Plan your workout

Don’t show up and “wing it” until you feel confident to do that.  Make a plan for the week. When I’m not very motivated to go to the gym, I still do this.  Right now my gym exercise is Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  (I also do “non-gym” exercise.)  I do 30 minutes on the elliptical and then I do about 30 minutes of weights. Monday I did biceps and triceps, Wednesday I did chest and back and today I did shoulders and legs.  I also do abdominal exercises each of those days.   Yes, I should have had one more day of legs, but I didn’t.

As you’re starting out, you may want to make a list of the exercises you are planning to do so you feel more confident and like you’ve accomplished something when you’ve finished.

Understand, believe, KNOW that no one gives a crap what you’re doing at the gym

I get that it can be a little intimidating and you can feel self conscious.  Don’t.  I don’t have a magic solution to this, but it’s like anything else in life, the more you do it, the more confident you become and the less uncomfortable the whole situation is.  The discomfort and self consciousness will wane.  For now, live through it.

Don’t waste your time

If you have a half hour to go to the gym, use it wisely.  Don’t stand around waiting for a certain machine to be free, go use a different one.  Don’t give yourself a minute break in between exercises, go do a different exercise that works a different muscle.  I’ll give my shoulders a rest by doing crunches or leg extensions (or vice versa.) You can see why planning (my first recommendation) is a good idea.

Don’t waste your time

I’ll say it again!  If you’re able to chit chat on your cell phone, you’re not working hard enough.  Don’t waste your time by not giving yourself a good work out. Some of you (hey, ladies!) are still worried that you’re going to bulk up.  You won’t, can’t, will not.  BE SURE TO LIFT HEAVY WEIGHTS.  Here’s a question, “How much does your toddler weigh?”  I can see that you’re all bulked up from carrying him around.  Oh, you’re not?  If you’re there to lift weights, be sure you’re lifting enough to make it worth your while.

Be prepared

Have a water bottle, have a towel, bring your iPod, pack your weight lifting gloves.  You can keep a pre-packed gym bag in your trunk or by your front door.

Try something new

Hire a personal trainer, get on the rowing machine, go to a yoga class, try out spinning (that’s a cycling class in case you didn’t know.)  Be daring!  Get in the pool.  For people who are quite overweight or who have joint pain, the swimming pool is a great place to start.  It’s kind to your joints and once you’re in the water, no one can see you!

May you be happy and healthy,

Regan

First, is it just a common cold?  If you don’t have a fever or body aches and it’s “neck up,” it’s probably just a cold.  When you’ve got the common cold, it’s a good idea and it’s safe for you to get out and do some moderate activity.  I know, you really don’t feel like it today, but revving up your body’s furnace may help fight off the infection and getting moving will make you feel better.  Some people with a cold will still do some vigorous exercise, but it’s not my thing.  If your body is accustomed to a 7 minute mile for an hour, an10 minute mile for 40 minutes is still reining it in, so it’s probably fine.

What about food?  Eat what feels good, eat enough and try to get plenty of fruits, vegetables and water.  Much of what our bodies need to heal themselves comes from the food we eat.  What about chicken noodle soup?  Warm liquid feels good, it’s easy to eat and can help us feel better.

What if you’ve got something nastier than the cold?  Influenza, bronchitis or even pneumonia?  Stay in bed, drink plenty of fluids and eat enough food.  (And think about getting a flu shot next season.)  As your fever goes away and you’re finally feeling strong enough to walk a bit, you can take a leisurely ten minute stroll, but be kind and patient with your body as it heals.

Sometimes the hardest part is restarting your exercise and weight loss routine that isn’t yet a habit.  What inspires you to want to lose weight?  Is there a friend who is supporting you?  Does reading one certain blog (hint, hint) help you get motivated?  Do reading fitness magazines get you thinking about exercise and believing you can do it?  Maybe having accountability to a personal trainer or dietitian will help you focus after you’re well enough to resume your weight loss plan.

At this point you know that for weight loss to be permanent, it has to be part of your lifestyle.  Unfortunately illness will be part of your life and you’ll have to see it as the little bump in the road that it is, not a giant wall stopping your progress.  Find a way over that bump, FIGURE IT OUT.  It’s worth it, it’s important to you and it’s what you need to do to take care of yourself.

