Month: January 2016

Categories
Sweat

Stop Saying "Everything In Moderation"

It goes like this: I’m sitting in my office, which happens to be on the ground level of a supermarket. Someone walks by with something, shall we say, less than nutritious in hand: a package of cookies, a pint or quart of ice cream, or perhaps a slice of pizza, hot from our store’s kitchen. They lift it up with a shrug and a smile and out come those magic words: “Everything in moderation, right?”

And I cringe. Every. Single. Time.

It’s not that they’re wrong, really. Sure, I could argue that some things, be them food or activities, are best avoided entirely, but for the most part, a little bit of just about anything won’t kill you. In fact, the key to achieving most health goals is working small amounts of less nutritious choices in here and there. 

Some people call it cheating, but it’s more accurately just another part of life. Balance. Few and far between are the people who are genuinely content to live the rest of their lives without another bite of brownie or burger (or insert-another-much-beloved-“junk”-food-here). Most of us are going to eat these foods sometimes, and thinking that you’re bad or you’ve cheated for doing so only leads to guilt, shame, and future deprivation. No, that won’t do, either.

Enter the “everything in moderation” tagline, which at its core emphasizes the importance of filling our diets with as many nutrient-dense foods as possible and enjoying the less nutrient-dense ones–you guessed it–in moderation. By practicing a mindful, all-foods-fit approach to diet and overall wellness (of which, mind you, I am a huge fan), there’s no guilt or shame, which creates a way of eating that is more fulfilling and satisfying in the long run. I’m all for this!

So why, then, am I not shouting this oft-touted phrase from the proverbial rooftops?

1. What the heck does “moderation” mean, anyway? Is having a square of chocolate every day “moderation?” What if, instead of a little bit every day, you sat down with five bars in one sitting once a month? Is that moderation? Is a slice of loaded sausage and pepperoni deep dish pizza with extra cheese once a week more or less “moderate” than a slice of plain thin crust every day? We say the words “everything in moderation” all the time, but how often do we stop to think about what it even means?

2. No one ever smiles, shrugs, and exclaims, “everything in moderation!” between bites of kale salad. It’s only ever used as a rationalization for choosing something notoriously devoid of nutrition, and I hear it used way too often for the majority of those instances to truly be “in moderation.” I know this sounds harsh, but think about it. When was the last time you said “everything in moderation”? How were you feeling at the time? What were you about to eat? I’ll bet it wasn’t a feeling of confidence and a fresh apple.

The phrase, which could stand for all things balanced and fulfilling, becomes riddled with the same guilty undertones that come with the restrictive diets it claims to defy. “I don’t want you to think I always eat like this,” is what you’re really saying. “I’m insecure about my choice,” is what I hear. You don’t need my approval, or anyone else’s, before you eat. Take the time to learn about solid nutrition and explore your own relationship with food so that you can select whatever is right for you, as an individual, in that moment. No guilt. No self-consciousness. No rationalization necessary.

No one can really define moderation for you; it’s something that will evolve with you over time. As a dietitian, I can surely give you a few recommendations: Limit added sugar to less than 6 teaspoons (or about 24 grams) a day; have no more than one or two drinks daily; aim for five servings of veggies and at least one or two servings of fruit; stick to two or three servings of red meat a month but try for one or two servings of fish every week. These ideals, these recommendations, are solid benchmarks, but some or all of them might feel extreme as a first step for you as an individual. Moderation, for you, might mean limiting added sugar to less than 12 teaspoons a day or cutting red meat back from every day to three times a week. Start there, but never stop challenging yourself and your definition of what “everything in moderation” truly means.

What does moderation mean to you?

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Sweat

Is It Better To Run Faster Or Farther?

The fitness and weight loss benefits of running have been well documented over the years, with the overwhelming conclusion being that in terms of burning calories and building cardio endurance, there is simply no other activity that can compare to a regular running routine. But many runners have long wondered whether they get more benefit from running shorter distances at a faster pace, or if there is more to be gained from extending their distances and running farther instead. As with many aspects of health and fitness, the answer isn’t quite so simple, and it often comes down to personal preference and performance.

