Monthly Archives: December 2011

Why Resolutions Fail

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Achieve your 2012 Goals With These Simple Tips

I overheard a conversation in the locker room at the gym today between two ladies who were regular gym-goers.  One of them commented on how quiet it was in the gym this morning given that it was the holidays.  The other reminded her about how busy it was going to be next week when everyone who set New Year’s resolutions to lose weight, get in shape, or just to be more healthy began showing up at the gym.  Her friend remarked that by February it would be far less crowded because most people would have given up on their resolutions already!

It wasn’t so much a shocking remark as it was a sad one.  What truly is the difference between people who are able to adopt a healthy lifestyle and those who crash and burn after a few days or weeks?

To me, the difference between a failed resolution and the ability to make lasting changes, develop a healthy lifestyle, lose weight, and feel more energized is all in the approach.  Here are a few tips to making successful resolutions and avoid being a statistic.

1)  Don’t Ban Your Favorite Food Forever.  If you eat chocolate on a daily basis and decide that you are never going to eat chocolate again, you will probably not be very successful at achieving this goal.  Instead of banning it forever, vow to have a small piece a couple of times per week.  Switch from milk to dark chocolate, which has antioxidant benefits.  Yes, chocolate CAN be good for you!

2)  Don’t Do Too Much Too Soon at the Gym.  If you haven’t been to the gym in five years, you need to ease into exercise.  Make sure that your doctor has given you the all-clear to exercise if you have any injuries or ailments of concern.  Start slow and be consistent!  If you belong to a gym or plan to join one, classes are a great way to stay motivated.  Try different things (spinning, Zumba, yoga, etc.) to keep your body guessing what is coming next & maximize calories burned & muscles worked.

3)  Don’t Go It Alone!  It is much easier and much more fun when are working out with someone.  This even works if you actually exercise on your own & then have a virtual “accountability buddy.”  For those of you that didn’t see this on my Facebook page, I’m starting a 21-day exercise challenge on January 3rd.  Join me and others who have already signed up who share your goals.  We can all keep one another accountability & share ideas, milestones, and successes!

Leave me a comment here and let me know what your healthy living goals are for 2012!  I’d love to help you achieve them!

Happy New Year everyone!

How To Get Fit Doing What You Love

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Have you ever passed on doing something that might have been interesting or fun because you thought you couldn’t do it or couldn’t do it well?

Or even worse, that someone else in the room would notice you and THEY would think you didn’t know what you were doing?

I remember a time when I was visiting a spa for a week.  Every day, a variety of exercise classes were offered.  The girls that I met and had lunch with during the week were always going to the dance classes.  I thought it sounded fun, but the fact that I didn’t think I had enough rhythm or that I would look dumb doing the moves kept me from joining in.Finally, on the last day, a famous choreographer from New York was there to teach the dance class.  People had been talking about him all week, so I had to go and see for myself.  It was… A BLAST!  I couldn’t remember the last time I had so much fun!  It certainly wasn’t anything like the exercise I was used to doing.  I was so bummed that I hadn’t joined in sooner!  I would have had a lot more fun with my new group of friends that I was having running alone while they were in class.  This was something I could do to get fit that I would love!I was shy growing up.  Even as an adult, early in my career, I can remember being scared stiff when I knew that I was going to have to introduce myself to a room of people.  Seriously!  Just staying my name out loud knowing that every pair of eyes in the room was on me was terrifying!  I’m sure it stems from the fact that I was an overweight kid with stringy hair and glasses.  We all know how mean kids can be to each other.  I guess I thought by staying quiet & not drawing attention to myself, I was somehow protecting myself.At some point, not too long ago in fact, I started to think, “Who cares what people think about me?”  I was actually giving a room of total strangers far too much power!  After I joined that dance class, I looked around and saw that nobody in there was perfect!  They were just regular people trying to get fit.  The difference in me and them was that they weren’t afraid to be themselves and have fun!The message here, friends, is to get out there and not let what you THINK other people will think about you stop you from doing that!  I can guarantee you that you are far more critical of yourself than anyone else on the treadmills or in that Zumba class you’ve always thought of trying will be.

Don’t be afraid to try something new.  You may be really good at it!  You may LOVE it!  Take back the power you are giving to other people, and say “I CAN” do this!

Is there something you’d like to try but are afraid of?  Have you own personal triumph story?  Come on… don’t let me think I’m the ONLY ONE :-)

Please ask your questions and share your stories in the Facebook comment box under this post.  Your question or story may motivate someone else to get fit and make a healthy change in their life — don’t be shy!!

