When Fitness is a Lifestyle!

It’s hard to believe that the holiday season is already here!  For some, it’s an excuse to eat like a pig and take time off from exercise.  I think we should be doing just the opposite.  It’s time to pay even closer attention to your food and make a better effort to exercise.  November and March are the two busiest months of the year at Functional Conditioning.  I think this is because people don't want to gain more fat over the holidays ,and March is the time people start to think about wearing summer clothes that don't hide the excess fat.  On the other hand, January is the busiest month for health clubs.  People make New Year resolutions, but after  one or two times going to the gym they quit.  You need to make fitness a lifestyle change; something that is permanent.  Taking care of yourself should not be a part-time concern.  It should be something you do on a regular basis, because it makes you feel better.

Let’s review the steps for getting in great shape:

1. Know and understand your metabolism, and keep an accurate record of what you are eating and drinking. Remember what you weigh is what you eat and what you burn. If you are gaining fat, you are eating more than your body is burning. If you are not keeping an accurate record of your food it is very difficult to lose fat.

2. Exercise.  Sounds simple, you should have at least 30 minutes of some type of physical activity everyday. More importantly, you should strength train a minimum of twice per week.

3.  Stress management.  More emphasis on this step needs to be shed.

When under stress people tend to handle it in different ways.  One of these ways is to consume alcohol.  The problem with drinking alcohol is it has empty calories; seven calories per gram.  Additionally, it acts as a depressant.  Another way people handle stress is to eat comfort foods in excess.  When upset they eat more hard crunchy foods.  If they are not feeling loved, they tend to eat more ice cream and pastries. Both of these methods of coping are not doing your body any favors.  When we are under stress our bodies produce a hormone Cortisol (taking a supplement will not help).  This hormone comes from the adrenal glands and breaks down muscle and stores body fat.  Having stress in your life is part of living, but having too much stress over a long period of time creates an imbalance within the hormones.  Sleep is one of the best ways our bodies help balance things out.  If you are so stressed out that you have a hard time sleeping, it will be very difficult to lose weight. By not getting enough sleep we are fatigued during the day and the last thing we want to do is exercise.  Even though exercise would be the best thing, because it increases beta endorphins which are the “feel good” chemicals within the body.

Most of our stress in life is self induced.  Before you get upset, who is responsible for your life?  If you are burned out and stressed about taking your kids from one activity to another, then stop signing them up for so many things. If you HATE your job and feel obligated to work 100 hours a week to make ends meet, maybe you should look at your finances and see what is really important.  If you feel as if you left your job the company would go out of business ask yourself -  would it really?  Did the company exist before you arrived?  If you have a terrible relationship at home and it adds a tremendous amount of stress, get into counseling.

I have some very special people in my life that are caring for a loved one with health problems. This can be very stressful. I believe that if you are taking care of yourself, in turn you can be a better care giver and more understanding of the situation.

Ten tips on how to manage stress:

EXERCISE most days of the week,
Get enough sleep,
Seek professional help if need be,
Have fun!! We are only here one time. Life cannot be serious all the time ,
Get out and play. Ride your bike, go skiing, walk the dog,
Do not use alcohol, drugs or food to manage stress,
Realize that eating junk food will only make you fat and will not fix your problems,
Confide in a friend,
Get a massage (I know a good place!!),
Work on your spirituality.

Client of the Month

Erica has been coming to Functional Conditioning for a year and a half.  She has done a great job!  She is one of my hardest working clients.  She never complains that a workout is too hard and is a fun person to work with.  Here is one of her vacation pictures.  It is good to see all of her hard work has paid off!!

Let me know if we can help you in anyway to get into the best shape of your life…