The Best Intentions
By Sue Phillips
Tomorrow I shall rise at six
and walk three miles or more
eat bran flakes laced with vitamins
drink orange juice galore
at noon I’ll dine on celery
then touch my toes for hours
deep breathing techniques I’ll perfect
while contemplating flowers
Fresh fish baked without butter sauce
shall be my supper fare
I’ll follow with a journey
on a bike that goes nowhere
Yes, tomorrow I’ll begin my plan
you must make no mistake
For now, I think I’ll celebrate
Please pass the chocolate cake
Every January, if you belong to a gym, you see the “best intentions” people. We, the people who have been going to the same gym for many years, call them the “rank amateurs.” They are the people who have made the sure-to-fail New Year’s resolution that this year is going to be different. This is the year that they are going to commit to a new year, new me! They fill the gym, bursting with gusto and determination. They grab the weight machines, fumble with the panel on the treadmills, whiz along to nowhere on the stationery bikes. They sweat as they listen to their ipods, their faces a mask of beet-red determination to stay the course. There will be no calorie unburned!
As I watch them, I feel nothing but compassion. Yes, OK, it’s a tad annoying, I admit. They’re hogging the machines. They’re grabbing my favorite lane in the pool. They’ve overtaken the only locker I can find without my glasses. But, I know, by the end of February, at the very latest, the “best intentions” folks will be gone. The gym will return to normal. Those of us who always show up day after day, year after year, even if we never truly look like the ads you see on TV, well, the dedicated few will always remain.
In Sue Phillips delicious poem, “The Best Intentions,” she sums up all of our most earnest desires to make the commitment to exercise, to eat right and to finally lose the weight. We all know where the path of good intentions leads us, don’t we?
All diets start with the best intentions. We resolve that this time, despite all of our previous failures, this time it will be different. Only, it isn’t different, is it? Within a matter of months, or weeks or days, we fall off the wagon. It might be that bag of chips that was hidden in the cupboard and just seems so right after a miserable day at work, or too many hassles with naughty children. It could very well be that piece of chocolate cake, well, just one slice to soothe ourselves. If we’re honest, we know we can’t eat just one slice. It turns into two, or more, or eventually the whole cake, but who’s counting? Before we know it, all of our resolve, all of our best intentions fade into oblivion. We’re back to overeating, ignoring our food choices, forgetting that walk before work or the gym membership.
By this point you may be asking yourself why some people can lose the weight and keep it off and other people cannot, despite their best intentions? Ms. Phillips makes it clear in her poem. An intention is only that. It is not follow-through. It is not focused. It is more about that imagined, thinner, healthier, better self. It has nothing whatsoever to do with reality.
Diets are my favorite recipe for disaster. As I tell my clients, “Diet is a 4-letter word.” We never use the D-word because it describes failure, misery, weight gain instead of weight loss, self-denial and an utter lack of reality. Diets only benefit the multi-billion dollar diet industry. Diets make other people’s wallets fat. They will not help you to lose weight and keep it off. If diets actually worked, new diet books would not sell. Diet groups would have no new members to enroll, specially-prepared and expensive portion-controlled meals would not be delivered to your door.
Well, if diets are a recipe for failure, what works? I’ve already given you the first 2 steps in my program. First, you must begin to exercise and stick to that exercise. Your program needs to be realistic. For example, can you park your car farther away from your office? Can you take the stairs instead of the elevator? Can you challenge your children to shoot some hoops, or take a brisk walk with the family dog? Can you incorporate exercise into your daily routine? And, yes, housework counts as exercise.
Step 2 of my program involves some form of weight training to build more muscle mass. The more lean muscle you have, the more efficiently you will burn calories. Yes, muscle weighs more than fat, but it’s the secret weapon of weight loss.
Step 3, which I will discuss in my next post, is all about habits. Yes, habits. The good news is that unhealthy habits can be changed into healthy habits. But, that takes time, and it takes work. Our brains control whether we eat, or not. Our brains control what we choose to eat. Those well-worn pathways in our minds that tell us to grab that chocolate cake because we’re happy or sad, angry or elated, frustrated or bored, these are the powerful and overwhelming emotions that trigger overeating. We get into the habit of comforting ourselves with food. We seek emotional gratification through eating. It’s a short-cut to feeling better, which, in the end, always leads to feeling worse. In my next post, I will be discussing how to break the unhealthy habits that trigger overeating.
