February 3, 2010
Recently my friend, an exercise physiologist, and I attended a talk on a weight loss clinical trial at WF given by Dr. Larry Appel, a very prominent physician/researcher from Johns Hopkins. Dr. Appel is best known for established the link between sodium intake and hypertension. I may be* biased, but I consider Hopkins to be one of the premier institutions in public health, and I tend to put a lot of stock in the research that comes from this fine institution.
What most stuck with me from Dr. Appel’s talk was his reply to a question about whether or not physicians should offer their patients a “menu” of options when it comes to weight loss strategies. Many people might have agreed with this, reasoning that tailoring an approach to an individual’s lifestyle, preferences or energy would be a great way to increase the likelihood that they would comply with the prescription. Dr. Appel had a surprising and interesting reply.
He said that as much as he would like that option to be feasible, when you got right down to it, there are many things that people want to do to lose weight that are ineffective, and many things that they don’t want to do that are proven very effective. Specifically, he mentioned calorie counting – an activity that many people really passionately dislike doing but something that is incredibly supported by research as an effective and safe means of weight loss.
Did I mention I consider Hopkins people to be the best?
At this point, I looked over at the investigator of the research grant I work on who was giving me a look as if to say “Soooo, you haven’t been making this stuff up all along?”
***
Leaving the talk, my friend and I discussed the validity of this comment and how important it was to be direct with people about what works, even when they don’t want to hear it. (See: my love for Jillian Michaels and her unwavering ability to do this.) From there, we started talking about the many, many different reasons we’ve heard from people about why they are “unable” to exercise or commit to weight loss behaviors. We were doubled over laughing at some of the gems we’ve heard throughout the years – excuses we wonder if the person delivering them even believed.
About a year ago, my friend and I decided to test run a new exercise program. She designed it, and we used ourselves as guinea pigs for four months. It was the best shape I’ve ever been in in my life. It was so effective, we were able to implement it as a pilot study on a small group of people. Only we used the time we had set aside for our workout as the time we ran our exercise program.
You see where this is going right?
Fast forward to one year later. I’ve added in training a dog with separation anxiety and increasing the hours I’ve spent building my coaching practice, she added in a new boyfriend and getting her house ready to get on the market. Our laughter about our clients’ excuse turned to silence when one of us voiced out loud what we were both concluding:
It’s all too easy to claim you’re too busy to exercise (or eat right, or food log, or grocery shop, or cook…). What’s really going on though, is that you’re simply no longer making it a priority.
This was a sobering thought for us. Both of us identified ourselves as exercisers, we had both done our undergraduate and master’s work in the field of health and wellness, and we both worked DAILY to promote these behaviors. After a decade of consistent, regular exercise, we were both dismayed to admit we’d dropped off to probably half of our normal routine.
The car remained quiet the rest of our ride home.
***
Later that day, I got to thinking about this conversation. I realized how uncomfortable it made me to say, out loud, “exercise has not been my priority.” I had been saying I was too busy, but that wasn’t the real truth. Raising a dog and running a practice were just two puzzle pieces of my life. The truth was I had just chosen to make other things a priority, whether it was an extra hour of working, sleeping, reading a book, or sadly enough, watching TV or browsing Facebook. I had simply ceased to make exercise a priority.
As this truth sunk in, I felt extremely uncomfortable. But I realized this is exactly what my brain needed to hear. Not my priority?? I like exercising. Even more importantly, I love the results – the strength, the energy, the confidence, and hey, the way my jeans fit. I promote exercise to others. Of course, it is my priority. Saying these words out loud was the kick in the pants I needed to take action on it. Exercise is my priority, and reminding myself of that begins to bring my actions in alignment with my values.
Sure, there’s some valid reasons to not exercise (or whatever goal you’re trying to set.) Maybe you just had a newborn and sleep is your priority. Maybe you’ve got a gravely ill family member who needs round the clock attention and care right now. A broken ankle? Sure, make the couch all yours. A flooded house? Take a few weeks off. But when you get right down to it, to the very core of it, there are very few reasons why you can’t exercise. The truth is that it’s just not your priority.
