January results . . . finally . . .

Okay, I apologize for the delay. This bug I had was a nasty one, and I ended up going an entire week with no exercise at all (bleh!). It seriously knocked me flat! Definitely no fun. I am sure, however, that this came about as a result of stress and over training, so I am approaching my workouts a bit differently now that I am back on my feet. More on that later (i.e. in another post).

Anyway, I promised to post my January results so here you go:

Measurements (as of 1/1/2014):	Measurements (as of 2/4/2014):
Weight: 179.2 lbs	Weight: 172.8 lbs
Body Fat: 43.3%	Body Fat: 41.1%
Waist: 41.5”	Waist: 40”
Hips: 44”	Hips: 42.2”
Chest: 42.2”	Chest: 40.5”
Right Arm: 13.8”	Right Arm: 13.2”
Left Arm: 14.5”	Left Arm: 13.8”
Right Thigh: 22.5”	Right Thigh: 23.5”
Left Thigh:  22.8”	Left Thigh:  23.5”

These results are a combination of eating well (I will post my eating guidelines in the very near future), exercising regularly, getting plenty of sleep, and hoping for the best.

So here are a few tips that are working for me. Perhaps they will be helpful to you as well:

1. I have not starved myself or deprived myself in any way. I will talk about this more in my "eating guidelines" post, but suffice it to say that any kind of deprivation diet is not sustainable. If this is what you are using to lose weight, I wish you the best, but I do not believe you will be successful. In any case, I have never been successful (in the long term) losing weight with a severely restrictive diet.

2. I eat healthy, whole foods and keep processed foods to a minimum. This one is pretty self-explanatory. In general, if the food is packaged, and especially if it has a long list of ingredients, it is not good for you, no matter what it claims. Keep these types of food to a minimum.

3. I go to bed as close to 10PM as possible and I aim to get up around 6AM. A good night's rest is crucial to weight loss as well as to your overall health and vitality and mood. Don't skimp on sleep, even if it means missing your workout that day. Your body needs that time to repair and regenerate. So if something from your to-do list has to go, don't let it be your sleep.

I am happy with these results, and I am on track to reach that goal of weighing less than 120 lbs. by the end of the year. Yee-haw!

So you got sick ... now what?

I have done it! I have achieved something that has hitherto been completely unknown to me (at least in the last decade)! I have gone 4 full weeks, exercising every day (except for Sundays, which are always my day of rest), without missing! You read that right. 4 weeks straight! Woo hoo!

So this morning, going into week 5, I woke up with an annoying little stomach bug. After the worst had passed by mid-morning (ha ha, no pun intended), I quickly fell back to sleep and did not wake up until around 1:30 in the afternoon. As you might have guessed, I haven't done any working out today ... yet! So here are my thoughts on exercising when you are under the weather.

First, no matter the ailment, if you are going to work out when you are ill you should plan to scale down the intensity appropriately. When I exercise today I will do more of a walk-through of my exercise program (currently Les Mills Combat), possibly breaking a little sweat; however, no serious huffing and puffing, muscle-fatiguing, floor-stomping, barf-worthy workout will be happening today (just for the record, I have never actually barfed during or after a workout, but I know people who have and I think they might possibly have been overdoing it a bit--but who am I to judge?). The important thing here is to teach your body that you are serious about your commitment to exercise and that, if at all possible, you will be moving your body in some way on any day that you have scheduled a workout.

Also, remember that exercising, if you can find just the right balance of movement without excess (hint: this means learning how to listen to your body) can actually speed up your recovery time from many illnesses. It gets your blood and lymph pumping through your body, thus getting the gunk out more quickly. Working out will also encourage you to drink more water, which is essential for cleaning out your whole system. So go ahead and exercise when you are sick, and you may be pleasantly surprised at the results.

