When Fitness is a Lifestyle

We have all been there; you're at the store and see something you can't live without.  The temptation is there, but you are running a little low in your bank account.  You take out your wallet, and within seconds you swipe your credit card and now it is yours.  It was quick, easy and painless.  Buy now, pay later seems to be the American way.  You don't even see a bill for that item for a month.  Unfortunately, the above scenario happens all the time.  How many credit cards do you have?  How many credit cards have balances on them?  Are you just making minimum payments?  How many times have you told yourself, “I am getting out of debt”, only to rush right out and buy more things?  You are either getting out of debt or creating more debt. It is that simple.

Monday is the day that I am going to really watch what I am eating.  You get to work, and someone brought in donuts.  You think, " one won't kill me"!  Adopting this new healthy lifestyle you brought your lunch packed with healthy foods.  Then, a co-worker that is having a really bad day wants you to go to lunch with them.  What the heck, eating out can be healthy.  Why not?  At the restaurant having a salad don't sound good, so you order a chicken sandwich with a side of fruit.  The meal comes out, and instead of fruit they accidentally give you fries.  You think, "this is a blessing in disguise"!  A few fries won't kill you!  After getting home from work, your darling children made chocolate cookies.  They are warm and gooey right out of the oven.  You're thinking, "A few cookies won't kill me"!  Today was quick, easy and painless. 

Do you see a pattern here? Buy now, eat now, pay later.  How much later?  You can file for bankruptcy to eliminate credit card debt.  Your body can file bankruptcy, i.e. death.  The interest your body pays is in heart disease, stroke, diabetes, high blood pressure, etc. 

We live in a society where we feel entitled to nice things including a lean and sexy body.  We compare ourselves to others.  However, are we putting in the work to achieve our goals?  If you are making minimum credit card payments, you will NEVER get out of debt.  If you are doing the minimum to lose weight, and get into shape it will NEVER happen.  You will not win the lottery or find the magic weight loss pill.  Stop fooling yourself!  Here are some interesting statistics:

        o Average consumer credit card debt is over $10,000
        o Credit card companies mailed 5 billion solicitations in 2002. The average person receives about 50
           mailings per year
        o Credit card debt has increased from $554 billion to $730 billion between 1997 and 2002
        o The average consumer pays more than $2000 per year on credit card interest

   

         64% of the American adult population is overweight, obese or morbidly obese
         62% of women and 67% of men are overweight
         1/3 of American adults are obese (30 or more pounds above their ideal weight) 33.4% are
             women and 27.5% are men

Now is the time to take a good look in the mirror.  Are you going to make sacrifices and get serious about your health?  Or are you going to continue increasing the debt around your stomach and rear end?  The reason you are in or out of shape, the correct % of body fat, and weight is based on how you have been spending your calories.  Fat is your body's way of accumulating food debt.  What I find interesting are those people who struggle at losing weight.  Somehow they blame their genetics, slow metabolism or many other things.  Once they get serious about keeping a record of their food intake, they soon realize the problem is they were eating WAY more than they thought.

When you get your credit card statement do you carefully look at it?  Do you look at how much interest you are being charged?  Or do you ignore it and hope it magically goes away?  If you truly want to get into the best shape of your life, you need to look at your food spending.  If you keep ignoring it and thinking that you are entitled to consume what you want, and look like a million bucks, good luck.  It will NEVER happen! 

Don’t eat like a pig over the holidays, and wait until January to make a change.  Do it NOW!  Pay now or pay later.  The only way to get out of fat debt and credit card debt is to stop doing the things that got you into debt in the first place.  Be aggressive - lose the weight, cut up your credit cards, and don’t get into the bad habit of relying on them to make you happy.  Food and material things should not make you happy.  Look at your family and friends.  Find something that will enlighten your life without being a burden. 

To be successful you need the following tools:
 1. Know and understand your metabolism,
2. Track what you put in your mouth,
3. Strength train,
4. Cardiovascular activities in moderation
5. Be consistent (understand that making a lifestyle change is your best way of staying on track),
6. Do not feel that you are entitled to a healthy body unless you WORK for it,
7. NEVER give up!

This newsletter may seem harsh.  I just want what is best for my clients.  Sometimes when something I say stings a little bit, that is when people take action.  I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season, and know that I care deeply about your health and wellness.

Client of the Month

The first time Kelley came into my office, I knew she was going to reach her goals.  She had gained weight while pregnant.  She was tired of being over weight, and did not like the way she looked.  She did not do any goofy supplements, starve herself or do any crazy exercise gizmo.  Kelley kept track of her calories and exercised.  I know it sounds too good to be true.  In only 5 months she has gone from 148 pounds 29.1% body fat to 123 pounds and 15.5% body fat.  Also, Kelley lost a total of 27.5 inches.  She has more energy to chase around here kids (and husband).  Kelley made a lifestyle change and I could not be more proud of her accomplishments.