A number is a number is a number; on weight loss and social media stats

December 13, 2011 by 4 Comments

Recently, I’ve started spend more time on various social media platforms.

Blogging more frequently. Tweeting and updating my status and promoting my posts. It’s been fun getting to know my fellow FitFluential Ambassadors and their diverse viewpoints on health and fitness. It’s been exciting to see my Twitter and Facebook numbers shoot up and the overall traffic to my blog increase. So exciting, that I’ve been checking my stats often. Daily, for sure and sometimes even more. My husband has noticed and hinted that it might be a tad obsessive.

(There are many other types of statistics you can generate about your online ‘importance’. So as not to encourage you to spend even more time analyzing your own impact, I’ll refrain from describing them here.)

This morning, a tweet from @nomorebacon caught my attention;

Intrigued, I followed the link to a wonderful article about the slippery slope between passion for and obsession with Social Media.

In a nutshell, if you use social media as a means to an end (i.e., promoting health and wellness to the masses), you’re passionate. If the means and the end are equally important (i.e., your sense of self-worth is a direct reflection of how many people are reading/liking/following/re-tweeting you), you’re obsessed.

As I read the article, I found myself thinking about the parallels between social media statistics and the bathroom scale. A blogger checking her impact daily is no different than a dieter jumping on the scales every morning. Happy when the number goes up (blogger) or down (dieter), unhappy when the opposite occurs, both are allowing the number to dictate their self-worth.

Page views and pounds are simply numbers. How big your audience is. How much you weigh. (I so wanted to write ‘how big your butt is’). By themselves, they don’t mean a thing. Only when we compare them with another number, a number that we’ve decided is an attainable goal, do they take on significance.

A little bit of focus on numbers can be helpful when pursuing a goal. But when the number becomes more important than other aspects of the process (how much you enjoy writing, how good exercise feels), passion is on its way to becoming obsession.

A number is a number is a number. You get to decide what that number means and how much power over you it will wield.

I only weigh myself once a month, just to make sure I’m on track with my health and fitness goals. Passionate about maintaining a healthy weight, but not obsessed.

I need to do the same thing with social media statistics. Check less frequently (note that I didn’t say ‘once a month’, ha ha!) and with purpose (to see whether my posts are resonating with anybody, to gauge whether I’m attaining my goal of motivating others).

Use it as a means to an end. Passionately, not obsessively.

How much time do you spend each day on social media?

How do you use social media?

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Tips for a balanced holiday; make less more

December 12, 2011 by 12 Comments

I don’t know about you, but this time of the year I’m more likely to feel overwhelmed and on-the-brink than happy and peaceful. Rather than enjoying the holidays, I end up frazzled and worn out and just a little bit depressed come the new year. I love Christmas but I hate what it does to my health and sanity.

It’s nobody’s fault but my own. With some Norman Rockwellian ideal of what Christmas is supposed to look like I over-book, over-plan, over-bake and generally, over-extend myself.

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I forgo trips to the gym for trips to the mall. I feel compelled to make not 3 or 4 types of Christmas cookies, but 7 or 8 (wouldn’t want to forget hubby’s favorites). I get the last minute urge to host a large party with friends and neighbors, kids and all. I menu plan, relying more on traditional (high calorie) recipes than my normal clean eating favorites.

I do (almost) all the present buying for my kids as well as coming up with ideas for gifts for them from aunts and uncles and grandparents. I wrap all the presents and make sure the stocking stuffers don’t get overlooked. I used to write and address all of the Christmas cards (I gave that up a few years ago when I realized that nobody was reciprocating; what’s with that?).

Not this year. This holiday season, I resolve to find balance by making less more.

1) Plan fewer social engagements. Instead of running around from one party to the next, concentrate on those people who’s company you really enjoy. Think of the holidays as a time to re-connect with your closest friends and loved ones, not a time for putting in rushed appearances just because you feel you have to (the realtor up the street’s skating party? not happening this year). Balance ‘have to’ with ‘want to’.

