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FOCUS ON FITNESS
Spring is just around the corner and now is the time to focus on
fitness. Taking a snap shot view of the last 4 months, it is
apparent that September through December has been a festive season.
From Labor Day cookouts, to Thanksgiving feasts, throughout Christmas
and New Years, we have celebrated life with family and friends, and
“pigged out” on a variety of delectable dishes. With food and
libation being the backdrop of all of these occasions, over-indulgence
has been inevitable. Most of us threw caution to the wind and succumbed
to pleasing the palate.
Four months later, we are feeling lethargic because we have gained at
least 10-15 extra pounds. That favorite outfit that you wore
several months ago fits tightly, or not at all. We begin to ponder
what to do to lose the extra weight. Daylight Savings Time
turns into Eastern Standard Time. The Sun goes down by 4:00 P.M.
Our energy and activity levels crash dives. As the weather
becomes progressively inclement, we adapt to a sedentary lifestyle of
lounging around watching television, eating more, and subsequently
piling on more pounds.
This food consumption coupled with inactivity takes it’s toll on our
bodies, and can be detrimental to our overall health and well-being.
Nonetheless, there is a remedy to relieve yourself of the unwanted extra
weight, but you must be willing to commit to an exercise program.
The solution -- take the succeeding 4-5 months to shape-up for Spring
and Summer.
Right now, is the ideal time to focus on fitness. Time to
concentrate on the restoration and rejuvenation of the mind, body, and
spirit. Mental preparation is key as the right mind-set is
essential for ultimate success in reaching your goals. Here’s
what you should do. Draw up a contract with yourself.
Outline your goals on paper and sign it. Effective goals are specific,
attainable, realistic, affordable, convenient and enjoyable. Concentrate
on areas that need improvement and practice diligence to your program.
Focus on a convenient workout time frame, a frequency, and a weekly
schedule of activities to perform. Task orient your program by
breaking down your tasks into smaller parts to facilitate ease of
management. Measure your progress by keeping a record of your
workouts, i.e., number of repetitions completed, part of the body worked
on, etc. Monitor your weight as well, but don’t be
discouraged if your change is not happening fast enough. If you do
not seek instant gratification, it will happen with perseverance.
Be mindful that dramatic changes dramatically disappear, but gradual
changes can last a lifetime. Set long-term goals and practice them
one-at-a-time until you reach a level of comfort that enables you to
take on another.
Careful now, don’t hurt yourself. Perform warm-up stretches before
beginning your workout. Those having predetermined health conditions
should consult a physician before beginning. Ease into your
program being careful not to overexert causing injury, sprain, strain,
hence, pain. Pain, not to be confused with soreness, is very
unpleasant and is likely an indication of muscular stress. This
can unequivocally stop your program, therefore, pay close attention to
your body and heed its warning signals. A little soreness is to be
expected as you begin your workout program since you will be working
muscle groups that have not been worked in awhile. However, exercise
need not be painful to be gainful.
Your workout should be a pleasant and fulfilling experience. The more
fun you have participating in an activity, the greater chances are that
you will do it often and stick to it. As you are already aware,
commitment comes from deep within. The stronger your desire for
change, the better your chances for success. Therefore, self
reliance and self-motivation must be your top priority.
Other support mechanisms such as partnerships can be fun and are
beneficial from an emotional perspective. Encouragement
always help to boosts morale which, in turn, builds the confidence
needed to keep you motivated. So, if it helps, go ahead and team
up with an exercise partner. Enlist the support of your spouse,
family and friends. Tell them your goals and ask them to help keep
you on course by periodically inquiring about your progress.
Support is a good thing as long as your exercise program is not
contingent upon the availability of another. The flip side is that
there is likely probability that your partner’s plans may unexpectedly
change. Partnerships are two-fold and at any given time
other priorities may take precedence leaving the other to go it alone.
This is when partnerships become a hindrance. To stay focused when this
occurs, it is vital to draw from your own internal motivation.
So again, its better to be independently committed.
