Exercise and Weight Loss Lesson of the Week: Do you support your own goals?

Losing weight is hard enough, but it's even harder when you don't have a good support system around you. For example, you put together a fresh salad, grilled chicken and a side of whole grains so whole-grainy, you're wondering if it's possible to overdose on fiber.

You plate your meal, already proud of the sheer number of nutrients you are about to ingest when your spouse walks in and shouts, "Honey, I brought home pizza!" Your response is so instant, so primal, you actually have no memory of what happened to that lovely chicken dish, much less how your face ended up in the middle of a deep dish pizza.

That support is important, but we can't always control what our spouses do (though we never really stop trying, do we?). However, there are things we can control, things that, if left unchecked, make it that much harder to stay on track: Your pantry - That bag of Doritoes that stares at you (perhaps even winks at you seductively) every time you open the door doesn't care about what size pants you want to fit into or the fact that your doctor threatened high cholesterol medication if you don't lose weight. It's a known fact that temptation is easier to resist if it isn't there (or, at the very least, hidden where you'll never find it). Your scale - It may surprise you that an inanimate object can be so hateful, but the scale isn't always your friend. In fact, your scale may lie to you regularly, telling you you're not making progress, even when you are. If your scale makes you cry on a regular basis, it may be time to break up with it and find a less destructive relationship. Your workouts - Sometimes, even our workouts work against us. Perhaps they're too long to fit into the time we have, so we skip them. Or maybe they include things we don't like, making them more unpleasant than they have to be. We often try to force our lives to fit the workout schedule we're 'supposed' to follow, rather than fitting exercise into the lives we already have. Unfortunately, having an amazing workout program guaranteed to help you lose weight doesn't matter if you never follow it. A supportive workout program means one you can stick to most of the time.

What do you think? Have you set up an environment that supports your goals or have you sabotaged yourself in some way? Leave a comment and tell me about your experiences.

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Exercise and Weight Loss Lesson of the Week: Everything Counts

We often have a lot of rules about what 'counts' as a workout. These rules will differ from person to person, depending on the amount and type of information you've absorbed over the years - often without even realizing it.

For a lot of us, a workout only counts if it involves: A change of clothes, time, sweat, burning, heaving, swearing and, of course, pain and suffering.
It's true that, if you really want to change your body, you have to work at it and it usually involves more exercise and more intensity than you think.

However, there's way to burn calories that doesn't involve sweating, burning or suffering and something we often forget about: Simple movement.

We know that simply standing up can have a lovely effect on our metabolisms and we also know that NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis) is one of the simplest ways to add to your overall weight loss. This becomes even more important on those days when you can't fit in a workout that 'counts.' Is going for a walk or taking the stairs a few times going to burn as many calories as, say, a 4-mile run? No. But it will definitely burn more calories than sitting.

Yes, structured, focus workouts are important but, even if you can't fit in a workout, you can make a difference by staying active. Every time you stand instead of sit, walk instead of stand, move instead of vegetate, you're doing something important and it all counts.

What do you think? Do you often skip workouts if you don't have time? Do you feel like you have to do a certain thing for your workouts to 'count'? Leave a comment and tell us what you think.

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We All Need To Play Hooky Sometimes

I was at the grocery store recently and saw a woman pushing her small son down the cereal aisle. When she put a big box of something that looked brown, stick-like and healthy into the cart, the boy picked it up and dropped it on the floor. She tried again. The boy did it again. "James," she said calmly, "Please let Mommy put that in the cart."

"No." The boy said, then pointed to a box of cereal with a giant cookie pictured on the front. "I want that."

The mom looked at the colorful box, sighed from somewhere deep in her soul and said wistfully, "I do too."

This reminded me that being an adult can be a real drag sometimes. Being a healthy adult? Doubles (maybe even triples) the drag factor. Not only do you have to take care of your life (and work, kids, house, dog, cat, etc.), but you have to do it with a salad in one hand and a set of weights in the other...while jogging.

So, what happens when you never take a break from all that responsibility? Your mind becomes like that stubborn child, not only refusing to accede to your demands, but potentially sending you on a reckless salad-free, exercise-free bender.

We all need time to breathe, time to enjoy a few moments in life without monitoring every movement, every bite, every calorie. Time to play a little hooky from being so Healthy and Responsible.

Some signs you need to play hooky: Salad Fatigue - When one more bite, even one glance of a piece of lettuce sends you over the edge Exercise Fear and Loathing - When even the sight of your workout clothes invokes a fiery hatred, the intensity of which rivals a thousand suns Murderous Fantasies - When you find yourself daydreaming about firebombing your food journal, mashing your oh-so-carefully cut vegetables into an unrecognizable pulp, then driving recklessly to the nearest Chick-Fil-A.

Scheduling a break before you have a meltdown gives you the power to plan exactly what you will (or won't do) and savor every minute...without guilt. You can take up to a week off from exercise without losing your fitness and, sometimes, just a day off (or even a meal or two off) from calorie-counting can help you keep going without falling off the wagon.

What do you think? Does planning breaks from exercise and/or healthy eating keep you on track? How do you avoid a complete exercise meltdown? Leave a comment and tell me how you play hooky.

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