Journey to Health and Fitness

Dealing with Set Backs

2008-12-23T23:07:00.006-05:00

How you handle setbacks is at least as important as how you handle success, maybe even more important when it comes to weight loss and fitness. I am not talking to you super humans with 1% body fat who easily resist those fattening food the rest of us would kill to have at some point (You people can go find another blog to read). For the rest of you I hope I can provide some encouragement.
Any successful person will tell you that what you learn in dealing with setbacks is often invaluable in helping you achieve success. After all failure only results when you don’t recognize or implement lessons learn from unsuccessful attempts. So embrace failures as carriers of knowledge, because now that you know what doesn’t work, you are that much closer to the true answer to your dilemma.
How does this apply to your weight loss or fitness problem? Well first understand that setbacks are normal and normal people do extraordinary things every day. You only need to stay close to your support system whatever that may be. Take the contestants on the T.V. show The Biggest Loser. The show pits average people who are exceptionally over weight against each other. And they all achieve remarkable weight loss not because they are capable of doing something that you can’t. It’s because they are given top notch trainers, live in a training facility, given meals and diet advice, exercise for hours every day and have a financial incentive to achieve. These people are not just close to their support system, they are immersed in it. You can’t duplicate what they have so you are probably are not going to achieve their level of success. But you can have success never the less. Recognize your success factors which you learn in some cases through setbacks. What might these success factors be? Well it might be your favorite gym, or a certain workout buddy or even a particular diet. It may even be all of the above. The point is setbacks can help you to recognize your keys to success. Your keys to success will help you set up the support system that will help you reach your final goal.

Cravings

2008-02-02T19:56:00.000-05:00

Well I have lost 27 pounds and thats what I had planned. But now I need to maintain and that is difficult for me during the winter months. I cannot stand working out in cold weather and so I have to rely on an indoor work out routine. I had planned on having my gym membership by now but I have not done that as of yet. And to make things even worst I have injured my leg doing exercises that I am not accustomed to. So I am focusing on maintaining my diet as my leg gets better.

Along these lines I was having a discussion with a friend of mine about dieting. As we talked I realize that we were having many of the same issues with dieting. We came to the conclusion that hunger was not the main problem with dieting. Cravings were giving both of us major problems. It was cravings that was causing the most of the set backs in our weight loss efforts. I think I will look more into this craving problem. I don’t think that I am the only one with major issues with craving. What do you crave; share them with me in the comments section.

Target Heart Rate

2008-01-17T19:21:00.000-05:00

Well, I have been absent for some time dealing with a family medical emergency. But anyone striving toward a goal of any kind will encounter obstacles. Life does not stop happening because you have aspirations. You have to push through the obstacles if you want to achieve anything worth wild. So here I am back and ready to share with you once again my journey.

One thing I have learned is your exercise routine should not start out at a level that you cannot maintain. In the past I have started out fast and hard trying to burn as many calories as possible. I ended up being too sore and too tired to continue working out. I learned to start out slow and increase my intensity as my conditioning improved. You can you can do the same by determining what is low intensity and what is high intensity for you by knowing your target heart rate. The following article you will find very helpful in the area.

http://exercise.about.com/od/cardioworkouts/ss/findtargetheart.htm.

As for me, I have nearly reached my weight loss goal. My plan is to lose another 5lbs then I want to focus on muscle tone and endurance. During these winter months I will need the use of a gym at least until the weather is warm enough for me to return to my outdoor fitness trail so next time I hope to include my experiences in the gym.

Getting Back on Track

2007-12-26T00:14:00.000-05:00

Ok, I am still struggling but I am holding my own in the war on weight. The stress I spoke of in my last entry is still a clear and present danger. Those of you who are trying to lose weight know what stress in your life can do to your weight loss program. Well I am fighting back so I’ve brought in the support troops, otherwise referred to as my wife. Earlier in my journal I mentioned starting or becoming a part of a weight loss group as a support mechanism. It helps when you can share with people who share similar stories and shore you up when you need it. In my case my wife is my support and including her in my program has yielded immediate results. She has motivated me to get up and exercise in the morning which is not me at all. I am an evening person. In any case she got me out to the Al Buehler fitness trail at Duke University . Now I have been there before but it is far from my favorite place to work out. It is a difficult work out that takes you through the woods, across streams, up and down hills in a torturous 3 mile trek. At least its torturous for me, a 51 year old baby boomer who hates running. But you should never under estimate the desire for an individual to look good in front of people whom they have a close relationship, especially someone of the opposite sex. At least that’s true for the male of the species. Well after that work out I felt great and I feel like I am back on track. And my wife is helping to make sure that I stay on track.