May you be happy…and healthy,

Regan

1.  Don’t be extreme with exercise. Just because your neighbor/husband/sister runs for exercise doesn’t mean you have to.  You can walk.  You can do yoga.  You can swim. Someone told you that running was a great way to burn tons and tons of calories so you’ve decided that you’re going run 4 miles per day?  Bad idea.  If you’re not a runner, it’s not realistic for you to start running 20 miles per week.  Try walking 10-15 miles per week (depending on your fitness level).  If you are already moderately active, try running on two days for thirty minutes each time.  START SLOW to avoid injury and burn out.

2.  Don’t be extreme with food.  I know, I know, you want to get rid of the 6 pounds you “found” from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day.  I also know you’ve heard not to go below 1200 calories per day.  Not going below 1200 calories per day is great advice (if I do say so myself) but there’s nothing magic about 1200 calories as a daily goal for calorie intake.  If you need 2000 calories per day, you’re still going to lose weight if you eat less than you need.  If you eat 1600 calories, you’ll still lose almost a pound a week and you’ll still be able to eat food you enjoy eating and you won’t be starving.  Click on the “Weight Loss Basics” tab on this website for a link to a calculator to determine your calorie needs and for plain and simple weight loss information.

3.  Don’t get frustrated if weight loss is fast the first week and then stops or slows the next. I don’t know about you, but the cheese and crackers and salted cashews and ham were all delicious during the holidays, but they have left me b-l-o-a-t-e-d, bloated.   Too much sodium (salt) tells our bodies to hang onto the water and when we start eating normally again (oatmeal for breakfast instead of that decadent eggs benedict) our bodies will get rid of the excess water.  So if you lose 3-4 pounds that first week, remember that you’ve probably really lost 1-2 pounds of real weight and shed another 1-2 pounds of water weight.  Don’t expect to keep losing that quickly and don’t get frustrated WHEN you don’t.

4.  Don’t get suckered in by a get-thin-quick scheme.  They don’t work, end of story.  Yes, your cousin’s sister’s friend’s daughter may have lost 50 pounds on the ridiculous HCG diet, but that’s because it’s a starvation diet.  If you eat only 400 calories a day, you will lose weight but also become malnourished and fatigued.  Real, sustainable weight loss comes from  making life changes you can keep forever.  Let me know when your cousin’s sister’s friend’s daughter gains it all back.  Your 20 pound weight loss will still be with you and her 50 pounds will have settled in nicely along with her slowed metabolism.

5.  Don’t go to the gym if you hate going to the gym. There are other ways to get physical activity.  You can go for a walk, you can go to a yoga studio, you can start riding your bike. The gym membership only works if you’re willing and able to make it part of your lifestyle.

6.  Don’t be afraid to ask for help at the gym.  Hiring a personal trainer to show you how to use the machines could be a very valuable investment.  It may help you feel less self conscious and keep you on the right track.  Yes, it’s OK to hire a trainer to SHOW you what to do.  You don’t have to buy 15 sessions.  If you’re motivated and all you need is an exercise program, be sure that’s all you buy.

7.  This is kind of a weird one, but don’t forget to wash your hands at the gym! There’s a couple things happening here.  First, when we exercise a LOT we lower our bodies’ ability to fight off infection (moderate exercise is an immunity booster, but going WAY beyond what we’re used to makes our immune system less effective.)  Second, the machines at most fitness clubs are FILTHY.  Don’t touch your eyes or your nose, wash your hands with soap and warm water.  Yes, it’s better than the hand sanitizer, but if that’s all you’ve got, use the hand sanitizer.  If you’re sick, it’s really hard to maintain those healthy changes you’re making.

Remember, weight loss does require changes in your lifestyle that may be uncomfortable at first.  But you shouldn’t be in horrible pain and you shouldn’t be miserably uncomfortable. Misery for 30 seconds on the spin bike?  Fine, you can sustain that, but lifelong changes must be sustainable.  If you must have a piece of chocolate to get through the day, have a piece of chocolate.  Even if you must have a Coca Cola and aren’t ready to give it up or switch to diet, trade a 32 oz for a 12 oz.  You’re still heading in the right direction.