Take the time to either think about or write out a journal entry on your “Best Intentions.” Losing weight is about learning new habits and substituting those good habits for the bad habits of the past. Losing weight is about living in the real world of temptation. Losing weight is about self-acceptance and self-nurture. We do not lose weight when we feel deprived, which is the essence of all diets. We lose weight only when we feel self-fulfilled.
Sue Phillips, who resides in Massachusetts, is an award-winning poet, graphic art designer, and budding fly-fisherwoman. Ms. Phillips academic posters will be featured in an upcoming episode of House starring Hugh Laurie. The episode will be shown on September 21, 2009. Check your local time and listings.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Friday, August 7, 2009
Step Two: Weight Training
Have you ever noticed how men lose weight so much faster than women? It all seems so unfair. Unfortunately, it’s true. But, why? Men have different hormones, obviously. However, they also have more muscle mass, hence the faster weight loss.
So, what’s a woman to do? Weight training is the answer. Yes, weight training. It’s simple, easy and inexpensive. You can buy a set of free weights at a sporting goods store and use them at home. If you are a member of a gym, you can use their weight machines. Either way, weight training is essential to weight loss.
For many years, women were afraid of weight training. They assumed they would bulk up and look unfeminine. This is not true. Weight training tones and firms, strengthens and enhances a woman’s feminine curves. So, from an aesthetic point of view, weight training will make you look like more of a woman, not less.
But, how does it help with weight loss? As you build more lean muscle mass, you burn more calories more quickly. Isn’t that what we all want? In addition, as women build muscle mass and do resistance training, they also strengthen their bones, which is an essential as we age.
If you don’t like free weights, you can also get stretch bands. These offer a lot of resistance and come in different tensions. You can start with the least tension and work up. There are many varieties of exercises that you can do with either bands or free weights, or both. You won’t get bored, I promise.
The main thing about weight training is that you need to do the movements slowly and thoroughly. This means that each repetition should be of equal duration. If you are doing an arm curl, for example, you need to lift and lower at the same rate. Most personal trainers and physical therapists recommend doing 3 sets of repetitions, or reps. Each set is 10 reps. You should also rest a bit, move around, and relax between sets. However, the idea is to start slowly. If you can only do 3-5 reps, that’s great. When you feel your muscles tiring, don’t overstrain. Overstraining leads to injury, and injury leads to having to stop your training. Slow and steady wins the race!
When you’ve completed your reps for the day, try to eat something within 30 minutes. If you are pressed for time, just have a healthy snack. The sooner you eat, the sooner you will burn off those calories. The body is at its peak efficiency for burning off weight right after a session. Also, be sure to keep well hydrated.
When we weight train, we are actually breaking down muscle fibers. On our rest day, those fibers are building back up and strengthening. That is why you should never do the same weight exercises two days in a row. Some people like to do an upper body regimen one day and a lower body regimen the next day. You will find your own rhythm, but just be sure to give your muscles a rest.
As you get stronger and build muscle, you should notice a few things. You will stand up straighter, lift your legs higher as you walk, have more energy to do what you must do and what you like to do. Consistent weight training should be combined with some sort of aerobic activity such as walking, swimming, dancing, vacuuming, jogging, basketball, tennis or whatever you like and will do consistently.
Again, exercise must be a consistent part of your life. Once you start to see the benefits in terms of your health, strength and weight loss, you’ll become addicted. Don’t worry, being addicted to exercise and weight training is a very good thing.
If you’ve never used free weights before, go to your local sporting goods store and ask for help. You want a pair of weights that are heavy enough to cause resistance, but not so heavy that you will strain yourself. The same applies to bands. You do need resistance, but you don’t want to tear your muscles or overload them. There are many books on weight training, as well as tapes and advice online. If you have a friend or relative who weight trains, ask that person to help you. If you belong to a gym, ask someone who is doing slow, careful reps to show you how to do them or how to use the machines. If you can afford it, you can always hire a personal trainer for a few sessions. If you have any sort of physical challenges, please see your doctor first, and ask for a referral to a physical therapist who can guide you. Good luck.
