Posts Tagged ‘commitment’
Shake your move thang
If we’ve heard it once, we’ve heard it a million times… Working out not only helps us burn calories, lose weight, stay fit, look good and even feel better (thanks to the endorphins), but a recent study reveals that people with early Alzheimer’s disease who had better fitness ratings had less atrophy in key brain areas associated with memory. This according to research first reported at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease (AICD).
This study was the first time that MRI Brain Imaging was used to reveal the connection between cardio respiratory fitness and Alzheimer’s-related brain changes in the hippocampus (the part of the brain that’s important for memory and other functions). The hippocampus is reported to be one of the first areas of the brain to be hindered upon the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.
In addition to the study mentioned above, ICAD also reported that home-based exercise programs lasting for 12-months actually helped with balance, help reduce falls and even help maintain independence among people challenged by dementia.
William Thies, PhD, Vice President of Medical and Scientific Relations for the Alzheimer’s Association, was quoted as saying “These studies reinforce the need for increased awareness and education about the importance of living a brain-healthy lifestyle, including staying physically active. Growing evidence shows that physical exercise does not have to be strenuous or require a major time commitment. It is most effective when done regularly, and in combination with a brain-healthy diet, mental activity and social interaction.”
If an exercise routine can bring benefits like these to people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, imagine what exercise can do for you – no matter what your current physical level is. You can always start somewhere.
Check with your doctor and devise an exercise routine that’s right for you, your age, your abilities – but don’t put it off any longer. Our bodies are made up of trillions of cells that live for a few weeks or months, then die and are then replaced by new cells. The scientific and medical communities continue to prove through research that an active lifestyle can have an amazing affect on the body in regard to cell growth and renewal – as well as overall health.
Sure, finding time everyday to workout can prove to be difficult given our way-too-busy lifestyles. But when you consider the alternative, we really don’t have much choice other than to make the time to workout.
And a gym isn’t necessarily required. Summer’s here — making this a great time of year to get outdoors. Try going for a walk around the block this afternoon or even during your lunch break. Just one block. And tomorrow? Make it two blocks. And add on from there. Your health – now and in the future – depend on it.
Click to these links for helpful information to build upon
or add to your own exercise program:
10 fitness tips to help you get started with a workout program — and stick with it
Confessions of a zombie
All Hallow’s Eve is the perfect time to confess that I often compare myself to a zombie. And not because I’m on a constant quest for “Brains… Brains…” — although certainly some people who know me might argue that a mission like that would be appropriate. But no… For me, the “zombie comparison” comes from my commitment to constantly moving — and often stumbling — forward, no matter what kind of odds or circumstances I’m facing.
Picture, if you will, a zombie in a field, moving toward its goal — one (often ungraceful) step at a time. Although this zombie might be missing a limb or two — or even if it’s being shot at — it just keeps on going. Kind of like the Energizer Bunny — only with more blood and guts. Still, there’s something to be admired about the zombie’s drive. And that’s why I often liken myself to one of these undead creatures (even during times of year when All Hallow’s Eve isn’t nigh).
Believe it or not, this comparison can be especially helpful if one has suffered a crisis of spirit due to a recent loss or disappointment. It’s tough to stay committed to one’s goals after experiencing a setback (no matter what aspect of life it pertains to).
Similarly, it’s sometimes tough to walk out the front door when your heart and spirit are heavy — perhaps feeling like you’ve gone one step forward and two steps back (feel free to insert your own analogy here). We all have days where matters of the heart, our health, our career or another seemingly crushed desire (even if just temporarily crushed) seem to weigh us down due to original intentions evading us (no matter how hard we’ve worked to achieve said goals).
Some days it feels almost impossible to keep on moving in the direction we’d originally intended for ourselves. It’s these kind of “down days” that seem to call out for staying in bed and hiding under the covers. Or cheating on our diets. Or picking an argument with a loved one. Or telling our boss off. Or giving up completely.
