I write this entry after a great run with my dog, Zeebo. One of the definite perks of living in San Antonio is running in early March in a t-shirt and shorts. A friend of mine lives in Duluth and I have thought of her each night this week as I watch the TV weatherman circle his arms and gesture animatedly over the arctic weather still swirling about in the crazy-cold regions of her state. Here in San Antonio we are beginning to experience the first hints of Spring--wildflowers are starting to bloom along the roadside, the air hints at the blossoming mountain laurel and the squirrels are out in force, driving my dog nuts. I am fortunate to live near a wooded trail which serves as a great meditative place for me while I run or walk and offers endless opportunity for adventure for Zeebo--squirrels to chase, armadillos (yes, armadillos!) to sniff out and countless bushes to, as a neighbor says, check on his "pee-mail."
For me, Spring signals a time of emergence: the beautiful mornings and warm days beckon us to come play; to go outside and bask in the beauty of the day. Remember back in elementary school when math class seemed endless during this season? You longed to be outside scrambling up the jungle gym or pumping your legs and arms hard on the playground swing. Spring also signals a time of letting go of the old stuff to make room for the new. Who hasn't been caught up in some form of Spring cleaning in the past? The animals in my household are busy shedding their winter fur to lighten up for the warm months ahead. Spring is also the time when some folks begin to take stock of the hibernation weight they padded on over the cold nights of winter. They scan their calendars with alarm in the realization that summer is only 16 WEEKS away and they too, should "lighten" up for the soaring temperatures ahead.
Many well-intentioned folks vow to really and truly begin an exercise program this month. "This is it," they say, "I am going to lose this spare tire before June 1" and they really mean what they say. They start their exercise regime, throw out the cookies and chips and stock up on fruits, veggies and whole wheat crackers. All is good for a while, but similar to what happens a few weeks after New Year's, many people plop back on the couch, snack away on buttery microwave popcorn while cheering a team on TV engaged in exercise, and later that night, feel crummy about not being able to stick with a plan to get healthy.
So what happens?
Since I won't propose to know each and every person's reasons for not being able to stick to such a plan without being able to talk with them about their own issues, as a life coach, what I can do is offer three examples of what sidelines many people and offer you suggestions so as not to fall prey to the same things. This is by no means an exhaustive suggestion list, just some ideas for you to consider as you tackle your own spring shedding!
1) Most folks approach weight loss from the standpoint of diet and they seek quick fixes to their habits of lifestyle. Many people want to produce speedy results. Our culture of convenience has primed us for impatience and the pursuit of instant gratification--we want things NOW: fast food, movies on demand, email, cell phones, pagers, you know what I am talking about. So we ask, why should weight loss be any different, right? It is possible to lose weight quickly with restrictive diets and diet pills, but studies show that the majority of people who use such approaches to weight loss, gain it all back within the year AND THEN SOME. No thanks!
Instead, I encourage my coaching clients to focus their attention on creating a healthy lifestyle. When one begins to make choices towards health, meaning increasing one's activity, making better food choices (read: cutting out the fast foods and most things wrapped in a plastic wrapper!), and making room for pleasure and fun, what typically happens is one loses weight in the process. Just as it took months and years to pack on the extra pounds, it will take time to melt it away as well. Realize this: When you are not obsessed with an elusive number on your bathroom scale, but rather intent on increasing your life satisfaction and experience, the weight will begin to disappear! Really!
2) Some people "bite off more than they can chew," as my mom would say. Mom was likely talking about something else, but I am going to use it for this example. Let's say "Irene" has set a great goal to lose 30 lbs. in order to improve her fitness, agility and overall health. This is a wonderful goal, but where the problem enters in is she has set her "due date" for 3 months from now. This means Irene will have to lose 10 lbs each month--quite a bit to ask over the course of a 3-month period. Chances are she will be unable to stick with the schedule and then she will become discouraged and disheartened over her progress. Instead, what I suggest is to focus on SMART goals. SMART is an acronym for: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-Based. To use our goal of a 30 lbs of weight loss as an example, what might be better goal is to lose 1 inch (Measurable, Achievable and Realistic) over the course of 8 weeks (Time-Based). You want to set a goal that is challenging but not defeating. This way, any loss over that goal is BONUS, and who doesn't love bonuses?
3) Sometimes people force themselves to do something they don't enjoy so they begin to dread the activity and associate negative feelings with the experience. This is a sticky one to explain, but here goes. What we know about exercise is that it is good for us: it builds muscle, improves circulation, helps prevent some diseases and makes us feel good. There is a wide variety of opinions as to how much exercise we need each week, ranging from 3-4 times a week of moderate activity to 6 days a week of hard sweating. We know that aerobic exercise is good (running, biking, etc.) because when you engage in an activity that makes you sweat over a period of time, say 30 minutes, you are burning calories as well as making your heart stronger. Next, we know that strength exercises are good (pumping iron and weight-resistance activities) because they help build muscle and strengthen our weight bearing bones. Weight training is particularly important for women as we lose 1% of bone mass each year after the age of 40 and it increases to 2% each year after menopause. (Isn't it ironic that after 40 we actually do lose something without trying, but in this case, we are losing something we definitely don't want to lose?)
Where some folks become disinterested in improving their health is they force themselves to participate in a class or activity that doesn't excite them nor keep them motivated. It's hard to keep showing up at the gym for a class you dread each and every time. What I suggest is this: Figure out the aerobic exercises you enjoy and do those! Experiment: try out spinning, swimming, skating, jump rope, hop scotch, salsa dancing (see previous post), whatever gets you going--mix it up and make it fun! In my book, if you are sweating for 30 minutes at a stretch, it counts! Introduce variety--anyone would get in a rut doing the same thing day in and day out. If weight training doesn't ring your bell, figure out how to do it with a partner or hire a trainer to get you through. You only need to do the weight training twice a week for great results and to reap the benefits. The important thing is you need to be active and strong to be able to live a healthy life and isn't that the kind of life we all want for as long as possible?
So you now have some healthwise food for thought regarding your fitness approach this Spring. All in all, the message is: make healthy choices, increase your activity level and above all, increase your level of life satisfaction.
- Create change in your lifestyle, not just your life for this month.
- Make some room in your busy day for some sweaty play!
Spring is sproinging and it's beckoning you outdoors. Throw on your sweats, lace up your sneaks, slather on the sunscreen, grab a water and step on outside! Pretend the bell has rung and you've just been let out for recess!
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For those of you who would like some additional support in shedding those hibernation inches, I am offering a course mid-March entitled "Get Off the Couch and Hop On Board!" This is a fun 6 week course held over the telephone or, for those of you in San Antonio, live at Alegria Body work and Day Spa. Log onto my website for more info! Also, this month's free ezine began a two-part series on health and fitness. Subscribe on my website and receive the ezine each month in your inbox!
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. --Aristotle
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