And that might be okay with you! Try saying that out loud. If it doesn’t really bother you to hear that, it’s okay. You don’t have to exercise. (I could list you a bajillion reasons why you might want to… but if you’re willing to accept the consequences of not exercising, then acknowledging that it’s not your priority is okay.)
But if it does make you uncomfortable, sit with that awhile. Change is hard. But change won’t occur until the place you’re currently hanging out in has become more painful than making that actual change. If you want to make exercise your priority, become uncomfortable with the fact that you aren’t, rather than sweeping it under the rug with “busy.”
And the day came with the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” – Anais Nin
(*May be? I am most definitely biased, as it is my graduate “alma mater.” I promise to try and not that influence me, but I do love them Hopkins folks.)
January 6, 2010
I have a standing date every Tuesday night – with my remote, my kleenex and TV’s toughest trainers. I know I’m not the only viewer glued to my couch, cringing as Jillian screams at the pukers or choking back tears as contestants tell their stories. For me, it’s not just entertainment - this is a TV show that teaches and educates and inspires people on the very thing I am most passionate about. Despite my annoyances with the product placement (ENOUGH on the Ziploc bags) and the small fact that the amount of weights they are losing aren’t *exactly* realistic for the AVerage At Home Joe (a conversation for another day), each episode packs a solid punch of life lessons.
Are you watching season 9? The first night the contestants, no longer averaging in the high 200s, but now weighing in at 300, 400 and 500+ pounds, walked on to the ranch and were immediately pu ton a bicycle. They were told they had to bike 26.2 miles, or run the risk of going home.
Now let’s think about this. If you’re weighing in the 300-400’s, chance are the first thing that crosses your mind when you hear this challenge is “I. Can’t. Do. This.” No way, no how, right?
To have found oneself in such an unhealthy and scary state, I think it’s safe to assume “I can’t do this” is a common refrain.
But going home? To these contestants, desperate for the chance to save their lives on the ranch, that is an even scarier prospect than what 26.2 miles on a bike might feel like. So they pedal, they push, they scream, they sweat. And they do it. (With, ahem, medical staff standing nearby, donttrythisathome/doctorspermission,please.)
When the fear of not doing it becomes greater than the fear of doing it…. or, please allow me to reframe, when the desire to do it becomes greater than the desire to not do it… that is where the magic lies. You can do it. These contestants, in their first two hours on the campus, became blazingly, stunningly aware that their bodies could do more than their mind permitted them to believe.
Yours. Can. Too.
August 17, 2009
When I was in college, nearly every trip to the library was preceded by a trip to the Benson Candy Bins. The Benson Candy Bins were, as the name would lead to assume, candy bins that were in our student center. For the swipe of a student ID card magically linked to the parent funded food account you could walk out with a bag of candy as big as you pleased.
And believe me, I pleased.
Freshmen year, I had two favorites: candy corn and puppy chow. (Or, as us apparently less politically correct Northerners call it, “White Trash.” This is a combination of chex mix, pretzels, peanuts and raisins with melted white chocolate and confectioner’s sugar holding it all together. YEA.) Somewhere in the midst of studying for my Health and Exercise Science major in my second year, I realized that this was probably not a very good habit to have.
So, I switched to trail mix.
Much healthier right? Right. IF I was hiking on a trail. As it turns out, I was not hiking on a trail, I was sitting. For hours on end. Without moving.
And I wondered why I kept gaining weight.
Trail mix is not a bad food, but it’s certainly not a food that one should be consuming one mindless handful after another on a completely sedentary day, especially under the wrongful assumption that it was good for us. But this is true of so many foods – there are so many foods that masquerade as health foods, either by their reputations or their deceptively catchy food label claims. To be good stewards of our own health, it is extremely crucial that we each become aware of what our energy needs are and what type of energy we are supplying ourselves with. Here’s a hint: if you’re not losing weight, it’s because the supply is outweighing the needs!
No one is going to do this for you – at least not yet. Slowly the trend is shifting towards more honest food labeling (restaurants with calories on menus: KUDOS TO YOU!), and even more slowly food labeling becomes more truthful (trans fats on labels, at last.) It is an individual responsibility (or in some cases, a parental responsibility) to educate yourself on what you’re putting into your body.
