Skinny

“I want to be skinny like you.”

I may be lean, fit, trim, healthy, maybe even thin, but I am NOT skinny.  In my brain, skinny is a negative word.  It’s a word used to describe skin-and-bones models, the kind who suffer from eating disorders.  Fashion magazines are laden with images of their protruding collar bones and knobby elbows.

In my brain, skinny is a word associated with illness.  My grandfather dying from cancer was skinny, his body devouring lean muscle tissue.  Skinny means malnourished.  Skinny is what you become after several rounds of chemotherapy, when your body can’t keep food down.

In my brain, skinny is the images of starving children in third world countries or from German concentration camps.  It’s not having the nutrition needed for growing healthy bodies, for proper brain function, for energy to swat the flies away from your face.

I am healthy.  I feed my body with quality nutrition-packed foods.  I limit foods that are full of empty calories (calories with little to no nutritional value) like refined sugar and high fructose corn syrup, but I don’t starve my body of the calories and nutrients it needs to function properly.  I exercise to increase my energy and strengthen my muscles, not to lose more weight.  

I don’t understand why so many women long to be skinny.  Skinny isn’t healthy.  It isn’t chic.  It isn’t stylish.  It isn't attractive.  It’s destructive.  If you want to be skinny, are you willing to abuse your body to get there, starving yourself of what your body needs to function properly and making yourself susceptible to disease?  I hope not.

Instead of wanting to be skinny, desire to have a healthier body.  Desire energy and vitality.  Strive for fitness.  Strive for a body you are comfortable riding around in, not one that’s afraid to even nibble a cookie.

Don't Deprive

The parking lot at the gym was jam packed this morning.  The cardio machines monopolized by a bunch of brand new faces.  The New Year's Resolution Makers are out in droves, bright-faced with the desire to lose weight and shed old habits.  It makes the gym seem like a three ring circus, bustling with activity. 

Unfortunately (or fortuantely, depending on your outlook), it won't last for long.  Most of those optimistic newborn, gym-goers just aren't in it for the long haul.  In fact, the average amount of time a New Year's resolution lasts is only 10 short days. (I heard that figure on the radio, so you KNOW it's true. :-/ ) 

That's because it's hard.  And often people make resolutions because that's what you're supposed to do this time of year, not because they are truly motivated to make lasting life changes.  Plus they go about the whole weightloss thing without solid guidance.  They starve themselves and feel like crap and then decide they were happier before the whole weightloss journey began.

Want to stick with it?  Try adding the adoption of good habits into your resolution list.  Instead of depriving yourself by resolving to "Eat less" or "Give up soda and cookies" try putting a positive spin to it.  Resolve to "drink at least 8 glasses of water each day" or "eat at least 5 servings of vegetables".  It just might provide the psychology you need to stick with the resolution beyond the craziness that is the gym in January. 

And as your new resolutions become good habits, add some more.  Drastic life changes are very hard to stick with long term.  Don't set yourself up for failure.  By adding good habits into your life, you'll be replacing bad ones.  Before you know it, you're on your way to a healthier you.

Making Exercise Fun

We all know we are supposed to exercise.  That fact has become a no-brainer.  All the major research, medical advice, even our girlfriends and the crabby neighbor lady know that exercise is key in maintaining a healthy weight, fighting off numerous diseases, and just plain feeling good about yourself. 

So why are the majority of Americans overweight?  Why would we rather sit on the couch eating potato chips and watching The Biggest Loser than actually getting up off our patootie and moving our bodies?  

I’ll tell you why.  Most people don’t think exercise is fun, and who wants to do something that isn’t fun?

But if walking from the back of the parking lot or taking the stairs was actually FUN, more people would do it, right?  Right! 

This is just a reminder that making exercise fun is far more likely to get you up and moving.  

Here a few ideas for spicing up your work outs.  Make them fun and I promise you’ll be less likely to miss the opportunity to burn some calories. 

1. Bring a friend.  Sometimes the encouragement and motivation you get from adding a friend to your workout is just the thing you need.  Plus the conversation fills a need for socialization.  Just make sure it’s someone you enjoy spending time with.  Don’t invite the crabby neighbor lady.
2. Try a group class.  I love my yoga and karate classes.  It’s a great way to meet new people and make some new friends.  You can gauge the social tone an instructor creates by watching if anyone talks to him or her before or after the class and if the other participants talk to each other.
3. Play.  Play a game of tennis, or soccer, or softball, or capture the flag.  A little friendly competition and deviation from the normal routine can be tons of fun.  Don’t be afraid to unleash your inner child.  Swing on a swingset, play hopscotch, jump rope.  All of these fun activities get your body moving and take you back to childhood memories. 
4. Go outside.  Sure it’s great to have a warm cozy gym on those chilly winter mornings, but who wants to see the same people and peeling paint, or breathe the same re-circulated air all the time?  When the weather is nice, take your workout to the great outdoors.  A brisk walk or jog in the park will help you soak up fresh air and sunshine while you burn calories.  Try hiking or even a good rousing game of backyard tag with your kids.
5. Put on some music.  Some fun energizing music may be just the thing to get your blood pumping and your body moving.  Promise to run on the treadmill to a new CD by your favorite artist. If you’re used to listening to the same old music try something new.  If you are used to always listening to rock during your morning run, next time try some funk or blues.  See how the different mood and tempo affect your work out.
6. Buy some new work out attire.  Hey, I’m a woman.  You had to see this coming.  Just like a new pair of dress shoes can perk up your mood, a new pair of yoga pants or workout top may put a little more spring in your step.  Vibrant colors can sometimes be a pick-me-up, or black that helps make you look thinner.  Make sure to choose clothing that doesn’t interfere with your body movements.  Stay away from shorts that ride up or shoes that pinch your toes.  You want to feel comfortable, so keep away from clothing that makes you feel self-conscious, too.

