It's that time of year to make those pesky resolutions!

"Energy and persistence conquer all things."
~ Benjamin Franklin

This is my New Year's posting from January 2010 but since it's that time of year for resolutions it bears repeating. Read on...

It's that annual time of year that some of us dread, some of us look forward to and there's even those of us that don't bother with it - New Year's Resolutions time! All together now! Whoohoo! Groan! Mutter. Mutter.

Most of us have been guilty of all 3 behaviors. We make resolutions and don't follow them or break them weeks, months and for some - days or even hours later! It all starts with good intentions but we know the road to hell is sometimes paved with good intentions. Intentions followed by inaction will just lead to that all familiar road of frustration and disappointment that led us to doing the resolution in the first place! It's a good thing to set resolutions (goals), it gives you a roadmap to fixing a bad habit, character/personality flaw, etc. that you are probably more aware of than you'd like to admit. Setting a goal helps you face the thing that you need to fix and helps focus you on what steps you need to do to reach your goal. The problems a lot of people make is setting too big of a goal or setting them in too short or long of a timeframe. When setting a goal, its important to make small attainable goals that take you where you want to be. These smaller goals not only give you easier goals to reach for but also gives you small successes along the way to your overall goal. This progressive way of reaching your goals is efficient, motivating and best of all, seems rather simple. Sometimes simple is better.

So, lets say instead of saying that your goal is to lose 30 pounds this year, say that you want to lose 30 pounds this year and that you will lose 2.5 pounds a month to get there. With saying that you only want to lose 30 pounds, you're leaving the time-frame too open-ended since you are giving yourself a whole year to reach that goal. What will most do? You got it, put it off. Next thing they know, its November and it's too late with all that good holiday food ahead. So, you tell yourself "too late now, might as well start with the new year! That'll be my new year's resolution!". And so the cycle of frustration and disappointment continues and the clock ticks away. Sound familiar? Telling yourself you only have to lose 2.5 pounds a month sure sounds attainable doesn't it? Guess what? After 12 months, you'll have reached your 30 pound weight loss goal! ;)

Now repeat after me - I will set my goals but this time I will make small attainable goals to reach my bigger goal! I will get to where I want to be. I will because I have the roadmap and that gives me confidence that I will do it. Nothing will stop me from changing what I want to change and achieving what I want to achieve.

I'm proud of you. I have a good feeling that you will do what you need to do. Whenever you need a reminder or a motivation boost, come visit and read this entry. It'll be here waiting to motivate you all year long. :)

The perfect holiday gift

"Your real influence is measured by your treatment of yourself."
~ A. Bronson Alcott

It's that time of the year! Shopping, cooking, hosting, visiting relatives... busy, busy, busy! Sometimes it feels as if there's not enough time! Shopping for that perfect gift for someone special can sometimes be so time-consuming and draining that it sometimes feels more like a chore than the fun it should be. Well, let me tell you - I have the perfect gift for not only that special someone but also for yourself!

For that special someone that you feel needs it, give the gift of motivation. Be their support system in the coming year. Be the one who helps to motivate them into getting themselves into better shape. You are not only giving the gift of friendship but also the gift of better health. You may not be able to wrap it up with a bow and place it under the tree and you may even get a weird look from the recipient but with your motivation and support towards goals that help them look and feel better, they'll wind up being more appreciative of your gift than practically anything you could've bought them.

For that even more special someone (that's YOU by the way!), you can give yourself the perfect gift of educating yourself more on what you need to better your health and life. Learn some lo-carb recipes. Eat more fruits and vegetables. Eat more protein. Take vitamins. Try different workouts - Yoga, kickboxing, weightlifting, etc. Subscribe to health/fitness magazines - there are plenty of good ones out there and many cater specifically to just women or just men. Be the example that everyone sees and tries to learn from. Use that to motivate them and educate them on what you did, etc. There's so much you can do right now to give yourself a gift. The really really really coooooool (yes, it's that cool. Wait for it...) thing is that you can give yourself this gift everyday. Isn't that the most wonderful thing you could do for yourself?

Holiday eating - stuff the turkey but not yourself

"Heed the still small voice that so seldom leads us wrong, and never into folly."
~ Marquise du Deffand

Uh oh, the best time of the year for the gaining weight gremlin is almost here - the holidays!! The oh so tempting scrumptious trifecta of holiday eating - Thanksgiving, Christmas/Hanukkah and New Year's. The smells, the good food, the overeating! Oh my! Some of us can gain a pound just thinking about it! Lol!

