getting your girl to shape up!
It takes a courageous man to tackle weight gain issues with his sweetie. You know it’s a remote gamble that you’ll wind up the ‘good guy’ – and even then you’ll go through hell as she rides the weight loss roller-coaster. Sure, you love her no matter what – but gee, if only she could fit into her wedding dress again…..In a study by Weight Watchers in America of 25,000 married women, those who claimed to be in an unhappy relationship gained an average of 54 pounds during the first 10 years of marriage. However, researchers are still unclear of the direct motive to this weight gain.
Often couples gain weight together over the years, yet when one loses weight without the other, feelings of betrayal and isolation kick in. Psychologist Edward Abramson, Ph.D, author of To Have and To Hold (Kensington, 1999) suggests “Women will shed pounds more successfully if she assumes responsibility for her weight loss choice. Separating relationship issues from eating patterns are key”.
I can’t think of any way my spouse could tell me to lose weight without offending me. Even if it were true. […]
getting started on an exercise program
It’s easy to think that you don’t have energy or time to exercise. The fight to finish work in time to get home to the kids, juggle a personal life and cook a nutritious dinner can be challenging enough.Truth is, getting up early to workout will give you more energy.You’ll also sleep better, and need less of it. The reduced stress will alleviate the need for an after work beer, you might even convince your workmates to hit the trails instead. The money saved at the pub could go into a mountain bike fund.
There is a difference between feeling in shape, and actually being in shape. Just because you’ve managed to maintain your basic muscle mass since prioritizing the office load, doesn’t mean you have kept your strength. The feeling of truly being fit, is rewarding in a way you may not realize until you get there. Says Jacob Smart (39) “Since shaping up and prioritizing my workouts I have eliminated the excuses I had before – challenging my body which helps me challenge my mind. I feel stronger and it SHOWS. Each day I look forward […]
keeping motivated on your fitness track
The best friends in life are the ones that keep you on your toes. They’ll fight you like a sparring partner if they find out you started smoking again…..and bluff compliments when you go bikini shopping in Spring, before enrolling you in their hot, new exercise class.
Facing the fitness world alone can be daunting to the best of us. Three kilometer runs can seem like thirty when each step is heavy and all you can hear is yourself panting. And strangely enough, hard work seems more bearable if someone else is suffering with you.
But in reality, if you have to be dragged to workout sessions you’re almost guaranteed to fall off track sooner or later. Taking charge of your health is something that has to come from within – there is an athletic mind in all of us, just some act on it and become athletes in their own right. While social support is a fantastic motivator, at the end of the day you have to be able to count on yourself to stick with it.
Far too often we beat ourselves up for deviating from our exercise […]
taking the first step to a fitter you
No-one can lead, motivate or inspire you to shape up unless you have made the decision to do so.
The first step is recognizing that you are negatively affecting your health by not exercising or eating a proper diet. Getting out of this stage has to come from you, no matter how difficult it is to admit it, so stop kidding yourself. You can do this! You CAN feel more energized, you CAN start changing your mindset – find your power today!
Start by going to the doctor. If you are obese, they will likely tell you that this means disease risk factors have increased drastically (hyperlipidemia, coronary heart disease, type II diabetes, hypertension and chance of a stroke) since you hit this body weight.
There’s a big difference between wanting to lose weight for esthetical reasons, and having your doctor confirm that your body composition is a health risk. If you, or someone you love, have ballooned into a size that has become restrictive to carry out normal activities, don’t wait for a health scare to do something about it. The facts are scary enough to motivate you to […]
weight loss beginnings
We all have a breaking point, something that triggers us to take action when all other signs were ignored up to now. In the weight gain game, for many it’s the realization that suddenly you need to wear maternity clothes (but you’re not pregnant). Or maybe it takes suit shopping for your daughter’s wedding to realize that yours will need to be custom made.
You can only keep getting larger clothes to a point, before it sinks in that an aggressive, effective action plan needs to be taken to finally find YOUR fighting weight permanently. No gimmicks, fad diets, or excuses. The time is now.
Even if you have a gym membership or take daily hikes with Rover, your heart rate is likely not being elevated into the fat burning zone if the weight is not coming off. Simply surviving workouts does not optimize your results. Ask your doctor what your target heart range should be in your workouts, get medical direction for starting a new exercise regime, and see a fitness professional for some personalized direction. Take the time, energy and money to do things right […]
what is fitness?
Icy wind howled through the trees as I sheltered from the storm in my car. I had been contemplating a jog around the lake when my interest faded about as fast as the rain falling on my windscreen. Excuses started to mount; bad sleep last night, still sore from yesterdays workout…..and was that a cold coming on? So I flagged it, and you know what? I didn’t feel an ounce of guilt. An extra day off this week might even be good for me.
And as I confirmed my decision, a beginner exerciser trudged through the trees. “Honestly, if I stick to this #!** program for three weeks it will be a damn miracle!!!” Despite being soaked to the bone, she was enthusiastic to chat about how she was trying really hard to lose some weight in time for her daughters wedding, but hating every minute of it. I ushered a few encouraging words, but at the back of my mind I knew she would likely fall off the program in a couple of weeks if she didn’t tweak her motivational factors.
For starters, workouts are not meant to […]
