Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Three Pounds of Fun!

 

  As I mentioned to many of you, I was away on vacation in Nashville from May 22nd until May 25th. These 4 short days flew by in the blink of an eye. I learned a valuable lesson in these four days that I think we can all learn from, seriously.

 Many people have this false idea that they can eat pretty much anything that they want if they are active. Well, I am here to tell you folks that, this is not true. To believe this would be as silly as looking for a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. I am here to tell you how I managed to gain 3 pound while on vacation for only 4 days.

 That is right, Mr Bootcamp himself. I ate on the go, and in abundance (aka. large portions, stuffing myself until I waddled home) for 4 days straight. I also consumed some adult beverages on occasion, okay so I am being modest. Don't judge me I was on vacation.
In an effort to offset this I performed 45 minutes of cardio every morning. I also did boot camp style workouts by myself in the grass field outside the hotel lobby. Yes, I did receive a lot of strange looks. At the end of my workout I felt pretty good about what I had accomplished; I had a sense of temporary fulfillment.

 This fulfillment was short lived, because as soon as I came home I learned that despite the constant walking of downtown, the 45 minutes of cardio per day, and my individual workouts; I still gained 3-4 pounds. Here is the reason and moral of the story...

 Even the most disciplined of us forget just how big portions of food are when we eat out. Also, most restaurants do not even post their meal's caloric values. In addition, the nostalgic feeling that comes from a good workout is often more of mental sense of freedom than it should be.

 We (yes, all of us) do not have realistic ideas of our input vs. output. I learned that my super high metabolism and fitness dedication stood no match to the super sized portions and beverages of Nashville's finest. Please, learn from this story. If you do eat out, take half home. If you insist on drinking on occasion, choose your beverage carefully. I truly believe in work-life balance. The easy route would be to say: don't eat out, no fast food, no bread, no pasta, no alcohol. I could also tell you to hold your breath too, but these are all unrealistic options.

 Learn to make healthy lifestyle choices and make them daily. Those of you that are participating in the Biggest Loser Challenge and the rest of you that would just like to fine tune your eating habits will be asked to start keeping a food journal next week. If you want to maximize your results, then you will have to start at the dinner table. I am hear to help. We will kick this off at all locations starting next week for those interested.

 I hope you enjoyed my reality check, and learned the lesson that came with it. I did.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009 12:21:15 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)  #    Disclaimer  |  Comments [0]  | 
Disconnected: body weight and physical condition

This blog will focus on a disturbing article I read this morning called "Worry over weight: Poll finds disconnect." The article finds that most individuals are far more concerned with the way they look, as opposed to their overall health. This alarming trend has worked its way from Hollywood into our own backyards.

  "Are we worried just about appearance, or about whether our size signals a health problem? There's a big disconnect between body image and true physical condition", an Associated Press-iVillage poll suggests. A lot of people say they're dieting despite somehow avoiding healthy fruits and veggies. Many others think they're fat when they're not. 
 
  Society's priorities have flipped to the point that folks would rather look like a model than an athlete, particularly women. ""There's an undervaluing of physical fitness and an overvaluing of absolute weight and appearance for women in our culture." About 60 percent of Americans are overweight or obese. The AP-iVillage poll of 1,000 adult women mirrors the government's count on that. More surprising, perhaps, are women's attitudes and actions.
 
  "Half don't like their weight, even 26 percent of those whose body mass index or BMI — a measure of weight for height — is in the normal range. But just a third don't like their physical condition, even though being overweight and sedentary are big risk factors for Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and other ailments. The poll found women putting in a median of 80 minutes of exercise a week, meaning half do even less. The average adult is supposed to get 2 1/2 hours of exercise a week for good health".
 
  Honestly, I am upset by this article as a fitness professional. Has our own vanity gotten in the way of what is truly important; our health and happiness? When are people going to realize that they did not gain weight, or get "out of shape" overnight. Thus, they will not be able to fix their issues overnight. It has to be a lifestyle change. Rome was not built in a day.
 
Tuesday, July 28, 2009 12:18:34 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)  #    Disclaimer  |  Comments [1]  |