Category: Weight Loss and Exercise

Lose Weight Living Your Life!

Family Running on beach

Welcome to Part 2 Of No Time to Work Out!

Sneak in Exercise!

What did you think of the most recent article? I Agree You Have No Time to Work Out!  I offered some really valuable tips on how my clients are overcoming this obstacle! If you haven’t read it yet, I highly recommend you do! This week’s tips will nicely complement last article’s suggested strategies.

Today I show you ways to maximize every day activities you are already performing; and I show you how to use them toward your weight loss/management goals.

1)   You may be more active than you realize! List the physical lifestyle activities you are already doing. These are either recreational or task oriented. Examples of lifestyle activities are gardening, walking the kids to school, raking leaves, housecleaning, taking the stairs at work, etc.

  • To get a “real life” picture, keep a 1-2 week journal. How much time does each take? Be sure to include that for each entry.

2)   Give yourself a high five for what you are already doing!  Total up the number of minutes from your list.  The standard recommendation for improving fitness levels is 210 minutes per week.  However, depending on type of exercise and the individual, closer to 300 minutes may be needed for weight loss (per The Mayo Clinic). [minor edit only]

For example, if you are walking your kids to school for a total of twenty minutes daily (20 x 5 = 100), subtract 100 minutes from 210.  This leaves us with only 110 minutes of activity to fit in during the busy work week! Divide that by six days and you are looking at a goal of one 20 minute exercise session six days per week.  If 300 minutes is your goal then you are looking at 33 minutes per day.

What do you think? Doesn’t that sound do-able? Did your “overwhelm” just disappear? You can start small and build up. Start with two sessions per week and work your way up.  Even if you have to start with 10 minutes, you will be surprised at how quickly your momentum will build and how much better you will feel.

3)  Wow! An hour of grocery shopping burns 156 calories! Did you know that?  You may as well burn those calories while reaching for healthy foods. Choose items you can assemble quickly to avoid eating out on busy days. That way you’ll avoid the hidden calories in restaurant food. Try buying roasted chickens, pre-washed lettuce, pre-cooked rice and frozen organic vegetables. Not only will you be cutting calories, but you’ll also save tons of cooking or traveling time! (More time for exercise!)

4)  Track your progress and create a caloric deficit!  Wear a pedometer or calorie counter that tracks daily activity for feedback and encouragement.  You can also track calories consumed versus calories burned to see if you are creating a deficit.  Data is empowering!

This will help you determine how much additional activity and or minutes you will need to add to start losing weight and/or maintain your current weight.

One of my clients gave a pedometer to her sedentary mother.  Her mother was motivated by the goal of visiting her grandchildren. She determined the number of steps she wanted to take per day and lost 50 lbs!  It can be done!

I hope these creative ideas help you tie your “every day” lifestyle into your weight loss or weight management program. It takes time and effort when we are fitting a proper weight loss regimen into a busy schedule. That’s why I will not make irresponsible claims like so many fitness ads you see in the media. However, I will tell you that when you begin to apply these principles you can and you will lose weight.

I’d love to hear from you. Did your activity inventory surprise you? How many active minutes did you discover in your day? As always, please feel free to let me know if there is anything I can help you with.

Blessings to you and yours!

Jennifer

 

I Agree, You Have No Time to Work Out!

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I Agree, You Have No Time to Work out!

You’re shocked, right? After all, I’m a personal trainer. You were probably expecting a scolding! However, as a business owner, I have first-hand experience taking care of everyone else’s needs, just to realize at the end of the day that I have neglected my own personal health!

Instead of getting freaked out, I decided to use this as an opportunity to get myself on track and offer you solutions to the age old time dilemma based on my first hand experience.

Let’s face it– life has become more complex. More often than not, I sit down with a new client to find their day planner jam packed! I’m usually hard-pressed to find 30 minutes for a formal work-out– never mind an entire hour! That doesn’t change their desire to exercise. It just means we need to get creative on how to fit it in.

Here are some tips to get started:

  1. Live a Life by Design. Pause and ask yourself what you want your life to look like. What are your top 5 priorities? Make a list. Then look at your calendar and see if it reflects these priorities. Is there anything that you might want to put “on hold” for a season to start reaching your health and fitness goals?
  2. Focus on what you CAN do and start! While I am not personally raising kids of my own, parents have said that if you wait for perfect timing you will never start a family. You can look at exercise the same way. Granted, there are times when it is easier to start. However, life is not perfect. By focusing on what you can do now, you will build good habits and the momentum will follow you.

    For example, can you walk to work, or walk on your lunch hour? How about taking the stairs at your office building every day; walking the dog; playing catch with the kids; or working in the garden?

    Barry A. Franklin, PhD, national spokesman for the American Heart Association’s “Choose to Move” program says, “Several studies have shown that becoming more active in our daily lives can provide the same benefits as a structured exercise program.”

  3. Put it in writing! Once you have decided on the types of exercises and when you will do it, block it out on your calendar. Make sure you are realistic. This is about creating healthy habits for the long term, so if exercise has not been a part of your life, 10 minutes a night is a really great start.
  4. Learn to say no! Avoid adding anything new to your calendar without evaluating how it will affect your priorities and goals. “If you have a tendency to say “yes” too quickly, start practicing, “Thanks for asking. Let me check my calendar and see if I am available.”

