My Fitness Coach Blog

One of my clients tells me that I have strong self discipline and willpower because I stick to a workout regimen and commit to healthy eating habits. She also says that she cannot become disciplined enough to reach her own goals.

I’ve thought about this quite a bit. Self discipline is only a small piece of the puzzle and it simplifies things too much. I think that the bigger piece is finding the motivation to commit yourself to reaching your goals. In other words, it doesn’t start with discipline. It starts with feelings.

First, you have to feel uncomfortable enough about an unhealthy behavior or state of being in order to think about change. When you begin to think about the pros and cons of change, the pros must outweigh the cons in order for you to move forward. At this point, you must also identify what is motivating you to change. Don’t just focus on “I want to look and feel better”. Go deeper. For example: “I want to look better when my spouse sees me naked, and I want more energy so I can make it through a tennis game with my son and not feel like dying afterward.” That motivation, assuming it is strong enough, will be key in helping you adhere to future behavior changes. Once your motivator is identified, it will be much easier to get your workouts in and turn down the junk food. Also, reaching early milestones will give you more confidence in setting and going for the next ones.

Of course, having great motivators doesn’t always guarantee success. We hit obstacles along the way—temptations, injuries, travel, work and home stress, illness. While these are unfortunate events, they are not permanent setbacks. How successful we are in reaching our goals depends on how well we recover. How well we recover depends on our attitudes. People who are able to positively frame thoughts and events report being happier and healthier and recover more quickly. (Example: “Even though I’m stuck in rush hour with a flat tire, I am finally able to return a few messages while I wait for AAA.”)

Do you wish you had more self discipline? If so, try to figure out what you want, and why. Again, be specific. Close your eyes and picture it. Notice the colors, sounds, the feelings inside of you.
How would you feel if you were at your best?
What would that look like?
What would you be able to do?
Why is it important to you?
What would happen and how would you feel if you did not get what you envisioned? (If you are feeling any ambivalence, the motivator isn’t strong enough. Go back to the beginning!)
Who besides you would notice?

FYI, this type of work is very typical in wellness coaching. I ask you to think of yourself at your best, and then help you tap into current strengths and successes to get you there. I would be delighted to assist you in this process should you like some guidance.

Danielle

P.S. One of my motivations now is my upcoming vacation at the beach. I want to look HOT in my swimsuit, and get some good photos for my website. See…it doesn’t always have to be deep and spiritual

New research indicates that exercising while still overweight might not significantly lower your risk of disease and illness after all. Check out this article by Lindsey Tanner, AP Medical Writer, made available today on Yahoo: http://health.yahoo.com/news/ap/fitness_heart.html

What is considered fat? According to the article referenced above, “A BMI between 25 and 29 is considered overweight, while obese is 30 and higher”. To determine your BMI (height vs. weight), an online calculator is available at: http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/bmi/adult_bmi/english_bmi_calculator/bmi_calculator.htm. Please note that if you are very muscular, this number will be skewed.

An exercise and eating fallacy
Many of my clients believe that participating in regular exercise gives them free license to eat whatever they want. Of course, while exercising, you are burning calories. It may be tempting to replenish those calories with treats like cheese and crackers, margaritas, cheescake, etc. But weight maintenance/loss depends on a very simple formula: calories in must be equal to or less than calories out in order to prevent weight gain. While it is a simple formula, it is a difficult thing for many people to do. Temptations are everywhere.

A rule you can live by
Even if you are maintaining your weight, an excess of anything (but especially alcohol, sodium, trans fat, saturated fat, and chemical additives) can cause health problems. I like to follow this rule of thumb: eat healthy 80% of the time, and eat what you truly enjoy 20%. By the way, these two things are not always diametrically opposed!

An example: Let’s say I am eating 1800 calories per day for weight maintenance (your own calorie intake may be higher or lower depending on your physiology and activity).
Throughout the day, I would eat:
800 calories worth of carbohydrates (whole grains, vegetables, beans and fruits)
440 calories worth of lean protein (chicken, fish, lowfat dairy)
260 calories worth of healthy fats (olive oil, nuts, salmon)
300 calories of whatever I want: popcorn, dark chocolate, 1 glass wine, small slice of birthday cake, etc. The important thing here is portion control, especially if you are not counting calories or points every day!

You can track your calorie intake and energy output at sites like mypyramid.gov. Also see my post for April 28, 2008 under the Nutrition category for additional sites that are helpful.

Be well,
Danielle

Hello!
Here are links to the five resources I use very often:

USDA Nutrient Data Lab
Search on practically any food to learn its nutrition content, including calories, protein, fat, carbohydrate, sodium, etc.
http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/

Calorie King
Similar to USDA above but with additional tools
http://www.calorieking.com/

Center for Science in the Public Interest
This is a nonprofit that advocates for nutrition and health, food safety, alcohol policy, and sound science. They publish great articles in their Nutrition Action newsletter (archives available online). You’ll be amazed at what you didn’t know about takeout, restaurant and processed food!
http://www.cspinet.org/

Cooking Light
Cooking Light magazine’s online version. They have hundreds of healthy recipes. Do an “Enhanced Search” on Recipe Finder and you can specify several things from ingredients to diet considerations.
http://www.cookinglight.com/cooking/

MyPyramid.gov
You can literally spend hours here. Learn about how much and what you should have from each food group, develop a personalized plan, assess and track your current eating and physical activity habits, etc.
http://www.mypyramid.gov/

You may have recently heard this news about a study published in the Public Library of Science. The analysis was conducted by researchers at Harvard University, the University of California, San Francisco, and the University of Washington. The research showed that the 1.3 year decrease (between 1983 and 1999) was primarily in southern and Appalachian areas due to an increased rate in obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer and smoking.

You might think this news is not as significant since it was found primarily in poor, rural areas and the number of years is not extraordinarily high. Unfortunately, this localized problem may be a harbinger of a future and bigger threat to women’s health, especially since it stems primarily from the lifestyle choices we all make (many of which are admittedly poor).

Stress levels are at an all-time high, and we manage our stress by smoking, drinking alcohol and eating poorly. Sure, we might exercise and eat vegetables, but how much do we sabotage those valiant efforts by making rash, poor choices? How many times have you eaten fattening, sugary and salty food in response to your emotions? How many times have you put off exercise, claiming to feel too tired, busy or stressed? How many times have you acted out toward a loved one because you could not handle your overwhelming life?

I have done these things, too. But I’ve also learned in the process. I’ve determined that my health and wellness are more important than a job, than social activities and house work. I learned how to read my emotions and how to listen to my body. I’m not perfect, but I have taken many steps toward my vision of ideal wellness. It is a lifelong journey, but we do get better at it if we work at it!

I hope that you treat yourself well today, and that you listen just a little more closely to what you need, not simply what you want. Perhaps together, we can help turn this study around next time!

Thank you for visiting my web site and blog. I will be posting many useful articles and thoughts on wellness-related topics and I hope you will continue to find something of interest. Please do not hesitate to contact me about an article you’d like to see, or to ask a burning question. I will be happy to answer them in upcoming entries.

Please send your email address to dring@myfitnesscoach.biz if you would like to subscribe to the blog. You may also read more about me and My Fitness Coach at www.myfitnesscoach.biz.

Again, thanks for coming and congratulations on taking another step toward ideal wellness!

Danielle
My Fitness Coach