2) Keep meals simple. Maintain the rest-of-the-year focus on lean proteins, whole grains and fresh vegetables. Limit special, high-fat, high-carb dishes to one per meal. Sure, Christmas traditions need to be honored, but not to the extent that your weight is up by 5 pounds come January 1st. Balance indulgences with common-sense eating.

3) Minimize holiday baking. I’m planning to limit my baking to my immediate family’s favorites; shortbread, gingerbread, fruit and nut florentines and ‘Xmas’ M&M cookies (only the red and green ones allowed!). Strike a balance between a little extra holiday baking and over-doing it.

4) Change your exercise schedule to reflect what your body needs. If shopping at the mall makes you yearn for cardio, reduce your weight training workouts and hit the trail. I’ll be dropping a few strength workouts and upping my attendance at yoga class. Relaxation is more important to my mental health this time of the year than lifting weights. Find a balance between activities that help you let off steam and those that nurture and rejuvenate.

5) Take time out for yourself. Having a house full of friends and relatives can be great fun. It can also be exhausting. Remind yourself that you’re not responsible for any one else’s enjoyment of the holidays. Excuse yourself for a quiet cup of tea, a candlelit bath or a half hour of knitting. (Chances are they need a break from you too!) Balance the energy you give to others with that you save for yourself.

Do the holidays energize you or leave you drained of energy?

What advice do you have for holiday over-achievers?

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Is your workout PC? Progression and consistency are your keys to success

December 9, 2011 by 9 Comments

Plateauing with your weight loss or strength gains? Might be due to lack of P and C; progression and consistency.

Watch and tell me what you think!

For more information about progressing your chin ups read this.

For a great set of videos highlighting ways to progress your pushups and pull ups watch this.

How do you progress your workouts?

What’s your plan for maintaining consistency over the holidays?

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Guest post and FitFluential love

December 8, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Today’s post will be short. Just a re-direct to a guest post I’m doing over at MizFit and a quick intro to one of my favorite fellow FitFluential bloggers!

If you enjoy reading health and fitness blogs as much as I do, you really needed to visit Carla. She’s bright, insightful, engaging, motivating and ripped! I love her approaches to fitness (‘because fitness isn’t about fitting in’) and to parenting (‘you are your own superhero’).

A day without MizFit is like a day without exercise (I’d love to say sunshine, but I live in the Pacific Northwest, where sunshine is rare)!

Today, she’s the featured FitFluential Ambassador. Congratulations and well done Carla!

 

 

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Lessons learned from The Biggest Loser

December 7, 2011 by 4 Comments

I have a confession to make. I’m not proud of it and I hope you won’t think anything less of me because of it.

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Every Tuesday evening I watch The Biggest Loser.

(Actually, I PVR it and watch on Wednesday afternoons when no one’s home to bear witness.)

I know. It’s a terrible show. I’m the first to agree. The list of things I hate about it is long and includes (but is not limited to):

  • Contestants doing too much, too soon (400 pound people should not be running; think of the impact on their joints)
  • Trainers who are verbally and physically abusive (did you see the one where Dolvett repeatedly dropped a medicine ball on John’s stomach to urge him to keep his abs engaged during a core exercise?)
  • Weekly challenges that involve eating a huge amount of some non-food (cupcakes, doughnuts, Halloween candy) in order to win a 1 lb advantage at the weigh-in (can you say irony?)
  • Weigh-ins where participants are made to feel like they’ve failed for only having lost 5 pounds in a week (double digit weight loss is the expectation, at least during the first few weeks of the season)
  • Stockholm syndrome-like attachment to their trainers (participants hug and profess to love those who were previously abusive to them)
  • Isolation from their family and friends, the same family and friends who will be their primary support system when they leave the ranch
  • Over-the-top theatricality and histrionics (Bonnie’s ability to cry at the drop of a hat was Oscar-worthy

Not to mention the long, drawn out pauses at the weigh-ins and the dramatic faces of the trainers as the cameras cut to commercial.