Go Fast to Burn Calories

Any personal trainer or long-term runner will tell you that going faster will definitely burn calories at a higher rate. This makes perfect sense, of course, because your body is pushing itself harder; in order to keep up the quicker pace, it will need to tap into fat stores for energy. In the simplest terms, that means the faster you run, the more calories you’re going to burn relative to the distance you cover.
Additionally, running faster (or alternatively running lots of hills!) also tends to build more lean muscle mass, which can bring a boost to your overall metabolism. As your body works to create the “active tissue” that makes up muscle, it will continue to burn calories even long after you’ve finished working out. In this way, you still get a nice side benefit from your fitness routine hours after you’ve come home from the gym.

But Faster Isn’t Always Better

Based on what I’ve written above, it would be easy to come to the conclusion that in order to get fit and lose weight, you should most definitely concentrate on running faster. But there is another way of looking at the process that runners also need to consider. Running faster and harder means that you won’t be able to work out nearly as long, which ultimately means that you might not be able to burn as many calories as you could if you went at a slower, more measured pace.
For instance, if you run at your fastest pace for 20 minutes, you might be able to cover 3 miles and burn as many as 450-500 calories. That’s a fast pace on both accounts. But if you slow down and expend your energy on a 60-minute run instead, you could easily cover 5-6 miles and end up burning 700-800 calories. The workout takes longer to complete, of course, but it results in substantially more calories used. If you goal is strictly to burn as many calories as possible, this might be the best all-around approach.

Mix Well for Best Results

As you can tell, there are certainly benefits to be had from running both faster and farther. Which one works best for you probably depends on your running style and fitness objectives. If you’re training to be competitive in a race, for example, going faster will be key. But if you are looking to shed pounds, longer runs might be the best way to go.
But honestly, as runners, we should probably be mixing up our routines to ensure that we are going both faster and farther at regular intervals. There are benefits to be had from speed training, just as there are from running longer distances, and by mixing up your routine, you’re more likely to see impressive all-around results.
As mentioned above, running faster helps to build muscle and has the added benefit of taking less time to complete your workout. On top of that, when you focus on running at an increased pace, your overall speed will improve, even on the days when you are training for distance instead.
On the other hand, running longer distances is good for endurance and allows you to burn a substantial number of calories in a single workout. Both of those are good for your overall health and will provide benefits in other areas of your life as well. Increased endurance will have the side effect of allowing you to increase your distance, even when running at a faster pace.
Mixing up your workouts is always a good idea, because it keeps your body from getting used to the routine as well. Alternate speed days with distance days for good results, and you’ll more than likely find that you’ve taken your workout to an entirely new level.

Categories
Wellbeing

Whether To Do Homework May Be A Life-Or-Death Choice

The warnings started when I was in junior high (now called middle school). My parents, both of whom were in the first generation of our family to go to college, started warning me that if I didn’t quit fooling around at school and do my homework I might not get a degree. And without a degree, I might not get a job.
Warnings like those wash right off the back of most 11- or 12-year-olds, so I didn’t feel the need to change my behavior. Looking back, I think there was one thing they could have said that would have made me sit up and pay attention: Not getting an education could kill me. That actually happens to be true. Of course, my parents didn’t know that then, and neither did anyone else. But a lot of recent research is finding exactly that.

Causation vs. Correlation

When I first started looking at the studies showing the connection between education, health, and premature death, I thought the whole idea was absurd. I’ve been writing about men’s health for more than a decade, and it’s well known that women outlive men.
But could the simple fact of having a college degree make you healthier or live longer? The answer is yes—and the problem is getting worse. Take a look at the table below, which is from a report by the National Center for Health Statistics called “Health, United States, 2011: With Special Feature on Socioeconomic Status and Health.” As you’ll see, in 1996, a 25-year-old man with a college degree would have expected to live 7 years longer than a guy the same age who didn’t finish high school (for women, that gap was 6 years). Twenty years later, in 2006 (that’s the most recent data available), the man with the degree would expect to outlive the one without the high school diploma by 9 years (8 for women).
HealthyWay
Okay, that’s interesting. But how does it work? Well, it turns out that my parents were right. In general, if you’ve got a college degree, you’ll probably get a better-paying job than if you didn’t finish high school. You’ll also probably have better benefits, which makes it more likely that you’d get a regular physical, get age-appropriate health screenings, not smoke, exercise more, and see a doctor if you had some health problem.
Given that education and income go hand in hand, here are two more charts that show the health gap between people with more education or more income and those with less of both.
HealthyWay
Michael Grossman of the National Bureau of Economic Research has done extensive research into the connection between education and health and sums it up quite nicely: “Years of formal schooling completed is the most important correlate of good health.”