The other day, someone asked me to help them figure out the calories of the restaurant meal they had had. I started with the basics: “what was in it?”
“Well, I don’t know,” they replied. “I was hoping you could tell me.”
I found this to be a difficult task, given that I was not present when they consumed this food! Moreover, I found this a disturbing (but all too common) comment: I did not know what I just put in my body.
Learn what your body needs and fuel yourself appropriately. While trail mix or granola might be perfect for those days when you decide to pack up the bags and hike the Appalachian, a bag of popcorn or cup of grapes might be more suited for those long library sessions.
Know what you’re putting into your body. Read labels. Start looking up some of those words you don’t recognize.
It’s YOUR body. If you’re not going to figure out what’s going into it, who will?
August 4, 2009
Last week I was coaching one of my favorite clients who I just love for her “a-ha” moments – her eyes light up, and she catches herself saying something that we both know is one of those thoughts that has to be immortalized on paper and looked back on for inspiration at the ready. I was asking her to imagine herself on Oprah 5 years from now, reflecting on her weight loss journey. What lesson would she have taken from this journey? How would she summarize it? Her answer, I could tell, moved both of us.
“I would say it was a journey made decision by decision.”
I LOVE this. I just recently read that we make, on average, 250 decisions a day about food. (Mindless Eating, Brian Wansink, PhD.) 250 decisions! If only we were all so aware as to realize that this journey is made decision by decision.
Today, I was reflecting on the fact that I’ve gotten out of some of my regular habits and I haven’t been feeling my absolute best. The most major change is that since March I’ve been traveling a ton – both for work and for fun – and I haven’t had a really consistent exercise schedule. I realized that I really miss running and lifting on a regular basis. Along with my more erratic exercise schedule, changes in my husband’s schedule as he shifted from medical student to resident have meant that I’m “accountable” to cooking less often and have gotten in a habit of grazing for dinner more often. I’ve never been a huge fan of dinner, but I’m finding that my “eh why bother” attitude has translated to less grocery shopping, thus more eating out and more grabbing whatever is around. (Tonight’s dinner? 2 apples, 1 peach, a bunch of broccoli and a chunk of bread. Eaten over the course of about 3 hours, and I almost didn’t realize I was eating. Result: I’m full but unsatisfied.)
I was out running my dog tonight and the cool night air felt perfect as I slipped through it at a very comfortable running pace. I was enjoying hearing the sound of my feet rhythmically hitting the pavement, and my breath coming in regular, consistent patterns. I thought to myself, “You know, I really need to get back to running regularly. And I should probably get back to my more regular shopping/cooking habits. I need to get back on track. I’ll start tomorrow.”
Heard that quote before? I almost laughed out loud at myself, because I’ve done the “start tomorrow” thing one too many times. Wait a second, COACH? Aren’t you the one who talks about there is no “start” and “stop” or “being good” or “being bad”? Ahh yes, I HAVE uttered those words… just a few hundred times. It’s old programming, and it was easy to fall back into.
There is this pervasive, convoluted thinking that there is a finite “start” and “stop” to the habits that make us the healthy beings we are always striving towards. And I know this because I was there, for a long, long time. And I know this, because I find that if I’m not intentional, that type of thinking worms its way back into my mind and hangs out just begging to be noticed.
I thought of my client. Decision by decision. Here is my next decision: I will run a little bit longer. My next decision? What to pack for lunch. My next decision? When to go to sleep. Decision by decision, I will seek out the healthy behaviors that have, in the past, made me feel my best. The behaviors that are conducive to my best self. There is no start tomorrow, or next week, or after vacation. There is simply “What is my next decision?”
What is your next decision?
June 12, 2009
A few weeks ago, my hubby and I went on vacation to an all-inclusive resort in the Dominican Republic. In exchange for an hour of personal training in the gym, we had an all-access pass to as much sun, sand, seafood buffet and pina coladas we wanted. It was relaxing, peaceful, and way, way overdue. (Thus, the quiet blog these last 2 weeks!)