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Why then do I subject myself to it weekly?

Because, despite all of it’s faults, I believe that watching it makes me a better personal trainer and healthy lifestyle coach.

Having never been overweight myself, it can be difficult for me to see things from the perspective of a client who needs to lose a lot of weight. Difficult to understand why food holds so much power over them. How physically challenging the basic movements of day to day living can be. How intimidating just entering a gym or fitness studio is.

BL teaches me to be compassionate, sensitive to my clients’ level of discomfort (of course, a bit of discomfort is required :) ) and realistic in my expectations of their abilities.

Watching the trainers yell, swear and verbally de-moralize the contestants reminds me that we all need to be treated with respect. That dropping the F-bomb will not motivate a client to work harder. That making someone mad at me will undermine the trusting, supportive relationship we’ve worked hard to build. That forcing an emotional catharsis will not lead to an immediate change in attitude and behavior. That creating dependence on me will not equip my clients with the tools they need to reach their goals in my absence.

BL teaches me to motivate my clients with dignity and respect. It reminds me that I’m not a psychologist and that not everyone who needs to lose weight is a victim of some long ago trauma that must be uncovered before progress can be made. It illuminates the importance of education when making life style changes.

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Seeing the transformations (both physical and emotional) of the participants reminds me why I love my job. Last season, I celebrated with sisters Olivia and Hannah, as they lost weight, learned to love themselves again and regained control of their lives. Being the instrument of positive change in people’s lives feels fantastic and inspires me to keep making healthy lifestyle choices for myself and my family.

BL reminds me of the importance of celebrating victories, both big and small. Often it’s the little victories that fuel the pathway to healthy living; doing a pushup for the first time, resisting dessert at a holiday dinner, regularly eating breakfast.

Most importantly, BL reinforces the message that weight is only a number on the scale. Sure, it feels great to see that number getting smaller, but it feels even better to love yourself and be the mother/father/husband/wife/friend that you were meant to be.

The 12th season of The Biggest Loser is quickly coming to an end. I know I’ll be impatiently waiting for season 13 to begin; impatient to watch the show I love to hate.

Do you watch The Biggest Loser?

Does seeing or reading weight loss success stories inspire and motivate you?

P.S. Recently, it’s come to my attention that some of you may not know how to leave a comment at the end of a post. WordPress doesn’t make it easy to find the ‘Leave a comment’ tab. At the bottom of each post you’ll see a footer. Notice the words ‘Leave a comment’ in the bottom line? Click on them and a comments box should pop up. Here, you’ll be able to see all the other comments (as well as my replies) and leave yours too!

Please comment well and often; that’s how we turn a blog post into a conversation!

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Does blogging make you fat? Evidence that deadlines make for poor diets

December 6, 2011 by 4 Comments

Yesterday, the Vancouver Sun ran an interesting article in it’s weekly Health feature; Deadlines make for bad diets.

They reported the results of a paper published in the journal Physiology and Behavior (I have a soft spot for this journal; it’s where I published my very first scientific paper about yo-yo dieting and weight gain in mice, way back in 1990).

Researchers asked the question “does performing knowledge-based work (e.g. sitting at a desk analyzing data, writing computer code, drafting papers, reports or blog posts) lead to weight gain?”.

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Of course we all know that prolonged sitting and lack of physical activity contribute to weight gain. Move less, burn fewer calories, gain weight. But what’s new about this study is the observation that knowledge-based work is often time sensitive and that the stress caused by meeting a deadline may result in overeating upon completion of the task.

The researchers took two groups of women (group sizes were small, only 15 women per group, so results need to interpreted cautiously). One group was asked to read an excerpt of text and was then given 45 minutes to write a response. The second (control) group was asked to sit quietly for the same period of time. At the end of the test period, both groups were offered access to an all-you-can-eat buffet.

