Okay, I Admit I'm Guilty...

Okay, so we all know we are guilty of over-indulging on a long holiday weekend and eating all those extra calories. Personally I don't feel that splurging sometimes is a bad thing its the not getting back on track that is the problem.

Sometimes you have the best intentions during a three day holiday week-end. You swear you’ll eat well, even when you’re offered the most succulent barbecue meals, and swear even more that you’ll exercise instead of sleeping in AND avoid alcohol. (Go you!) But there you are Tuesday morning: feeling guilty, slightly ill and bloated from all the over-eating.

Now what you do? The way I see it, you’ve got only one choice: get back on track as quickly as possible! Here are four ways to get back on track with your weight loss plan after a long holiday week-end.

1. Ditch the guilt. So, despite your best intentions, you didn't stick to your diet plan. You need to ditch any guilt you feel and stop beating yourself up about it. Feeling guilty about overindulging is wasted energy spend that energy doing something productive instead.
2. Dump the extra food. If you’ve got extra food around the house from the holiday week-end, dump it. Why keep unhealthy, calorie-laden food around to tempt you? Better that the food goes in the garbage than on your hips or belly, right?
3. Review or reset your goals. Sometimes overindulging comes about because you either lost sight of your goals or have set your goals too high. A goal of “I’m never going to eat cookies again” may be too strict for you and cause you to overindulge, using a holiday week-end as an excuse to ditch your diet plan.
4. Eat your favorite healthy meal and do your favorite workout. You’re only one healthy meal and one workout away from getting back on track. If you need the extra incentive, why not cook/get your favorite healthy meal (for me, grilled chicken salad!) do your favorite workout, and blast your favorite music while doing it.

If you overindulged over the long holiday week-end, chances are the “damage” is not as bad as you think. Use these four tips to get back on track and you’ll be back to losing weight before you know it!

"Isn't Counseling for Crazy People?"

“Maybe you should think about seeing a counselor.”


This little phrase can conjure up so many emotions: fear, shame, anxiety, anger, relief, exhaustion, hope, despair, trepidation and failure. For many, counseling is only for crazy people or addicts. These are the people with real problems.


Why is there such a negative stigma connected with counseling? In a society that’s success-driven and where independence is highly praised, there are an awful lot of us who feel lonely, hurt, bewildered and lost, but when a good friend, family member, roommate or mentor observes an issue in our life that warrants the help of a therapist, we get irritated and defensive. We shake our heads and angrily affirm, “I’m fine!”


Carl Jung says: “There are as many nights as days, and the one is just as long as the other in the year's course. Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness, and the word 'happy' would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness.”


Here’s the thing that needs to change: the belief that counseling is shameful. It’s OK to admit things aren’t going well. The fact is that we’re all so afraid to reveal we have problems, many of us aren’t getting the help we need in order to live more healthy, happy and fulfilling lives.



In many cases, therapy involves situations, emotions and relationships we would rather leave buried. It’s completely understandable to desire avoiding these past hurts or traumas. Oftentimes things left unaddressed and unhealed have a tendency to fester. This festering issue begins to affect our present lives, often without us realizing it. Ben Franklin said, “He that won’t be counseled, can’t be helped.” Many times, the only way to address old hurts and current problems is to talk them through with someone else. 


Along these lines, it seems to be harder for men to seek counseling than women. This isn’t true of every man, of course, but it’s a big enough issue to address. Culture dictates that being a man means having the ability to handle anything and that emotional displays are not acceptable. Guys, this perception is wrong and dangerous!


Being a real man means being able to ask for help and accountability from others. Manliness should be exemplified by doing whatever it takes to have healthy relationships, good family lives and peace with other.


The next obstacle to overcome once a person can accept they need help, is that it can be very overwhelming knowing where to start.


Where do you find a counselor and specifically one that fits your individual needs? How much can you spend on therapy? How long do you go? Many people (including us on occasion) often quit therapy before even starting because these questions seem so daunting. What are some ways to avoid this scenario?


 An article in Psychology Today, written by Hara Estroff Marano says that “the fastest and most reliable way to find a good therapist is to ask a friend or someone you respect who has been helped by therapy. People you trust with helping you make other decisions can help with this one too, observes psychologist Bernardo Carducci, Ph.D., of Indiana University Southeast. Asking a friend relieves the burden on your judgment, while your friend's success provides a clear indicator that what the therapist does actually works.”


Interview a prospective counselor about their personality and their counseling style. Ask questions as to how they would structure your therapy. Some counselors won’t provide the kind of therapy that you need and others will. Feel free to ask questions on the phone before spending money on an appointment.


After 1-3 sessions, if you feel the counselor isn’t helping don’t be afraid to try someone else. Therapy is about receiving the specific guidance you need. Be honest with the counselor about your reasons for terminating therapy and ask for any references they might be able to provide. Even though it feels discouraging, try to persevere; a therapist who works well with you is worth the time searching.