Sunset in Punta Cana, DR
Interestingly enough, the first question everyone asked me when I got home: “Did you gain any weight?” Okay now, granted, I work day-in and day-out with people trying to lose weight so that’s not that intrusive of a question in my line of work. However it was amusing to me (but not surprising) that for most people that is pretty much a given: Vacation = Weight Gain.
I hated to disappoint those hoping for a little misery loves company, but alas, the only scale I was really worried about was the luggage scale at the US Airways check-in counter. But, I promise you, I still had fun. I still indulged. I still acted as if I was on vacation. Because, I was! And I don’t take a lot of phone unplugged, endless pina coladas, SPF 50 vacations. So trust me, I was on vacation. Yet, I never felt as if my vacation was going to sabotage my healthy lifestyle, which I know, is really a common concern for many. So after I came back, I tried to reflect on what I did that really prevented most of the collateral damage that most vacays do to our weight loss goals. Here are my “vacay philosophies” that help me enjoy vacation without having to come back and do damage control.
1) Eat what you love: Especially true on vacations where food is plentiful, has a great variety and is free – like all-inclusive resorts and cruises. Cruises, especially, can be a weight conscious person’s worst nightmare. Just when you think you’re done eating after a 4 course dinner, they roll out the chocolate buffet at midnight! With food around 24/7, how can you still maintain a semblance of control? The key: portion and discretion. I love food – but I love some food more than others. So when I’m faced with an abundance of choice – like a buffet or a 4-course menu – I try to zone on what I really and truly love, eat those things, and disregard the rest. In case you didn’t pick up on this yet, I love me some coconut flavored, sugar-loaded, rum drinks. What I can live without? Any kind of potato, pasta, bread or rice dish. For me, that’s a no brainer trade. Seek out the foods you really love, and avoid putting calories in your mouth just because they’re there, they’re free and someone else is eating them next to you.
2) On that note, watch the alcohol intake. (And no I don’t mean watch it as the bartender fills up margarita # 5 and marvel at how lovely it looks in your glass with the little salt around the rim.) It’s easy on vacation to get carried away with drinking, because the alarm clock is not going to go off at 5 am, so why not? While I clearly don’t have a problem with spending calories on a mojito or two, I also recognize that too many of them and philosophy #1 goes out the window. Once your inhibitions are lowered, you will eat just because foods there, it’s free and someone else is eating it next to you. Also, know that alcohol is empty calories. It’s calories you consume without any fair trade off to your body – no vitamins, no minerals, no fiber, no omega-3’s… yea, I know red wine has antioxidants in it, but Jose Cuervo does not.
3) Which leads me to my next philosophy: treat your body as kindly as you’re treating your mind. You’re on vacation because you recognize that in order to be a happy, functioning, well-balanced member of society you need a little R&R from time to time. In other words, I assume you’re on vacation because you recognize that relaxing is good for you. Keep that motivation in mind – that you’re taking care of you – when it comes to food choices. Nourish your body with fruit and veggies, with whole wheat choices when available, and by drinking lots and lots of water. Your mind will feel even more refreshed when your body feels good too.
4) And the main reason vacation doesn’t blow my healthy living efforts out the window: this is a lifestyle. I plan to do all the things I do today to keep myself healthy for the rest of my life, God willing. One week, ten days, however long your vacation is – can’t undo everything you have learned and committed to for healthy living. I believe the reason vacation has earned such a Weight Loss Sabotage rep is that people come back from vacation, think “I BLEW IT!!!,” go into crisis mode, and fail to get back on track right away. A week later, you’re still panicking and telling yourself how bad you screwed up and now it feels like an even deeper hole to come out of it. If I had to give you one parting suggestion for how to survive vacation and stay maintain a healthy lifestyle, it would be to be conscious of the idea that no one week can take away any progress you’ve made or can deter you from continuing forward on your weight loss journey if you’ve committed to a lifestyle change. So if you forget strategies #1-3 (forget, ignore, whatever…), commit to #4. The day you arrive home and put down your suitcase, pick up immediately where you left off before going on vacation. Remind yourself that any changes on the scale are due to the change in your routine, and that once you resume your normal healthy lifestyle, the effects will be reversed. In other words: stay calm and get back on track.