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Guess what they found.

The group of women who performed the writing task ate an average of 230 calories more than the group who sat thinking quietly! In addition, food logs kept by the participants indicated that the ‘work’ group did not compensate for these excess calories by eating less through the rest of the day.

The authors also measured circulating cortisol levels (cortisol is known as the ‘stress hormone’ and has been implicated as a food craving trigger). No surprise, the ‘work’ group had higher cortisol levels than the control group. But interestingly enough, they didn’t report feeling any more stressed than their ‘resting’ counterparts and were unaware of their overeating.

In a followup study (using similar protocols), the ‘work’ group not only ate more at lunch when compared with controls, but also experienced greater fluctuations in blood sugar levels while performing the task. The authors argue that our brains may seek extra food to help stabilize blood sugars after doing ‘work’ just like our muscles need to refuel after a weight training session.

What does it all mean?

Sitting at a desk and performing mental work under a deadline may contribute to weight gain by elevating stress levels and making you more prone to mindless eating.

So what’s a desk worker (or blogger) to do? Well, I believe that knowledge is power. Just knowing that you’re more likely to overeat upon the completion of a stressful task allows you to plan.

  • Plan healthy snacks and meals when you’re working on a deadline
  • Eat in the kitchen (mindfully), not at your desk (mindlessly)
  • Cut back on the caffeine. It may fuel creativity, but at the expense of elevated cortisol
  • Keep a water bottle handy; staying hydrated will suppress your appetite and keep your mouth busy
  • Take mini-exercise breaks during your work day; physical activity reduces stress (as do yoga and knitting)

What are you waiting for? Drop and give me 10! (Pushups, crunches, squats or rows; take your pick!)

Do you find yourself eating more when you’re under stress?

Are particular foods more appealing to you during stressful times?

Please hit me up in the comments section below!

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When worlds collide; handknit fitness gear

December 5, 2011 by 10 Comments

I love to exercise and I love to knit. But never at the same time. Picture yarn caught up in the gears of the elliptical. Needles piercing a stability ball or Bosu. Not a pretty sight.

Other than the parallels I’ve drawn between them in this post, in my life, exercise and knitting rarely meet.

Until now. The perfect marriage of form and function. Fiber meets fitness. May I present my version of the yoga sock, knit in a soft, warm alpaca/merino/silk blend;

Sans heels and toes for better mat grippage

Laced at the top to prevent drooping

And a pretty little faux seam up the back, just because

The pattern is my own and inspired by (1) the legwarmers worn by my yoga instructor, (2) a pair of machine knit yoga socks on the Lululelmon website and (3) my trusty stitch dictionary.

Want to knit a pair of your own (or get your crafty friend to do it for you)? See my Ravelry page for pattern details!

Namaste!

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New to fitness? Preparation is your key to success

December 2, 2011 by 8 Comments

Congratulations!

You’ve decided to start the journey towards health and wellness by beginning to exercise; a decision to invest in yourself and your future. Perhaps the most important decision you’ll make this year (or ever, for that matter). Even better, you’re not waiting until January 1st to start; this isn’t a resolution, it’s a lifelong commitment.

But where to begin? How often should you exercise? How hard? What type of exercise should you be doing? All good questions. And there are tons of great resources out there that can help you answer them.

Rather than focus on the logistics of your new exercise program, however, I’d like to talk about preparation. Psychological preparation. Preparation for success, of course, but for setbacks as well.

Understanding yourself, your strengths and weaknesses, your fears,  motivations and expectations and most importantly, what ‘fitness’ means to you is a great way to ensure success. The more you know about yourself, the easier it will be to create a fitness program that you’ll stick with. A fitness program that will become a way of life.

Some things to think about before you set foot in the gym;

1) What does fitness mean to you? Is it about aesthetics? Strength? Endurance? Flexibility? Is it a particular number on the scale or your annual blood tests? Is it a feeling? Write out your definition of fitness. Doing so will help you clarify why you want to get fit and help to determine the types of exercise most likely to bring you closer to your goals.