Again, this can all be likened to the life of a zombie.
After all, it’s not any easier to reach a lofty life goal than it is to dig yourself out of a grave — not to mention move across a large field fast enough to catch up with someone who has two working legs and can likely run faster than you can stumble. Think about it… Neither we nor the zombie totally knows exactly what he or she is doing. And yet the zombie just continues to stumble forward, sure that his or her goal will be worth it. In other words, zombies never give up. And this is something we can definitely take a cue from — whether wanting to reach our goal mindset, goal weight, goal promotion, goal marriage or goal whatever.
Just as a zombie is committed to stumbling forward to reach those sought-after brains — even when being shot at, attacked or even pulled apart (torn limb from limb, for crying out loud) — we can do the same when approaching our goals.
Sure, we don’t always know what obstacles lie ahead of us (setbacks that we can’t predict — even ones that seemingly block our efforts and require us to rethink our strategies from another starting point). But no matter what knocks us down, we have the option of considering it to be a temporary thing and then getting back up and recommitting to stumbling toward our goal. Because eventually — even when stumbling — as long as we’re moving forward, we’re going to reach our desired destinations.
So this Halloween, whenever you happen to see a zombie on TV, in a movie or at a costume party (hopefully as opposed to seeing a real one that’s sizing you up like a Thanksgiving dinner), take a moment to acknowledge that you have something in common with the walking dead.
And, of course, if you do happen to see a real zombie, run (don’t stumble) the other way. After all, we need all of the brains that we can hold onto. Besides, the run will potentially do your heart — and spirit — some good.
Picture Source: 20 Funny Zombie Pictures
You matter
It’s that time again… And no one likes a new beginning as much as those of us with a “dieter’s mentality.” And here we are at the grand slam of new beginnings — the first week of a new year. If misery loves company, we can take heart in the fact that almost everyone is getting on the scale right now, vowing to take off at least a couple pounds (“Welcome to our world, suckers!”).
But in actuality, none of us has to be miserable about it at all.
So often we think of dieting and losing weight as a punishment of sorts. When, really, it’s a choice. A choice that offers freedom, better health, more happiness and looking damned fine in our skinniest jeans. It’s all about changing that mental channel from ‘deprivation’ to “elation.”
Yeah, that’s right — elation.
In other words, I challenge you to be happy about your choice to take off a few (or a 100+) pounds this year. Do it with pep. With zest. And with the knowledge that it’s really not about deprivation at all.
When it comes down to it, you can eat anything you’d like while working to take off excess weight. The key, of course, is portion control. And I know that can be a tough thing to wrestle with after allowing one’s self to drink a whole vat of eggnog during the previous week since we knew we’d be starting (or re-starting) diets after the first of the year. But that was then. This is now.
As for your favorite foods, you might know that you can’t eat a single cup of ice cream right now because you’d be too tempted to make it 8 or more cups. Same could be true for French Fries, potato chips or whatever your “trigger foods” might be. So in that case, you might choose to forego these foods for a little while. But this isn’t deprivation either. Again, this is choice.
I urge you to abandon the concept of “I can never have ice cream (or whatever) again.” That’s just simply not true. You can have your favorite foods at anytime. But you can also not have them for a while, in an effort to encourage a little self-control. Once again, with feeling: This isn’t punishment. This is choice.
And perhaps when you’re down a few pounds, breathing easier, sleeping better and putting on your pants without having to offer up several prayers to get the waist fastened, you can then choose to have some ice cream – in a supermodel portion size (because that’s what you are… A supermodel). After all, even those skinny folks choose to have ice cream (or whatever) from time to time, rather than every day — and in a reasonable portion size that couldn’t feed a small nation.
Remember, you’re what matters. Your health. Your looks (no false vanity here, folks). Your happiness. And the key to all this isn’t going to be found in angst, in guilt or in the concept of being punished. Last year was then. Those eating habits were then. The vats of eggnog were then. This is now. This moment. And this is what matters most.
