Tag: Exercise

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Weight Loss Exercise

Starvation, suffering, and sacrifice

I keep watching Biggest Loser and get warped into their way of thinking that change has to happen before your eyes and right away. Fortunately none of us are on a TV show to have to lose it right away or get set home instead.

Two days ago I wrote about what we need to eat, yesterday was what to avoid but really as far as eating goes I would never want to choose to live with eating only fruit and veggies and meat. Really we have to figure out how to eat other stuff but not always and in a metered way. That is why I wanted to talk about sacrifice and suffering. But first lets hit on starvation.

Starvation is Not Dieting

I don’t think that any of us want to starve and if you are eating a few times a day, eating small meals that are full of nutrients then we will not starve. Years ago when I was struggling with money my wife asked me what was the worst thing that I was worried about. I told her it was food. I have a very close relationship with food, probably all of us do and she promised that we would not starve, sacrifice anything but food and shelter and everything will work out.

Anyway we have no reason to starve and that is where the suffering and sacrifice come from. If I tell you that you are not allowed to ever have a chocolate chip cookie ever again then you will think of nothing but chocolate chip cookies. So this is not a this or that or a never eat kind of concept but I really do feel that if you want something, be it a cookie or ice cream then you should be able to have a little bit and not have to live in guilt. But on the other hand, I never see a reason to eat a whole tub of ice cream either, there is just no point in that.

How to Eat, Think  and not Suffer

Starvation, suffering, and sacrifice

Ice cream is not food

What I am really saying that if all our gains or losses are in eating (not true exercise has a lot to do with it as well) then you want to fuel your body with water rich foods. After that make sure that you do that subtle mind change. Food is fuel and candy is just the junk that tastes good. Cheat with just small amounts of food so that you do not crave badly and overdo things. Remember you goal is to eat very healthy and the crappy food you eat, while not good, will not help you in any way.

Tomorrow I want to write more about emotional eating. Even though I touched on emotional eating here there is a lot more to talk about with that.

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General Weight Loss Tips

Calendar Love

I’m more likely to complete a task when it’s in writing and I give myself the opportunity to check it off. What is it about calendars? Back when I did 14 weeks of Insanity, I felt like I had to do it because there was a calendar with a task and I needed to check it off. It adds pressure and makes me feel like I’m skipping out on myself when I miss an appointment.

My mid-September calendar has been so helpful this week. Granted, it’s only been a couple of days of check-offs, but it’s working in it’s own way. For example, I didn’t finish my Jillian workout until about 8pm last night. I was busy most of the day and really just wanted to settle in for the evening. But, the calendar hanging on the refrigerator was calling to me.  I could not end the day without checking exercise off my list. I’m restarting c25k again today and I’m excited because the weather is perfect. I’m restarting because 1) I want to participate in the 5k in Winston-Salem in December again and 2) I think I’ve been invited to do a 5k in Cincinnati in May. It’s time to prepare!

How do you stay accountable for exercise?

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Weight Loss Exercise

What I learned from my Skateboad Injury



I have been wondering this week what to write as my motivation has been a bit down lately and I did not want to infect you with it. So I have decided to write a little message about why I have been down and what I have learned about my back problem over the last few weeks.

What I learned from my Skateboad InjuryEarly in August I went one night to the local skateboard park with my son. Jaiden is 7 and likes to scooter, skateboard, and ride his bike at the skatepark like most kids his age like to do. I have no experience on a skateboard and just like and guy I want to prove my youth and virility and I failed.

I fell and hurt my back

Well today, just over three weeks later I am finally about healed. I hurt my back really bad falling off that skateboard and knocked my pelvis out of place. This led to physio, pain killers, not much exercise for the last few weeks. I have had a lot of time to be thankful for the opportunities I have to exercise, do what I want for exercise, and live a healthy lifestyle most of the time. I hope this thankfulness sticks cause it makes me respect my situations and pushes me to make the most out of life.

This is what I have really learned out of this ordeal

1. Make the most of every day. I am secretly not that excited about going to the gym some days and not as excited as I could be on street hockey days. That will now change. Feeling the endorphin rush, the excitement of a personal record, and the comaraderie of team and even individual sports will drive me like never before.

2. I will respect my body. There are lots of times where I will just eat terrible and think that I can run or ride to burn it off. I am now expecting myself to use my body as a tool, a temple, and a respected piece of person equipment. I will feed it fuel, push it like a machine, and give it treats for good behavior

3. I will keep my core strong. We all know that our core from hip to chest and right around the torso is the most critical parts of our bodies for strength and for stability. The trouble is that in the quest to build a six pack using crunches and lef raises we may not even realize that the most important muscles of the core are the Transverse Abdominus, a muscle that wraps right around the inside of the abdomen (don’t worry I will do some videos on working these muscles).

I know that my skateboard accident was not a real health scare like many people run into through their lives but to m, a guy that tries to pride myself on my healthy lifestyle it was a real shock that a little fall could mess me up so badly. One of the biggest problems mentally was the feeling that I did not have any control over my own body. I had been limping around, walking like an old man, and having to rest myself and watch how I moved for more than two weeks and for me that feeling of helplessness was a real wakeup call.

I think you will see a lot more of these kinds of posts from me in the future as I try to pull us all toward a daily dose of pushing ourselves to be better than yesterday