Losing weight is not about putting your life on hold until you reach a certain goal. A successful weight loss strategy is one that will survive every event life offers – including, and especially, holidays, celebrations and vacations. With some “mental preparation” you can easily go on vacation and maintain the progress you are making towards your healthy goals.
Chocolate Coconut Mousse ... Definitely Vacation Food!
May 12, 2009
If you’ve ever felt guilty for hitting the snooze button and getting an extra 30 minutes of sleep instead of going to the gym, do I have some good news for you! Turns out your instincts for extra sleep may have not been a far cry off the radar for getting healthy. There’s been an increasing body of evidence that have pointed us more and more towards seeing there is a strong link between sufficient REM cycles and fitting into your skinny jeans. Good news for people who love pillow time.
The link is being explored in a number of different ways. The first is obvious: lifestyle choices. Think about the last time you stayed up way too late – maybe it was a late night for your final exams in law school, maybe it was to pick up a family member at the airport from a delayed flight, or maybe it was to catch the latest marathon of House Hunters. (Or yes, you work nights or have a small, helpless, hungry infant in your life who needs you at wee hours of the morning – slightly more legitimate than HGTV marathons.) Tell me, the next day, how raring and ready were you to get a great work out in? What types of foods did you crave? How positive was your mood?
It’s rare the person who thinks clearly, chooses wisely, and focuses well on 2-3 hours sleep less than what they need. Burn the oil til midnight with the alarm clock going off at 5 am, and you might find that pull towards an ooey gooey Cinnamon Crunch Panera bagel is a whole lot stronger than fixing yourself an egg white omelet with salsa and some whole wheat toast. It’s not that you need more carbs, but your sleep-deprived fuzzy brain is confusing it’s lack of energy and sending you on a manhunt for all things quick-boost-energy. Is the HOT NOW sign on, or am I just hallucinating?
We also experience a number of hormonal changes that drive the choices we make and can impede the weight loss we’re working towards. For starters, the hormone Ghrelin, which I like to affectionately refer to as the Gremlin in my tummy, revs up when we’re sleep deprived. A revved up Gremlin means a revved up appetite. Along with the increase of Ghrelin, sleep deprivation leads to an depression of leptin. Leptin’s job is to tell you when enough is enough. In other words, it signals then brain when to stop eating. Imagine, an increased appetite and a decreased signal of fullness. You get the picture!
The final piece of the hormonal puzzle is the increase in the hormone cortisol. I highlighted the role of cortisol here, and guess what folks? Not getting enough sleep provokes that same stressful response as the saber tooth tiger chase back in our caveman days. Yet, according to the National Sleep Foundation, 63% of people are sleep deprived. The normalcy of this behavior downplays the stressful impact it can take on our well-being. In fact, in many circles I’ve traveled in, being sleep deprived is a rite of passage, or even bragging rights! Forgive me for not understanding, but there’s few things that make me happier than not needing a drip line of Dunkin to get me running!
In all fairness, I’ll confess that I have a strong bias for this topic. Anyone who knows me well knows that I love sleep and I’ll go to some pretty great lengths to protect it. (Just ask my softball team where my loyalties lay when we were scheduled for a 10 pm play off game. I showed up only when my 6:15 am appointment the next day called and canceled.) I’ve learned this route the hard way, as a reformed “zombie.” Throughout most of my school years, I’d stay up as late as humanely possible, then wake up at the crack of day to get to the gym. I still look back with shame on the image of my sleeping head on a desk in many of my high school classes. (Most sincere apologies to Senor Balsch, Mr. P, and Mr. Boardman. I assure you it had nothing to do with your teaching style.) Like a reformed smoker, once I knew the errors of my way, I’ve been quick to get on the bullhorn and let the world know about the power and impact of sufficient sleep.
The research is there, and it’s even tapping into some of the hardest hit groups: new mommas. A 2008 study conducted by Kaiser Permanante found that 6 months after delivering, mothers who were sleeping less than 5 hours a day were more likely to be retaining at least 10 pounds of extra body weight than the lucky moms getting 5 or more. (Disclaimer: I don’t have babies, and I have no idea what it takes to get more than 5 hours of sleep as a mom. So don’t shoot the messenger, my blearly eyed mommas readers out there!)