Enjoy the Holidays With These Guilt-Free Tips

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Who says you can’t enjoy the holidays without doing everything in excess?  I see nothing wrong with enjoying foods you love that are only around during the holidays.  Pumpkin pie is one of my favorite desserts — I look forward to it all year!  The key is portion control.

As far as resolutions go, I think it is a great tradition to set goals for the new year.  That doesn’t mean that you have to overindulge yourself until the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve!

Ease your way.  You will have much greater success if you ease your way towards your healthy living goals.  Healthy replacements are one way to go.  Use olive oil where appropriate instead of butter, low-fat dairy vs. full fat, sip plain water in between cocktails or other high-calorie festive drinks.

Be realistic.  If you haven’t been to the gym in five years, don’t expect to run five miles every day for the first week.  Pledge to show up, push yourself but not overdo it.  Overexertion can lead to injury, and injury will take you out of the game and away from your goal before your holiday decorations are back in the attic!

Share your goals.  You will be much more successful if you tell you close friends and family about the positive changes you are trying to make.  If your friends know you are keeping an eye on your calorie intake, they’ll be less likely to try and encourage you to share a second dessert.  Plus, you may motivate someone else who needed a little push or a fitness buddy to ask if they can join you on your daily walk.

Enjoy the holidays and be well!

 

Photo credit:  mvjantzen

Is Your Morning Coffee Making You Sleepier?

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Have you ever given up coffee for a week or longer?  I did it… once… for fourteen days.  The first day wasn’t so bad, but on days 2-5, I had a KILLER headache.  On the morning of day 6, I woke up feeling great and from then on the headaches were gone.Wait!  Don’t stop reading yet… I want to tell you WHY I did it!  First, I was intrigued at the promise of feeling “more rested that research suggested would happen”.  I couldn’t remember the last time that I didn’t feel exhausted by three in the afternoon.  Even an afternoon caffeine “boost” didn’t seem to help.The research was right!  For years, I’d woken up tired & angry to an annoying alarm clock.  Once I kicked the caffeine habit, I felt like I was getting more sleep at night and waking up before my alarm went off feeling rested.  I didn’t feel like I was dragging in the afternoon, and I had far more energy in the evenings to exercise & prepare meals.

I recently stumbled upon another benefit… You know how when you have a a cold or flu (I mean really bad… like you can’t even get out of bed for a drink of water).  I was recently battling a cold.  I didn’t feel feverish or stuffy any longer, but my head was THROBBING… so much that I couldn’t get out of bed to take an ibuprofen for my headache.  At about 2pm, I forced myself out of bed and made myself a cup of coffee.  After about an hour, my headache went away.  It dawned on me that I hadn’t had a cup of coffee in about 36 hours, hence, the headache!  So I thought I was still suffering from my cold symptoms when I really had a caffeine hangover!  Hardly worth the extra day I lost in bed thinking that I was still sick!

We can blame our caffeine consumption partly on genetics.  Research shows that people with a certain genotype near the AHR gene consumed about 20 milligrams more caffeine in a day than those with with another genotype and 40 milligrams more than people with a third genotype.  The rest is behavioral and can be controlled with a little trickery.

Cut back.  If you are drinking more than one cup of coffee in the morning, cut back to just one for a few days.  Avoid drinking caffeinated beverages the rest of the day.  Try hot herbal teas or hot water with lemon as a replacement.

Switch it up.  Swap your cup of coffee for a cup of green tea.  Many green teas still contain caffeine, but at least you’ll benefit from the antioxidants in the tea.

Challenge yourself.  For me, my morning cup of coffee is more about the ritual.  I always liked stopping off at Peet’s in the morning, and saying hello to my favorite employee.  It kind’ve lifted my spirits to treat myself in the morning before jumping on the freeway for a less than pleasant commute.  SO, I didn’t give up my ritual!  I ordered peppermint tea instead of my usual coffee, and I didn’t feel like I was sacrificing anything.

So challenge yourself… even if only for the sake of curiousity!  Try giving up caffeine for two weeks and see how you feel.  In my wellness plan questionnaire, I ask clients how many caffeinated beverages they consume on a daily basis. Someone answered “mainline IV!” Even SHE took a break from caffeine for two weeks and noted that by the sixth day, she felt more rested, less sluggish AND woke up before her annoying alarm told her she had to. I consider that a huge benefit!


What do you think?  Ever taken time off from caffeine?  What was it like?  Did you stick with it?  Share your stories below!