So, what’s a woman to do? Weight training is the answer. Yes, weight training. It’s simple, easy and inexpensive. You can buy a set of free weights at a sporting goods store and use them at home. If you are a member of a gym, you can use their weight machines. Either way, weight training is essential to weight loss.
For many years, women were afraid of weight training. They assumed they would bulk up and look unfeminine. This is not true. Weight training tones and firms, strengthens and enhances a woman’s feminine curves. So, from an aesthetic point of view, weight training will make you look like more of a woman, not less.
But, how does it help with weight loss? As you build more lean muscle mass, you burn more calories more quickly. Isn’t that what we all want? In addition, as women build muscle mass and do resistance training, they also strengthen their bones, which is an essential as we age.
If you don’t like free weights, you can also get stretch bands. These offer a lot of resistance and come in different tensions. You can start with the least tension and work up. There are many varieties of exercises that you can do with either bands or free weights, or both. You won’t get bored, I promise.
The main thing about weight training is that you need to do the movements slowly and thoroughly. This means that each repetition should be of equal duration. If you are doing an arm curl, for example, you need to lift and lower at the same rate. Most personal trainers and physical therapists recommend doing 3 sets of repetitions, or reps. Each set is 10 reps. You should also rest a bit, move around, and relax between sets. However, the idea is to start slowly. If you can only do 3-5 reps, that’s great. When you feel your muscles tiring, don’t overstrain. Overstraining leads to injury, and injury leads to having to stop your training. Slow and steady wins the race!
When you’ve completed your reps for the day, try to eat something within 30 minutes. If you are pressed for time, just have a healthy snack. The sooner you eat, the sooner you will burn off those calories. The body is at its peak efficiency for burning off weight right after a session. Also, be sure to keep well hydrated.
When we weight train, we are actually breaking down muscle fibers. On our rest day, those fibers are building back up and strengthening. That is why you should never do the same weight exercises two days in a row. Some people like to do an upper body regimen one day and a lower body regimen the next day. You will find your own rhythm, but just be sure to give your muscles a rest.
As you get stronger and build muscle, you should notice a few things. You will stand up straighter, lift your legs higher as you walk, have more energy to do what you must do and what you like to do. Consistent weight training should be combined with some sort of aerobic activity such as walking, swimming, dancing, vacuuming, jogging, basketball, tennis or whatever you like and will do consistently.
Again, exercise must be a consistent part of your life. Once you start to see the benefits in terms of your health, strength and weight loss, you’ll become addicted. Don’t worry, being addicted to exercise and weight training is a very good thing.
If you’ve never used free weights before, go to your local sporting goods store and ask for help. You want a pair of weights that are heavy enough to cause resistance, but not so heavy that you will strain yourself. The same applies to bands. You do need resistance, but you don’t want to tear your muscles or overload them. There are many books on weight training, as well as tapes and advice online. If you have a friend or relative who weight trains, ask that person to help you. If you belong to a gym, ask someone who is doing slow, careful reps to show you how to do them or how to use the machines. If you can afford it, you can always hire a personal trainer for a few sessions. If you have any sort of physical challenges, please see your doctor first, and ask for a referral to a physical therapist who can guide you. Good luck.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Step One: Exercise
If diets don't work, what does? That is the question I kept asking myself. I was 20 years old, weighed 230 pounds and my last diet had failed miserably. I was fatter than ever.
I was a junior in college, and we were studying natural laws in physics class. That got me thinking. I'd always hated exercise. Exercise reminded me of gym class. Gym class reminded me of girls socking me in the stomach and laughing. Gym class reminded me of trying to hang upside down on the parallel bars while my classmates snickered. Gym meant trying to change into a uniform while hiding my body. Even when I actually excelled at something, such as softball, the teacher remained more incredulous than anything else, as in "How can a fat girl hit a ball like that?" To her mind, overweight=underachiever.