In case you’re wondering, the NSF defines sleep deprivation as getting 8 hours of sleep or less. I tend to believe that we’re all hard-wired differently and most “well rested” people I know average between 6-8 hours a night. (Survey sample: close family and friends. Very scientific.) If you’re not getting that and you think it may be affecting your health, examine your night time habits to figure out how to get a few more REM cycles.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins recommend these other tried and true methods for increasing your Zzz’s:
- Limit caffeine use to before 3 pm and moderate alcohol after dinner. (You’ll fall asleep easier but as the buzz wears off, your sleep is less restful.)
- Avoid rigorous exercise in the late evening hours.
- Try to get up at the same time every morning, even if you go to sleep earlier.
(I don’t full abide by this rule, as most week days mornings I wake up at 4:50 am. On the weekends, I try to get up the first time my body wakes up naturally, whatever time that is.)
- Use your bedroom for bed-only related activities. And no, that does not include catching up on Jeopardy and having some cheese and crackers under the sheets.
- Lose weight. (Yes I know, that’s why we’re here!) Increased weight around the neck and chest can impair oxygen to the brain, a condition known as sleep apnea. As a survival mechanism, you actually wake up periodically throughout the night to jump start respiration. Frequent mini-wakes up can add up to big time sleep deprivation.
So the next time you find your arm snaking towards that snooze button, forget the guilt. Listen to the message from your body. If you truly need more sleep, take more sleep. (Just don’t forget to show up for work, or feed the dogs/children/spouse, meet your trainer, or go to your doctor’s appointment… or come to MY CLASS…whatever it is you’re doing that morning.) If you find that you’re constantly reaching for the snooze, re-evaluate your sleeping patterns on the other end.
An extra hour of sleep a night be the difference of ten pounds a year, according to research using the Nurses Health Study in 2006. Ten pounds? I’ll take it. And the extra sleep.
February 15, 2009
My parents were here today visiting and we got to talking about weight loss, nutrition and exercise. This wasn’t too out of the ordinary for me – give me an opening and I’ll talk weight loss til my audience has glazed eyes and boredom written all over their face. Being my parents, they naturally have a greater tolerance for my ramblings about my job/obsession with all things weight loss. We got to talking this morning about the role that exercise plays in weight loss.
Before I start, I should tell you I’m an exerciser. I love exercising and have reaped the benefits of running and strength training for years now. But, if I’m being honest, I’ve got some major, major beef with exercising. Mainly in that it tends to have a reputation of being a panacea for all our bad nutrition habits. As in, “oh I overindulged today? Well, I’ll just work it off tomorrow.”
Exercise has a tremendously important role in our health and I’ll continue to sing it’s praises. But in my experience, when we’re talking straight up weight loss, it’s only drives maybe 20-30% of the results. (Unless you’re doing Biggest Loser style marathon days in the gym. I know I’m not!) Cleaning up your eating habits is the KEY to long term weight loss. All the hours logged in at the gym can be quickly erased if they’re not coupled with good eating habits.
Here’s the why, at least in my own humble opinion.
1. We tend to overestimate our workouts. I’ll be the first to think that I’ve run my absolute hardest, longest run ever – I just know I broke new records… only to come home and realize that I ran it an eleven minute pace. Bummer. My favorite example of this? Recently I signed up to do a local walk that benefited arthritis. The walk was fairly short – a little over three miles. I wasn’t expecting hard core power walking, but the walk was merely a stroll through some (gorgeous) county park. When it was all over, Krispy Kreme donuts were passed out for all to enjoy. I saw people grab two or three donuts to go as the sentiment “Well, I earned this!” was tossed around with jovial relief. Not quite an equal give and take. Even the calculators on the machines at the gym tend to overestimate the caloric burn, especially those that don’t ask for your gender and age.