Diet and Nutrition Myths

Everyone from your best girlfriend to your Great Aunt Muriel has advice about losing weight. Sometimes it’s hard to know which information is sound and which is just plain fiction. Never fear! Wo40 is here to help.

Here are some common diet myths along with a good dose of reality.

Myth: Low-fat diets make you lose weight.

Reality: Just because a food is labeled “low fat” or “fat free” doesn’t mean it’s low calorie or calorie free. Often low-fat products have added ingredients such as flour or sugar to help improve taste and texture. These added ingredients are low in nutritional value and often higher in calories.

Myth: Restricting calories is the best way to lose weight.

Reality: Both cutting back on calories and exercising more will help you lose weight and maintain the lean muscle mass needed to boost metabolism. Starvation diets just don’t work. A drastic reduction in calories will leave your body without the fuel it needs to maintain normal functioning and may therefore slow metabolism. A starving body enters “crisis mode” and will slow down in order to conserve what little energy a severely restricted calorie diet provides. Don’t starve yourself. Chances are you won’t be able to stick with a drastic change in diet long term.

Myth: As long as I’m eating healthy foods, I can eat whatever I want.

Reality: A calorie is still a calorie. Oatmeal may be a healthier breakfast than your usual doughnut, but that doesn’t mean you can eat 5 cups of it. You still need to be mindful of your portion sizes, even if you are eating whole grains and lean meat.

Myth: Eating late at night will make me gain weight.

Reality: There is no magic hour to turn off eating. This myth probably formed because of the high-calorie junk foods usually consumed after dinner. Deserts and snack foods can be really calorie-dense. Spreading your calories evenly through the day helps prevent late-night binge eating. A healthy snack before bed isn’t going to go straight to your thighs.

Myth: If I’m exercising daily, I can eat whatever I want.

Reality: Even if you are exercising regularly, you should still keep track of what and how much you are eating. It’s easy to reward yourself with cupcakes and fried chicken when you’ve been consistent with your workouts, but it’s probably not the smartest way to treat yourself. It’s common for people to over-estimate the amount of physical activity they engage in, and under-estimate the amount of calories they consume. For example, the average cupcake has about 250 calories. A fried chicken breast has about 360 calories. Since I burn just over 200 calories on my normal 2 mile jaunt, it’s not justifying the cupcake or the chicken. The bottom line is exercise and sensible nutrition go hand in hand for weight loss and general fitness.

Myth: Eating a high-protein diet will make me gain muscle.

Reality: Only strength training and exercise lead to muscle changes. Eating protein may help in the repair of torn muscle fibers that occur after strength training, but protein itself does not grow muscle. High protein diets can actually be detrimental to your health since they increase the risk of kidney stones and osteoporosis.

Check out the article Eating For Fat Reduction to help with developing a good sound nutrition plan.

If You Want To See Remarkable Results

An acquaintance of mine approached me yesterday. She had heard about Weighting on 40 and was interested in the information here. So she spilled all of the details about her weight gain, and her approaching wedding, and wanting to be thin for her big day. In short she wants to lose 60 pounds in 10 months. That’s certainly not impossible. In fact it’s a very realistic goal. The kicker is that in order to accomplish that goal, she’s going to have to work for it.

In our short conversation, I attempted to talk her out of her original idea of starving herself and encouraged her to exercise while eating a sensible, healthy diet. Her idea of exercise, unfortunately, was limited to walking a mile every evening. While better than sitting on the couch watching American Idol, that’s probably not going to help her achieve the kind of results she’s looking for.

Her body is used to walking. It’s been doing it for YEARS. In fact, she does it EVERYDAY. And in spite of all that walking, she finds herself in a body she’s not happy with. She needs to challenge her body, get her heart rate pumping, make her muscles work. A stroll around the neighborhood just isn’t going to cut it.

In order to accomplish remarkable results, you need to make remarkable changes.

Please don’t misunderstand. I’m not saying that walking a mile every evening isn’t worth doing. Just don’t expect to accomplish something remarkable (like losing 60 pounds of fat in 10 months) doing it.

Let’s look at the numbers. A pound of fat is equal to 3500 calories. In order to rid your body of just one pound of fat, you need to create a deficit of 3500 calories through exercise while at the same time, limiting the amount of calories consumed (try to stay away from those donuts). A 200 pound person, walking at a somewhat leisurely pace of 2.5 miles per hour is only going to burn 109 calories during that mile-long evening stroll. At that rate it’s going to take over a month just to rid your body of just one measly little pound of fat.

If you want to see how many calories your body will use during a certain activity, check out Health Status’s calorie calculator. They have results for everything from brushing your teeth and mopping the floor to lifting weights and cycling. You might be surprised just how few calories your body uses during your favorite exercise. (This is one very good reason You Can’t Out-Train A Bad Diet.)

So if walking your dog around the neighborhood isn’t going to cut it, what exactly is? Try reading Exercise for Fat Reduction, but before you do there are a few other things to consider. Fortunately Keith walks you through the steps and tells you all about Getting Started With Physique Transformation.