These are the days of the dreaded cold and dark winter days, mornings are dreary and nights are frigid. Motivation is low to exercise and maintain focus. You are human, this is normal. So what can you do to get yourself going when all you really want to do is stay inside and drink a cup of coffee? Here are a few ideas I use to keep myself going.
You will thank yourself
The most important part of exercising is doing it in the winter months. Many an athlete have neglected winter training to only find out that the first weeks of spring become a nightmare as you try to become fit again. This is the time to stay in shape so that when spring and summer roll around, you are ready to go. If you do stay in shape, you will be so thankful you did that you might even send yourself a box of roses.
Get a magazine
There are so many trade magazines on health and fitness. I like to get a magazine to keep myself focused. Magazine editors know that many of their readers who live in the cold states of the USA need a little motivation and will have a few articles that will help address the need for encouragement during the tough days of winter.
It is only 30 minutes
All it takes to stay in shape is exercising for 30 minutes 3 to 4 times each week. If you have ever sat in front of the television for 30 minutes and afterwards said to yourself, “I could have been done by now”, you will know what I mean when I say, “feeling guilty”. Do not feel guilty, know that it only takes 30 minutes of exercising to get it done for the day, it not too much.
These are just a few ideas I have to stay focused this winter, let’s hear from you. What do you do to stay in the game?
By Speedy Sneakers Walking and Running clubs for women. We are committed to promoting health and fitness through walking and running programs.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
You Are What You Eat
My wife and I have been enjoying watching a show on BBC America called, “You Are What You Eat”. In it, popular British nutritionist Gillian McKeith ambushes some unsuspecting person or family confronting them about their eating habits and how it is changing their life.
Gillian’s manner is to shock the overweight person into a realization of what their eating habits are doing to them both on the outside and inside. As a demonstration of the craziness of their diet, she has someone keep a one-week log of all that they are eating and then duplicates the week’s meal plan by laying everything out on a table for them to see. The realization of all the bad food choices that the person has made is enough to put some into tears as they realize what they are doing. For the inside test, she obtains a blood and stool sample for analysis. The analysis always points to what has already been suspected. If a person is constantly tired, she can tell by the lack of vitamin b. Other symptoms such as acne, dry skin, flu and cold can be seen in the analysis by noticing the lack of essential vitamins and minerals.
After the initial shock eat person is placed on a diet that lasts 8-weeks. In this time, they have to replace their bad diet with a good diet that Gillian puts together. They also have to begin exercising. The new diet is extremely hard to take for each person who was accustomed to a diet of coke, coffee, hotdogs and ice cream. Now replaced by water, orange juice, green, red and orange vegetables and fruits.
After 8-weeks, the participants have usually lost a fair amount of weight and start to look much more radiant than when she first found them. I have to give Gillian McKeith and her show an A; this is a great watch for everyone that suspects that they are not eating as good as they should and would recommend that everyone watch it.
Gillian’s manner is to shock the overweight person into a realization of what their eating habits are doing to them both on the outside and inside. As a demonstration of the craziness of their diet, she has someone keep a one-week log of all that they are eating and then duplicates the week’s meal plan by laying everything out on a table for them to see. The realization of all the bad food choices that the person has made is enough to put some into tears as they realize what they are doing. For the inside test, she obtains a blood and stool sample for analysis. The analysis always points to what has already been suspected. If a person is constantly tired, she can tell by the lack of vitamin b. Other symptoms such as acne, dry skin, flu and cold can be seen in the analysis by noticing the lack of essential vitamins and minerals.
After the initial shock eat person is placed on a diet that lasts 8-weeks. In this time, they have to replace their bad diet with a good diet that Gillian puts together. They also have to begin exercising. The new diet is extremely hard to take for each person who was accustomed to a diet of coke, coffee, hotdogs and ice cream. Now replaced by water, orange juice, green, red and orange vegetables and fruits.
After 8-weeks, the participants have usually lost a fair amount of weight and start to look much more radiant than when she first found them. I have to give Gillian McKeith and her show an A; this is a great watch for everyone that suspects that they are not eating as good as they should and would recommend that everyone watch it.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
New Year's Resolutions - Five tips to succeed
See Speedy Sneakers Blog Five tips to succeeed in your New Years Resolutions
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Exercise Won’t Make You Thin – Part 4 (Final)
This will be out final response to Gary Taubes book, I want to let the readers of this blog who may be intrigued by the notion that exercise will not make you thinner know that there are many unknowns that authors, scientists and trainers just do not know about.
These unknowns are how the body reacts to changes provided by various stimuli placed on it. For instance, when we train, we build muscle; this is the body’s way of reacting to the increased stress placed upon it. Our muscles begin to adapt and change to handle the increased workload. The body does this so that it can cope and manage. If it were not so, it would just give up. The body is not like this, it is like an animal it wants to survive and so it makes changes.
Scientists will tell you that we do know how the body changes when certain elements such as added training are placed on it. Largely, they are right, however there is not enough information to know how everybody will react, and the truth is we do not all react in the same way. To make a broad statement that exercise will not make you thinner is too early and unnecessary. In fact, I would love to know what thinner is, has this been adequately defined?
