

To start or take a long break...that is the question!

So the long break we all enjoy around Turkey Day is winding to a close!  Now is time for the decision.  Do you shut it down and enjoy the next few weeks of partying, eating and being a bit lazy or do you get back on the horse and watch what you eat the next three weeks and stay active before many of the holiday celebrations begin.

I am a HUGE proponent of staying focused on your food and fitness regiment over the next few weeks.  My strategy the last few years is to stay focused until I take off for the holidays....I have a wonderful 10 days or so around Christmas and New Year's that I will chill out and enjoy food and fellowship.

No need to make it a month long event that will take three months to bounce back from....I would rather enjoy ten days of rest and relaxation and fight my way back in three weeks.

All of us have our own strategy.  As long as you understand the more time you take to enjoy things and slow things down multiply by about three in the time it will take to bounce back.

There is no right or wrong plan of attack just have a plan of attack!

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you all had a great day of great food, great company and reflection...so much to be thankful for!

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Last Tip/Trick

This should be an easy tip/trick to follow.

Many of us have very odd schedules on Thanksgiving....some have our big meal as a late lunch....an early dinner at times even a late dinner.

The one thing you need to remember is to eat every few hours.....if you are eating the bird at 1:00 don' try and starve yourself until 1:00 before pigging out...you will have effectively slowed your metabolism and set yourself up for a mongo binge.

You may want to eat smaller snack portions but feel free to enjoy food every few hours so you don't go on an eating rampage after starving yourself.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

One Day

Another tip or trick around the holidays is to try and make the holiday the event to relax and enjoy all the special grub.

Many people will shut it down for weeks and pig out......very hard to get back on the wagon if you let it go too far.

This next month or so is a great time to reflect with and enjoy family and friends.

Keep in mind that you don't need to eat and drink away every day you are with all those special people.

Talking, visiting and just being together can be far more rewarding.

Our culture is one that emphasizes celebration with food.  That is fine if you can handle the hard work of getting energized and re engaged around a fitness and nutrition regiment come Janiary.

Make holidays and birthdays special days instead of special weeks and you will always look forward to them and you will feel GREAT about yourself!

Monday, November 21, 2011

Living to 122

I read an amazing article today!

It was in reference to longevity.  The article was a study around what it took and what went into people living longer.

The findings were that it was 70% Environmental and 30% genetic.

That is very interesting.

The environmental piece is based on how you live.....food you eat.....exercise.....just what you do day in and day out...the other 30% comes down to genetics.....some people have genetics that will allow them an extra 10 years.

The 70% part is interesting in that if you watch what you eat and you are active on average the people they studied lived 8 to 9 more years.

That is a lot in my opinion!

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Plate Reversal!!!!

Here is another key component.....whether it is a day to day buffet or a Thanksgiving feast this is a tip that can be a life changer.

If you are ever in an all you can eat environment.....do a walk through and scope things out before you get a plate....see what the options are.

If you do a once through and you see what healthy options are there that you can enjoy.....fruits, veggies, lean meats etc.  Then you can scope out the stuff you really like.

Make sure you fill up a plate with the healthy stuff eat it first and sit a few minutes...then go back and get a helping of the things you enjoy that are not so healthy...you will find you have no issue getting a bit smaller portion and feeling satisfied if you get that stuff second.

My wife is big on salads so she gets a mongo salad and then she goes after the other stuff the salad fills her so she doesn't gorge on the other goodies.

Use the same strategy on turkey day....your challenge is understanding what the healthy options are and you need to factor in how the food is prepared.

Friday, November 18, 2011

Thanksgiving here we come!

I will try and give out some of my best tips in the week heading up to Turkey Day!

These will not be revolutionary but the basic nature they have about them will make them do able year in and year out instead of a one time event when you are in weight lss crisis mode.

The great thing about a holiday is that most of us get some extra time in the day.

Unless you are the host of a get together you should have some time for yourself.  If you are the host physical labor/activity won't be an issue.

As youhead into the holiday carve out some time for a walk in the morning and agian in the evening if possible.

Just a simple walk if you are not used to doing it can do so much for you.

Try and get a good 45 minute walk in early and then another half hour in the evening.....walk with a family member or friend you don't get to see all that often....waht a great way to build in some activity and spend time with someone you don't get to see much!

Thursday, November 17, 2011

What can I eat, and still lose weight?

If I could only tell you how many times I have been asked this question.

The sad thing is I always have the same answer.

If I could answer that question for everyone I would be a billionaire.

I can share with anyone that wants to put the effort in what to eat daily to lose weight but for people to blindly ask you what they should stop or start eating without spending time with me and really talking through their lifestyle is too hard.

Everyone wants the tweet type answer in the twitter genre we live in.

When it comes to weight loss there is no tweet that will suffice.