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2) What types of activities do you enjoy? It may sound simple, but if you hate running, don’t buy a treadmill. If you can’t stand being in a weight room, don’t buy a year’s membership to one. If you don’t love (or at least like) what you’re doing, you won’t do it. Period. Save yourself the money and the inevitable feeling of failure. Make a list of activities you like. Think outside the box. Be unconventional (hula hooping, pole dancing). Most activities that require physical exertion can be turned into exercise if you increase the intensity.

3) Are you an introvert or an extrovert? Extroverts get energized by being in the company of others. Introverts need time on their own. Choose activities that fit your personality type. Group fitness classes are great for extroverts. Trail running and cycling can be done alone. If you’re an introvert who hates dancing, don’t sign up for Zumba; I can guarantee you won’t get through the session.

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4) What type of day is your energy highest? Lowest? When choosing an activity, think about when, during the day, you’ll be doing it. If you’re a morning person, take advantage of your early-in-the-day energy and schedule your exercise for then. Sometimes our preferred activity type conflicts with our daily energy level peak; sure, you’d love to get to that cardio kickboxing class, but it runs at 8:30 in the evening and you’re usually passed out on the couch by 9. Take a pass on it and find something that words with your early bird nature. Perhaps a 6 am spin class?

5) What will you do if you can’t do your scheduled workout? Plan for setbacks. No matter how diligent you are with your planning, at some point, something’s going to happen to make you miss your workout. Traffic, sick kids, cancelled class, power outage at the gym. Having a backup plan for those unexpected events will help keep you on track (as well as providing a bit of cross training). If you usually go to the gym or an aerobics class, make sure you have a set of weights and an exercise DVD at home for those days you just can’t get there. A little bit of exercise is better than none at all.

6) How quickly does your enthusiasm and motivation for new things wane? Know your own ‘reward schedule’; how often you need to be reminded of why you’re doing this, how frequently you need a pat on the back to keep going, at what interval you need a little external validation for all your hard work (for me, it’s a trip to Lululemon every 2 or 3 months for a cute new outfit). Daily motivational quotes and inspiration boards (like my Pinterest ‘Fitness Inpiration’ board) can serve as ‘pep talks’ to keep you moving forward towards your goals.

7) What type of support would you benefit from? Nobody can do this on their own. Everyone needs some sort of support to keep them accountable and on track. Try an on-line support group (Spark People or My Fitness Pal). Use Facebook to meet up with other like-minded individuals. Read fitness and nutrition blogs for inspiration (check out FitFluential Inc.’s Ambassadors for ideas). Enlist the help of a fitness friend. Hire a personal trainer.

Now that you’ve done the mental work, you’re well on your way to fitness success!

Need some suggestions for putting it all together? Feel free to comment below.

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Crows, dolphins and (teddy)bears, oh my!

December 1, 2011 by 1 Comment

So I’ve been practicing yoga (semi-)faithfully for about three months now.

Absolutely loving savasana. Slowly getting better at downward dog and warrior. Working on ‘enjoying’ chair and pigeon pose. But up until today, quite terrified of inverted balance poses.

In part because I’m afraid of falling and looking silly but also, because of the little voice in my head that’s been telling me my entire life that I’m not an athlete. (Yes, I know, I lift weights, teach group fitness and indoor cycling and can out-push up my husband, but somehow, I haven’t an athletic bone in my body…)

Fortunately, I usually attend the busy classes, where I’m guessing, there’s just not enough room for ‘new-to-inversions’ yogis. (Imagine thirty-five people attempting headstands for the first time with mats a mere six inches a part; I know, funny, huh?). So although I’ve been challenged by the difficulty of holding my body in contorted positions for long intervals, I haven’t really pushed myself outside of my comfort zone.

