Tag: Emotion

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Weight Loss Exercise

Breaking through your Barriers

I was listening to a podcast today where the fellow was talking about comfort zones and how to picture them. The way that he explained it was that to be comfortable you need to have a top and a bottom level to your comfort zone and when you get close to either you start to feel uncomfortable.

I have never heard it explained this way. I alway think that we have barriers to break through but in this analogy the guy was saying if you feel pretty good you will grab that piece of cake, if you feel not so good compared to the top of your comfort zone then you will pass on it.

I like cake, but the example is great when we take emotions out of the equation.

So really what you want to do to break through your barrier in this example is to say – “I want to lose 5 pounds, this will be uncomfortable but I will pass on the next 20 pieces of cake to do this”

Does that make sense?

I sometimes stumble personally because I will break down things like this logically. Workout, eating, food type or exercise type decisions are all rational but when the time comes is when the emotion comes. The stress of getting out of that comfort zone.

Getting out of your comfort zone, the way I look at it is simply to hold your breath and jump. There is no way that we are going to avoid stress or discomfort and those really are the emotional side of breaking through your barriers, let that be, know you will be uncomfortable, and do it anyway.

I can give a great example and that is my workout schedule. I love to and know that I have to workout hard and heavy. These workouts make the difference between me being in ok shape and being in great shape. But to do these workouts means that I have to make it to the gym and then once there I need to lift as heavy as I can. I know that there are many excuses that I can make so I try to just set a time to go and then not even think twice about hitting the gym. I know that thinking twice about going to the gym means that I am going to be able to come up with great and useful excuses not to go. Very easy for me to skip with a huge headful of excuses.

Once I hit the gym there are still chances not to give it my all and I have to admit sometimes I don’t get that last rep in our skip the last set.

The important thing to remember though is that everything you do is the most important thing at that moment. If you can just make the little change, just this once, it proves to your brain that change is in fact possible.

So in the end I say this. Figure out what is truly important to change, find out what your real challenge is, you know the thing that makes you scared and nervous, and push through. Prove to your emotions AND your brain that you can push your boundaries that one inch farther.


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Weight Loss Exercise

Biggest Loser 2011

Well don’t know what to call this as we are so many seasons in but Biggest Loser 2011 seems good?

Anyway we are about three episodes in to the new season I guess and there has been lots of interesting drama and Biggest Loser 2011 has been fun to watch for the first time in a while for me, maybe just my motivation but I am liking it.

Trainers on Biggest Loser 2011

Biggest Loser 2011

Biggest Loser 2011 Trainers

This season we have our old standby Bob Harper but also we have two new trainers; Dolvett Quince and Anna Kournikova. We knew what to expect from Bob Harper and he has been tough and successful but he seems to be letting the new trainers get lots of attention as well.

Dolvett Quince – Dolvett has been a great trainer and a great character. He seems to be a great trainer and super tough, pushing all of his team really hard in the gym and not giving them a chance to slack off but listening to what their bodies are saying and not their whining or mental weakness.

Out of the gym Dolvett Quince has been really great with his team. Teaching nutrition, being excited for the future, being a friend and confidante and making sure that the team members understand that he is there for them. Can you tell that I am a big fan of Dolvett Quince?

Anna Kournikova – I never understood why Anna Kournikova would be a coach on Biggest Loser 2011 but now we get to see after a few episodes how she thinks, coaches, and brings to the Biggest Loser as a trainer.

Poor Anna Kournikova got saddled with the older people which through testosterone dropping in peoples bodies as they grow older makes her job really really tough. Not fair Biggest Loser producers! Anyway to be honest I don’t tink that in the gym Anna shows a lot of emotion, she does not take crap but her team has to follow her direction and she got a couple of whiny people right out of the gate. So far Anna’s team has lost two people but really I think her emotional attachment is her greatest strength and over time (she is not an experienced trainer) will be her increasing knowledge of training others and her background of success that she can communicate.

My Favorite Biggest Loser 2011 contestants

I am enjoying watching all the people of nthe Biggest Loser thins season. I tend to find that early in the season it is hard to follow everyone so I just watch passively and start cheering later in the season. Here are the people that I have really noticed so far.