But could it kill you?

Okay, so not finishing high school and not getting a bachelor’s degree increases the chances that you’ll have some health problems. But does that necessarily translate into increasing the chances that you’ll die? University of Colorado researcher Patrick M. Krueger, along with colleagues from the University of North Carolina and New York University, looked into that question. They analyzed reams of data from the U.S. Census and other sources and estimate that in 2010, 145,243 deaths were attributable to individuals not having graduated high school or earned a GED. Put a little differently, that’s about the same number of deaths that could be saved “if all current smokers had the mortality rates of former smokers,” says Krueger. They also estimated that 110,068 deaths among people who started college but didn’t finish could have been avoided had they gone on to earn their bachelor’s degree.
As a country, nearly 40 percent of us are at risk of dying prematurely. In 2012, 10.7 percent of Americans ages 25-34 didn’t have a high school diploma or a GED, and another 28.5 percent had started college but not finished their degree.
Of course, getting a college degree isn’t magic, and there are plenty of people who dropped out of college or didn’t go at all, including Bill Gates, Rush Limbaugh, Lady Gaga, Mark Zuckerberg, Lebron James and dozens of other athletes, and the creators of WordPress, Mashable, and Tumblr. But those people are the exception. For those of us who are mere mortals, education is really serious stuff.
If you haven’t finished high school, stop reading this and go back to school. If your child hasn’t graduated or seems to be heading toward dropping out, email this article (or print it out if you’re old fashioned enough to own a printer) and help him or her come up with a plan to graduate high school and get at least a bachelor’s degree. Making sure your family is well educated could very well be the best thing you can possibly do for them.

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Sweat

Weight Loss is A Marathon, Not A Sprint

Marathon runners don’t mess around. The successful ones train hard, regularly assess what’s working, and never give up. In many ways, being successful at weight loss is like running a marathon. If you ever feel frustrated with your slower-than-slow weight loss, remember that winning the weight loss race is a marathon rather than a sprint.

1. Nothing Happens Fast

Marathon runners take a long time to train for marathons. Almost no one can go from a couch potato to a marathon runner in a week. And once the marathon runner is prepared to race, it takes an average of slightly more than 4 hours to complete the race, according to Running USA’s Annual Marathon Report.

Weight loss is just like training for a marathon. No one wakes up one day magically 50 pounds lighter. At least, no one I’ve ever met.

Like many people I’ve talked to over the years, I would start my diet, and then after a few days I got frustrated with the lack of immediate progress. I often wished I would lose 50 pounds after a good day but sadly that didn’t happen.

The frustration with slow weight loss is a common reason for quitting. But when you develop a marathon attitude, you accept your pace and do the following:

– Train your mind to accept a new way of eating, which takes time. 

– Adopt a new lifestyle, which is rarely easy.

– Be prepared for a long journey.

2. Stumbling Happens

A marathon runner knows there will be times she stumbles. Either she will literally stumble and fall or have stumbling blocks that figuratively get in the way of her goal of finishing a marathon. It could be an injury, a busy work schedule, or family issues. Whatever the stumbling block, a dedicated marathoner will continue working toward his goal.

As you lose weight, you may very well stumble. You will need to control emotional eating, work through the desire to eat anything you want, and possibly deal with physical injuries. The key to success is following the example of the marathoner. Never give up, jump over the stumbling blocks, and focus on the prize.

3. Fuel Matters

No marathon runner fuels their body haphazardly and successfully runs a marathon. Because of the exertion required to finish the race, a marathon runner fuels carefully and deliberately–both during training and the race itself.