There needs to be good specific questions around solid specific goals.

When you know where you want your individual goal to be and you will be honest about activity and daily food intake it is pretty easy to put the weight loss equation together.

What I have found is that most people want the answer but they are not willing to truly share daily calorie intake or activity.

It is not until you are willing to understand those components and share them with someone that you can get help.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

One Bad Day

Do you follow it up with another bad day or use a bad day to focus on getting back on track.

I have been speaking with people that allow a slip to take them totally off track in the quest for happy healthiness.

The key to staying healthy and happy as you head trhough life is to remember it is a marathon not a sprint.

One good day will never define you and one bad day won't either.

Take a look at a week or a month and focus on making the right move or decision 8 out of 10 times.  Have eight good days to two bad and you will be just fine.

Don't let the one bad day turn into four.

If things start slipping jump on the scale or look at some images of where you don't want to go.

If you keep jarring yourself into these type mind sets you will be more apt to stay on course!

Monday, November 14, 2011

Just not fair!

Not sure if many of you are Biggest Loser fans or not.

They touched on an interesting concept this week.  They had a Dr. on from John's Hopkins that studies the Psychological part of eating.

It was pretty interesting.  I was 288 lbs at my high point and I am at 165 lbs now....up 30 lbs from my low point of 135 lbs.

I thought the Dr.s input was spot on from what I have experienced and it validates that our bodies just are not fair!  :(

The Dr. explained that if you took a lean person and an obese person and put a cheeseburger infront of them the craving to eat it would be much greater for the obese person.  If they both ate the cheeseburger the satiety would be much higher in the lean person.  This means to offset the craving the heavy person needs to eat more cheeseburgers to feel satisfied whereas the lean person can eat a cheeseburger and move on.

Doesn't seem fair does it......another testimony to the good things in life (your health) don't come easy!

To make things worse they went on to explain that it takes about 4 to 6 weeks to re wire your brain for positive eating habits and it take about two days to lose that programming.

Why can't it be the other way around?  :)

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Holiday Plans?

Everyone seems to be working on a plan for the holidays.  Many people relax their eating habits as they head into heavy party periods!  Other people try and increase fitness to head off all the Christmas Cookie damage to the waistline.

Some folks cash in the chips from Thanksgiving until January and let the chips fall where they may and then get back on the horse!

I am not sur there is any right answer.

I firmly believe it comes down to the person.  Some people need to stick with their regimen because once they stop they never go back.  Other people have no problem at all taking a break and then jumping back on the horse.

The only advice I can give, and it comes from painful experience, is that life is too short.  Figure out a plan that works for you and enables you to enjoy the holidays.

If you become a bear to be around at the holidays because you are OCD on working out or counting calories.....seek help!

It is not that big a deal.  Come up with a plan you can live with for the next few weeks.

Feel free to share your thoughts with others on here....there is no right or wrong on this one.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Meeting a Friend

Here is another tip/trick.

As you head toward the holidays it is natural to get together with frinds and family.

Many times those get together's will revolve around food.

That is OK.

You can start to look at it a bit differently.  If you are meeting someone for breakfast, lunch or dinner think about meeting for a quick bite and then catching up over a walk.

Nothing wrong with grabbing something at Panera or wherever you want to go to enjoy a quick sit down and then walking outside or at a mall or something while you catch up after food.

It is great to be with people you care about but it doesn't always need to be chowing and sitting on a couch.  Enjoy breaking bread and then plan to get up and get moving somewhere.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

TV....good for your weight loss and fitness!

I hope that caught your eye!

Since I lost all my weight I have dramatically cut back on my cardio.

I will share with you one of my top secrets of weight loss and overall fitness.

Use things that take alot of your time for good.

If you like reading the paper or if there are three or four shows you enjoy weekly.

Try and factor exercise into the times you do that stuff.

When I was losing all my weight I was on the bike during Survivor, Biggest loser etc. etc.  If you are going to watch TV do something be active...same thing with reading a book or the paper.

If you take the time you put into those things and get active while you enjoy your hobbies you will be amazed at the quick turn around you can make.

I lost my first 100 lbs in seven months and a good bit of that came sweating it out on the bike while I watched shows on the DVR.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Walking...what is easier?

The number one question I am asked is how to get and STAY motivated.

We are all motivated by different things. You have to find out what motivates you. My main motivation ... wanting to stay healthy and fit for my children. Another motivation is that my fitness program keeps me in shape to be able to do things I enjoy.

Think of all the benefits of a fitness program. Choose the things that matter to you and focus on them. Make a list of all the benefits you will personally receive from your program and make a list of the others that will benefit. (Who else will benefit if you become more fit?? -- Everyone in your life.)