I avoided exercise like the plague. After all, I was an intellectual. Intellectuals exercise their minds, not their bodies. The Greek ideal of sound mind, sound body was a farce to me. I didn't get it. Doing housework was enough exercise for me. Carrying laundry up and down stairs left me out of breath and tired. Washing the kitchen floor on my hands and knees every Saturday morning was a necessity. Running around the block was not.
So, after years of avoiding exercise, I realized something. It was a natural law of physics that if I took in more calories than I burned off, that excess food was going to turn into stored fat. I knew that I was taking in a lot of calories. How many? I had no idea. But, I did know that on a daily basis, I was expending the least amount of physical energy possible. Given my 230 pounds, I was easily tired. My skin would get chafed. I had rashes from my too-tight girdle. I hated being in my body, but I was stuck in there.
Instead of reaching for the latest diet book, or taking a magic diet pill or following the trendy plan of the moment, I made a decision. I was going to follow the natural laws of physics. I had to move more and take in less food. Because I was a commuter and had a daily 3-hour roundtrip to college, I decided that I'd get off the subway at an earlier stop and walk the rest of the way to campus. Carrying that heavy book bag, slogging along in all kinds of weather, panting and red-faced by the time I reached class was the price I'd have to pay. I even carried an extra deodorant because exertion left me sweaty and exhausted. I hated it. Yes, I wanted to quit after the first week. But, I kept asking myself the same question: "Do I want to keep getting fatter and fatter? Is that the life I want for myself?" Each time the answer was the same. No!
The second week was a tiny bit easier than the first. I started to time myself. After awhile, I shaved 5 minutes off my walk. I bought flatter shoes. I people-watched on my way to class. Sometimes, I'd give those people fictional lives as I imagined who they were, where they lived, what they did. For the first time in ages, I noted the gorgeous change of seasons. Walking, I discovered, was the only time of the day where I could let my mind roam freely. Walking became my meditation for the day. Instead of dreading trudging back and forth on a daily basis, I began to look forward to it, even in inclement weather. For the first time in years, I felt a certain peacefulness borne of persistence. My breathing got more regular. I didn't always need to use my deodorant. My thighs didn't chafe as much.
Routine. That is what my walk to class became. Routine. I realized that nothing I had ever done to lose weight had ever been consistent. What I needed was consistency. Could I live with walking on a daily basis? Would I do it even on the weekends when I had no classes? Yes, I could and I would! It was my time away from family and college responsibilities. I had to claim that time for myself. Instead of viewing that as selfish, I viewed it as self-caring. I'd made so many sacrifices for my family that I had no clue about being self-caring. What I'd learned in life was to be selfless. No wonder I had no idea who I was. No wonder I ate for comfort. Now, I was reclaiming the self that I had lost many years before. I was no longer willing to hide behind the fat.
I did not worry about what I was eating. I did not count calories. I focused, instead, on movement. I dedicated myself to walking. My goal was to make one change at a time. Once I could consistently stick to my walking program and feel stronger physically and emotionally, I could tackle the food issue next.
Now that you've read my story about starting an exercise program, I'd like you to reflect on how you can build exercise into your life. Can you park farther away in your work parking lot? Can you walk to work or school? Can you dance while doing the housework or the dishes? Can you play outside with your children? Exercise isn't about joining a gym, although I do belong to one now. Exercise is about getting your body moving and keeping it moving. Always start slowly. Don't set a lofty goal. If you haven't exercised in years, commit to 10 minutes at a reasonable pace. Take it one step at a time until you build exercise into your daily routine. Before you know it, you'll actually start to crave exercise if your routine is interrupted. When you begin to feel healthier, breathe more easily, have more stamina, you'll understand that this is about your future health and well-being. You are worthy of this time and effort. You deserve the very best that life has to offer. Please do not wait another day to start. You can do it!