I'm here to offer you a survival guide to get you through the holidays with minimal to no weight gain. It can be done!! The key here as in all eating behaviors is moderation.

Don't overeat. That is the biggest holiday sin. Eat moderate portions and keep up your exercising (you are exercising, right?) and you'll be just fine.

Try to stick to lean meats (pile on the turkey!) and green vegetables but keep those plates of yams/sweet potatoes (although these in moderation are very good sources of complex carbs), stuffing, potato salad, mac & cheese, cakes, pies, sodas, candy and whatever other carb laden plates you might be tempted to have to a small portion instead! Very important, those holiday carbs are the weight gaining culprits. I'm not saying to not have them, no need to deprive yourself from these treats but just keep the portion small enough to satisfy your craving for their taste.

The trick here is to give yourself the reward for your discipline (especially if you've been and are working out hard) while not ruining all the progress you've made. The satisfaction you get from your show of willpower during the holidays should give you the confidence to get through any cravings any other time of year. Think of it as your end of the year discipline and willpower finals, don't fail the test!! You can do it. You can get through the holidays without overeating. I know you can.

Top 5 reasons to workout

"What progress, you ask, have I made? I have begun to be a friend to myself."
~Hecato, Greek philosopher

Why workout? There are many reasons but I'll give you what I feel are the top 5 reasons to get yourself into a consistent workout regimen.

Reason #5 - To reduce stress
Exercise is a great stress reducer. It helps the body get stronger and better able to deal with outside stress. It helps burn off some anxiety through exercise and it also helps you feel more tired at night which leads to better sleep.

Reason #4 - Weight reduction
Not much to say here, you and everyone knows the value of exercise in losing weight.

Reason #3 - Health
This normally should be #1 but I think you'll understand why I have this listed here when you see my #1 and #2 reasons. Exercise (along with diet in some of these cases) is key to heart and circulatory system health, to reducing cholesterol, reducing high blood pressure, improving lung function, strengthening bones and muscles, reducing anxiety, improving posture, raising metabolism, strengthening the immune system, prevention of diseases and conditions and so much more. Exercise along with proper nutrition is key to health.

Reason #2 - Self-esteem
Exercise helps your self-esteem as you see yourself getting fitter and stronger because of your own hard work. It is very satisfying to challenge yourself and find that what once may have been hard (say for example - 10 pushups), is now not only attainable but easily doable. It's a very empowering feeling. It shows you what you can do and accomplish if you set your mind to it and those are lessons you can apply to other aspects of your life. Seeing your muscles getting toner or bigger and your waistline getting smaller also makes you feel good about yourself. You feel more confident in yourself and can take great satisfaction in that you did that. Which leads me to...

Reason #1 - You
I put you as the #1 reason because you have to want to exercise for yourself. Not for anyone else. It is your stress, your weight, your health, your self-esteem. It all comes down to you wanting to do something about it. No one can do it for you. It is up to you to take a stand and say today is the day that I will make a change and not settle for anything less than the best for myself. Make today your day.

Dieting math: When 2 equals 8

"Energy and persistence conquer all things."
~Benjamin Franklin

Dieting is an interesting process. You sacrifice daily to see slow progress over the long haul. That's what it is. That's how you have to learn to look at it and accept that reality. There is no quick fix to dieting, especially if you have a lot of pounds to lose. Having not done it before doesn't help either because its something that will take discipline. So keep that in mind when you approach your dieting. Train yourself to become disciplined no matter how slow the results may come and keep at it! You will see results but like anything else, you have to keep at it. Falling off the wagon only slows your progress down and can even undo all your progress!

So, now that we know all this let's get to my dieting math of 2 equals 8. How can that be possible you ask? 2 can't possibly equal 8! Well, when it comes to dieting 2 can easily equal 8. ???? Confused? Good. Let's expand that further, 2 lbs. = 8 lbs. Are you figuring out what I'm getting at? If you've read my prior monthly blogs, you'll probably already know where I'm getting to...