You should do the same thing. There were times when I thought losing weight was only about calories and nutrition wasn’t super important.

I was 100 percent wrong.

The food you put in your body fuels you. Cheetos, candy, chips, and sugary drinks do nothing good for your body. Just like a marathon runner can’t survive on junk, neither can you.

Do what your mom probably told you to do. Eat your vegetables and fruit, cut out the junk, and focus on lean cuts of meat and dairy. Don’t snack all day long, and eat dessert occasionally instead of daily. Who knew mom was so smart?

Final Thoughts

Having a marathoner’s outlook instead of that of sprinters helps you in your weight loss no matter if you are just starting, right in the middle of it, or reaching your goal weight. You see, weight loss and eventual weight maintenance is a lifelong process rather than a one-time race.

Categories
Wellbeing

Lending Support To Someone With Mental Illness

Mental illness has been a taboo topic for centuries, but fortunately, the tide is turning, and we as a society are coming to better understand it, acknowledge it as a real thing, and find solutions to help those who experience it.
Now more than ever, individuals with depression, anxiety, or a number of other similar conditions can manage their disease and lead a normal and fulfilling life. However, there still may be some confusion about how we personally can help alleviate the suffering of those close to us who are struggling. Here are some ways to support a loved one with mental illness.
One of the best things you can do is educate yourself. Learn from reputable sources what mental illness is and what some of the warning signs are.
There’s still a lot of confusion about it, because mental illness is not visible. Although someone’s behavior might appear odd or erratic, we don’t see a cast or other clear outward sign that something is wrong, so it’d be easy to dismiss or overlook it. Mental afflictions are manifested in emotions, thoughts, and behaviors. For example, one of the hallmark characteristics of bipolarity is mania, which can include out-of-control behavior such as binge drinking or making impulsive extravagant purchases.
The more you learn about different kinds of mental illness, the more you can take them seriously, and the more equipped you’ll be to express compassion and love. If someone close to you had a cancer diagnosis, you’d likely study up on it. Treat a mental illness diagnosis the same way.
If you notice that a friend or family member is exhibiting symptoms or seems to be acting in a way that suggests mental illness, be a true friend and have the courage to bring it up in conversation. Carefully encourage treatment, and help reassure him or her that it’s possible to live a normal life and find peace again. By getting a diagnosis, the individual can better manage the problem. It can be extremely disorienting and even terrifying to experience mental illness and not know why. A diagnosis can bring great reassurance that there’s a legitimate psychological reason that someone is feeling or acting different than his or her normal self.
Because mental illness is such a sensitive topic, people who suffer from it unfortunately often carry shame. So the concern arises about what kinds of questions are appropriate to ask. If you know that someone is struggling with a mental illness, should you inquire as to how he/she is feeling? Would this question be appreciated, or is it perhaps too personal for the other person to talk about?
Every person is different, and it’s okay to essentially feel things out as the dialogue progresses. If you want to show support and love but are at a loss for what words to use, consider saying something as simple as, “I’m not sure what to say, but I want you to know that I care about you.”
It’s important for you to have realistic expectations for your loved one. Mental illness isn’t managed or eliminated overnight, and there might be a long road ahead to recovery. Of course we should always hope for the best, but try to take setbacks in stride and not get discouraged. Also, remember that you are part of the individual’s support system, but you can still set emotional boundaries.
One woman I know had a young adult neighbor who didn’t always take her antidepressant medication. The woman would periodically go check on her neighbor, spend time with this troubled soul, and occasionally encourage her to be more faithful in taking her meds. However, it wasn’t solely her responsibility to be the caretaker.
She enlisted the help of others and was able to increase the support system of this young adult and ease some of the burden on herself. And just as the woman in this story was wise enough to know, it’s critical that you not burn yourself out trying to care for someone with mental illness. Periodically take breaks, practice self-care, and renew your own emotional energy. This will help you rejuvenate yourself and enable you to better care for your loved one.
There’s no single easy answer for helping someone with mental illness. There will likely be good days and bad days. There may be frustration, heartache, and indescribable pain, but there’s also a chance for renewal, hope, and finding peace again. If you are close to someone who is experiencing a mental illness, I encourage you to not avoid the problem but instead to lean into this challenge. Practice these strategies to best provide care and preserve your own emotional and physical well-being.