Next week I will start sharing with you some details of what my work outs are like. I’ll try to give you some idea of what each week is like for me.

Stress

2007-12-17T20:47:00.000-05:00

This week has been chock-full of stressful events, even more than in the past couple of weeks. I haven’t lost any weight but I have managed not to gain any either. The stress related to several family crisis, getting my house ready to sell and traveling between Maryland and North Carolina on a weekly basis is making it difficult for me focus on sticking with the program. My weight loss plan does works for me when I stay true to it, but sticking with the plan is proving difficult. Even so I am determined to try to lose 10 more pounds before the end of the year. So far the benefits of my efforts have been a fitness level that has greatly improved.

Still I’ve got to better manage the stress that is resulting in the anxiety that I feel these days. I am finding out that maintaining a healthy lifestyle also means managing stress. People respond to stress in different ways. That response just like stress itself can be defined as either positive or negative. When it comes to stress it is not the situation but our reaction to it that causes anxiety. But stress well managed can be beneficial by strengthening you for future encounters. Here are a few tips I found to managing stress while on a diet that I plan to put into practice.

Make a list of stressors in your life: these can be people or events.
List your typical response: the food your reach for, in a response to stress.
List alternate responses, other than food, to the stressors, for example:

Call a relative or friend
Take a nap
Take a hot shower
Go for a walk

Use the list whenever tempted to overeat.

Tough Going

2007-12-08T18:26:00.000-05:00

It’s a conspiracy! I am finding that trying to lose weight this time of year is really tough. Everything seems to be working against me. First because of daylight savings time by the time I get home it’s dark. The shorter days mean even less daylight to exercise outside, and since I don’t currently have a gym membership it’s a struggle to exercise regularly. Then comes Thanksgiving! Food is everywhere and everyone is eating. It’s not hunger that’s giving me trouble---it’s the cravings for those foods that I love like sweet potato pie, stuffing and all those other deliciously fattening foods. These are just some of the problems I am facing. You probably have your own. They maybe like mine or totally different. The thing is we all run into situations that challenge us when we attempting something difficult. Just don’t give up.

Solution: We all face challenges and we all fall short at some point. Just remember, you haven’t failed until you give up. If you fall off your diet just start again. It is just that simple. Find a solution that works for you. How do you do that? Well you don’t have to be alone. You can start or join a support group. Getting together in a group you can help each other. If you're like me and the weather is keeping you indoors and you don’t have a gym membership, find some exercises you can do in the privacy of your own home. If food is your problem then take care about the food you have at home. Food that is close to you will eventually end up inside of you.

Check out my website (http://www.healthylivingboomerstyle.com) for lots of good information and resources to help you with exercise and nutrition. You can even get the herbal supplements there that I use in my diet. These are just a few of my ideas. You may have some of your own. But remember don’t be afraid to reach out to others for help.

Holiday Set Backs

2007-12-03T10:49:00.000-05:00

Holidays are not easy. Well I made it through Thanksgiving with out gaining a single pound ….. Almost! I know you’re thinking what does that mean. Well I made it through Thanksgiving dinner but after Thanksgiving the leftovers got me. So I ended up gaining 2 pounds. That’s not so bad, after all I could still be pigging out and on my way to looking like Jabba the Hut. For most of us, set backs are a part of dieting. Set backs are not a big deal. What is important is that you don’t allow your set backs to keep you from getting right back on your diet. You also need to understand what caused it so you can try to avoid them in the future. Holidays centered on eating are going to be a problem. Don’t make yourself miserable. If necessary enjoy your holiday and be prepared to deal with the consequences afterwards. In other words get back on your diet!

Will power is not always enough. For me it is a combination of a moment of weakness with easily accessible food. No matter how strong your will is, one day it is going to fade and all that easy to get, delicious, fattening food will be right there for you. I try to be prepared for those weak moments in advance. I am careful about keeping junk food at home and having too much idle time. This way I limit the damage done when my will power fails.