Second, there is no need to be perfect. I generally do yoga 6 days a week (I am a yoga instructor, after all) and I like to go for a run most days (I am almost a Chi Running instructor, after all), in addition to the quality time I spend with the Les Mills gang. Today I thought about going out for at least a walk after I woke up from my long, mid-day nap, but I was still feeling pretty lousy, and being that it is winter outside it is a bit chilly for an evening walk (assuming I was feeling better by this evening), so I decided to forego that part of my workout today. I am not stressed out about this. Missing one day will not kill me or cause me to lose any significant amount of fitness, and it is important that I allow my body to heal. So no running (or walking) today.

What about yoga? Besides the yoga I did while lying in bed trying to find a comfortable position without aggravating the nausea, I may do a few light, low intensity, easy poses after my Les Mills walk-through, but nothing too intense. Like I said, perfection is not the goal; teaching your body that you are serious about exercise is.

Third, if you had to be driven to the urgent care to get an IV full of healthful fluids to help you mend, chances are you are too sick to exercise today. Even if you have to break a 4-week long--or 40-year long--exercise streak, listen to your body. Be wise. Don't exercise at any intensity if your body is telling you no. And sometimes, it will tell you no.

So here is the take home message: Listen to your body. If you are under the weather but are still feeling up for a little exercise, be sure to lower the intensity appropriately and stop when your body is ready to stop. And when you are feeling like yourself again, get back to it, and be grateful for every day that you are alive and able to move your body. What a blessing that is!

Going on vacation? How to stay on track.

This past holiday weekend I vacationed in a warmer climate and it was so wonderful!!! Well, let me qualify that--the sun was wonderful, the relaxation was wonderful, the family time was wonderful, the 3-pound weight gain was NOT wonderful! I wanted to get that out there right off the bat, lest you think I have this one completely figured out.

So, how do you stay on track when you are on vacation? Here are a few tips that helped me navigate the weekend successfully, and a few that would have helped (had I followed them).

Tip #1: Know what you are going to do for exercise and when you are going to do it (i.e. what time of the day, which days, etc.). If you have the option/willpower, go to bed at a reasonable hour each night and get up early each morning to exercise. Getting it in before the activities (or relaxation) of the day get started will ensure it doesn't get lost in all of the fun and chaos that accompany most vacations.

Tip #2: If possible, stay in a place where you are able to prepare your own food so that you can AVOID EATING OUT FOR EVERY MEAL!!! Eating out for every meal, several days in a row, will add pounds and water retention faster than you can say "I can't see my ankles!"

Tip #3: Watch out for the "I'm on vacation, I should be able to eat whatever I want" mentality. In essence, what you are really saying is "I'm on vacation so I have the right to feel awful and gain all the weight I want." Don't fall for that rubbish! Please, love yourself enough to rise above this mindset and continue to nourish your body appropriately, even on vacation. I am not saying that you shouldn't allow yourself any treats. Just don't let the potato chips and sweets take over your entire diet while you are away. Choose to eat a dessert with lunch or dinner one or two days, or allow yourself to indulge in some way that appeals to you, but that will not be ongoing through the entire vacation.

Tip #4: If you are going to snack (in the car or in the hotel), prepare by bringing healthy snacks that will not leave you craving more and more. Sliced up veggies with hummus, apples or celery with peanut butter, raw nuts, or another healthy, whole foods snack will help to curb hunger cravings while helping you to avoid sugar or salt binges that leave you wanting to snack constantly. And when you do snack, be sure to SNACK MINDFULLY! (I know, I know--this is really two tips hidden in one!) Pay attention to what and how much you are eating, and be sure you are listening to your body so that you know when to stop.

If you follow these four tips the next time you go on vacation, I guarantee you will feel great throughout your trip, and you will come back from your vacation looking as svelte as ever, without having to fear that next encounter with your scale. Oh yeah--in case you were wondering: I followed tips #1 and #2 very successfully, but failed miserably on tips #3 and #4. Three pounds!!! Oh dear!