Not totally convinced? Then take a look at the belt I used to wear (shown above)… A belt made for a 60-inch waist…. A belt that I was wearing out at the last buckle hole… A belt that I haven’t had the need for in over a decade — other than as a reminder of what I’ve accomplished. If I can do it, you can do it. No, check that… We can do it!
So take a deep breath and commit to the choice of being your true, amazing, fabulous self this New Year. The choice can happen right now, in this very moment. Let’s make this choice together — at the same time — and move forward with vitality, vivaciousness and an attitude that lets the world (and ourselves) know that this time we mean business!
What matters most
No one likes a new beginning as much as those of us with a ‘dieter’s mentality.’ And here we are at the grand slam of new beginnings – the first week of a new year. If misery loves company, we can take heart in the fact that almost everyone is getting on the scale right now, vowing to take off at least a couple pounds (“Welcome to our world, suckers!”).
But in actuality, none of us has to be miserable about it at all.
So often we think of dieting and losing weight as a punishment of sorts. When,really, it’s a choice. A choice that offers freedom, better health, more happiness and looking damned fine in our skinniest jeans. It’s all about changing that mental channel from ‘deprivation’ to ‘elation.’
Yeah, that’s right – elation.
In other words, I challenge you to be happy about your choice to take off a few (or a hundred +) pounds this year. Do it with pep. With zest. And with the knowledge that it’s really not about deprivation at all.
When it comes down to it, you can eat anything you’d like while working to take off excess weight. The key, of course, is portion control. And I know that can be a tough thing to wrestle with after allowing one’s self to drink a whole vat of eggnog during the previous week since we knew we’d be starting (or re-starting) diets after the first of the year. But that was then. This is now.
As for your favorite foods, you might know that you can’t eat a single cup of ice cream right now because you’d be too tempted to make it 8 or more cups. Same could be true for French Fries, potato chips or whatever your “trigger foods” might be. So in that case, you might choose to forego these foods for a little while. But this isn’t deprivation either. Again, this is choice.
I urge you to abandon the concept of “I can never have ice cream (or whatever) again.” That’s just simply not true. You can have your favorite foods at anytime. But you can also not have them for a while, in an effort to encourage a little self-control. Once again, with feeling: This isn’t punishment. This is choice.
And perhaps when you’re down a few pounds, breathing easier, sleeping better and putting on your pants without having to offer up several prayers to get the waist fastened, you can then choose to have some ice cream – in a supermodel portion size (because that’s what you are… A supermodel). After all, even those skinny folks choose to have ice cream (or whatever) from time to time, rather than every day – and in a reasonable portion size that couldn’t feed a small nation.
Remember, you’re what matters. Your health. Your looks (no false vanity here, kids). Your happiness. And the key to all this isn’t going to be found in angst, in guilt or in the concept of being punished. Last year was then. Those eating habits were then. The vats of eggnog were then. This is now. This moment. And this is what matters most.
Not totally convinced? Then take a look at the belt I used to wear (shown below)… A belt made for a 60-inch waist…. A belt that I was wearing out at the last buckle hole… A belt that I haven’t had the need for in over a decade – other than as a reminder of what I’ve accomplished. If I can do it, you can do it. No, wait… We can do it!
So take a deep breath and commit to the choice of being your true, amazing, fabulous self this New Year. The choice can happen right now, in this very moment. Let’s make this choice together – at the same time – and move forward with vitality, vivaciousness and an attitude that lets the world (and ourselves) know that this time we mean business!
Happy New Year – and an even happier new you!
Meet my perm
Growing up heavy (okay, fat), I quickly learned the best way to pose for pictures. After all, I knew I was fat, but on some weird level, I must have thought I could hide it (or at the very least minimize it) by positioning myself behind people, furniture or walls.
I’m not sure what, exactly, I thought I was hiding. In retrospect, I guess I was really hiding from myself. After all, I wasn’t being honest with myself in regard to the amount of food (and therefore calories) I was consuming at the time. So why would I be honest with myself about my actual girth?