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Sweat

Keep Your Eyes Looking Sharp With A Little TLC

I took a selfie recently (come on–you know you do it too!) and noticed something different. My eyes looked tired, red, and puffy, and wrinkles were popping up where they didn’t exist before. I don’t know when it happened, but the dry, irritated feeling should have been a dead giveaway that my eyes needed some major TLC.

I felt like I was way too young to have dark circles and wrinkles around my eyes. I was tired of puffy bags when I woke up, and I knew there had to be a solution.

As it turns out, all I had to do was change how I treated my eyes and the skin around them. Now my eyes actually help me look younger. The following eye care tips are ways I’ve found to improve their appearance that I’ve put into practice whenever I can; hopefully, it helps you too!

Reduce screen time.

I’m often at my computer or on my phone–working, chatting with friends, or spending way too much time on Instagram. All of that screen time was drying my eyes out. Not only that, I noticed an increase in migraines too.

My solution was to treat my eyes with eye drops twice a day and change my screen viewing habits. I try to look away from my screen for a few seconds every five minutes. I also set a timer when I’m at my computer to get up every hour and let my eyes rest for five minutes.

The redness, dryness, and irritation are long gone. Thanks to that, I’ve also reduced how often I rub my eyes, which had been contributing to pulling and tugging on the delicate skin around my eyes.

Wear sunglasses.

The sun doesn’t just harm your skin; it also damages your eyes and the sensitive skin around them. I wear sunglasses whenever I’m outside or in a car. I do this on sunny and cloudy days since UV rays don’t care what the weather is like!

Sunglasses also help prevent squinting so that you aren’t giving those fine lines and wrinkles any extra help! You do need some sunlight, though, so every now and then let your eyes go without sunglasses. Just don’t overdo it.

Treat with eye cream.

In your late twenties, collagen production around your eyes starts to drop off. This is where those pesky fine lines and sagging skin come from. Concealer can only do so much, and it’s better to prevent the problem in the first place than to simply treat it after the fact.

Eye creams are better than standard facial moisturizers because they often contain peptides and retinol to fight the signs of aging and boost collagen production. I use an eye cream with SPF daily to help combat the UV rays that age skin.

After several weeks of using an anti-aging eye cream at night and one with SPF during the day, I saw a difference. It also meant I was using less makeup to cover up flaws. In my eyes (pun intended), it was a win-win.

Leave your eyes alone.

I spent a few days paying close attention to how often I rubbed my eyes. No wonder I had dark circles! All that rubbing damages the blood vessels under the eye, leaving them looking dark and puffy.

Now, I make a conscious effort to leave them alone. If my eyes are itchy, I use extra drops. If my allergies are flaring up, I take an antihistamine.

I also go easy when taking off eye makeup. In the past, I tended to scrub it off with a makeup remover wipe. Now, I do a few gentle swipes with a cotton pad and cleansing water instead. It’s a lot gentler.

Block out the light.

You probably already know that getting a good night’s rest is crucial to helping your eyes rest and recover. What I didn’t realize was that sleeping with my face in the pillow was actually making my eyes look worse.

I invested in some light-blocking curtains and used some light-blocking electronic tape over all those LED lights in my bedroom. As a result, I didn’t toss and turn trying to avoid light in my eyes.

Avoid salty foods.

A big contributor to undereye bags is most likely lurking in the foods you eat. Salt causes water retention, not just in your body, but also in your face! Avoiding salty foods can help to reduce puffy eyes.

I also began sleeping on my back with my head elevated. This is crucial as it allows for better drainage of fluids from around my eyes so that they aren’t pooling and creating bags under my eyes. Just a week later my eyes already looked better.

Eyes aren’t just a window to your soul. They’re also a giant sign advertising your age. Take care of them and give them the TLC they deserve.