When dieting, 2 pounds (what's considered a healthy, gradual weight loss) lost a week equals 8 pounds lost in a month. Doesn't sound like a lot but when was the last time you lost 8 pounds in a month? Keep at it and those 2 pounds become 16 pounds in 2 months, 24 pounds in 3 months, 32 pounds in 4 months, 40 pounds in 5 months and 48 pounds in 6 months so in 6 months that would be 2 lbs. = 48 lbs! Not bad for 6 months of sacrifice is it? Slow and steady wins the race, I guess Aesop had it right after all! :)

Remember, keep at it and you'll see results. Happy dieting! :)

The best workout

"Know thyself means this, that you get acquainted with what you know, and what you can do."
~Menander

What's the best workout you can do? Drumroll..... any workout is!

While for experienced trainees, more specific workouts are preferred and needed. For the beginning trainee, any exercise is good exercise. Just getting your body moving can mean a difference in your self-esteem, confidence, self-awareness and fitness level. A lot of beginners either have never really exercised or have not exercised consistently enough to see results so getting your body moving and into a physical workout routine is a huge step in the right direction. Sometimes getting started is the most important thing. This is especially important for seniors and obese people. Once you see how it makes you feel or how easy it was to make the time for it that you didn't think you had, it gets to be something to look forward to and not put off. Once you see results, then it gets better. However, working out in some fashion should be a lifelong pursuit. It shouldn't be just that thing you did for a few months before quitting on it.

Cardio, weights, martial arts, tennis, basketball, jogging, heck even ping pong! Anything that gets you moving and using your muscles is good for your heart and body. Just make sure you start slow and don't overdo it at first. Check out my blog post for July 2010 for tips on how to do your cardio and strength training and happy exercising!

Cardio or Weights? That is the question...

"Every day do something that will inch you closer to a better tomorrow."
~Doug Firebaugh

To do cardio or not? To do weights or not? 2 simple questions that cause so much confusion to the new exerciser. Well, simple questions usually have simple answers. The answer to both questions is YES!!

Now to give you the longer answer. ;)

No doubt that some form of cardio is necessary. It helps your fitness levels, helps lower stress, strengthens the heart and lungs, boosts your metabolism and helps burn calories. All things that say that doing cardio is very important.

What type of cardio is best? Any that you do! Again, simple answer! ;)
Get your body moving - calisthenics, power walking, jogging, sprinting, circuit training, martial arts, stair climbing, rowing, bicycle riding, ellipticals, treadmills - all ways to work up a sweat and get you huffing and puffing in a good way. To lose weight, my suggestions would range from 3 - 5 times a week of 20 - 45 min. per day of moderate to high intensity cardio. The frequency of doing your cardio would of course be based on your individual goals, fitness level and what equipment you have or don't ahve at your disposal. As with any form of exercise, start slowly with 20 minutes of low to moderate cardio and build up slowly.

Now onto the weights. Some people love weights (like me!) and some hate it but it's a necessary part of working out. For some people who are more out of shape or are older, weight training can come after a few weeks of cardio. Using the cardio period as an adjustment period for the body to get used to exercise as weights work out the body in a totally different way. Typically though you want some sort of resistance training (weights, machines, bands, toning bars, stability balls, pilates balls) along with your cardio. Weight training has the same health benefits as cardio with the added benefits of toning muscles, strenthening bones, making you stronger, preventing or decreasing lower back pain and many more benefits to your overall health and fitness.

What type of weight training is best? Machines are easily accesible in gyms and are a good choice for that reason. Bands, stability balls, toning bars and pilates balls are all good for home use and for beginners to intermediates looking to tone. For building muscle, machines are good but nothing beats free weights. While machines follow a fixed path, they only activate certain muscles while you exercise. Free weights on the other hand activate the main muscle and many more smaller supporting muscles so they build the muscles in a more complete way.

I would recommend doing some light weight training along with your cardio at first and gradually increase the resistance/weight as you get stronger and the exercises get easier to do. For building muscle, you want heavier weights and lower reps in the 6-10 rep range. For toning, you want lighter weights and higher reps in the 12-15 (or even higher with light weights) rep range. Always exercise good form and lift correctly to avoid injury. There are many good sources to learn the proper way to do an exercise. A good personal trainer will analyze and correct your form to make sure it being done in a way that is safe but will maximize your gains from the exercise. Weight lifting puts a different stress on the body than cardio so I would start with weights every other day for a total of 3x a week (for example - Monday, Wednesday and Friday). So cardio every day Monday to Friday and weights on the days above. Weekends free. It will give you a good weekly workout and give your body some time to recover.

So, remember cardio and weights is the simple answer to what you should be doing. So, what are you waiting for? ;)