I was a junior in college, and we were studying natural laws in physics class. That got me thinking. I'd always hated exercise. Exercise reminded me of gym class. Gym class reminded me of girls socking me in the stomach and laughing. Gym class reminded me of trying to hang upside down on the parallel bars while my classmates snickered. Gym meant trying to change into a uniform while hiding my body. Even when I actually excelled at something, such as softball, the teacher remained more incredulous than anything else, as in "How can a fat girl hit a ball like that?" To her mind, overweight=underachiever.
I avoided exercise like the plague. After all, I was an intellectual. Intellectuals exercise their minds, not their bodies. The Greek ideal of sound mind, sound body was a farce to me. I didn't get it. Doing housework was enough exercise for me. Carrying laundry up and down stairs left me out of breath and tired. Washing the kitchen floor on my hands and knees every Saturday morning was a necessity. Running around the block was not.
So, after years of avoiding exercise, I realized something. It was a natural law of physics that if I took in more calories than I burned off, that excess food was going to turn into stored fat. I knew that I was taking in a lot of calories. How many? I had no idea. But, I did know that on a daily basis, I was expending the least amount of physical energy possible. Given my 230 pounds, I was easily tired. My skin would get chafed. I had rashes from my too-tight girdle. I hated being in my body, but I was stuck in there.
Instead of reaching for the latest diet book, or taking a magic diet pill or following the trendy plan of the moment, I made a decision. I was going to follow the natural laws of physics. I had to move more and take in less food. Because I was a commuter and had a daily 3-hour roundtrip to college, I decided that I'd get off the subway at an earlier stop and walk the rest of the way to campus. Carrying that heavy book bag, slogging along in all kinds of weather, panting and red-faced by the time I reached class was the price I'd have to pay. I even carried an extra deodorant because exertion left me sweaty and exhausted. I hated it. Yes, I wanted to quit after the first week. But, I kept asking myself the same question: "Do I want to keep getting fatter and fatter? Is that the life I want for myself?" Each time the answer was the same. No!
The second week was a tiny bit easier than the first. I started to time myself. After awhile, I shaved 5 minutes off my walk. I bought flatter shoes. I people-watched on my way to class. Sometimes, I'd give those people fictional lives as I imagined who they were, where they lived, what they did. For the first time in ages, I noted the gorgeous change of seasons. Walking, I discovered, was the only time of the day where I could let my mind roam freely. Walking became my meditation for the day. Instead of dreading trudging back and forth on a daily basis, I began to look forward to it, even in inclement weather. For the first time in years, I felt a certain peacefulness borne of persistence. My breathing got more regular. I didn't always need to use my deodorant. My thighs didn't chafe as much.
Routine. That is what my walk to class became. Routine. I realized that nothing I had ever done to lose weight had ever been consistent. What I needed was consistency. Could I live with walking on a daily basis? Would I do it even on the weekends when I had no classes? Yes, I could and I would! It was my time away from family and college responsibilities. I had to claim that time for myself. Instead of viewing that as selfish, I viewed it as self-caring. I'd made so many sacrifices for my family that I had no clue about being self-caring. What I'd learned in life was to be selfless. No wonder I had no idea who I was. No wonder I ate for comfort. Now, I was reclaiming the self that I had lost many years before. I was no longer willing to hide behind the fat.
I did not worry about what I was eating. I did not count calories. I focused, instead, on movement. I dedicated myself to walking. My goal was to make one change at a time. Once I could consistently stick to my walking program and feel stronger physically and emotionally, I could tackle the food issue next.
Now that you've read my story about starting an exercise program, I'd like you to reflect on how you can build exercise into your life. Can you park farther away in your work parking lot? Can you walk to work or school? Can you dance while doing the housework or the dishes? Can you play outside with your children? Exercise isn't about joining a gym, although I do belong to one now. Exercise is about getting your body moving and keeping it moving. Always start slowly. Don't set a lofty goal. If you haven't exercised in years, commit to 10 minutes at a reasonable pace. Take it one step at a time until you build exercise into your daily routine. Before you know it, you'll actually start to crave exercise if your routine is interrupted. When you begin to feel healthier, breathe more easily, have more stamina, you'll understand that this is about your future health and well-being. You are worthy of this time and effort. You deserve the very best that life has to offer. Please do not wait another day to start. You can do it!
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