Biggest Loser 2011Antone – Antone is a whiny bitch when he is working out. I love watching him push and push and cry and then take it up a notch. This guy is great and does not give up. With all hiw weight I expect that Antone will od well this season and I look forward to watching more of his backstory as well being a former pro athlete

Biggest Loser 2011Jennifer – Jennifer is just plain fun and gets really excited about the weigh ins which is pretty important. Being in the background on TV I think that she tends to see things from the outside so she will be able to play the mental game well later on. Fun to watch and she keeps losing which is great to see.

Biggest Loser 2011Mike – Mike lost big this week, 17 pounds I think and being a teacher and football coach he knows what it takes and I always see him working hard and not complaining, just quiet in the background on Annas team.

Biggest Loser 2011Ramon – When I first saw that a tattoo artist would be on I cringed. I have no tattoos but my wife has plenty and we watch those tattoo shows and they are cocky bastards. Ramon is not. What a lovable guy, fun, outgoing, and a great friend to everyone when they let him.

The only problems that I find with Biggest Loser 2011 are the same complaints I have had for years. Recaps after commericals (chubby people don’t have memory NBC?), obvious product placements, and especially the scripted way that each episode is setup, same as every year since the show began.

How about you? What are your highlights so far? I am thinking that this season Biggest Loser 2011 will be a good one although they still need to change things up with the staleness of the shows setup.


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General Weight Loss Tips

Wait for Hunger Challenge: Week One

I debated what I would call this challenge.  I went back and forth on using the word “hunger” because it’s loaded. Because people in the world are actually hungry and do not have the luxury of eating when they’re not. There are also people in the world who deny themselves food when they are hungry. I first called it the “feeling it challenge” and then the “wait for it challenge”. And then a million other combinations of words that just didn’t feel right. So in advance, this challenge means exactly what it says: waiting for hunger to eat.

In the past week I’ve been challenging myself to 1) wait for hunger to eat 2) stop at the first signs of full 3) feel the feelings of wanting to eat outside of hunger 4) sit down and eat without watching tv or being in front of the computer 5) find something else to fill the need 6) eliminate guilt from eating. I’m realizing that when I wait for hunger, it takes less food to make me full. When I eat from habit or emotion, I will never, ever be full. This is profound for me. It is profound because I know how much food I need in a day. When I eliminate guilt, the power is gone.

In the past two times I’ve gone out to eat, I’ve slowed down. To drink water, to have conversation, to look around. I’m not stuffing food in my face. I’m making different decisions. When I’m at home, a different challenge arises, having food around all the time. So I make myself think harder. To write down what I’m feeling and to do something else. Anything that will make me happier than overeating. This challenge is not about guilt, deprivation or starvation. It’s about eating, stress free, and then stopping. It’s about moving on.

Yesterday I was more productive and happy  than I’ve been in a long time. I created a task jar where I write down all of the tasks I want to get done on post-it notes. I fold them up and drop them in the jar. I shake it a little and pick one at random. I do that task and nothing else. I was focused. And it worked for me. I completed 14 tasks. I was only tempted to overeat once (yogurt with dark chocolate peanut butter). I got stuff done that I’ve been sitting on for weeks. Stuff I was waiting for the “perfect situation” to complete.

I bring this up because I found something that worked for me. I’ve been making to-do lists and detailed plans using other peoples methods for as long as I can remember. I just don’t work that way. I get overwhelmed, I find excuses and then I just drop it all. I become paralyzed by methods that do not work for me. And the same goes for eating. All I need to change my life if is to wait for hunger. I know how to eat. I know how much my body needs to lose weight. I trust that in myself. When I count calories or eliminate food, it’s because I don’t trust myself. And I end up eating without hunger. Programs, for me, cover the problem. They put power in food, rather than me. I know it works for people. But, as I sit here, still in need of losing 150 + pounds, I need a new way. My way.

So if you feel like you might benefit from this challenge, I encourage you to leave a comment. For the next week I’m making a promise to myself that I will not eat when I’m not genuinely hungry. If I want to eat, I will write instead. I will sew a skirt. I will blog about something fun. I will decorate my house. I will hug my husband. I will do something, anything, that fills me up without food. This isn’t about counting calories, or feeling guilty over any food decision I make. This isn’t about nutrition, or avoiding food groups. It’s simple: only eat when you’re hungry without distractionsand stop eating when you’re full. If you’re in, I will support you in anyway I can. I will correspond in the comments. I will visit your blog. We can do this!

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