Until today.

Maybe it was due to the small class size (there was lots of room between mats for ‘errors’). Or perhaps because a kind, supportive friend (thanks Tracey!) was on the mat next to mine. Possibly it was the instructor; a gentle, nurturing woman who notices and doesn’t hesitate to celebrate our small yogic victories.

Today’s class was full of inversions.

We began with crow pose.

This one, I’ve done before, but only fleetingly. Supporting your weight on hands only, knees balanced on the back of triceps. One leg slips off, try, again. Other leg slips off, try again. After the third try, I usually slip into child’s pose to regroup (and hide my embarrassment).

Today, I hugged my arms and inner thighs towards the midline of my body and managed to hold the pose for what felt like forever (but was probably only 15 seconds…).

We moved on to dolphin,

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not difficult on it’s own and really a pose used to transition into the more challenging teddy bear (from dolphin, balance your knees on the back of your triceps, much like crow). Miraculously, I was able to hold and maintain this one for an unbelievable (at least to me!) amount of time.

From teddy bear, the instructor challenged us to begin moving into headstand. Ever so slowly, start to bring the the knees together (holy core strength, batman!), pressing the inner thighs together, inch the feet towards the ceiling. I squeezed and inched, but only managed to make it about a quarter of the way to the top. The instructor cheered me on and I felt victorious as I lowered myself back down on the mat. Next time, half way, I promise!

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For the first time in a very long time, I attempted something scary. Nowhere near as often as Lululemon advocates (“Do one thing a day that terrifies you”), but a good start.

So often our fears of embarrassment and failure hold us back. That little voice in the back of our heads that tells us we can’t. “I can’t take a group fitness class, I’m too uncoordinated”, “Weight-lifting? I’d probably hurt myself”, “I’ve tried eating better, but I haven’t got the willpower”.

Tomorrow, apply some mental duct tape to your little voice’s head and do something that scares you (try ‘scares’ before you attempt ‘terrifies’; baby steps). I have no doubt that you’ll surprise yourself. I won’t be surprised; I knew you could do it!

What have you done lately that scares you?

Did you feel elated and powerful afterwards (even if you weren’t entirely successful)?

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Some ‘influential’ news!

November 30, 2011 by Leave a Comment

I have some exciting news to share with you.

I’ve been selected to be an Ambassador for FitFluential Inc! To quote directly from their website;

FitFluential is a growing family of fitness fanatics spreading a positive healthy message year-round. Fitfluential is Fitness Found.

I’ll be joining the illustrious ranks of some of my favorite fitness and healthy lifestyle bloggers, including MizFit, The Angry Trainer, Freaking Fitness, The Business of Losing Weight and Fit Chick In The City (I love her blog name; blogger ‘chicks’ rule), to name but a few. (It’s going to take me a week to properly explore each of the Ambassador’s websites; I’ll let you know who else you should be reading!).

Along with getting to meet a whole bunch of new blogger friends, my relationship with FitFluential will open the door for me to test, review, recommend and giveaway (to my readers, of course!) new brands of fitness equipment, books and possibly healthy foods.

No worries, though. I’m not planning on selling out. I won’t be plastering my website with ads for new cars, weight loss supplements or hair replacement therapies. I’ll continue to write about the things that matter to me (and to you too, it seems!). FitFluential’s goal is to help connect bloggers with brands that their readers are likely to be interested in. Brands that reflect the bloggers core beliefs and way of life.

Along with the potential of reaching a wider audience, bloggers who become FitFluential Ambassadors have the opportunity to contribute content to the FitFluential website. How exciting!

If you’re interested in being part of the FitFluential community (you don’t need to be a blogger, just trying to live a healthy life), ‘like’ them on Facebook and join in the discussion!

Finally, I’d like to thank you, my readers, for making this possible. It’s your daily visits to and comments on this blog that paved the way for this exciting development!

Tell me something great that’s happened in your life recently!

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