Make sure you and your counselor are on the same page with what the outcome of your time together is. Be aware of the goals you personally hope to achieve during therapy and work on a timeline together for accomplishing these goals.


Some offices take insurance, some do not. If your prospective therapist does not take insurance, ask if they would be willing to work on a sliding scale, which is a lower fee based on the income you make. If you do not have a way to pay for counseling, check with your local church or your town’s Health and Human Services Department. They might have contacts to therapists who take non-paying cases. Colleges also offer free on-campus counseling for students.

“Being in therapy is great. I spend an hour just talking about myself. It's kinda like being the guy on a date.”-Caroline Rhea

Pilates...

Last night I thought I was going to yoga, but I misread the schedule and ended up going to pilates and really enjoyed the class so I thought I would devote a post to the benefits of it!


Many types of people, at many levels of fitness, who have begun doing Pilates exercises say they've seen improvements in range of motion, flexibility, circulation, posture, and abdominal strength. Decreases in back, neck and joint pain were also reported.

Body awareness is something I saw as a major benefit. It shows you how to pull your tummy in and bring your shoulders down and this can correlate to daily activity such as walking, sitting, and brushing your teeth. There is an attention that is required that changes your general awareness.  It can help make you aware of that chronic tweak in the neck you get from sitting at the computer all day with rounded shoulders and a phone cradled between ear and shoulder, or of a past sports injury. For me it was my left knee. I tore my ACL about five years ago and it still twinges, but after the pilates class it felt truly worked out in a good way.

Think of a tree, Pilates experts say. Does it have all its strength in its limbs? No. The tree is only as strong as its trunk and roots. Without a strong trunk, the tree would topple over.It's the same for human bodies, say Pilates experts. If we don't concentrate on building a good foundation and a strong trunk or core, we'll end up tight in some places and weak in others, injury-prone and susceptible to the pitfalls of our occupation or chosen form of exercise.

Galliano, who has sculpted the bodies of Madonna, Cameron Diaz, Sting, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Uma Thurman, says Pilates works because it teaches you how to move.

"Unless you are taught how to move and discover with your teacher what is blocking you (for example, keeping your shoulders up too high), you will never achieve body symmetry," Galliano says. "When you start getting control of your body, it gives you a great degree of satisfaction."

The discipline was created by German-born Joseph H. Pilates a century ago. A sickly child plagued with asthma and rickets, he grew up to be obsessed about the perfect body. He sought a discipline to combine the physique of the ancient Greeks with the meditative strength of the East.

I Think Therefore I Am Should Not Be Interpreted As I'm Over-Weight Therefore I Can't.

For all the philosophers and people of reason out there, Rene Descartes was a great philosopher who used the quote, "I think, therefore, I am" as a basic foundation to all of his arguments and theories. I feel like too many over-weight people turn this into, "I'm over-weight, therefore, I can't."
Today before my Pilates class, I was talking to two over-weight women and stated that I had actually been anticipating yoga today, but found out I had misread the schedule and was going to Pilates instead. They both told me, "I'm too fat for yoga." At this I was taken aback. I thought to myself, I'm over-weight, I enjoy yoga. This statement is a foundation many over-weight people use to talk themselves out of group fitness and exercising period. 
Hopefully these tips will help you if you're having problems exercising as an over-weight individual.

• Private Personal Training
• Personal training is a great option for anyone not just people who are over-weight.
• A fear many over-weight people have is the act of going to the gym. You can hire a personal trainer to come to your private residence or at a personal training studio.
• Note not all personal training studios are alike and neither are all personal trainers. Look places up and get recommendations from friends.
• Online Personal Training
• Not everyone has the funds to have a personal trainer come to their private residence, this a good alternative, try Plus One active.
• When you sign-up your assigned your very own personal trainer to set you up with a workout.
• If you're a beginner keep in mind you won't have someone there to watch your form so you may want to consider doing a month of in-person personal training if you aren't sure about the exercises.
• Recumbent Bikes and Cross Trainers
• Recumbent bikes are great for people who need support while they exercise.
• Exercise Ball
• Some of the basic exercises you can try include sitting on the ball (try watching TV for a while and you'll feel your body working a little harder than usual), marching, or balancing by lifting one foot off the floor, holding, and then lifting the other foot. There are some great burst-resistant balls out there, many of which will hold up to 1,000 pounds.
• Pedometer
• If walking is your exercise of choice, a pedometer can be very motivating. Set an alarm to go off every hour and walk 50 steps. It might be hard at first to get into the routine, but well worth it in the end.

If you're obese or overweight, you sometimes have to be creative when it comes to exercise. There are many people talking about exercise and urging you to do it, but they aren't telling you exactly what to do if you can't do traditional exercises. The key is to find something that is comfortable for you, something you enjoy and something you'll continue to do over time. Remember to get checked out by your doctor before you begin exercising, especially if you have any health conditions or are on any type of medication.

Enriching More Then Just Your Physical Body...