Feel good about exercising for your overall well being.
Life’s biological stages make it hard enough. It is
characteristic of our metabolic rate to lower with age. When this
happens the metabolic processes by which the human body converts food to
energy slows down. Occurring in combination with an inactive
lifestyle, the food-to-energy conversion becomes food-to-fatty tissue,
which is significant for weight gain. Individuals with desk jobs have
even higher susceptibility to weight gain. However, despite these
factors, losing weight or maintaining a healthy weight decreases the
negative impact being overweight has on your health that subjects you to
long-term health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, stroke,
high cholesterol, arthritis, insomnia and depression. Losing
weight also makes you feel good, look good, and energizes you.
Lowering your weight means lowering your risks. For goodness
sakes, let the benefits outweigh the risks.
Now, with the correct mind-set and the right goals set, Go For It!
Increase your physical activities. Decrease your caloric intake.
Walk, run, cycle, swim, skate, take aerobics classes, dance classes,
yoga classes, cardiobox classes, and/or total body conditioning classes.
Join your local “Y”, or a fitness club near the office.
For your convenience, most fitness clubs now offer month-to-month
memberships opposed to annual memberships. As an added bonus, some
health insurances have healthy lifestyle programs that partially
reimburse members who join a fitness club and make 120 visits within a
year. Use all available resources that work for you. Any
combination will suffice.
If perhaps, none of these methods are viable--have you ever heard the
expression “There’s more than one way to skin a cat”? Well,
there are still others ways to burn calories and feel better that are
equally convenient. In some instances by doing so, can amount to more
calories burned than exercising at the gym. Rather than thinking in
terms of a specific exercise program, work on permanently changing your
lifestyle to include more activity. Try doing any combination of
the following.
Physical Activities Defensive Eating
o Increase activity o
Decrease caloric intake
o Walking o Try
hard to control the “chocolate attacks”
o Use the stairs instead of elevators
o Stop before you stuff
o Park a distance away from your car
and walk o Resist the urge to eat
food just because it is available
o Exercise daily (30) minuteso Wash
your own caro Know your target heart rate and perform
a routine that keeps at that level for at
least 20 minutes. (To determine your heart rate
check your pulse at your wrist or neck Count #
of beats in 15 seconds, multiply that # times 4
= # of beats per second) o
Don’t bring tempting items (high calorie
snacks) into your home that you should not eato
Stay away from fast-food joints and eat more
fresh fruits, vegetables and foods that you know
how they have been prepared.
o Take a brisk stroll after lunch o
Eat slowly
o Perform desk exercises Desk
Workout website: msnbc.com o Learn
to count calories
o Know your Body Mass Index (BMI)
Body Mass Calculator website:
www.caloriecontrol.org o Don’t eat
after 7:30 pm or eat midnight snacks
o Work in your yard/garden o
Choose smaller portions, smaller meals, more
frequency meals
o Utilize exercise videoso Ballroom
Dance o Drink plenty of water (a
drink before meals will help you fill up
without adding calories
o Take on home remodeling and/or
maintenance projects –clean, paint, etc. o
Don’t eat and go directly to sleep
Keep striving and be good to yourself. In fact, reward good
behavior. Treat yourself to an invigorating aromatherapy candle, a
facial or a nice pair of bedroom slippers. Maintain a forgiving
spirit. Do not condemn yourself for personal shortcomings. At some
point we all fall short of our mark, and it’s okay, as long as it does
not become a habit. If we keep our momentum with some
consistency, we can still meet our goals.
Whatever your pleasure, don’t increase your dress size--EXERCISE. The
combination of reduced diet and exercise will work wonders and have you
feeling better mentally and physically. When you feel good and
look your best, your spirit will soar. So what are you waiting
for? Don’t let the springtime catch you covering up and camouflaging
when you should be happy to be relieved of the extra weight, and in
tip-top shape. Feel better, look better, and be energized.
Eat, Drink and Be Healthy.
Ginger I Nicholson
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