May you be happy, healthy and sensible,

Regan

Portion Sizes Maybe this is one reason that Mickey-D’s gets such a bad rap.  I remember going to McDonald’s when there were two sizes of fries:   small, which is now “kid sized” and is served in Happy Meals, and large, which is now called, “medium.”  I also remember that the largest drink is was a 20 ounce cup, and there were no refills.  Adults ate a cheeseburger.  With a small fry.  And that was their meal,  and it was reasonable.

But McDonald’s (poor McDonald’s, it’s not as if Burger King, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Wendy’s haven’t done the same thing to pad their bottom lines all the while padding ours)  isn’t the only “portion distorter” out there.  Blame it on dish makers!  You think I’m kidding?  Plates, bowls, glasses have all gotten bigger.  I remember not being able to fit a whole 12 ounce soda in a glass when I was a kid, these days I can fit a whole Diet Coke,  ice and maybe even some rum.  I bought a set of dishes and had to seek out smaller bowls to use for cereal (though the manufacturer called them “ice cream bowls” and they’re still too big for either ice cream or cereal) because the bowls that came with the set hold 4 cups!  (I just measured.)  Four cups!  That’s an enormous portion of chili, cereal or ice cream.

Snacking These days food is everywhere!  People often wonder how the French can eat high fat food and still stay slim.  This is one thing that separates the U.S. from the French; they don’t snack.  How many of you out there are over 40?  Except in childhood, do you remember snacking before the mid-1980’s?  For children, and especially teenagers, it’s sometimes necessary for them to get snacks because if they’re eating healthy, normal meals, it’s difficult for them to get all the calories they need from three meals per day.  For the rest of us, there’s no reason to eat snacks.  (It works if you eat less at meal time, but usually meals don’t change.)  It’s OK to be hungry before lunch.  It’s OK to be hungry before dinner.  That’s our bodies’ way of letting us know it’s time for food.

Less Moving It’s not huge changes, but lots and lots of little ones.  Do you ever roll down a car window?  Probably not, you push a button.  Have you been using the manual ringer on your washing machine?  (Sorry, if you’re under 40 you have no idea what I’m talking about.  I only vaguely remember them.)  Do you hang your clothes on a clothesline?  How about the last time you kneaded bread dough?  Maybe you used your Kitchenaid or bread maker, but more likely you just bought bread like I do.  Heck, cars are even easier to drive–there are rarely standard transmissions and everyone has power steering.  And when was the last time you walked to work, church, school, your friend’s house?  Think back to the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s.  I’ll bet you walked a lot more.

“Special Foods” became common food My husband and I laugh about how getting soda pop was a special occasion when we were kids.  Even “fast food” type food was a rarity.  Having French fries and hamburgers for school lunch happened once a week, not every day.  There are foods that used to be staples and other “special” foods were offered occasionally.  Now those “special” foods such as pizza, chicken nuggets, soda pop and candy are all too common and have even replaced those staples of milk, bread, fruits and vegetables.  (Remember when celery with peanut butter was a yummy treat or that little red box of raisins was a perfect snack?)

Easy Access to Food Do you remember when gas stations just sold gas, motor oil, windshield wiper blades and anti-freeze?  Now they have fried chicken, burritos, two aisles of candy bars, fountain drinks, bottled drinks, nachos.  And lots of times they even have a drive through window.

People Don’t Cook Everyone (well, OK, at least all girls) used to know how to prepare a roast, mash potatoes, scramble eggs, create a meatloaf and grill a cheese sandwich.  I do see that there are a lot of people who love to cook and seek out knowledge about how to do it better, tastier and healthier, but there are many people who simply never learned how to throw together a vegetable omelette (a healthy, quick, inexpensive meal).  If people don’t know how to make a tuna casserole, they probably don’t know the best way to tweak it so it’s healthier.  By cooking at home, we can save money, control what we put in our bodies and spend more time eating around a table, sharing time with family and friends.