Today after I'm done with my classes it is going to be late, so not much real hard workout time in the schedule, but I promised myself I would go to the gym six days a week. I also promised myself I would try to enrich more than just my physical body. The solution to this for me is yoga. On campus at my recreation center they offer different kinds of yoga classes throughout the week. I know many people watch others doing yoga and say, "Um...I don't bend like that." Well that's okay most yoga instructors will tell you in the beginning the point is not to be perfect and there are variations of different poses to challenge people on every level so as you attain knowledge and confidence in the "easy" pose you can move to the "intermediate" pose as you feel comfortable.
Here are some good reasons why yoga can be so beneficial:

• Improvement of body luster and general health
• When your mind focuses on a particular part of the body, the blood flow to that part increases and cells receive more oxygen and other nutrients in abundance. 
• Today, many of the film stars and fashion models include meditation in their daily regimen
• Improvement in concentration 
• Many of the athletes and sports professionals regularly employ meditation methods. Studies have found a direct correlation between concentration exercises (meditation) and the performance level of sports professionals. 
• Meditation strengthens the mind, it comes under control and is able to provide effective guidance to the physical body to effectively execute all its projects.

Though meditation is usually recognized as a largely spiritual practice, it also has many health benefits. Yoga and meditation techniques are being implemented in management of life threatening diseases; in transformation of molecular and genetic structure; in reversal of mental illness, in accelerated learning programs, in perceptions and communications beyond the physical, in solving problems and atomic and nuclear physics; in gaining better ecological understanding; in management of lifestyle and future world problems. 
Some benefits of meditation are:

• It lowers oxygen consumption
• Decrease in respiratory rate
• Increases blood flow and lowers heart rate
• Increases exercise tolerance in heart patients
• Good for people with high blood pressure as it brings the B.P. to normal.
• Reduces anxiety attacks by lowering the levels of blood lactate.
• Decreases muscle tension (any pain due to tension) and headaches.
• It increases serotonin production which influences mood and behaviour. Low levels of serotonin are associated with depression, obesity, insomnia and headaches.
• Enhances the immune system. Research has revealed that meditation increases activity of 'natural-killer cells', which kill bacteria and cancer cells.
• Reduces Pre- menstrual Syndrome.
• Helps post-operative healing

Peace cannot be kept by force it can only be achieved by understanding-Albert Einstein 

Good to Know When Trying to Think Healthy Thoughts : )

In Summary...

Today's cardio equaled to about five miles. Needless to say I'm very proud of myself and might I add if I had not walked to and from the gym I wouldn't have gotten in those extra two miles! 
I feel today has been full of accomplishments for me. I went to bed early and woke up at a decent hour, I took my medicine on time, I completed my homework, and I went to the gym. I feel on top of the world for all the effort I put in. Hopefully tomorrow I will feel just as successful. I said I wanted to help other who might stumble upon this blog so here is my first insightful contribution.


Many women begin their health and fitness routines with cardio exercises, and then follow it up


with weight lifting. The disadvantage is that you may be missing out on a critical component of


the routine, because you're spending all of your time with cardio. If this is a regular occurrence, 


the outcome can be disappointing despite countless hours at the gym. Reverse the order and 


perform weight training first. You'll likely see a more positive visible outcome.

Clear your mind of can't- Samuel Johnson

Thoughts on Easy Fitness Options...

So today I've been contemplating all the easy fitness options we all have everyday that aren't taken advantage of. We have a tendency to take the elevator to the second floor when we all know we can easily walk one flight of stairs (unless disabled) without too much hassle, but we choose to wait on the elevator instead. We get in our car and drive instead of walking to the corner store that is less than a five minute walk away from our home. This is not only a great way to get in that little bit of exercise but, it also saves gas and by extension money!


I know I am notorious for taking the campus shuttle to the gym, which is a good thirty minute walk from my dorm, but it would be a great warm-up and if I used some extra time management skills I could easily walk there and back to warm up and cool-down from my workout. So this week I'm taking the stairs, leaving my car parked, and walking to the gym when it is possible for me to take advantage of these easy fitness options...

Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going. -Jim Ryan

Just the Beginning...

Today I posed the question to myself, "Am I really capable of having a happy and healthy lifestyle that I choose and am not ashamed of?" My immediate reply to myself was, "How can I know, I've never actually given it an honest shot?"


Do you remember when you were learning to tie your shoes by yourself and your parents showed you many, many times and then had you attempt it. You didn't get it the first time you tried, nor the second, and eventually you would become frustrated and say to your parents, "I just can't do it!" They would either reply by telling you to give it another go, or some people's parents would do it for them. The people whose parents who made them try again eventually learned to tie their shoes. The people who, upon giving up their parents simply did it for them forever wear velcro shoes. I don't know about you, but I don't want to be stuck with velcro forever.


Today is a day for physical, mental, and spiritual change. Today is just the beginning...

When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.— Victor Frankl