Categories
Nosh

Breaking Down Your Anti-Juicing Excuses

When I tell people that I juice and that I’ve completed multiple juice cleanses, there are a few responses that I get. Of course, people who are also juicers are excited to meet another like-minded soul, but more often people meet my comments with disbelief and questions. Perhaps they’ve tried juicing at some point, without success. Or, maybe they just heard something that has kept them from giving it a try. Whatever the case, I’m happy to share my thoughts and experiences and turn their reasons not to juice into reasons to juice.

Here are a few of the most common statements I get when I tell someone that I juice, along with my responses.

I tried juicing but I just ended up gaining weight.

A common mistake many people make when they start juicing is to only think of juicing in terms of fruit. In fact, when you do a juice fast the majority of your juice content should be vegetables. Just as in a regular diet, fruit should only be a small percentage of you eat. For instance, when I do a juice fast, three out of five of my daily juices will be primarily vegetable juice. Depending on the blend, I may add in a single piece of fruit (usually an apple) to make it taste better. The other two juices may have more fruit, but will still have some vegetables as well. Cucumber, celery, beets, and carrots all make excellent juice bases.

I tried a juice fast, but I felt awful so I had to stop.

Many people make the mistake of jumping into a juice cleanse without preparing their body. If you’ve been eating a typical Western diet–low in fruits and veggies and high in processed foods and sugar–and you suddenly cut out all the foods your body is addicted to, you will pay for it. It will hurt.

Day three is when you will usually feel it the worst, in the way of headaches, stomach upset, and possibly even a fever. The worse your diet is before you start, the worse you will feel on day three.

However, if you take the time during the week or so leading up to your juice fast to plan, reduce the amount of processed foods and meat in your diet, and begin adding juice to your diet on a regular basis, you can reduce those symptoms.

All that sugar in juice isn’t good for you.

You are correct. If you are drinking a lot of juices high in sugar, it’s not good for you. However, the amount of sugar in any juice depends entirely on what you are juicing. Choose wisely. If you are diabetic or have other health issues, you should talk to your doctor before you start juicing and find out if there are specific foods you should avoid juicing altogether. In some situations, you may find out that it’s better for your system to blend your fruits and vegetables rather than juice them, as this will reduce the speed at which your body absorbs the sugar. In other situations, you may find that juicing simply isn’t a good idea for you at all.

Aren’t smoothies better for you since they maintain the fiber content?

It depends on what you are trying to accomplish. Drinking a smoothie is no different than eating the same fruits and vegetables.

I juice because juicing is like mainlining massive amounts of nutrients. When you drink a smoothie your body still has to work for those nutrients, therefore they are absorbed more slowly. However, juicing does not remove all fiber content, so even during a juice cleanse you are still getting a decent amount of water-soluble fiber. When I do a juice cleanse one of my goals is to flush out the bad and replace it with good. By eliminating the majority of the fiber, my digestive system is allowed to rest and simply absorb the good stuff.

I hope you are using a protein supplement.

I’m not sure where this myth that you can only get protein from meat came from, but this is probably the most common response I get from people about doing a juice cleanse. Protein is plentiful in many vegetables, especially the dark green leafy kind, like kale, spinach, and collard greens. I juice a lot more greens than I would ever eat, and that’s really one of the greatest things about juicing. You can get the nutrients from a huge amount of fruits and vegetables that you’d never be able to eat in a day. During the course of a seven-day juice cleanse I get plenty of protein. However, if I were to do a long juice cleanse (30 days or more) I would likely add a protein supplement.

The reasons for juicing are endless, and in my opinion, they outweigh any reasons to avoid juicing. I can honestly say that I feel like it’s saved my life. I can tell a difference in how I feel when I’m juicing regularly versus not juicing. I simply feel better. And, when I notice my diet is slipping a little too far to the unhealthy side, a juice cleanse is an excellent way for me to rebound to healthier habits. 

Before you jump in it’s a good idea to know what to expect and how to deal with it. Knowing the reasons why many people avoid juicing and how to avoid those issues is a great way to make sure that you have a good outcome.