Now make a list of all the excuses you have for not "doing it". Slowly find ways to remove each of these from your list.

You have to make YOU and your fitness a priority.
benefits of a fitness walking program, motivation
BENEFITS OF WALKING

  • Burns calories

  • Strengthens back muscles

  • Slims your waist

  • Easy on your joints

  • Strengthens your bones

  • Lowers blood pressure

  • Allows time with family and friends

  • Shapes and tones your legs and butt

  • Cuts cholesterol

  • Reduces risk of heart disease, diabetes, & more

  • Reduces stress

  • Sleep better

  • Improves mood and outlook on life

  • Can be done almost anywhere

  • Requires no equipment

  • AND it's Free
  • Sunday, November 6, 2011

    Every Day

    Think about all the things you do on any given day.

    There are so many things we do today that are so effortless compared to all the many things people had to do in the past.

    I remember going through the airport as a little kid and people actually had to carry their luggage.  There were no people movers...you walked wherever you needed to go.

    When Ihad a paper route we rode our bike or what around at the crack of dawn delivering papers we didn't get driven in a car and chuck the papers out the window.  Nowadays most of the delivery folks are actually adaults driving themselves to make some extra money but that is a whole other topic.

    The oint of this post is not about boy did I have it tough back in my day.  The point is every day we have many opportunities to make things effortless for ourselves or we can choose the option that may be a bit more work.

    Here are a few examples and do with them what you will:

    When you are in a building with more than one floor are you searching out elevators and escalators or can you deal with the stairs?  When you are on a phone call are your feet up?  Are you sitting staring at a computer or can you get up and pace a little bit.  When you drive somewhere later today r tomorrow will you circle like a vulture to get the close parking place or will you drive to the farthest point from the entrance park and take a nice leisurley walk in.

    We have many choices right in front of us every day that are not crazy work outs but a little extra physical activity can make a huge difference daily.

    Friday, November 4, 2011

    Selfish?

    So we have been told by many different people in many different forms of media that we should work out 30 minutes a day.

    Since I began my weight loss journey over three years ago now I have heard every excuse and reason for people not having the time to invest in their own well being.

    Many time people explain that they don't have time.

    People go on to explain to me how there is only so much time in the day and if they have family, friends and loved ones it would be selfish to take a half hour away from them when they could be spending time together.

    I say right back to them if that hlps you sleep at night good for you because that mind set disgusts me.  That is a convenieint reason to not work out period.

    It is the exact opposite of selfish to take care of yourself 30 minutes a day.

    Do you have any idea how many 30 minute periods it would take to get you an extra ten years on your life not to mention the improvement in quality of life.

    If you are out there and you have ever thought it was selfish to take 30 minutes a day to work out....get over yourself.

    30 minutes a day could be the most selfless thing you can do for your friends family or yourself long term.

    Trust me on this one!

    Thursday, November 3, 2011

    Partner

    It is becoming more and more important in a quest for fitness to have an accountability partner or a buddy.

    Whether it is walking, lifting or just eating well having someone that you can vent to and just be there for you truly is the difference maker.

    As we head into the winter it becomes very easy to make excuses as to why the early morning run or walk should get skipped.

    The roads are bad and I don't have food choices so I order a pizza.

    If you don't have someone to talk, text or email with in relation to how you are feeling and what your challenges are for the day most often you will make the wrong choice.

    It is so much easier to make the tough choice when you are not alone!

    Find a trusted partner/buddy as you head into the Fall/Winter.....it will make a HUGE difference!

    Wednesday, November 2, 2011

    Holiday Help

    Many people get past Halloween and start thinking about Turkey Day and Thanksgiving...some feel overwhelmed and give up any aspiration of losing or keeping weight off!

    I am here to say that holiday's are here to be enjoyed!

    Week in and week out you will be tempted by different things.

    Enjoy everythng in moderation and if you slip up don't fal into a ditch pick yourself back up and get focus.

    It is OK to enjoy yourself and have some goodies or take a day off from the gym.

    Make sure you make those occurrences exceptions not your lifestyle.

    As we wind toward the holidays I will try and add a few tips and tricks to make a difference as you head through the next few months.

    Tuesday, November 1, 2011

    The day after!

    So it is the day after Halloween!!!!

    If your house is anything like mine there is bite sized candy everywhere.

    Here is the deal...as much as we may hear it from all angles ............... candy is not poison.

    Doghnuts cheeseburgers all those things in moderation are not good for you but give me a break all the vegetables coming your way minus the good organic stuff is sprayed with round up so how good can that be for you.

    A few bite sized pieces of candy here and there will do wonders to fight cravings and mentally it will relieve the stress that self deprivation of any goodies brings!

    Don't go crazy on the bad stuff but don't lookat all that stuff as a mistake that will end the world if you indulge here or there!