Routine is your friend and idle time is you enemy. What does that mean? I found that when I had nothing to do, eating became my partner. This is not a problem Monday through Friday because my job helped to fill my time and establish a schedule. The weekends are another matter. I work at establishing a regular agenda but I have difficulty filling my day on weekends so they are still a problem for me. Whenever I am doing nothing I can hear the food calling me to the kitchen (How it got my name I don’t know). So I have accepted that establishing regular activities for my weekends that fill my idle time and keep me out of the kitchen and away from food will be a constant struggle. I plan each weekend knowing this. Bottom line, I have to try to stay busy.

What causes your set backs. How do you deal with them? Maybe you can help someone else.

A New Look at Fitness - Second Week

2007-11-26T00:30:00.000-05:00

Second Week of my journal. It has been a month since I started my new diet that includes herbal dietary supplements. I have lost 18 pounds so far. The dietary supplements insure that I get the recommended daily nutritional requirements while reducing my caloric intake. Now in the interest of full disclosure I must admit that I am a Herbalife distributor. I became one because the weight loss program developed by Herbalife has worked for me. Dietary supplements are not necessary for a healthy diet nor for weight loss, but Herbalife makes it easier to get results. Herbalife is a well known company that has been around for 27 years and markets in 64 countries to over 45 million people. Check out my website if you want to know more about Herbalife. There, that completes the commercial portion of my journal. Now here’s what is happening with me and my weight loss program.

Knowing My Body. I said last week that part of my diet was getting to know my body and my eating habits. Indeed if you go to a doctor, physical trainer or nutritionist, one of the first things they will ask of you it to do is keep a record of when and how much food you eat for several days to a week. You will also be asked what is your goal. The reason is simple, before you can plan a healthier life style you need to know what habits you will need change. Remember I called this a journey, and in any journey you need to know your starting point (current eating habits) and destination (goals) before you can plan the trip (weight loss program). So I took note of what I was eating, when I was eating and how much I ate. The results surprised me. Since my career requires me to sit behind a desk all day I found I was eating a lot of unhealthy snacks (ie. pastries, chips, nuts cookies). Also my meals normally included too much bread and too little vegetables. And I was not eating breakfast nor drinking enough water. No wonder I was always tired.

My solution! I set up a diet of 5 meals a day plus herbal supplements. Two of those meals were Herbalife nutritional shakes two were snacks consisting of a high protein snack and/or fruit. The third was a well balanced meal of meat, vegetables, grains and dairy. Finally, I drank at least 50ml of water daily. This was easier than I thought, since I work at a desk all day I just placed a 1.5 liter bottle of water on my desk and sipped from it all day. The other part of my weight loss plan was an exercise routine that included a two-mile course, weight training and calisthenics. I did my exercise routine four times a week for an hour. I walked the two-miles until I was fit enough to run. That is how I lost 18 pounds and I am still losing weight and feeling great while doing it. Well that’s it for this week. Next time I’ll share the problems I faced and the ones I am still facing. Until then, tell me about your experiences.

A New Look at Fitness

2007-11-18T23:59:00.000-05:00

When it comes to our weight it seems that many of us would rather believe that we have a medical problem before we admit to unhealthy eating habits. Among our favorite excuses are big bones, hormones or genetics. We think a healthy meal is simply eating meals of vegetables, fruit, bread and dairy with no consideration for volume or how the food is prepared. Americas have become hooked on volume. Eating everything on our plate no matter how much is acceptable, because after all it fits on one plate so it must be one serving, meant to be eaten by one person. Thus we take comfort in the assumtion we are eating healthy and our ballooning weight is the result of a medical condition and not related to our eating habits. But consider this:

65 percent of our adult population is defined as being overweight.

If you are like I was you are part of this not so exclusive overweight club. If we can draw anything from these statistics it is that we baby boomers are not concerned enough about our health. The question is what are YOU…correction…are WE going to doing about it.

Well the solution for me was exercise but exercise was only part of the battle, diet is the other part and my diet was terrible. I know this because my wife was constantly nagging me about it (thank God). So I figured if I was going to fix this I need to be educated about my body and nutrition. I have tried low carb diets, high protein diets, calorie counting and even (arrgh) diuretics. Then it hit me. A diet is a permanent way of eating, not a temporary change to lose weight. Therefore, I need a cuisine that is easy for me to prepare and helps me to control my body weight and to optimize my nutrient intake. What I really needed was to learn about nutrition, exercise and my own body.

Through my journal I am going to share with you what I have learned. I will share my successes, failures, setbacks. So read along and find out what I have discovered, what is still being revealed to me, and the surprises I found on the way. See ya next week.