Category: weight loss

It’s Time To Stop Dieting And Start Living

Stop dieting and start living

I recently had the opportunity to talk with a gorgeous woman who began dieting at the age of six. 🙁  Her story and some of the things that people have said to her throughout her life broke my heart.  She spent years trying to fit in and force her body to be what society wanted her to be rather than who she was designed to be.  She tried every diet she could find and, in the end, every single one of them failed her.

If you have ever struggled with weight loss, you are not alone.  Solid science continues to confirm that a restrictive, weight-focused approach doesn’t work.  In a review of 31 long-term studies on dieting, Medicare’s Search for Effective Obesity Treatments: Diets Are Not the Answer, the authors shared that “there is little support for the notion that diets lead to lasting weight loss or health benefits.” Their studies found that most people are unable to maintain weight loss over the long term and one-third to two-thirds of dieters regain more weight than they lost.

Yet the billion dollar diet industry continues to promise things it usually can’t deliver and, in most cases, does more harm than good to the person on the diet.  Even the diets that don’t wreak havoc on your body’s metabolism leave a dust trail of heartache behind them due to the emotional and psychological harm they can cause.

It’s time that we as a society STOP dieting and focusing on weight all of the time.  It’s time that we give ourselves permission to start living and stop allowing the fitness and diet industry’s narrow definition of what “healthy” looks like to control our lives.  Dining with family and friends is one of the simplest pleasures in life.  Food is SO much more than fuel.  It’s cultural, it’s memories, and it’s fun.

How To Stop Dieting And start living

To stop dieting does not mean that you “let yourself go” or slip into a food “free for all.”  It means that you are going to eat appropriate portions of tasty food when you are hungry, learn what works best for you, and discover what a healthy baseline or body weight is for you.

A healthy body weight is normally a weight that you can maintain without restricting yourself from the things you enjoy.  We all have our own natural weight where our body is most comfortable and can maintain itself.  We also  know when we are overdoing it any area of our lives and if there are things we should cut back on like sugar, alcohol, etc.  Practicing moderation should be about your health, not about numbers on the scale.  When you focus on truly being healthy instead of skinny, weight loss is often times a natural byproduct.

Diets don’t work and they can create stress in many areas of your life.  No one needs more stress in their life.  If you have been struggling with dieting, I encourage you to give up the diet mentality once and for all.  Embrace your natural body type and allow yourself to focus on creating a happy, healthy, and fulfilling lifestyle.

Here’s to saying no to dieting and yes to LIVING!

Shared with love,
Jennifer

 

How To Feel Less Self-Conscious At The Beach

"How To Feel Less Self-Conscious At The Beach" and "How Being Grateful Leads To Weight Loss And More" by Jennifer Ledford - Certified Personal Trainer - ledford0716-8084

Summer is on its way and I’m already seeing the funny videos on social media regarding getting back into shape.  While the videos are humorous, and I don’t necessarily have a problem with them, they do make me concerned that some people think they have to “get in shape” before they can wear a pair of shorts, tank top, or swimsuit.

For years, the fitness and diet industry has capitalized on this time of year to try to convince you that before you go out into public with part of your body showing you need to buy into the latest and greatest workout, diet, or shake.  The truth is you don’t.  The only thing you have to do to be ready to wear a tank top is pick one out and put it on your body.  🙂

Please understand, I’m not saying it’s wrong to want to look more toned and shed extra pounds that are not serving you well.  It’s totally normal and healthy to want to look good in your summer clothes and I encourage you to strength train at a level that is right for you.  I also think it’s a great idea to eat whole foods that serve your body well.

How To Feel Less Self-Conscious At The Beach

However, your self-esteem and whether or not you are willing to hit the beach or hang by the pool in your bathing suit this summer should not be based on whether or not you look like a fitness model in a magazine.  Bodies come in all shapes and sizes which is why we should always avoid comparison.  If you wait until you look like someone else before you will wear your summer clothes, you could be waiting a very long time and missing out on a whole lot of fun.  Life is WAY to short for that!

Even if you are totally at a peace with finding your natural set point and are currently losing weight without dieting, I want you to know that you don’t have to wait until you lose weight to put on a bathing suit or any other item of clothing.  Don’t ever allow the pressures of the diet culture or fitness industry to cause you to miss out on having fun.  Live in the moment and love yourself no matter what size your bathing suit is.  That, my friend, is total freedom!