2. We tend to underestimate (and forget) our intake. Unless you’re measuring and weighing (and logging) all that you take in, it’s easy to underestimate portion sizes and forget about little nibbles here and there. (The BLTs, as Weight Watchers, call them. The “bites, licks, and tastes” that are each usually 25-30 calories. A couple of those a day quickly negate 20 minutes on the elliptical.)
3. The “reward” mentality. I often find that on days when I work out, I find myself thinking “I earned that” when it comes to sweets and treats I would probably normally pass up. Most interesting to me has been in the years I’ve worked with groups and individuals, there rarely is a vast difference between those who are exercising moderately and those who aren’t, in regards to weight loss. (Differences in many other health markers are found, but purely weight loss – nope.) My suspicion is the “I earned that” mentality comes into play with the exercising group, even subconsciously.
4. Yes, of course… I know which one you’re waiting for me to mention. You worked out, you are hungrier. It’s true – when you work out, you do feel hungrier afterwards. The key is knowing how much you worked out, so you can compare that to how much more you take in. It sort of defeats the purpose to go run 3 miles, and then on that runner’s high go grab a 300+ calorie bagel and a 180 calorie orange juice. Bye bye, exercise calorie deficit. Determining what foods are going to be filling and replenishing after a work out is a bit of an art and a science, but will help with those little extra hunger pangs you feel post work out.
So, should you exercise to lose weight? A hundred, thousand percent yes. But if you only exercise, will you lose weight? Not very likely. (Depends on how hard and consistently you work out.) Remember that exercise is just one piece of the puzzle, and a smaller one than it gets credit for. Overlooking the importance of eating well, or over inflating the saving grace of a good workout on our waistlines, is possibly one of the greatest weight loss blunders.
Keep working out, by all means. But when you’re giving 100% in the gym, remember that it has to be matched by 100% in the kitchen to get the best results you can get.
December 16, 2008
Sleep deprivation: it’s not just for new moms anymore.
Are eye bags becoming trendy? Is sleepy the new skinny? I find more and more of my clients talking about not getting enough sleep lately. Seeing both the 11 o’clock news and then catching the 5 am show is not a feat about which to brag! While I could write a novella to praise the power of sleep in all facets of life, I’ll keep this short and focused on the one thing I am here to talk about: weight loss.
Does your sleep affect your weight loss? You bet! When I ask my groups what kind of foods they crave when they’re tired, no one yells out “CARROT STICKS!” No apples, no pears, no walnuts, no lightly broiled salmon with a squeeze of lemon. Without fail, the room is filled with a rousing reply of “SUGAR!” Sugar and carbs. When your energy wanes, your mind and body call out for the quickest pick me up possible, which rarely comes packaged with any fiber, protein, calcium or any other body-happy nutrients.
When your mind is fuzzy with fatigue, your decision making powers also seem to move in slow motion. “Hmm, what would a low-calorie but filling snack option be?” barely has time to be processed before “mmffmmff gooood muffin. yummmm” speeds right pas it.
Need more proof that sleep is the new weight loss tool? Time to get science-y then. A 2004 study with over 1,000 participants found that reduced sleep was linked to an increase of the hormone, ghrelin. Ghrelin is a hormone responsible for increased appetite and fat production. Another study found that getting less than 4 hours of sleep just two nights in a row increased blood levels of ghrelin by 28%!
Staying up late to wrap those holiday presents? Expect to hear that gremlin growling in your stomach. Sleep doesn’t just help you make good decisions and minimize cravings for high-calorie, low-nutrient foods. Sleep takes a toll on your appetite and your weight. So, the next time you hit the snooze button, enjoy both sweet dreams AND extra health!
Food For Thought: Make sleep part of your healthy lifestyle priority. Take stock of your average hours of sleep each night. The same study in 2004 found a relationship between an increased body mass index for those who slept less than seven to eight hours. Not even close to getting the recommended shut eye? Try adding 20 minutes on each week. Reduce your afternoon caffeine intake, begin dimming your house lights and stay off the computer an hour before bed to get your body to begin preparing for sleep.
Sleep deprivation: it’s not just for new moms anymore.