It’s for this reason that I marvel at the series of pictures taken at my heaviest weight. I knew I wanted to document all 450+ pounds of me as I began my 5,000th (10,000th?) attempt to get rid of the excess weight once and for all. But I’m still surprised that I not only posed people-, furniture- and wall-free, but even appeared without my shirt in one of the shots (stretch marks and all). Of course, these days I’m glad I was brave enough to pose for these pictures. They not only remind me of where I’ve been, but also of where I never want to ‘go’ again.
But there’s something about these photographs (taken when I was at my heaviest) that I find even more fascinating than my size 60-inch waist. Look closely at these shots and you’ll see I had a ‘perm’ in my hair. (And no, I didn’t lose a bet – this is a perm I not only paid for, but wanted.) And it’s this perm from my past that makes me laugh hysterically and cry tears of joy at the same time.
Before going public with my book and blog, I would only show my “Before Pictures” to a precious few. And if I would trot them out, I’d quickly point out the perm in my hair, noting that I was more embarrassed about getting a perm than I was about having boobs that would fit into many of my girlfriends’ bras (and yes, we tried once or twice).
But looking back on the perm, I must applaud my 450+-pound self. At that weight, I was terrified to go out into public and would often even food shop only at night or use only drive-thru windows at fast food restaurants in order to come into contact with as few people as possible. So the fact that I went to my hair stylist and ordered up a perm for something fresh and funky (emphasis on the funky) lets me know that even at 450+ pounds, I had not given up all hope of being part of the human race.
I remember always having a good head of hair on my head. As I kid, I was a sprightly red head, who soon evolved into having more of an auburn color mop top. I remember even at my heaviest that women would sometimes approach me and ask hopefully if my hair was colored and, if so, what hair colorist I went to. (They were usually disappointed when I told them it was all natural.) I suppose that these queries gave me hope at the time. It helped me to realize there was at least one thing about my physical appearance that I could work with in order to try and put my best foot forward.
Fact is, at 450+ pounds I was running out of clothing choices. I couldn’t even find many pant options at my local Big and Tall Stores (my waist had gotten that big). Thus, I’d taken to wearing sweatpants and one of two oversize t-shirts (sold as novelty shirts) that I could fit into. My fashion options had become virtually nonexistent. But damnit, I could control my head of hair. And I was gonna do so by getting a perm, which I guess was in style at the time. So even though I wanted to hide in my apartment for fear of being judged, I went to my salon of choice and ordered up some tightly wound curls.
Look at me, world! My hair is permed! Woohoo! (Now, someone point me to the nearest auditions for the next community theatre production of “Annie.”)
Funny. Sweet. And a little heartbreaking.
But solid proof that I hadn’t completely given up on life. And it’s that ‘not giving up’ that eventually brought me to the point of caring enough about my appearance (and health) to shed my 250 excess pounds and keep it off once and for all.
If you know someone fighting obesity, or if, perhaps, you’re battling it yourself, what do you do for your physical appearance that could compare to my perm? Do you always make sure your nails are manicured? Do you make sure that your hair always looks good? Or are you do you have a shoe collection that would make Imelda Marcos jealous?
Whatever it is, that’s your proof that you care about your appearance (or that your friend cares about his or hers). And this ‘proof of caring’ can be the first step toward committing yourself to lasting and permanent change when it comes to other matters like losing weight and/or getting healthier.
So no matter what goal you have ahead of you (even if it’s a goal that you haven’t quite committed to yet), think about how you can affect your life (and your self-esteem) today. This moment is all you have. So do something that boosts your ego and adds a little pep to your step. These small enhancements can fuel your dreams of achieving all of your goals, whether health or appearance related.
It’s all about showing faith in yourself and making an effort in the present moment. And if I can do it – even with a perm – then you can, too. Isn’t it time you made a perm-anent commitment – to yourself? (If so, please let me know!)
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