Shared with love!
Jennifer

 

How Much Rest Should You Get After A Workout?

How Much Rest Should You Get After A Workout? by Jennifer Ledford

Recently, I was scrolling through my newsfeed on one of my social media pages and came across a friend’s post that asked a question regarding exercise and rest.

While I love, love, loved the enthusiasm the people commenting on the post showed toward exercise, some of the comments or answers were either outdated or tailored to their own personal needs which may or may not have been appropriate or safe for the person asking the question.  Exercise, just like diet, is very personal which is why it’s always a good idea to consult with someone that’s trained to answer your question and has a proven track record in the field.

Seeing this post reminded me that while most people know it’s a good idea to exercise, not everyone understands that rest and recovery is JUST as important as exercise itself.

Rest days allow your muscles, nerves, bones, and connective tissue time to rebuild.  It’s during this rebuilding process that they grow back stronger.  A lack of rest or “overtraining” can leave the body susceptible to injury and even slow the metabolism down.

Resting after exercise does not necessarily mean you are sitting on the couch all day.  Most of the time, active rest is best.  The body is designed to move and “sitting” for too long can negatively affect someone’s health.  There can be solid medical reasons for someone to get off their feet and rest for longer periods of time.  However, if you have been medically cleared for exercise, active rest is usually best.

How much active rest your body needs after exercise is personal.  Your fitness level, the type of exercise you are performing, and what your body needs will all come into play.

RECOMMENDED TYPES OF EXERCISE AND REST

Some examples of types of exercise and recommended rest are:

  1. Interval Training.  High intensity interval training, also known as HIIT, is an effective way to burn calories in a short period of time and can improve cardiovascular health as well as blood pressure.  HIIT formulas consist of short “bouts” or intervals of an exercise that feel hard or very hard to maintain followed by a recovery interval that is easy to maintain.  Interval based cycling classes, interval programs designed for exercise machines, Tabata training, and interval based group exercise or circuit routines are some examples of interval training.

The recovery guidelines for HIIT training are pretty straightforward.  After performing a HIIT workout, you will want to wait a minimum of 48 hours before repeating another.  It’s VERY important to allow your body to recover properly from high interval training to avoid overtraining which can have a negative effect on your body.

Years ago, when spinning or cycling classes entered the fitness scene, people (mostly women) were so thrilled with the physical results they were getting  from their “spin” classes, they began attending them five, sometimes six, days per week.  Many of them began to plateau and others actually saw the scale go up due to their metabolisms slowing down.  When it comes to high intensity training, too much can produce the opposite effect you were looking for.  A moderate cardio workout or strength routine (depending on what you did during your interval workout) are great ways to actively recover during your 48-hour rest period.

2.  Moderate Exercise.  The fitness industry considers anything that gets your heart rate up to 50 to 60 percent higher than its rate when you are at rest moderate intensity exercise.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend 30-45 minutes of moderate exercise most days of the week for health purposes.  Doing some sort of moderate exercise daily is optimal which is what makes moderate exercise so popular because you can pretty much do it every day without having to take a rest.

Some examples of moderate activity include:

  • Walking your dog
  • Biking
  • Swimming laps
  • Jogging
  • Moderate Intensity Water Aerobics
  • Gardening for 30 minutes
  • Raking leaves for 30 minutes
  • House cleaning for 30-45 minutes

3.  Strength Training.  One of the simplest ways to know you need to rest a muscle after strength training is if it is sore.  It’s important to note how long your muscle soreness lasts.  Soreness from proper training should not last more than 48 hours after the workout.  If you are sore for longer than 48 hours it usually means that you’ve “overtrained” or worked the muscles too hard and need to scale back just a bit.

A good rule of thumb is to allow the muscles you specifically worked to actively rest for 48 hours before strength-training them again.  A good balance is to train other muscles or perform moderate cardio on off days.  For years, strength training three to four days per week has been a popular formula in the fitness industry because it allows for a good amount of recovery time.

Your body is smart.  It will tell you when it’s time to rest and it’s important to listen to it!  When we balance our exercise and rest properly, the body can get stronger and build more endurance. Or, for some of us, simply help you maintain the strength you already have.  At the end of the day, exercise shouldn’t make you feel run down.  It should leave you feeling good!

Here’s to a lifetime of health and happiness!

Shared with love,
Jennifer