I’m not about to trade my internet and cell phone for the way things used to be, but there are certain things from “days of yore” that we could incorporate into our lives so that we’re healthier and slimmer.  Eating smaller portions, snacking less, eating more fruits and vegetables, finding ways to move more and eating less of “special” food such as candy and fried foods are all ways that we can change our lifestyles so we can be normal weight and healthier.

May you be happy, healthy and a little “retro” in your eating,

Regan

Are you berating yourself that you’re a failure, that you’ll never lose weight and you’re doomed to keep making bad choices?  Have you decided that it just doesn’t matter what you do until New Year’s?  Turn off that critical, all-or-nothing voice in your head and get back on track.

I’m not going to tell you to use the last week as a learning experience.  And I’m sure as heck not going to tell you to “make up” for the overindulgence of the past week either.  What I am going to do is tell you to get back on that horse.  If you’re trying to establish good life long habits, you need to start (restart) doing what you were doing before Thanksgiving.  Don’t double your exercise this week and don’t go on some crazy fad diet to make yourself “pay” for last week’s “sins.”  There will be bumps, there will be dips, but find the place that is your “normal” and get back to it.

May you be happy and healthy,

Regan

Why is it something you should consider?  It allows you to burn a lot more calories than you would otherwise, but in the same amount of time.  It helps to build cardiovascular endurance.  It can also keep your mind occupied so you don’t feel as bored during your work out.  One of the other reasons to add interval training is that new research is showing that shorter workouts that include interval training may be as beneficial as longer workouts that don’t include interval training.  So for all of you out there who don’t think a half hour, twenty minute or ten minute workout is worth your time, here are some ideas.

Do you like your current exercise program or regimen?  Add little bouts where you go “all out.”  If you spend a half hour on the elliptical trainer, every two minutes increase the resistance and go as fast as you can for 30 seconds.  Return to the same intensity and speed you were at for two minutes, then ramp it up again for 30 seconds.  Do this the whole thirty minutes.  You’ll torch calories, but you’ll not use anymore time.

Is your exercise a daily walk?  If you feel comfortable with it, you can add 30 second sprints  or jogging every two or three minutes.  Maybe sprinting’s not your thing?  How about if you stop every two or three minutes and do 30 seconds of jumping jacks or high knee skipping (if you’re nervous about looking like a fool, just pretend you’re channeling your inner child.)  The high knee skipping will get your heart rate up and it’s also a great butt toner.  You can add hills if you’re on a treadmill or simply increase your pace for short bouts.  If you’re a runner, add speed intervals.  Same principle, it’s just your “baseline” or “recovery” period is a jogging or running pace rather than a walking pace.

If you’re lifting weights, you can increase the intensity by running in place, doing jumping jacks, doing high knee lifts or skipping rope while resting between sets.  By doing that, you will get a resistance workout and a cardiovascular workout but in the same amount of time as the weight lifting routine.  Sometimes I’ll even do intervals when I’m listening to my iPod and will ramp up my intensity during the chorus of a song and then return to my normal pace during the rest of the song.  The beauty of interval training is that it’s pretty flexible and can be worked into any existing routine you do.

You really shouldn’t need anymore equipment than what you’re currently using.  Be sure you’ve got good shoes (but you already know that) and a watch or clock with a second hand.  If you’re on a piece of cardio equipment, you can use the time readout instead of a watch.

Here is a link that has three interval workouts for you to try. One of the workouts is only 8 minutes long, another is 12 minutes and the third one is 20 minutes long.  If you have the time, you can do any of the workouts twice or you can spend more time in the “recovery” or slower pace.  The article also gives more information about why intervals can help your body burn more calories than a regular, steady paced workout.

What do you need to be careful of?  If you have heart problems or a history of health problems, you’ll want your doctor’s OK to do “vigorous” exercise.  (In fact, next time you visit with your physician, ask her or him if you haven’t already.)  You probably don’t want to do interval training EVERY day.  Try it once, then decide if you’d like to add an extra day every week or two.  Remember to listen to your body.  If it’s unpleasant, keep at it, if it’s painful or you feel dizzy or faint, stop, walk and catch your breath.

May you be happy and healthy,

Regan