Are eye bags becoming trendy? Is sleepy the new skinny? I find more and more of my clients talking about not getting enough sleep lately. Seeing both the 11 o’clock news and then catching the 5 am show is not a feat about which to brag! While I could write a novella to praise the power of sleep in all facets of life, I’ll keep this short and focused on the one thing I am here to talk about: weight loss.
Does your sleep affect your weight loss? You bet! When I ask my groups what kind of foods they crave when they’re tired, no one yells out “CARROT STICKS!” No apples, no pears, no walnuts, no lightly broiled salmon with a squeeze of lemon. Without fail, the room is filled with a rousing reply of “SUGAR!” Sugar and carbs. When your energy wanes, your mind and body call out for the quickest pick me up possible, which rarely comes packaged with any fiber, protein, calcium or any other body-happy nutrients.
When your mind is fuzzy with fatigue, your decision making powers also seem to move in slow motion. “Hmm, what would a low-calorie but filling snack option be?” barely has time to be processed before “mmffmmff gooood muffin. yummmm” speeds right pas it.
Need more proof that sleep is the new weight loss tool? Time to get science-y then. A 2004 study with over 1,000 participants found that reduced sleep was linked to an increase of the hormone, ghrelin. Ghrelin is a hormone responsible for increased appetite and fat production. Another study found that getting less than 4 hours of sleep just two nights in a row increased blood levels of ghrelin by 28%!
Staying up late to wrap those holiday presents? Expect to hear that gremlin growling in your stomach. Sleep doesn’t just help you make good decisions and minimize cravings for high-calorie, low-nutrient foods. Sleep takes a toll on your appetite and your weight. So, the next time you hit the snooze button, enjoy both sweet dreams AND extra health!
Food For Thought: Make sleep part of your healthy lifestyle priority. Take stock of your average hours of sleep each night. The same study in 2004 found a relationship between an increased body mass index for those who slept less than seven to eight hours. Not even close to getting the recommended shut eye? Try adding 20 minutes on each week. Reduce your afternoon caffeine intake, begin dimming your house lights and stay off the computer an hour before bed to get your body to begin preparing for sleep.
October 31, 2008
Dear Readers,
I lied to you in my last blog post and I’m sorry.
Well not really sorry. I lied to you on purpose to see if any of you would raise up in arms. You didn’t, which either means there’s less of you than I think or my lie was just subtle enough to slip by. What did I lie about?
The ease of calorie reduction. I said something along the lines of reducing calories through what you eat is easier than reducing calories through exercise. Now has anyone actually tried reducing the amount of calories that you eat every day? Was it easy?
(I’ve got about 3 clients out there scratching there head going “umm yeah… it was….”) For the rest of us real lifers, reducing your caloric intake by 500 may sound easier than jogging an hour every day but we all know in real life, change is rarely so easy.
Our decision to put xyz food in our mouth is a complex one. It’s driven by hunger, it’s driven by emotions, by sights, by cues of our friends, family, colleagues and random strangers on public transportation, by traditions, by values, by hormonal changes, by whims, by coercion… you name it. This is why I firmly believe in the power of coaching. (And not just by me, but I am pretty good.) A coach can be anyone – your best pal Shelia, your Uncle Leo, your doting wife… or it can be a professional someone – a personal trainer, a nutritionist, a coach, a therapist, a physican.
The truth is is that untangling the complex web of eating decisions is a journey. You’ll make one enlightened step forward and tumble two confusing “why did I do that” steps backward. It will at times be exciting as you discover your own sense of understanding and confidence, but it will also be fraught with frustration and disappointment. Having someone or a team of someones to hold your hand is not just a nice idea, it’s a neccesity.
Food For Thought: If you were going to run a marathon, would you sign up for the one that boasts spectators and bands playing at every mile or the one that promises crickets chirping and silent, barren landscape? Too much time in your head on a long journey is not good for anyone. Are you ready to tackle your weight loss marathon? Round up your spectators, let them know where you need them to stand and make sure when you hear them cheering loud and clear you give them a big ol thanks so they’ll keep on cheering.
Let me say this one more time: You. Need. Support.
Stay tuned for more on untangling that messy web of eating cues I just introduced. That’s where we’re going next. (Get your spectators ready if you think you want to dig in to your own cues!)