Categories
Wellbeing

How To Stay Motivated To Keep Your New Year's Resolution

There are two annual traditions that come with the start of every new year. The first is making some resolutions–often involving fitness or health, and the second is promptly breaking those resolutions a few weeks later. In fact, the process has gotten so predictable that it has become something of a running joke in pop culture outlets and among friends and family.

But the idea of making resolutions that can help improve your life is actually a good one that can lead to positive changes. The problem is, once we get stuck back in the regular routine of work, hectic schedules, and trying to maintain a semblance of a social life, it’s easy to let those resolutions fall by the wayside. But if you’re serious about focusing on those goals and improving your overall health and fitness as a result, here are some tips that can help keep you motivated.

Make Attainable Resolutions

One of the biggest reasons people fail to stick with their resolutions is that they often set really big goals for themselves that are virtually impossible to reach. When they realize later just how difficult it will be to achieve those goals, they get overwhelmed with the daunting task ahead of them and often end up abandoning their efforts altogether.

But by making smaller, more attainable goals, not only will your resolutions be easier to achieve, you’ll actually be able to see meaningful progress. That alone can be very encouraging and help you to stick to the plan moving forward.

Hold Yourself Accountable

When setting your resolution, create a plan for how you want to attain your goals and stick to it. With a good plan in place, you’ll have a roadmap to getting to where you want to be, which is a lot better than just trying to wing it as you go. If your resolution includes getting healthier, exercising more, or losing weight, go ahead and schedule your workouts or trips to the gym on your calendar. That way they’re locked in place, making it more likely that you’ll actually go. When you start to hold yourself more accountable to adhering to the plan and schedule, you’ll begin to see positive results too.

Let Others Hold You Accountable

One of the best ways to improve your level of fitness is to join a running, cycling, or workout group. Not only will you get to know like-minded people who are working toward their goals, you’ll also have someone you’re training with who can help to push you just a bit harder. When you’re part of a group there is also more incentive to show up for the workouts, which helps you to maintain a regular schedule. After all, no one wants to be that person who is constantly skipping class, do they?

Don’t Beat Yourself Up

As important as it is to stay focused on attaining your goals, it is just as important to cut yourself some slack from time to time. If you miss a workout for some reason, don’t feel guilty or beat yourself up over it. Instead, enjoy the break from the routine, but be prepared to go back to work as soon as you can.

Part of the reason we don’t always manage to keep our resolutions is that when we hit an obstacle we end up feeling like failures, which in turn can cause us to quit altogether. Don’t let this happen to you. Accept that occasionally you’ll have setbacks, but then forget about it and move on.

Make Your Goal A Part Of Your Life

In general, it takes about three weeks for a new activity to turn into a habit. That’s about the same amount of time it takes for most of us to give up on our resolutions. In other words, If you can make it through the first month, chances are you’ll start to have an easier time adapting to a new workout schedule or routine. Be patient, stick with the plan, and force yourself to stay on track. After six months, you won’t even have to think about it anymore. The new fitness regimen will simply be a part of your life.

Keeping a New Year’s resolution isn’t always easy, but if you genuinely want to make a change and follow these tips, you might just find that success is not as elusive as you once thought.