This will allow you to assess your schedule and determine if it is in alignment with what you want in your life. If it’s a “no,” ask the person to keep you in mind for the future,” says Dr. LaVonne Atnip of The Encouragement Center. This allows you to keep the door open without sabotaging your health and fitness efforts.

I use this personally for all areas of my life. It is a great way to keep the relationship strong while focusing on maintaining the balance you have already committed to.

By preserving our own health and fitness, we are able to do the other things we enjoy and are passionate about for the long term.

Keep your eyes peeled! Don’t miss Part two of this series, when I will talk about lifestyle activity and how to capitalize on things you are already doing to lose weight and/or maintain it.

Please let me know if this has helped you or if you have any questions on how to fit exercise into your daily life. I’d love to help you!

Has this article helped you in any way? Do you have any questions? Please leave a comment or question for me. This site is designed for you so let me know how I can help you on your weight loss and/or healthy lifestyle journey!

Can you do me a favor? Jump on over to my Facebook page and tell me your thoughts. Does this sound like a good way to overcome your body image issue? I await your comments! http://www.facebook.com/jcherryledford

Blessings to you and yours!

Jennifer

Should You Weigh Yourself? Or Not?

The other day I was at the doctor’s office for an annual check-up. The nurse asked me to stand on the scale. I hopped on (with shoes and weater). She told me the number, “134.” Next, she escorted me into the room and left me by myself.

What happened next is very significant. I looked in the mirror and thanked God for my curves and my healthy body. And I thanked God for something even more important. It is so liberating to look at weight and clothing size as simply a number! Let me explain why this was such a big deal. There was a time when I weighed 116. Quite honestly, back then I considered 120lbs or more to be unacceptable! I wasn’t very healthy mentally or physically. My philosophy was the lower the number and the smaller the pants size, the better.

Hopefully, body image is not something you struggle with. But, if you are someone who does and are tired of it, you may be wondering how I have become so comfortable in my own skin. Let me share some secrets with you!

  1. Ignore your scale for a week. I have nothing against weighing yourself periodically, but this day and night weighing in can drive you insane. Weight fluctuates for many reasons. If you are someone who looks at those numbers as simply data and do not get emotional about it, I see no issue with a daily weigh-in.

    However, if you get all worked up or even depressed, then I suggest a once a week weigh-in. It should be on the same day, same time of day, and without clothes. This will help you track your positive progress and catch any small weight gain quickly.

  2. Embrace your body type. Avoid comparing yourself to others. Some are long and lanky, some are curvy. Some build bulk and some do not. I am not suggesting you accept being unhealthy or uncomfortable in your clothes. My desire for you is that you achieve your personal best–not what Hollywood or any other source tells you.

    My weight is considered heavy or overweight in Hollywood. But walking down the street, I am considered slender. Once I stopped comparing myself to the models in the magazines and focused on looking my personal best, I stopped obsessing about my weight.

  3. Decide what YOU want! You may want to “look” like the guy or gal on the cover of Mens’ Health or Shape Magazine! But do you know what your role model eats? Do you know the amount of time he works out—or that he’s paid to work out?

    Have you considered the photograph may have been air brushed–or the possibility that he’s had cosmetic surgery? A better idea might be to set a goal of feeling confident on the beach this summer? Or dropping one or more clothing sizes? You might even simply want to get the thumbs up at your next physical from your doctor!

  4. Change your language! This is critical. Maintaining a healthy, trim, toned body for life requires a variety of different steps. However, without this one you will have a tough road. I absolutely cringe when I hear men or women announce they have fat thighs, or ugly calves, or a “jelly” belly.

    The brain fights to be right. So each time you speak this over your body you are telling your subconscious that you are fat. This will cause behavior that is opposite to your desired goal. To quote Dr. Jack Atnip “Focus on what you want, NOT what you don’t want”.

    Substitute negative self talk with phrases like “body, you are strong and losing weight every day”, or “body, you burn off all calories I consume and my abs are getting tighter”. This can be tough for women who have friends or family that sit around and talk what I call the “fat language”. In the beginning you may just have to start with “if you don’t have anything nice to say to YOURSELF, don’t say it all”.

  5. Pick your weight and then take action! Earlier I mentioned my weight of 134. This is the weight I currently maintain without dieting or damaging my body. At this weight I’m comfortable in my clothing, including my bathing suit! I can afford to eat out once a week without even thinking twice about it.

    I do weigh myself periodically because I want to stay 134. I know what causes me to push the needle up, so I make healthy choices without depriving myself. Once you’ve determined a program that is realistic and offers results you’ll be satisfied with, it’s a lot easier to set a lifetime weight goal.

    Stop focusing on the numbers and pay attention to things like: how your clothes fit; how you’re breathing (short of breath?); how many steps your pedometer registered today; or how many meals you made at home.

Remember–there is only one you! You are uniquely designed. Avoid letting anyone set your goals for you—not the media, the medical community, our friends, or your family! When you are living your own life you can achieve anything!

Has this article helped you in any way? Do you have any questions? Please leave a comment or question for me. This site is designed for you so et me know how I can help you on your weight loss and/or healthy lifestyle journey!

Can you do me a favor? Jump on over to my Facebook page and tell me your thoughts. Does this sound like a good way to overcome your body image ssue? I await your comments! http://www.facebook.com/jcherryledford

Blessings to you and yours,

Jennifer