Lastly, through the Speedy Sneakers Walking and Running Clubs for women I have been a very big proponent that the mission of the club should be to promote health and fitness through walking and running activities. I also have tried to explain in non-medical terms that I believe that a person that looks overweight may in fact be healthy and fit. We have all seen the woman that is “big boned” that can run a 5km race in 25 minutes. Is she unfit, probably not? Health and fitness does not mean that you weight 90 pounds and look like a supermodel. Inside you can be healthy if you eat right and outside you can be physically fit by training your heart, lungs and muscles to cope with the stresses placed on them through adequate doses of exercise.
My point in responding to this article is that you should do two things if you are medically able to handle it. Firstly, you should eat a well balanced diet of meats, vegetables, fruits, certain fats and starches. Remember I said well balanced. Secondly, you should exercise moderately and consistently. Over time, regardless of how you will look, you should by all accounts be healthy and fit and that is how it should be, not what Hollywood says you should look because that is all just fake.
These unknowns are how the body reacts to changes provided by various stimuli placed on it. For instance, when we train, we build muscle; this is the body’s way of reacting to the increased stress placed upon it. Our muscles begin to adapt and change to handle the increased workload. The body does this so that it can cope and manage. If it were not so, it would just give up. The body is not like this, it is like an animal it wants to survive and so it makes changes.
Scientists will tell you that we do know how the body changes when certain elements such as added training are placed on it. Largely, they are right, however there is not enough information to know how everybody will react, and the truth is we do not all react in the same way. To make a broad statement that exercise will not make you thinner is too early and unnecessary. In fact, I would love to know what thinner is, has this been adequately defined?
Lastly, through the Speedy Sneakers Walking and Running Clubs for women I have been a very big proponent that the mission of the club should be to promote health and fitness through walking and running activities. I also have tried to explain in non-medical terms that I believe that a person that looks overweight may in fact be healthy and fit. We have all seen the woman that is “big boned” that can run a 5km race in 25 minutes. Is she unfit, probably not? Health and fitness does not mean that you weight 90 pounds and look like a supermodel. Inside you can be healthy if you eat right and outside you can be physically fit by training your heart, lungs and muscles to cope with the stresses placed on them through adequate doses of exercise.
My point in responding to this article is that you should do two things if you are medically able to handle it. Firstly, you should eat a well balanced diet of meats, vegetables, fruits, certain fats and starches. Remember I said well balanced. Secondly, you should exercise moderately and consistently. Over time, regardless of how you will look, you should by all accounts be healthy and fit and that is how it should be, not what Hollywood says you should look because that is all just fake.
Friday, December 28, 2007
Exercise Won’t Make You Thin – Part 3
We continue to look at the article, “The New Diet Foods”, written by Gary Taubes which provides some highlights of his new book, “Good Calories, Bad Calories: Challenging the Conventional Wisdom on Diet, Weight Control and Disease”. The article can be found in the January 2008 issue of Ladies’ Home Journal.
Today we look at the statement that, “exercise is not a way to lose weight. In fact, it will just make you hungry”. This is true; exercise creates a strong appetitive, and one that has to be met in order to replace what has been lost through sweat. Muscles and bones need the nutrients found in food to get stronger. In fact, Gary Taubes does recognize that there are definite health benefits found in exercise, such as stronger muscles and bones. Food is what helps those muscles get stronger by providing essential minerals that aid in their rebuilding and strength.
Here is the problem with Gary Taubes’ statement. What are you eating when you finish exercising? Are you eating hordes of carbs, and sugars? Are you eating fruits and vegetables that provide the “good” sugars and starches?
If you are going to exercise to loose weight then you have to follow through by eating the right kinds of foods, this is just as essential as exercising. You need to take care of the inside of your body just as you do the outside. I am a firm believer that you should have reasonable portions of the food groups, as depicted in the food guide pyramid. My overall belief is that eating amongst these foods, reasonably and sensibly and along with moderate amounts of exercise will help you over time to loose weight.
I suppose the danger of articles is this, that we live in a “now society”. I want it now, the great job, and the perfect body. For all those that are reading this. Loosing weight is a discipline that can take time. I realize that there are some who can shed weight very quickly while it can take others much longer. Be patient and be disciplined and motivated and you will reach you goal, just give it a little time.
Best of luck
Today we look at the statement that, “exercise is not a way to lose weight. In fact, it will just make you hungry”. This is true; exercise creates a strong appetitive, and one that has to be met in order to replace what has been lost through sweat. Muscles and bones need the nutrients found in food to get stronger. In fact, Gary Taubes does recognize that there are definite health benefits found in exercise, such as stronger muscles and bones. Food is what helps those muscles get stronger by providing essential minerals that aid in their rebuilding and strength.
Here is the problem with Gary Taubes’ statement. What are you eating when you finish exercising? Are you eating hordes of carbs, and sugars? Are you eating fruits and vegetables that provide the “good” sugars and starches?
If you are going to exercise to loose weight then you have to follow through by eating the right kinds of foods, this is just as essential as exercising. You need to take care of the inside of your body just as you do the outside. I am a firm believer that you should have reasonable portions of the food groups, as depicted in the food guide pyramid. My overall belief is that eating amongst these foods, reasonably and sensibly and along with moderate amounts of exercise will help you over time to loose weight.
I suppose the danger of articles is this, that we live in a “now society”. I want it now, the great job, and the perfect body. For all those that are reading this. Loosing weight is a discipline that can take time. I realize that there are some who can shed weight very quickly while it can take others much longer. Be patient and be disciplined and motivated and you will reach you goal, just give it a little time.
Best of luck
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