Categories
Sweat

Why Weight Loss Motivation Doesn't Matter As Much As Just Doing It

There are a lot of really fine-sounding motivations for losing weight. You might say you are losing weight for your self-esteem, losing weight for your health, losing weight for your wedding, or even losing weight for your kids. All of those motivators are noble and important, but at the end of the day, your motivation matters less than just getting the job done.
If I had a nickel for every time someone told me they were having difficulty finding a new motivation for losing weight, I’d be rich. Truly I would.
Oftentimes the person was trying to lose weight for one of the reasons I listed above. For example, one lovely woman in my weight loss class wanted to drop 25 pounds before her daughter’s wedding the following year. She hadn’t lost much weight in six months, despite the wedding date quickly approaching.
Why not?
Because her motivation wasn’t strong enough? No, she really was motivated to lose weight.
What wasn’t happening was action.
Her motivation was terrific. It was a great reason to lose weight. But her actions weren’t falling in line with her motivation.
I am often asked what my motivation was for losing weight. The truth is my motivation changed over time. At first, I was just tired of being fat. As the weight started to come off and I was no longer officially [linkbuilder id=”6435″ text=”morbidly obese”], my motivation shifted to feeling better about myself, being able to do more with my kids, and looking better.
Motivation shifts like the wind but actions stay constant.
In order to lose weight, you’ve got to find a motivator and make your actions match what you want to accomplish.
For instance, if you want to lose weight for your health but don’t exercise, change the types of foods you eat, or cut your calories, all the health-related motivation in the world won’t cause you to drop pounds.
On the flip side, if you make the changes required to lose weight for your health, the weight will begin to come off, even if your motivation changes over time.
To help you out, I’ve created this action checklist as a way for you to quit focusing solely on motivation and instead focus more on actions.
– Ask yourself what your motivation for losing weight is. Write it down.
– Analyze your weight loss plan. Does it have all you need to successfully lose weight? For example, do you know how many calories you need, how much exercise you should be doing, and what to do if you mess up?
– Accept that motivation alone is not enough to lose weight.
– Set up an accountability system for your weight loss. Find a group of like-minded friends, join a Facebook group, or join a weight loss community online.
– Check in with yourself regularly to see if your motivation for losing weight is still the same or if it has shifted. Accept the shift if it happens, but keep doing what it takes to lose weight.

Categories
Wellbeing

How To Offer A Powerful (And Genuine) Apology

In almost any relationship, eventually someone is bound to do the other person wrong. Whether it’s forgetting an important date, failing to deliver on a promise, or insulting one another (intentionally or not), we all make mistakes that can inflict damage on our cherished connections. So what’s the best way to repair these relationship rifts? By expressing regret and sorrow about our words or actions. But simply saying “I’m sorry” may not be enough, and some overtures inadvertently go wrong when we are trying to reconcile in a relationship. Here are some steps to giving a powerful apology.

The first and perhaps most important thing to do is to own your part. Resist any temptation to dodge the problem or avoid responsibility.

Though it may not be pleasant, reflect on what specific thing you said or did that contributed to the relationship rupture or the other person’s pain. Try to put yourself in his or her shoes to understand another perspective or what harmful impact you may have caused. Sometimes in conflict we have the tendency to get defensive, but I challenge you to have the courage and humility to first identify your own shortcoming and then to own up to it.

One common mistake that is often made when offering apologies is focusing on ourselves. In an attempt to ease our own guilt, we make the apology about us.

For example, perhaps someone says something like, “I’m so sorry for what I did to you. I don’t know what I was thinking. I guess I just forgot. It’s one of my biggest weaknesses.” Although it’s helpful to think about our own personal habits in an effort to avoid making the same mistakes over and over, be sure that the bulk of the actual apology is about the other person and not about you. Save your explanations, your reasons, and even your own feelings for another time and place. Phrases like, “I didn’t mean to,” or “it was unintentional” can diminish or undermine the message that you’re trying to get across. It can be very difficult, but don’t flip the conversation around and make it into a justification or a way to excuse yourself. Keep the focus on the individual who you’re apologizing to.

Another way you can make your apology heartfelt is to show your empathy (and not just say it).

So much of our communication is nonverbal, and your body language can say a lot about how sincere you are. Although you may at times find yourself apologizing through an email or over the phone, I challenge you to seek out face-to-face opportunities to offer a personal apology whenever possible. This way, you can use your body, your gestures, and your eyes specifically to demonstrate that you really mean what you are saying.

And finally, your apology must go beyond what you say. If you’re truly regretful and want to make things right, back up your words with action.

An individual who finds herself saying sorry to the same person about the same thing over and over again probably should try a different approach. We are human beings and will make mistakes–even the same mistake more than once–but to be sincere, we have to at least try to make a permanent change in how we treat one another. This is just as important (if not more so) than the actual words you say. So when you really hurt another person, consider how you’ll course correct your behavior to avoid doing so again.

I’ve found these strategies to be helpful in any and all kinds of relationships. Whether it’s work, friendship, or family, use these tips to offer a powerful apology to make reconciliation with someone who you care about.